The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-05

1
| Gid former generations of the south, at
| the forefront of the nations affairs
| The state should collect no more taxes
| thsn are necessary to conduct the affairs
OF the state government, economically ad-
ministered. Every property owner should
De required to pay only his just proportion
OF the tax burden, and no more Should
| be elected governor / would decline
10 approve any appropriation bill until
after the revenue of the state for the next
four years had been properly estimated.
| | would ascertain what amount of money
the state could appropriate from its treas
ury without causing a deficit. L would
| divide the surplus among only worthy
institutions and other proper purposes,
| and would unhesitatingly veto any bill
carrying an appropriation that would EN-.
barrass the credit of the state.
Rural Credits for Farmers
| THE next legislature should by the en-
actment of a general law provide for the
establishment of a system of rural credits.
The present plan under which our farm
| ers are accustomed to negotiate loans
and the exhorbitant rate of interest they
are required to pay is not only a severe
burden upon the individual, but initiates
seriously against the development of our
| rural communities. Farmers require
money with which to purchase improved
| farm machinery, to construct barns, to
build fences, for ditching and for nu-
nerous other purposes. The farmers of
| the United States contribute annually to
the national wealth eight billion, four
hundred million dollars; they are operat-
ing on borrowed capital of six billion
forty million dollars, and are paying an
| nually as interest five hundred and ten
million of dollars
Counting the commissions which are
| invariably charged, the abstracts of title,
inspection of property and attorney fees,
the farmers of the United States are pay
ing 81a per cent as compared to per cent
paid by the farmers of the old world The
farmer although cut greatest producer of
wealth pays higher rate of interest than
any other class of business men. although
he gives bedrock security-mortgages on
real estate. l
Rural credit associations should be
established for and operated in the in
terest of the borrowers and not of the
lenders. A law should be enacted pro-
viding that those citizens who reside in
the country, who engage in the business
of agriculture, should be accorded the
same financial rating as those engaging
in business enterprises In town and cities.
The present system upon which credit is
based is one of unjust discrimination
against the farmers of Alabama II must
and shall be corrected.
The Confederate Pensions
My father was a Confederate soldier.
AS member of the legislature always
advocated and | still stand for as lib
eral appropriations for pensions for his
needy comrades s-in-arms as the state can
stand. The state board of pension ex-
aminers should be given plenary power
to purge the Confederate pension roll of
all not Justly entitled TO pensions, and
to restore thereto those who should draw
pensions.
Convicts on the Roads
"The convicts of this state must and
shall be taken out of the mines and
lumber camps and put to work in con-
structing good roads for the people of
Alabama. The state has no right to
sentence a criminal except for the pro-
lection of society and for the correc-
ton of the Individual. The state has no
right to require a convict to go down
into coal mine which is a dangerous
place where he would not go volun-
tarily IT is wrong in principle for
the state to commercialize the moral
weakness of eonvicts by hiring them
out to the highest bidder with view
of deriving the greatest amount of
money possible as a source of revenue
for the state.
Under our present system a con-
Wet is regarded as a collateral of the
state, out of which the greatest in
come possible is sought to be derived
The vengeance which the sentence of
tho convict to the mines implies causes
the convict to become hardened and
when his sentence has expired to seek
retaliation by again committing some
offense against society and pursuing a
| n n Lac <afit ft,al ,rfj1
overtaken by the law and again SEN
fenced to the mines. Under our present
system of leasing convicts everything
tends toward greater moral degeneracy
and the hardening of the convict rath-
er than preparing him, through what is
supposed to be correction. toward be-
coming an honest, law-abiding and use
full citizen after his sentence has ex-
pired.
Farm labor is growing scarcer each
year for the reason that negroes SEN
fenced to the mines, never return to the
farms but join the great class of GRIM
fnal loafers in the cities. Under the
present nefarious fee system, which
should be abolished. the sheriff, his
deputies and constables are put into
the position of recruiting agents for
the jails and those who employ con-
Wet labor
Convict labor should be employed in
the construction of good roads SO that
the term OF the convict in regard to
his labor and health can be best car
ried out for the state and for the con-
vict. Open air and sunshine bring
health; confining work in the mines
produces disease. Deeds of the vilest
character are concocted where criminals
are herded within prison walls, while
all that is good and splendid in man
wastes, withers and dies
should be elected governor
should promptly recommend to the leg
islature that a bill be passed providing
that the convicts be taken out of the
mines and lumber camps. and that their
energies be diverted toward construct
ing good and permanent highways
throughout the state. I propose that
the convicts be taken out of the mines
and lumber camps by degrees, covering
period of four years, so that a dra IT.
which the state could not stand, would
not be made on the treasury by de-
priving the state of the revenue de-
rived from their labor. / would see
to 1T that every convict was out Of
the mines and lumber camps before
my term of office as governor ex-
pired. Convicts should never be
brought in competition anywhere with
free skilled labor.
"Convicts have been worked to ad-
vantage on public roads in many states
and there is no good reason why such
d programme for the utilization of their