cure laborers for its fields and factories than has been offered it before. A bureau might be established presided over by a practical person, which bureau should be furnished with considerable means. This might be a charge on the State for only such a time as it should appear to the Governor that it is effective. The need for additional labor for all lines is very imperative. A stream is already begun to this State. Some little assistance would keep it open and provide for its enlargement. There cannot be before you many more important matters for your attention than this.

SALE OF NEW BONDS.

The bonded indebtedness of the State was $9,357,600, as follows: $966, 000 due January 1906; $7,437,600 due July, 1906, and $954,000 due in 1920. Those due in 1906, January and July, to the amount of $8,403,600 have been paid by the use of a sum of money received from the sale of $8,103,000. The premium on this last amount being sufficient to pay for and retire $300,600 of the debt. The whole debt has been reduced by that amount. All of these bonds to the amount of $8,403,600, except something like $300,000 of them, have been cancelled and are in the vaults of the State Treasury. I suggest that you appoint a commission to see that they are destroyed. The law does not now provide for the burning of these particular bonds.

I managed to sell a 3 1-2 bond to take up those due in January, 1906, at 1.02 or a premium of 2 dollars on the hundred. This sale was made in November, 1905. I even hoped to do as well or better with the bonds due in July 1906, but caught a higher market. I advertised for bids for 50 year bonds at 3 1-2 and 4 per cent. I got only a few bids for a 3 1-2 bond which I required the bidders for the larger part of the 4 per cent. to deliver of the previous January issue. In this open competition I had of ferings to cover about three times the amount of bonds offered. I accepted and delivered the bonds to those bidding the highest premium, The accepted bids ran from a premium of two dollars a hundred on a 3 1-2 bond to

$4.134 on a four per cent. bond. On the issue of January, 1906, I collected a premium of $19,320, and on the larger two issues, A and B's, now combined into an issue of A's alone, was collected a premium of $319,718.11.

I seriously contemplated paying the old C's, or the larger part of them, with the money lying idle in the treasury, but found on investigation I had no authority to de so. That plan promised a large saving of interest with the use of unemployed funds, even if the legislature when it should meet felt inclined to and had authority to re-issue them.

While the sale of the July bonds was not altogether satisfactory at the t'me, I have seen no day since when I think a better bid or even so good a bid would have been offered, money ruling very high. The annual interest has been reduced from $448,880.00 to $357,650.00 a saving for each year of $91,230.00. This has been done and the whole indebtedness reduced from $9,357,600 to $9,057,000. As to the $300,600 in bonds retired let me say that it is very probable you can if you see fit re-issue this amount in bonds. The constitutionality of such a project is, however, debatable. In the meantime the interest on them has been saved.

Besides this saving in interest and this saving in the aggregate of the debt, I found after paying necessary expenses that I had on hand of the premium money $25,707.98, which I have caused to be covered into the treasury. That the Journals may hold and keep the transaction I have thought it prudent to furnish in this message a brief statement:

Total amount received as premium on Cs$
Total amt. rec'd. as premium on As & Bs

19,320 00

319,718 11

339,038 11

As is known to you, the last Legislature made an appropriation of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars "for the improvement of the State Capitol building aud grounds and for the acquisition by condemnation or purchase of any real estate necessary or beneficial in improving the present capitol grounds, and for the erection or acquisition of any necessary additional building or buildings for the use of the State." The act created a Capitol Building Commission, for the purpose of carrying out its provisions, to consist of the Governor, the Attorney-General, State Treasurer, State Auditor, Secretary of State, with the Director of the Department of Archives and History as Secretary. The Commission organized June 28, 1904, and at once entered upon its work. It would serve no useful purpose to here detail the deliberations of the Commission, or to recount the stages passed in reaching its decisions. Suffice it to say that the Commission, in the execution of the duties imposed, has acquired for the State the South portion of the capital square, it has extended the capitol by the erection of a South wing or addition now approximately completed, and it has caused a number of improvements and repairs to be made on the old or main building. The purchase of the lots named was imperatively demanded in order to provide room for necessary extension and in order to give proper form to the capitol grounds.

For a long time there had been a pressing need for more room for the proper conduct of the business of the several offices and departments of the State. In no way did it appear possible to the Commission for this to be secured except by the erection of an addition to the

present capitol building. In reaching a conclusion as to the best form for such extension the Commission took much time for deliberation, and before formal action, in addition to the advice of Mr. Frank Lockwood, the Commission architect, secured the expert advice of Mr. Charles F. McKim, of McKim, Mead and White, a firm of the greatest architects in the world. The addition as erected was planned by Mr. Lockwood, and endorsed by Mr. McKim after a personal inspection of our present building and a study of our needs, situation, etc. This addition is in architectural harmony with the original structure, and is so built, as to be subordinate to it. It is as large as was possible to make with the funds at our disposal.

Owing to the lack of funds the improvements and repairs on the old building are not as extensive as was designed, but they are such as was thought most needed at this time. Together with the extension they form a part of a general scheme of improvement, details and plans of which are in the hands of the Secretary of the Commission. The addition and the interior improvements on the old building have served to increase the beauty and usefulness of the historic old structure, and when the entire scheme or plan of the improvements is carried out it is believed that there will be no more attractive capitol building in the country. A journal of the proceedings of the Commission has been carefully kept, and all expenditures have been made strictly in accordance with the law and will be within the legislative appropriation.

THE MATTER OF PARDONS.

I have issued in the past twelve months 114 pardons, commutations, reprieves and remissions. This is as small a number as has been issued from the Governor's office in this State in many years. Cases at times come before the Board of Pardons where a palpable error has been committed in the sentence. It not infrequently happens that the trial Judge and Solicitor unite in agreeing that a mistake has been made,

and join in asking for clemency. Under such circumstances it is a pleasure for the Board of Pardons to recommend clemency, which they promptly do. During the holidays just passed I took occasion to issue paroles and pardons to a goodly number; among them a dozen or morc poor unfortunates, who after long service for the State with good conduct always to their credit, were paroled or pardoned, giving them some of the sunshine of freedom in their declining, and in some cases, last days.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT..

This brings me to discuss for a moment capital punishment in this State. There is a general indisposition to hang white men in Alabama. For my term, covering six years, I think only two white men have been hung in the State. They were strangers. They met their proper punishment in the imperial county of Jefferson. It was unfortunate for them that they were not better or more favorably known in Alabama. Our juries do not seem to have the same objection to hanging the casual visitor as they do the home raised criminal.

In this connection there happened recently an incident which has excited very much comment in this and other states. A convicted man appealed to the Supreme Court; then to the Board of Pardons, where the trial Solicitor appeared against clemency and the trial Judge was known to oppose clemency. After a long hearing the Board of Pardons refused to recommend clemency, and I refused absolutely to interfere with the sentence, taking the position that there was nothing in the papers or in the argument that would lead me in any way to suppose that the sentence was unjust. In the meantime the sheriff had taken the prisoner to an adjoining county for safe keeping, probably to save him from the indignation of his neighbors. A writ of habeas corpus was granted on the day before the time set for the execution. The man's new found friends were sufficient to provoke an excitement most unusual and to me inexplicable. Good citizens joined in the objection to his execution