The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-09-26

ish any department in defense oi which single finger was raised) the legislature settled down to a period | of reckless appropriations.
 l The governor, when flooded by bills 1 carrying appropriations, determined tc Investigate. His examiners pried into the various bills enacted, and as a re. suit, the chief executive was informed that the annual deficit of $3O0,0Ot would continue to exsst. and that eyers indication pofntei to a substantial in- crease of that annual shortage.
 Information Furnished Governor The governors examiners in- | formed him that as a result of
 what had been accomplished. ex- l penditures had been reduced $4s,- U0O per .annum, and increased $4I,- 900 per annum. or a net gain of | $200U per annum
 The governors examiners in- formed him that the reformation of the judiciary, which. Its ad- vocates in the beginning declared would reduce salaries in the sum of $SS,000, would give the state a net saving of less than $50o0 per annum.
 The revenue bill, providing for equalization of taxation. will not produce a sum, the examiners de- clared, in excess of sums produced by preceding bills-this. despite the fact that the hand picked" are on record as having declared that the bill would increase revenue in the sum of $75o,0oo per annum. The license bill, the examiners
 declared, will produce in excess of
 that sum produced by preceding
 license bills. $22,000--an amount !.
 entirely out of proportion with the
 normal increase in wealth attained
 in four years.
 In view of the fact, therefore, that the governor was made aware that deficits amounting to s300,000 would continue to exist. and that as result of the legislatures action the rev enues of the state had been bettered by less than 5000 per annum. the chief executive very promptly vetoed all bills carrying appropriation in ex- cess of sums appropriated for the sev- eral state institutions four years ago. The governor declared that in the event he approved any bills embodying an appropriation for whatever merito- rious cause. the deficit existing would not be reduced--but increased. He is convinced that despite his disapproval of appropriation bills, the deficit four years hence will be greater than at the beginning of his term-unless the people should indorse the Sl.5O0.0OO bond issue to be submitted in January.
 Committees Success Questioned
 The big card of the "hand picked'' legislature was in its appointment of three recess committees to reform ex- isting departmental conditions, the fis- cal system and the Judiciary system The first was known as the investi- gating committees; the second as the finance and taxation committee, and the third as the judiciary committee The first was instructed to inquire into conditions and make such recommen- dations as would render impossible fu- ture embezzlemcnt of state funds. or future Lacy defalcations." The sec ond was instructed to remedy the fis- cal system in order that deficits might be liquidated. The third was instructed to devise a judiciary system which would guarantee the expedition of jus tice. and reduce the appalling expensee made necessary through the arrange ment or system then obtaining.
 The finance committee changed
 the .lame of the state tax commis-
 a'on to the state board of cquallaa-
 tion, and secured the appointment
 of county boards of equalization.
 The state examiners report that
 the system will result in net saw
 ing-not of e750. 0.000-but S5000 per
 annum
 The Judiciary committee could
 not agree It finally returned a
 majority and minority report. Its
 work was finally Indorsed by the
 1egislature after the features of
 the minority report had been anal
 gamated with the features of the
 majority report. and after the
 sponsors had accepted the great
 majority of the countless amend
 ments offered and demanded. But E for this policy of complnisanee 1t
 10 generally believed that many of
 the 07 Judiciary bills would have failed of passage. As result the
 system is changed. Justice might,
 under the new arrangement, be ex-
 pedited. Expenses, however. have been maiptainsd at the former
 level less 1tooo per annum--if the
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