The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-10-10
GOV. K|LBY DID NOT
 MEET DEFEAT ON !. SCHOOL MONEY BILL
State Auditor Explains Situa- \ ton and Says Governor Has
 Never Met Political or
 Legislative Defeat
By FRED H. GORMLEY
 Montgomery Bureau Tho Ase-Hersld

| F. Lee, state auditor, today issued a
 statement explaining the efforts of the
 administration to give the higher insti-
 tutions of learning contingent appro- ! prlatlon of SS0000, and declaring that l Governor Kilby was not defeated when the house of representatives declined to f restore this amount to the bill, which
 had been amended so as to give s1oo,oO0 to ] the public schools
 4 MT. Lee said Governor Kilby returned < the bill to the legislature with the sug- ] to include the s10o,00o for the higher in- stitutions, but made effort whatever | to have the amendment adopted. MT. Lee K also answered the criticism in some quar- Aters that the governor had been unfair to the public schools, declaring that the governor proposed that the higher in- stitutions should receive only one dollar for every sixteen appropriated to the common schools.
 | He showed that an appropriation was .l made for the public schools last year
 Amounting to l,0OO0O0 and that the total
 school funds during this year. next and
 the next, exclusive of the s1,oooo0o. will
 be S5,000O00. Governor Kilby proposed to
 give the higher institutions of learning
 sS50 coo leaving total appropriation of
 s5. 900 for the public schools during the
 next three years
 WOULD HAVE VIOLATED LAW |t The state auditor also declared that
 several speeches made on the floor of
 he house during the consideration of the cil were unfair to the governor because
 of the intimation that he had failed to reease the appropriation of 100000 for the public schools AS matter of fact, 5t had not been released or any part Of it for the simple reason that the law made it available only during the year k beginning October l, 1920 and during that year less than one-third of the total (fnmount," said MT Lee. Tt is, therefore ' iSbvious that if the governor had here tofore attempted to release the appro- |3 priation he would have been in defiance i of the law
 |l MT. Lee also declared that the gov ernor did not meet defeat, and that his friends are congratulating him that he has never been defeated in political or
 Legislative battle. This is remark liable statement, but it is literally true, Isaid Mir Lee Tt is also remarkable lfact, which l am in position to state las absolutely and literally true, that Gov ernor Kilby has never, directly or indi- Irectly, used the patronage or power or 1.-the executive office for or against any measure before any one of the three ses- sions of the legislature that have marked Iris administration. Unfortunately, how lever some of theu ninforp ct friends or | lfhe common schools brought defeat 10 la cause dear to both the governor ana |lthemseives in that. by refusing the pit ltance to the colleges and normal schools, |ithey thereby refused additional help t 1.-the common schools This is result |agreatIy to be deplored.'
 MIR. LEES STATEMENT |h MT. Lees statement regarding the |lschool appropriation bill follows: |ITo the Editor of The Age-Herald: Under the headline, Governor Loses I 1.-TWO Fights During Closing Session" The | IjAge-Herald does an injustice to Governor lKiiby, which, I am sure, your we'll known sense of fairness will lead you | Ito correct. It is made to appear that the governor | land the house of representatives were Iengaged in deadly struggle over the | division of the proposed appropriatioh ol | $500 00O for education. The facts are as follows:
 Governor Kirby suggested in his mes sage at the beginning of the special ses- ' sion an appropriation of $SOO,OOo to be divided between all the institutions or higher learning, including the seven nor .mal schools, in proportion to their needs . to sA paid whenever the condition or the . ltrMAury might permit.
 n Drl carrying an appropriation was dnsroduced in the senate. This body | laAended the bill, giving to the higher Iknstitutions $350,00o and to the common ! schools sl50000. The bill went to the Wft- | oSsa making the appropriation s250,O0o for the higher institutions and s250,ooo for the IkcmInon schools Tn that form 1t reached fthe governors desk.
 The governor sent the bill back to the Ssenate where it had originated, with an A@mendment restoring the appropriatioh las the senate had fixed it. The senate Xl,oncurred by a vote of If to '. and sent the bill to the house. There the alleged Xf'fght'' occurred.
 The governor sought conference witn Ionly one member of the house regarding khe situation. He did not call upon his Humorous friends in the house. who had made hundred fights for administration measures without losing single one. He rested his case upon his message to the senate, remembering that only few Ihays before he had cautioned the legis-
 kature against heavy appropriations
 Naturally, he felt. in view of that
 message.
 In asking his friends to enter a fight
 Tor appropriation measures, however
 mertorious they mioht be-
 GOVERNORS MESSAGE
 The Age-Herald did not print the ines-
 hge of the governor and hence l quote EEt as follows: El.To the Senate of Alabama
 "Gentfemen.-A sense of fairness and
 Hue regard for my official responsibli-
 Pies seem to make it my duty to return
 benate bill No. 43 with an amendment
 which, if approved, will remove my ob-
 ection to the bill. It would be easy to
 bid for popular applause by signing the
 measure as it stands, but. in my opinion,
 ,s1e time has come when some one ought
 o speak out boldly and fairly for the
 inity of our educational system, for it's
 coordinate development, to the end that
 bur institutions of higher learning may
 De given the same warm place. in the
 Infections of our lawmakers and the
 public that the elementary schools now
 rave There can be no schools without
 eaohers. and with the present mass of
 CnifC Cnnn6od and