The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-04

Ddma TOT the general expenses oi ehc Soii- 1 ference The governors conference had no other source of income to pay its sec | retary, stenographers and other necessary
 expenses, except contributions from the different states. The expenses Tor con- ducting the conference, the payment of | the salaries of the secretary. stenogra- | phers and other expenses were pro rated , among the different states and paid out | of the governors contingent funds, with | the exception of one or two states, where no contingent fund had been provided | for the governor. In many of these states where no contingent fund had been pro vided special appropriations were made
 by their legislatures, amounting Tn some instances to very large amounts.
 | No one before the speakers at this meeting has questioned the advantage aceruing from these conferences. They | tend to secure greater comity between | the states; gives to each governor the | benefit of the varied expriences or the executives of the other states in the so- lution of many grave and serious prop lems which affect the interest or the states, secure greater uniformity of the
 laws and tend to increase and protect the powers and dignity of the states as sov- | ereigns It was at this same conference on my motion that three or the aniest | lawyers in the nation were selected To appear before the supreme court or the I the states in rate litigation. Judge san
 born, a federal circuit judge, had held | that all regulation by a state or lntra- state commerce was unconstitutional ana void because 1t affected interstate com
 merce and thereby invaded the exciuslNe right of Congress to regulate commerce between the state. A similar ruling had
 been made by one of the masters in the rate litigation in Alabama. stated to the conference that if the decision ot Judge Sanborn, which was then pending on appeal before the supreme court or the | United States. was sustained, IL Wouia deprive the states of all the right 10 regulate and control over all that vast | internal commerce within tho state which | is connected in any degree with inter state traffic. and would be the most serious blow ever struck at the soverign- | ty of the state. I urged the conference | that in view of the fact that the case
 then pending affected not only the state | from which the appeal was taken, but all the states alike, and as the railroads were represented by host of eminent counsei, | it was our duty, in view of the very
 serious question involved. to select three of the strongest lawyers In the country | to present the states side Of the con 1 troversy.
 l My motion prevailed with only one dissenting vote, and the conference
 elected Governors Harmon, Hadley and l Aldrich. all three eminent lawyers who | had had long experience In railroad
 rate litigation. to present the state view of the law to the supreme court of the United states. Tho adoption or | this motion alone was worth many times the small amount Alabama con | tributed to the establishment or the conference. If the state of Alabama had declined to pay it's proportion or
 the expenses I could not in decency
 have taken any part in the proceed | ings Alabama is proud and wealthy state and I was unwilling to advertise | to all the states of the Union that 1t
 was too poor to pay it's proper propor-
 tion of the expenses of the conference,
 in which the state. through It's govern
 or. took part. Not one penny from this | sum did I receive for my own personal use
 "Another item criticised as shown by the auditors books is, 'Emmet ONeal, governor, expenses Mobile reviewing | troops, S79 .29.' An examination or tile
 accounts which were filed in the audi
 tors office shows that this account | included not only expenses to Mobile,
 which the account shows to have been s2.75. emitting railroad fare to and | from Mobile, but travelling expenses to 1 Anniston to review the state troops, | location of high school at Piedmont, expenses from Piedmont to Annlston, | from Anniston to Lincoln, from bin- coin to Talladega, and from TaHadesa | to Montgomery, also locating high school in Sumter county, travelling ex- lpenses from Montgomery to Birming- ham, Birmingham to Cuba, from Cuba | to York, from York to Marion June | tion, Marion Junction to Whatley 10 locate high school in Clarke county,
 and return trip to Montgomery It also included q trip on matters connected with State Normal school at Florence. from Montgomery to Florence and re- turn. Every item on this account was in connection with the states business.
 This account shows that was so care less of my own interest that Tn one instance at least failed to include the largest item of expense. Another criticism was in the follow ing language: 'Emmet ONeal. expenses, attending Mt Meigs. $22.25. It costs you $22 35--it didn't cost him cent l be- lieye that is a negro school, after all. "An examination of the itemized account sustaining this charge Dleo Tn
 the auditors office shows that 1t was composed of the following items; TO telephone, executive office, $l2.75; 10 telegram soc, automobile to Mt. Meigs school ss. making a total of s22 25. This school is state institution or which the governor Is ex-officio presi- dent of the board. The automobile was hired by MT John V. Smith, one or the trustees to carry myself and other trustees to Mt. Meigs to inspect the institution. to negotiate for the pur-
 chase of a tract of land and to locate an additional building. This institu- ton has been maintained for the GUS tody of Juvenile negro criminals ana 1t is doing a very important and use1uI work. The bill for s9 was presented to
 me by Mr. Smith and was promptly paid as a proper charge against the contingent fund. Another item for which l am crit
 icised is expenses to Birmingham in regard to the Sloss Sheffield company's s contract-37S .s1. The accounts support ing this item on the auditors books show that it was not only rendered for itemized expenses incurred on August 1s. 1911, of $19.36. expenses to Fir
 minRham in connection with this con
 tract. but also itemized expenses in-
 cured August 29, 1911, in reference to the Banner mine contract, $12.36, and
 also. itemized expenses of January 23.
 1912 for trip to attend meeting of the
 trustees at Birmingham of the Girls
 Technical school at Montevallo, and
 trip from Birmingham to Gadsden, ana
 from Gadsden to Guntersville to locate
 A high school, and from Guntersville to
 Birmingham, from Birmingham to
 Calera from Calera to Columbiana 10
 locate another high school, and return
 trip to Montgomery. being $29 3f It also shows itemized expenses of trip of February to Henry county in the mat
 ter of the location of high school in the sum of s9.75 It also shows ex- ,,aneae Of frip on February 8 to Auburn