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

jof to clever young gentleman, and
the payment of other expenses to run his
office. up to the amount of $6444 per an
mum, and incidentally. also, to keep boys
out in the country from trapping rabbits
and squirrels and killing jaybirds on
lands other than those to which their
fathers or guardians have the fee simple
title-for this, I say, the state has taken
from the people about $50 600 in five years,
which is transferred into the general fund
of the state treasury with out further
thought of the theory or purpose for
which 1t should have been collected
Fellow citizens, these things are not
right; they are not fair; they are not
honest-and no selr-respecrlng man can
undertake to justify them by any process
of reasoning, and the instances l have
mentioned are only two of dozen that
might be mentioned that could be urged
against the system of laws which has
grown up in the past few years in order
to cover a large deficit on account of ex-
perditures recklessly and heedlessly made,
and for which the governor of this state
who held Office from 1907 to 1911 is directly
responsible.
when I am elected governor of this
state and inaugurated into the office. I
shall insist that the revenues of the state
shall be first carefully estimated, and
appropriations made in accordance there
with. and that special funds collected
for special purposes shall be applied to
those purposes or returned to the people
as their right.
Public Funds for Private Ends
"And this brings me to the considera-
ton of another practice which has grown
up in this state, and that is the system
which permits public officers collecting
public funds to use them for ther own
Of Tor ~ fau
local institution in the community in
which the money is collected. Tax col
lectors in the various counties have their
favorite banks in which they deposit the
funds belonging to the state, and at long
intervals make remittances to the state
treasury. The superintendent of educa-
ton is permitted to have a fund separate
and apart from the funds of the state
which he keeps in a bank of his own
choosing. The president of the convict
bureau, an officer without bond, is per-
mitted to keep thousands of dollars in his
possession, and is only required by law
to make a settlement with the state treas
urer once in every three months. This
condition of affairs places temptations in
the way of the weak men and sometimes
ca uses them to fall. No private person or
private corporation should be permitted
to use the funds collected from the tax
payers of this state for private purposes
and no settlement should be considered
as having been made with the state of
Alabama, until the funds are received
into the hands of the state treasurer to
be accounted for by him. The laxity with
which these state finances have been
handled during the past few years has
caused defalcations by county officers
and by state officers to the extent that
the fair name of the state has been
brought TO shame. l should advocate
frequent settlements with the state treas
urer by all officers charged with the
duty of collecting public funds and
bond of sufficient amount to guarantee
the good faith of every man handling the
moneys of the state. and that all money
paid out by the state should be paid out
upon proper voucher drawn by the aud
itor.
The Public Roads
"The development OF the rural districts
of this state ought to be one of the first
considerations of every public man who
comes into the affairs of government
Agriculture is the chief source of our
wealth. and should be fostered by every
thinking man. Upon the shoulders and
the efforts of the farmers OF this coun-
try depends the future prosperity of this
beautiful southland of ours The null
tiplication of the products of the farm,
the increased values of the land: the
building of nice homes and the develop
ment of the individual community, ought
to be constantly before the public men
of this state, and there is no one thing
so conducive to the building up of a
neighborhood as the building of a public
road system. This state should provide
a uniform public road system which would
foster and build up all the public high
ways by the state and counties, and at
the same time require proper keeping up
of the public roads in every county.
Reform in Judiciary
II am frank to say to you that I am
not at the present time fully familiar
with the necessities of all of the other
departments of state. | am convinced
though. by conference with people, and
conscientious lawyers, that our judicial
system needs reformation by the re-
duction of the number of our courts and
by reducing the number of officers of
some courts that are entitled to remain
and there are other departments of the
government which should be entirely
abolished. or the heads of those depart
ments should be done away with and
these functions exercised by other Off
GERS of the state whose time is not now
nearly taken UP with the duties of the