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

passed during the administration of one of
my distinguished opponents. and without
such law such a loss to the state of Ala
bama would have been impossible.
The Conner Finances
These conditions have existed for 50
long time, and without restriction, until
the fair name of our state is being
dragged in the dust, and you can hear
upon every hand criticisms of public Of
ficials affecting the honor and integrity
and the credit and the fair name of Ala
bama.
Il submit to you for substantiation OF
what have said, some figures which cam
not be controverted, and which you may
verify from the auditors report:
"At the end of the fiscal year, Sep
tember 80, 1905, about four months be-
fore the Inauguration of Governor Co
mer as governor of the state of Ala
bama, there was a balance on hand in
the treasury of $1,S14,453. One year
later, there was on hand, s1,769,419
One year later, there was on hand
81 .S35,079 One year later there was on
hand, $370,73 One year later, in 1911
there was deficit of $7s,445. On Sep
tember 80, 1882. there was a defct OF
$47,7So
IF this had only been a spending of
the surplus in the treasury, 1t might
have been justified by that class of
an unwise thing to be carrying in the
state government; but here this also:
I'm 1905 there was taken in, in taxes,
and in licenses, and from all sources,
$3,776, ,54694 1t was increased by leaps
and bounds from the Jelks administra-
tion and during the administration of
Governor Conner until in 1912 the
q
taken from the pockets of the people
of this state by the processes and un-
der the direction of men whom you had
selected for office and whom you had
trusted with the affairs of this gov
.ernment
Increase From Taxes
Notwithstanding the taking of these
millions of dollars out of the pockets
of the people by the power given
through the tax commission and taxing
Officers, from 1907 to the present time.
there was each year an excess of expen-
ditures over the receipts of the gov
ernment. In 1907 it was, $32,s75; in 1908
1t was. $4S7.143; in 1909 it was, s607, ,S01 j;
in 1910 it was, $33O,2SS; in 1911 it was,
$491,S22; in 1912 it was $80,547
In the six years ending September
80, 1912, there was excess of disburse-
ments over receipts amounting to the
stupendous sum of s2.093,092.70, and
during this time the receipts from the
taxes taken from the pockets of the
citizenship of Alabama by the men who
had been entrusted with the affairs
of state, had increased from $3,776,-
546.94 in 1906. to s6,261, ,236.6S in 1912.
States Business Side
Fellow citizens, the state of Ala
bama, in the administration of it's af-
fairs, has business side as yell as a
political side, and the voter who casts
his ballot without due regard to those
who are to have charge of the affairs
of the state is falling far short of the
trust imposed upon him when he was
granted the right of franchise by the
constitution.
Il put it to you in this way: Upon
the coming in of the administration
in the beginning if the year 1907, the
officers then entrusted with the reins
of power found a financial condition
with surplus of S1,S00,000 approximate
ly and in four years time had dissi-
pated this princely surplus and turned
1t into deficit requiring the taking
of more taxes from you than had ever
been taken from the tax payers of this
state by any admins tration, even dur
ing the time when the negroes and the
scallywags had charge of the state
government. And but for the fact that
the minds of the people of the state
have been directed away from these
practical affairs of government they
would long since have risen up and de-
clared that men who have so recklessly
administered the trust committed to
them are not worthy of further con-
sideration or of further honors
Makes Two Pledges
"If / am hOnOrad with Uour con n
dence, and you shall elect me to the
high position of governor of this
state, | pledge you now that | will not
approve the taking of any more taxes
from the people of the state of Ala
bama than will be necessary for the
economic administration of affairs, not
reckoned by that false economy that
retards rather than advances, but in
keeping with the demands of the de-
velopment of tile great material re-
sources of this great commonwealth
And | further pledge you that when
l am governor of this state, I will veto
every bill which requires an appropria-
tion beyond the carefully estimated
revenues to be derived from the taxes
and licenses, justly and fairly taken.
And further pledge that, in the
taking of taxes, in order to maintain
and build up this state, that the rich
and the powerful, wherever they may
may be engaged, shall, so far as in my
power lies, be forced to pay their fair
share of the burdens of taxation nee
essary for the administration of this
government
Did People Get Money?
ut has been said by some that this
great expenditure has been on account
of increased appropriations for our
public school system, and for the old
soldiers, and that the money thus ex-
pended went back into the pockets of
the people.
Lets see if this statement is true,
or is sincerce, or have the appropria-
tions to the public schools and the old
soldiers been made to cover up other
appropriations that ought not to have
been made?
THE Increase in appropriation for
public school fund from 1906 is $913,-
2S3,3S, and the increase to the old
soldiers is $47S,062.1S. The total dis
bursement increase for the year 1912 is
s2,976, 1857, SO that there was a total
disbursement increase as Indicated by
the year 1912 of 1855, 5,090.01, none of
which went into the public school sys-
tenn nor to the maintenance of the old
soldiers. They have taken 50 for every
one returned. This has been the cost
of disbursing this increase.
Where did it go? S42,260 in the in