The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-16
HENDERSON DRAWS
REPLY FROM Conner.
Former Governor Explains
Some of the Charges
ABOUT COTTON MILLS
Also Takes Up Treasury Deficit and
SAYS Conner and O'Neal Admins
trations Should be Separated
In Speech

B. B. Conner yesterday issued carefully
prepared statement in answer to what
he considers some Of the salient points in
the speech of Charles Henderson at Troy
Thursday. The former governor says in
part:
An afternoon Birmingham newspaper
in headlining the address of Charles II.
Henderson, at Troy, makes Henderson
saw: Conner has lied This sounds like
a man fresh from the gutter, or rather
not like the managing proprietor of two
large dailies and the would-be referee OF
the national democratic party in Alabama.
1t is not the language of Mr.. Frank
Glass.
1.-The 'wiIful, malicious falsehood,' as
uttered by Mr.. Henderson, shows bit
more refinement and could possibly be
accounted for or explained away.
Mr. Henderson, my friend and original
rate reformer, has struggled into strange
company-.hirds of a feather will flock to-
gether-you can tell man by the COM
pany he keeps. Aphoristic expression
truth itself.
What man ever yet lead fight against
railroad domination and control, a fight
for better freight rates and better rail-
road treatment for the shippers of Ala
bama, under the flag of the Montgomery
Advertiser? The idea of Mr. Henderson,
or any other leader against railroad con-
troll in Alabama having Frank Glass, the
Montgomery Advertiser and the Birming-
ham News even as a mercenary among
his leaders and closest advisors.
1.-The Louisville and Nashville attorneys
from the Tennessee line to Mobile, their
highest officials, every employe whom
they can coerce or control is am told
for Mr.. Henderson. Malicious falsehood
truth patent written on the signs OF
the times as surely as you see the stars
in heaven. Mr.. Henderson, whether he
will or not,-whether he knows it or not
is safe in the railroad folds. In his speech
he posed as an original rate reformer
That part is true, but that he won the
fight is not in the books, is not in the
history of the state, is not even in the
back numbers of the Montgomery Adver-
tiser, which discussed and cussed every
man who stood prominently for those
things which would free the people from
railroad control. He was my friend. and
will credit, him with every honor, but
the accomplishments as written by him
were phantasns OF the mind.
Should Have Separated Them
In attacking the administration of Gov
ernor O,Neal With that of mine he should
have separated them. He Should have
charged my administration specifically
with what had been done wrong and what
ha cha a
wished to bring the O'Neal administration
his brother local opitionist, into it, then
he should have said specifically what was
wrong therein. He should not have
blended the two as you would snake-bite
medicine Mr.. Henderson, or anybody else
who charges that the legislature of 1907 10
inclusive created a multiplicity of offices
and lavished the peoples money; that we
did not take the surplus in the treasury
and the amounts raised by taxation, and
with it promote the most worthy cause,
making of Alabama a progressive state,
then that man does not know what he is
talking about.
Thousands of rural schools, every
higher school in the state, every elemosy
nary institution of the state received its
fructifying influence, and stands living
witness that it was well done.
Regarding Treasury Deficit
quoting from the auditors report, Oc-
tober l. 1910, the last of my admin
istration. there was in the state treas
ury $433. 471.93.
Quoting from the senate and house
report of the O'Neal administration, as
made March 8. 1911, on January Is,
there was 1875 5,237.33. and on February
II. 1911, there was SS42, ,772.01.
This was long ways from a de-
felt.
"As regards the equalization In
creases of taxes, any statesman knows
that this is one of the most difficult
tasks of political economy. A progress
sive government cannot be run with-
out money-ever-in increasing f4oneY
How to spend it wisely is a study of
every age. and 1 challenge any student
Of the history of Alabama to show
where the revenues of the state of
Alabama were ever NOSE wisely used
than in the appropriations made by
the legislature of 1907-1O inclusive,
sometimes called "the Conner legisla-
ture"
1T i'll becomes any man aspiring to
be governor to make and unsupported
charge. Under our constitution you
can't pass a statue without the bill
reciting at the beginning the exact
contents. He says 1 created "a horde
of offices and an army of appointees."
were useless and those he would re-
peal; in fact, should catalogue the
horde and should specify the uselescs-
ness. 1 thing to do so he win have
a very hard job.
Cotton Mill Exemptions
1.-THE cotton mills are not exempt from
state taxes except exercised in local op-
ton way by counties. In fact the Co
mer legislature in March, 1907, put an
additional tax ON them-a privilege tax
and it is one of the few properties In
the state paying a privilege corporation
and ad valorem tax.
This is all viciously demagogic and
TO remove it from politics, / will state
that the JellSs administration of 1903 made
cotton mill exemptions and made the law
to expire in 1907, and 1t was not renewed.
'The office to which the Conner legis-
lature' gave the most increased authority
and the most increased expense, was the
railroad commission office, and it looks
to me that Mr.. Henderson could serve
the state in a most advantageous way
one that would save the shippers of the
c1.afa mo Of 1,sax