The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-16
CONFERENCE OF
 GOVERNORS ENDS Experience Meeting Held
 By Executives
HARMON'S STATEMENT
Protest Committee Meets and Plans Action-Harmon Explains Its Nature and PurpOse-No
 Secretary Named

| N d.. 1 third annual governors conference came to an unexpected close here late today after the conferes had waited two hours | to hear Governor Dix of New York, Nho was detained in reaching Spring Lake. l Although the programme was to have extended through Saturday illness and in ability to attend on the part of several scheduled speakers led to the discovery that there would be no matters claiming | the attention of the gathering longer l Fifteen governors who met at the aft ernoon session held what they termed an experience meeting.
 1 Governor Shafroth of Colorado dls- cussed the state prison law and other re- | forms in his state and Governor fener 1 of Pennsylvania told of reform movements 1 in his state. "This," he said in conclusion, deserves a better name, perhaps than the soVer- nors' conference This is the Ancient and Amalagamatel Order of Governors. the governors union.''
 ! Governor Stubbs of Kansas. Vessey Of South Dakota and O'Neal of Alabama made addresses outlining reforms re- gently adopted by their respective states
 Governor Dix followed the first of the
 speakers delivering an address on taxa | ton.
 Governor Augustus E. Wilson of Ken
 lucky thanked the committee on arrange
 ments for its work and the conference | adjourned to meet at Richmond, Va, in | December, 1912
 No Secretary Named
 Contrary to general expectations the conference voted down in executive ses-
 sion a motion to appoint w. Gordon, who
 has served as secretary three years, per-
 manent secretary. Instead, 1t was decided
 to leave the election of secretary to
 the executive committed.
 Governor Gilchrist of Florida announced that the executive committee had agreed
 to place foremost on next years pro- gramme a discussion on the advisability
 of having a uniform divorce law. 1 The committee of governors who will present on behalf of 24 states a plea 1 to the federal supreme court for protec-
 ton of states rights met today. i Governor Harmon, chairman has de- cided to mark out a line of procedure at once.
 "The proposition is a matter of fact
 one," he said "As to the method on which l 1t will be taken to the supreme court I | cannot see that it should cause surprise. | The governor is certainly the representa- | tive of the entire state, and by virtue of l his office Is intrusted with the duty of seeing that the states are protected. The governors will have their annual l ct "a 1h.s, 1S 1912.
 l No man, you know, would run away from the presidency of the United States, said Governor Harmon this aft ernoon when asked If he was a candi- date for the democratic presidential nom | nation.
 HarmOn's Statement Before departing for Knoxville today Governor Harmon prepared a statement concerning the newly appointed commit tee as follows:
 | Tn view of an apparent misunderstand- ] ing by some of the action of the con- | ference yesterday. 1t is deemed advisable | that a statement should be made as to it's exact nature and purpose. | "As the decision of the United States circuit court in what is known as the l Minnesota rate case to the effect that l the state of Minnesota had no authority | to regulate railroad rates within it's own | borders because interstate commerce was 1 thereby affected, and as other cases in | volving the same questions in other states we uld soon come before the supreme court 1 of the United States for decision, the | conference considered it advisable to ap- | point a committee so that the states side of this controversy is properly pre- | pared and presented to the supreme court
 "The committee expects to deal only with the legal side of this controversy and the action yesterday was one of only | ordinary precaution Every state in the union Is equally and vitally interested | in the decision of this question, as the | right of each state to regulate it's own i international commerce would be de-
 stroyed by an adverse decision. We ex- pect to ascertain what cases will first
 be considered by the supreme court in
 this question will be decided and if it is deemed advisable will ask leave to
 present to the court a brief and argu-
 ment in support of the right of the states
 to regulate commerce wholly within their borders.