The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-17

| justly prefer not to be included ln the i charitable terms of this bill.
 In excluding sheriffs, deputy sheriffs and chiefs of police from the benefits of this | bill I call attention to the act passed at this session providing for the appointment | by the governor on the application Of public service corporations of their en- ployes as police. with powers extending over the whole state. So far as officers | of this character are concerned the act | referred to makes adequate provision for I the policing of railway property and the protection of their rights. I call attention ], also to the fact that existing laws pro- l vide compensation for all the public ser- vices rendered by sheriffs and chiefs of | police.
 They are servants of the public and not of the railroads or any other private in- | terest and if they are not sufficiently | paid their compensation should be in- creased by the state to a proper amount and not eked out by the bounty of rail- | road corporations or any private inter- ests. That public officers should receive eny part of the emoluments of their office from private sources would create an anomalous situation, in which there would be manifest impropriety The effect of obligations received constitutes an appeal to gratitude in every normal man, so sub tie and powerful, that notwithstanding
  out the slightest imputation upon any in dividual who would be a beneficiary under this bill 1t would be unwise, as well as opposed to the settled policy of both the state and federal governments, as eX pressed in the statutes of each, to permit any branch of public service to come within it's influence. This justifies the ex- clusion both of the sheriffs and police and of the newspapers from the terms of this bill.
 The newspapers are the strongest | forces in the complex civilization of the day; forming the opinions and leading l the judgment of thousands. their influ- ence upon political policies is difficult | to estimate. The absolute liberty of | the press is one of the surest guar antees of wise government and of the perpetuation of equal rights under the law and if the effect of this bill would be to lay them under obligations to a great and powerful influence, without any regard to whether they would be affected thereby, both they and the general public should be solicitous to avoid such a situation. No class Of citizenship stands higher in the pub lie estimation than that which furn- ishes our judicial and legislative off cers and none is entitled more fully to the complete confidence of the peo- pie Neither they nor others think it proper that they should be permitted to rest under obligations to private in- terests, and no one has ever eonsld- cred it an imputation upon them that the constitution provides in express terms that they shall not be the re- cipients of railway favors.
 If this theory is correct as to those who make and interpret our laws, why should it not apply with equal force to hat which the written law is but the concrete expression. If it be said that the newspapers are expected to render valuable consldera- ton in return by advertising, l can see no valid reason why the present statues should be changed, They can still be paid for advertising and from such fe- ceipts of their business buy transporta- ton on the same terms at Whlch IL Is sold to the general public.
 The supreme court of the United States has within the past few days sustained the validity of the federal anti-pass law, which is the same as ours, Tn a case ln- volving the right of Congress to prohibit | the exchange of advertising for trans portation. The interstate commerce con- mission had previously taken the same | position, calling attention to the fact that advertising rates were not the same in all |
 
 same amount of advertising one paper re- ceived if exchanged at current rates one | quantity of transportation while an- other received a greater or less amount, | thus bringing about that inequality Of treatment of the public by railroads which has been productive of great evils and which public policy has been careful to avoid.
 In the press of this state, in common tba I pride To all measures looking to the furtherance of their interests, which does not involve a governmental policy out of which i'll to the general public might 1 follow I am ready to lend hearty as- sent.
 For a number of years one of the great questions that has agitated the American | public has been the extent to which cor porate power should be allowed to go, and the proper regulation, by fair, just and equal laws, of their public activities; and it has been the consensus of opinion that the transportation of all persons at the same rate and for money consideration is the best method of relieving situation that had become inimieal to the public
 However proper the motive which inr spired the provisions which I have eliin- mated or however blameless the intent with which the favors provided for might be received. the net result would unques- tionably be an enormous accession to cor porate influence and to corporate power. This situation, which would inevitably follow, is the exact State of affairs which the policy of the law as expressed throughout the whole country during re- cent years, has sought to avoid.
 To approve this bill in the form in which it has reached me would do vio- lence to policy which has been defi- nitely adopted in this state, and by the federal Congress, and which has seemed justified by general approval and which | feel convinced follows laws most pro- ductve of benefit to the general public. |
 EMMETT O'NEAL, Governor.