The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-05-10
Alabama League of Muni. cipalitieS Listened to Reading of Severalin- < teresting Papers on sst 't[ :2
 City Problems.

The second days session of the meeting of the Alabama League of Municipalities was filled with business and with interest. The day was notable for the able papers toward the settlement of mu- nfcipal problems.
 The primary object of the League is an interchsnge of ideas on questions affect ing municipal government and the pa pers read yesterday emphasized the inn portance and Illustrated the attainment of that object. The members of the League came to learn from the experi- ence of other cities and they gave un- divided attention to the reading of the papers.
 The most important question discussed was that of the dispensary, question which has become of vital importance in Alabama in recent years. The League had valuable histories of the life and con- duct of the dispensaries in Dothan and Tuscaloosa, perhaps. the most important dispensary towns in Alabama. Mayor w. c. Cochrane of Tuscaloosa praised the working of the dispensary in the Cniver- sity town and Mayor J. L. Acree was no less complimentary towards the success of the dispensary in Dothan. Both gave their endorsement to the dispensary as moral and financial institution.
 Mayor c. E. Stewart of Attalla read an able paper on High Licenses as the First Stef Towards the Dispensary." Mir. Stewart gave a concise and interesting account of Atta1las method of dealing with the liquor trafflc. He was highly complimented upon the conclusion of his paper.
 The three papers form most valuable contribution to the discussion of the dis pensary question which is to be so im- pbrtant an issue in the coming selection of representatives in the Legislature.
 The morning session of the League was marked by discussion of municipal own ership of public utilities. The discussion revealed the fact that the members of the League are by no means unanimous on this matter. The advocates of municipal ownership were, however, clearly in the majority. One or two of the members gave accounts of the loss of their respec- tive towns had suffered from making reckless gifts of franchises. The valuable experiences of several towns were resur- rected and brought before the eLague as warning.
 At the morning session D. w. Ford City Engineers of Montgomery. made a valuable contribution to the proceedings in a paper which he read on Street Paw ing ana Paving Material" Upon the com- pletion of the reading of his paper, sev- eral requests were made of him for copies of the paper.
 The discussion of municipal ownership was opened by an able paper by Mayor J. E. BlackwOod of Gadsden. It was a thoughtful and intelligent presentation oi the question and the paper was highly complimcnted. The members Of the Leaglfe, immedi ately after adjournment of the morning session entered carriages and were driver to the Decatur Street School building t6
 show them one of Montgomery's splendid schools in operation, and this was an i'm portant part of the program. The Deca' tur Street School was selected and the entire party was escorted through the building and shown the teachers and | scholars at their daily task. The Leaguers made a careful inspection of all parts Of
 the school. Tn the primary department at their request. the children rendered a short informal program.
 The members of the League expressed themselves as highly pleased with their visit to the schools, and complimented the
 school system of a city that presented the Decatur Street School as a sample of its work.
 The Leaguers were, after leaving the school building, driven about several of the principal streets of the city and
 Montgomery's paved streets were espe- cially noticed and praised.
 The party went in body to the water
 works pumping station and the splendid pumping machinery was viewed. The members of the party evinced perhaps more interest in the pure artesian water which is furnished the city. for it's fame had travelled over all parts of Ala abama, than anything they saw. The party af- terwar1s visited the city prison and was told something of the police department. TALK OF CITY OWNERSHIP
 AT MORNING SESSION.
 President Weakley called the, morning session to order in the Council Chamber at 10 o'clock yesterday morning and in- troduced Hon. J. E. Blackwood. Mayor of Gadsden, who read paper on Munich pal Ownership of Public Service Indus tries.''
 The young Mayor of Gadsden advocated the ownership of public utilities by cities He said that the subject would continue to be agitated until the matter had been permanently settled which time would not have arrived until municipal ownership has triumphed. But three distinct objec- tions he said have been urged against municipal ownership-it is experimental it is expensive and it has tendency to create an army of office-h h oders and to build up political machines He declared that one object to private ownership out pal ownership. This one objection he said is the monopoly of private corpora tions which furnish public necessities
 He declared that he question was to be treated purely as one of business and