The age-herald., 1898-11-20
WILL GET FAVORABLE REPORT And Vote Will Probably Be
 Reached in Ten Days. PEARCE BELIEVES IT WILL PASS Senator Cunningham Believes in Po- lice Commission Elected by the
 People, and Wants Vote on
 Greater Birmingham.
PEARCE BELIEVES IT WILL PASS

Montgomery, November 19-(Special.)- The fight to have the Birmingham police commission abolished was brought before the house today in a bill presented by MT. Huey, of Jefferson. The bill is as fol- lows:
 A bill to provide the manner of selecting
 the police force in the city of Birming-
 ham, and to provide for the efficient man.
 agement of the police force for said city:
 Section l. Be it enacted by the general as- sembly of Alabama, That the board of may or and aldermen of the city of Birmingham shall have the sole and exclusive right, and it shall be their duty. to elect such officers of the police force and such members of the patrolmen as the mayor and aldermen may from time to time determine.
 Section 2. Be it further enacted, That the board of mayor and aldermen of the city of Birmingham shall have the exclusive right to prescribe the rules and regula- tions for the government of the police force, their term of office and compensa- tion; provided, however, that no patrolman or police officer shall be elected for long CT term than one year
 Section 8. Be it further enacted, That the mayor of the city of Birmingham shall nave SuCH pOWeT Ol cOntrOl ana elecI1On OL the police force as may be from time to time conferred upon him by the board of mayor and aldermen of said city.
 Section 4. Be it further enacted, That all laws or parts of laws in conflict with the provisions of this act be- and the same are, hereby repealed.
 Section 5. Be it further enacted, That this act shall take effect from and after the first day of December, 1898.
 Thrae of the Jefferson comfy delepatiOn today committed themselves to the sup port of the bill, while two want more in- formation on the subject. Huey, Burkhal- ter and Mcqueen favor it. and Houston and Gibson desire to know better the wishes of the people of Birmingham as regards the commission. MT Davidson Is at home on leave of absence, and his views not known.
 Senator Cunningham favors a police com mission to be elected by the people of the city, and may introduce bill in the senate to this effect. The bill will get favorable report from the committee early next week, and in ten days a vote on it will probably be reached.
 Senator Cunningham Talks
 Senator Cunningham was seen today and was asked to give his views upon the po- lice commission and charter for Greater Birmingham He said
 'I do not at this time, care to commit
 
 purpose is to carry out, if I know 1t, the will of the people upon these matters, and in fact upon all questions. Up to this time I have no way of knowing what their will is upon these questions. I will give you, however. my own views. First, the police commission. There is no more im- portant department of city government than that of the police. This department is the guardian of the safety, peace and good order of the community. It should be as nearly as can be clear of political in- fluence. political control, or political motive. Under our system of government it Is very hard to divorce politics and office. If the police department is under the control and management of police commission, then this commission must get the'r office from somebody. Now, If they get 1t from the governor, then they are under political ob- 1igations to the governor; if from the mayor, then to the mayor. if from the mayor and board of aldermen then to these Now, none of these possible ap- pointing powers might call upon the po- lice commission for political reciprocity; but the rotation of reciprocal obligation Is there all the same. and we all know that that relation is nearly always more less called into action in all elections. The op- portunity ushers in the relation. Therefore, If through the operation of this opportu- nity, the police department is made sub servant to any political interests, 1t is liable to become powerful machine to fos- ter the interest of candidates for office, and fail to discharge ther real purpose, that of protecting the peace and good order of the community. The responsibility of course would lie in such an event with the ap- pointing power that was or that is to be.