The age-herald., 1897-11-21


 Birmingham. The majority of them ride on the street cars and dummies through out the suburbs. Why do not the street car and dummy line people place signs on the car indicating in which direction the car Is going? This is easily done. Use th9 same kind eff signs that is in service on the elevated roads in New York. The sign is on either side of ths locomotive indicating the destination and route of the train. These signs cost very little money, and are a. gr: alt con venienee to everyone. As 1t is now the people have first to get on tn4 car and then ask the motcrman or conductor where the cars go. Birmingham is big | enough to get over its village customs. There ars hundreds of places in this country with not one-thlrd the popula- tion of this that are twenty-five years ahead of this city so far as general en- terprise, accommodations of the people, beauty of streets. sidewalks, public buildings and residences are concerned. Birmingham is the best advertised town in the United States of its size and with so little upon which to base 1t. It is the dirtiest town in ttIs country, excepting New Orleans and Mobile. It dos not seem that there $ the least effort made to keep it clean. Thers is an-tller thing badly needed in Birmingham, and that is smoke consumers. In nestly every dty in the United States whsre soft coal is used, every factory that burrs coal in any quantity is forced to use smoke con- sunper5 These reduce the vo'um- of smoke distributed over the city. No rea- son why they should not be in use her..
 I read in the Chicago papers that WI liam Penn Nixon, who was for many years editor of the Chicago Inter-Ocean, is to retire from that paper The paper has been bought by Charles T. Yerkes, ahe great street car magnate and cor ruption ist-of the Windy City. YerlScs has for long time owned everything else in Chicago except 6 newspaper He has a bad reputation for buying city councils, legislatures, governors, and everything else that stood in his way. He could not buy ilhe influence of the Chica go newspapers, so he was forced to buy a newspaper outright. The Inter Ocean has been a good paper. Very strong in it's political ideas. But, with all, a good newspaper. Nixon never quite realized that the war was over, and for hat reason kept on waving the bloody shirt. Not as bad 2s he used to be. however. George Wheeler Hinman of the New York Sun is to be MT. Nixon's successor. Nixon has been in the edi- torial harness for a great many years. It is time he was taking a rest. He is to be appointed collector of the port of Chicago. This will be rather strange appointment. Nixon was a dele gate to the St. Louis convention last year. He was a pretty hot free silverite before he was made a delegate. In fact, on the train between Chicago and St. Louis he talked free silver quite strongly. Still talked about 1t in the hotels of St. Louis. Not as strong as he did before he was made a delegate. They whipped him into line, and he voted for both Mo Kinley and the platform. The Inter- Ocean had a strong leaning for the free coinage of silver for several years. Nixon did mot exactly like Mckinley Of course, after the nomination he was with the party and we'll up toward the front. Did good work for the party, and now he gets his reward. Mark Hanna has made 1t a point not to allow any one to be &p- pointed to office who had at any time in their lives opposed Mckinley by word, act or uhought In Nixon's case it seems to be an exception.
 
 That was a fine shooting match at Waco, Tex, on Friday, when J. W. liar ris and w A. Harris, brothers, were killed by Judge Gerald The Age-Herald printed the story yesterday morning. It does not seem to me there was any ex- r9ao ,fK- brothers both died, and Gerald may de, if not already dead. The prime origin of the row was because of Editor Brann's fight on Baylor university. The judge had written card to ,he editor defend ing Brann. The editor had not printed the card, but had not said that he would not print it. Judge Gerald wanted the card printed immediately A man who writes "a card ito a newspaper should know that the editor will take his own tfr1e in printing it. That is the editors privilege An editor may have hundred reasons for not printing a certain com munication today, while in a day or two every objection might be removed. In addition to th.s, communications are sell dom used when che columns are crowded for other and better matter. Judge Gerald seemed ito get mad because the editor did not either print the card or send ia back to the writer. When a man writes a communication to newspaper, he should know two things: If it Is used, he can read it in the paper; if 1t is not used, the editor will throw it into the waste-baske't. He may not print it as soon as it is received, but if it is not used within a few days, the writer can make up his mind that it will not be used at all. It would keep one man busy returning rejected manuscripts in every newspaper office in the United States if the plan to return everything not printed was adopted. Some papers never return manuscript of any kind unless 1t has first been solicited and not used. Anyhow, to my mind, the shooting at Waco was wholly unjus.ifiable. don't know Brann, editor of the Gconoclast. have heard a great deal about him. have read a great many things he has written. If there is any man In the United States who puts the truth in his paper it is