The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-01-11
CITIZENS TALK OF APPROACHING CITY ELECTION Are Opposed to Putting Names of Minor Officials on the
 Primary Ballots POLICE COMMISSION
 SHOULD EJECT MEN Lieute nants of Police and Minor City Officials Should Not Be Called
 On to Stand Election
 Expenses.

The census of opinion in Birmingham seems to be against the city executive committee placing the names of the cap tain and lieutenants of police and minor city officials who are elected by the mayor and board of aldermen. on the ticket in the approaching primary
 Representative men in all branches or life have been asked to give their opin- ion on the matter and with one exception they have been opposed to any such action by the committee.
 The majority of the police commission is against the placing of the police ofh- cers on the ticket, giving as their reason that it would be against the spirit of the law and the statute which brought the police commission into existence. They claim that this law sets forth that the chief, captain, lieutenant and other police officers should be elected by the police commission after that organization IS elected by the people. They also state that men working on the small salaries paid the police officers cannot afford to pay the expenses of a campaign, and that if the captain and lieutenant are placed on the ticket every man In the ranks will have the right to come before the people and make a fight for these offices. which would demorallze the force to such an extent that 1t would loose its value.
 Following are the interviews;
 The Interviews. z. T. Rudulph: "I think it is a very bad plan and a contradiction of the stat ute creating the police commission Albert Stradford: 'I am in favor of put ting them on the ticket but will abide by the action of the executive committed.
 T. Henry Johnston: T think they ought to nut all on or keep all off. I think 1t radically wrong to put any on, but If they are going to put the chief of police on the ticket they should put the cEief or the fire department and all minor officers. 1 l.. V. Clark: q am greatly opposed to | it as a taxpayer and d citizen. You can express my opinion too strongly"
 J. II. McCary: q think 1t is the wrong | thing to do. The law creating the police commission was for the purpose of get l ting the police force out of politics, and putting the captains on the ticket would get 1t into politics and demoralize it badly
 John w. Tomlnson: q think that the minor city officials should be kept out of politics"
 ]. D. Collins: "I don't think the minor city officials should be put on the ticket It would take the police force out of the hands of the police commission
 T. c. Mcdonald: T would rather not be interviewed on the subject, being a candidate for chief of police.'
 E. K. Campbell: "The spirit of the law is that the chief, captain and lieutenant of police should be elected by the police commission after that body has been elected by the people,"
 B. F. Roden: I am opposed to it. l dc not think a minor officer should be or the ticket He will have no one to whom he is responsible if elected by the people
 c. w. Austin: l think that 1t would be bad idea to put the captain and lieu tenant on the ticket, for they get salar- ies which will not allow them to pay for campaign expenses
 John w. ONeill: It seems to be the consensus of opinion among the business men whom I know that we should get through with this primary within tho next thirty days, and that we should vote to fill no more city offices than we did IT the past primary, and that we vote tt fill the same ones.
 Not Minor Officials. A. l.. Fulenwider I think they migh put the tax collector, city treasurer, tal assessor city clerk and similar officers on the ticket, but not the officers of th police and fire departments.
 Thad Mullen: l don't want the officers in the fire department in politics. No city