The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-02

"a eAeiuuiHS the 'unueSlra bleS' IN TIE re-
| 1ected. cast-off citizenship of other states
and countries. Along with the advance
ment of our material prosperity 1t should
pc our policy to preserve the integrity
ana purity of that citizenship that makes
the south the repository of the seed OF
that genuine American stock to which
our country owes all that is good and
great IN state and national history.
Alabama and the Railroads
doVernor Conner has pre-empted the
fairoads as an over-shadowing issue in
TINS fight do not so regard it, nor
20 | Tor one moment believe that the
| 1nlhking conservative voters of Alabama
! so regard it. In saying this | do not
contend that solemn serious question is
| not presented in the proper relation OF
these corporations to the people of Ala
pana. No sane man would so contend
ihal question is gradually rightng itself
uhoef the impulse of unprejudiced feel
ing, and broad, patriotic desire to have
Tue state and these her grand servants to
dWell together in unity Governor Conner
would wllfully disturb this peace and set
the people and the railroads at strife for
q purpose too apparent to be mentioned
IL is a sad penalty that we are called
upon TO pay in order to make Mr.. Conner
! governor again. My position toward the
railroads is well known. My policy re-
garding them. il elected. will be based
on IDEAS OF the states right to regulate
these corporations within the limit of
mutual justice and fairness There should
| De no conflict between the common
wealth and these great Instruments of
her development. There ought to be per
petual peace between the people and the
railroads, and there would be If ot1es-
uons or frictional nature were tried
ana arranged in our states court Every
state III TINS union 10 years old has its
own laws to regulate railroads.
There is a constant flow of railroad
litigation through the state and federal
courts. All signs go to prove that the
matter or railroad regulation commands
the universal care and thought of The
masses. Taking the great engineer and
builder, the late John r. Miner. for ail-
thority every dollar of the stock of rail-
roads in Alabama was owned in Alabama
until after the war. Now practically all
OF the stock of the railroad trunks Is
owned outside this state, held outside for
purpose OF investment by the wealthy and
FOR speculation on the exchange The
owners of the roads have never seen Ala
bama, never will see and feel no concern
about us here except that they may draw
dividends from our business enterprises
Meantime we keep up the government
that ecures safety to the property OF
these persons who own the roads. Their
employees live the same as all other
classes. The public and the militia are
subject to their services at city and state
expense every hour In the day. The mill
lions of railroad property tracks, build
ings. bridges, etc, are protected by our
state laws and by no other laws so effec-
lively.
I'VE confront a great problem. The
railroads are here to stay The state leg
islature, the state executive and judiciary
must regulate all descriptions of enter
prises and investments of capital within
our limits, the great and the small but
railroad property stands foremost among
all in importance Of use and in corre-
spending necessity of state regulation,
and If / am governor | will insist upon
such regulation.
State Convict Question
Things have recently arisen to make
our convict system a matter of public
concern. The question of materially re-
vising and amending our present convict
laws is a generally admitted fact rather
than an issue. No one will seriously deny
that the system appeals for radical
changes to the end of correcting the
abuses that an administration of the pres
ent laws has revealed. / aim an earnest
advocate of these changes, and as COVER
nor the legislature would find in me an
ehiocit anu bS HlpdtHtliC tO-ld III Tue
undertaking of revolutionizing our pres
ent Inadequate and imperfect convict
laws. The matter of dealing with a ques-
ton so vital in its nature and so func-
tional in its bearings to society, is not
one, conceive, not to be properly deter
mined short of the combined wisdom OF
those who are elected to make our laws
and it is to that wisdom represented in
the legislature that / would trust to sus-
tain ofv rl,at ie, vi. y,
and needful in so solemn a line of exectl-
tive duty. / would heartily favor takin,
the convicts out of the mines as soon as
practical and expedient and putting them
| to work on the public highways.
Alabama and Prohibition
"AIr. Seed features prohibition in this
camraien as a thing for adoption to COM
bat the liquor evil. Governor Conner is
generally suspected of sharing this view
Prohibition is, therefore, again before
you a question to be settled. 1t al
ready prevails in every county in the
state except in a few centers, and the
proposition is, whether or not the real
cause of temperance will be best served
by excepting these exempted localities
from the provisions of the present law.
There is not a candidate in this race who
is not at heart an advocate for the thing
at which prohibition in theory aims, and
there is absolutely no difference or issue
between them except as to the means to
be employed In properly serving this
form of public virtue and civic right
eousness. AS Grover Cleveland remarked
of another great problem. it may be said
of prohibition that it is a condition and
not theory that confronts u.s. " We
have got to take mans failings, and
mans passions, and appetites, and deal
with them either as subjects of mastery
or of restraint. Whenever it is impossi-
BILE to master them, it is the part of duty
and requirement to restrain them, as the
best and highest efforts at service that
men in their fallible capacities can make.
I maintain that the past has demon
strated the utter futility of subjugating
the propensity of man to drink whisky to
excess by prescribing his right to do so
In statutory laws. IF statewide prohf-
biton in Alabama had proven really ef-
fective as a solvent of the whisky evil,
| it would, in my Judgment never have
been repealed We aer now graphing
with this evil under prohibition law
modified by conditions which have ex-
empted a portion OF the cities Of the
state from application to its terms. These
conditions have been brought about by a
statute passed by the last Legislature,
which delegates to the people themselves
the right to determine their wants in
respect to this question. If this law fails
in its terms and purpose, it will be re-
pealed. and prohibition some other
system of remedial force will be SUBJ
stituted. AS governor, l will be sympa-
thetic with any measure of this nature
that the legislature in its wisdom would
enact the end in view being to give the
people means OF their own choosing to
serve their conception of need. Local
option with the county as a unit, is my