The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-15

formanee of service, and to prescribe
penalties for the violation thereof
These two bills were delivered TO Sen
ator Gardner of Pike county, now the
chancellor of the southeastern chancery
division, and were introduced by him. re-
speetively, on the second and third days
OF the session of the Legislature.
! Those who were In favor of the legis-
| lative-made rates, introduced and had
passed. under the supervision of the gov
efnor, what is known the 110 commodity
rate bill and consequently enacted a law
liking the passenger rate at 26 cents per
mile, as being a part of the general sys-
tenn. These latter laws were enjoined by
the judge of the United States district
court for the middle district of Alabama
and during the tendency of that case the
regulation of the railroads, so far as 1t
pertained to rates in the state of Ala
bama. was almost completely obtsructed
and the railroad commission practically
had its hands tied. l may say here In
passing that the injunction against the
| legislative made rates on the ITO commod-
ity rate bill, with 26 cent passenger rate
has been finally enjoined by the federal
court, after long litigation involving the
state in a cost of thousands and thousands
OF dollars, and, but for the laws prepared
! by me, giving to the railroad commission
! separate powers, Alabama today would
|
rate regulation is concerned, and turned
| over to the federal court and would nor
| be able to put into effect single change
or reduction with reference to the ITO com
| nodities bill. nor the 26 cent passenger
rate, without permission from a federal
judge.
Cost of Litigation
| During the past few years the federal
court has decided that the Injunction does
NOT apply to the powers granted to the
fdHroad commission. and settled the un-
! certain question involved therein. These
laws as to the powers of the commission.
emerged unscathed from the jungles of
iesal ENHANCEMENT strong as the lion
or the tribe of JUDAH and the railroads
that had been contesting the authority of
the state were reduced to submission. The
Louisville and Nashville railroad had
been forced to put into effect the 2b
cent passenger fare, and orders have now
been issued against the Central of Geor-
sla and the Western of Alabama TO the
same effect Litigation In attempting to
| enforce the 10 commodities rates had
| cost the state of Alabama over S143 900 in
attorneys fees and court costs, and had
! accomplished nothing permanent save to
| place the state in the hands of the fed
eral courts. The Investigations and hear
ings before the railroad commission that
! produced the results of reduced passenger
tariffs was without the aid of attorneys
ana only at nominal cost to the state. 1t
is strange, now, indeed, that the man who
| is responsible for the failure in the execu-
| ton of his laws, should charge me with
| being the candidate of the interests that
have been successful in having regu-
lated.
| Pike COunty's Sons
IT is these laws, made possible by Mr.
Joel d. Murphree. and prepared, fought
Tor and carried through by me-both of
/ us from Pike oounty-that you must de-
pena upon TO protect you in your right
against the aggressions of the corpora
| tons, whose powers you must control or
| submit yourselves to them as their ever
/ lasting servants.
| additional legislation is advisable to
increase the efficiency of the commission
ana to facilitate litigation on the orders
! of the commission, and complaints which
| may be filed by it with the interstate
| commerce commission of the United
States.
Being the only one of those who was
prominently connected with the original
movement and the successful legislation
! Incident thereto, who has stood in the
| trenches during the whole time, not avoid
| ing the issue, but with the one purpose
of seeing the law upheld, feel at liberty
to ask at your hands other and higher
honors.
q know that you have confidence in my
integrity and in my honesty of purpose. 1
believe that my recent study and-training
in your service has rendered me capable,
as governor of the state, of carrying for
ward with fairness and conservativeness
the reforms contemplated for the benefit
Of the entire people.
The Financial System
mo man would be qualified to fill the
position of chief executive of a great
| commonwealth whose sole claim to office
is correct idea upon one proposition.
! The governorship should be in the hands
of man, conservative and we'll balanced.
who has the ability to see the affairs of
state and its departments from every
viewpoint and no department is more
important than its finances.
| "All the money used in the operation of
the state government, in all of it's de-
partments, must be taken from the peo-
pie of the state by way of taxes and at
! last rests as burden upon the tax
payer, and in whatever manner process
| it may be clothed, or however adroitly it
may be hidden, at last every dollar COM
ing into the state treasury is in some way
a contribution of the citizenship of the
state of Alabama toward the maintenance
| of its government.
| Therefore no government should take
from the people by way of taxes or other
wise more money than is necessary for the
administration Of its governmental affairs
honestly administered, and as economical
| ly is consistent with the progress and
| development of the times in which we
live.
! Danger of Prejudice
Whenever political campaigns are con-
Quoted along the lines which appeal to the
passions and the prejudices of the voters
OF the state, important issues are too often
lost sight of, and designing men who de-
sire political preferment often seek to ap-
real to and arouse the passions and preju-
dices of one class of citizens against an
other, that they may ride into office
upon the crest of popular wave, without
reference to the material and business In
terests of the people of the state.
Alabama has passed through several
such campaigns within the past few years.
when the large majority of the voters of
time when the conduct of the finances
OF the state were entirely lost sight of,
to such an extent that, from over
flowing treasury in 1906 when the state
treasury had surplus of 81, 100000, which
had been accumulated through a series of
administrations, conservatively adminis-
tered, we have now come to the place
where there Is a large deficit in our treas
ury, the state Is embarrassed in the pay
ment of its ordinary current expenses. and
those in charge Of the administration of
the affairs of the state are resorting to
every scheme of taxation known to the
most adrot, In order to be able to extract
enough money out of the taxpayers with
W n he fol ire nf