The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-03-13
70 paraphrase Lincoln's famous
 saying. You can please all of. the people some of the lime and

Z-A l9 saying, You can please all of
 the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cant please all of the people all the time" have learned this since last Sunday. At that time l wrote of the outrageous evil or 'pistol-toting," of the unpremeditated murders consequent upon the evil, and suggested public protest and public ac- ton. Old-time spstol-toters. who have borne six-shooter companions for more than score of years, have been to me since and said was right; that they would only be too glad to forego the prac- tice If others would; that they only car ried their revolvers for self-protection. Others have said if the police would do away with the hlghwayman they would leave their revolvers at home "A Mother" writes thanking me for the arti- cle and saying: Tn Gods name. is there nothing the good men of Birmingham will do? Are we women to kiss our loved ones goodbye daily with silent prayer and the-dread in our hearts that they will be shot down in the streets?' Two young men of wealth have offered to subscribe literally to a public fund to retain some courageous and learned attorney on handsome annual salary to prosecute ''pistol-toters," and particularly those who make use of them. They want him as the Peoples Anti-Plstol Toting Attor- ney,'' and a good idea 1t is
 But others have said to me that was hurting the town in writing about it's law lessness; that the newspapers had no bus mess printing a story about every shoot ing scrape-such things occurred every- where and the constant printing of these 1 things hurt business growth. Yet these same men would be indignant If shoot ings and killings occurred and they could not get detailed descriptions of them in l the newspapers. They would declare the newspapers totally lacked enterprise As matter of fact. other newspapers in other towns are not filled with such news because such things do not occur with such frequency as here. Look at the show windows of the sporting goods stores and the pawn shops in this town. Beautiful highly polished pistols are displayed in profuslon. Why? Because Birmingham
 is the retail pistol market of the south The stores wouldn't keep them unless they were in demand
 Another said: Drop this talk. The pstol-toters' can take care of themselves and Birmingham is all right" So Bir- mingham is, but such talk Is sheer non l sense. Then, in schoolboys hand, but with mans intellect behind it, comes a remarkably well-written note taking me to task for saying: We talk about bonds for new high schools and all sorts of frills and furbelows for Birmingham. But what is the use in rearing children and educating them to be sent out upon the streets to be shot down by accidental bullets from fighting fiends, too cowardly to fight with natures weapons"
 1 He then goes on to speak of the evil my article will do to Birmingham in ad- vertising the city in so unfavorable light, and suggests that "you hurl your | invectves against the saloons which are the source of nearly all the crimes. in- stead of the schools"
 Though the writer appears to construe my words as against the proposed high | school movement, he is mistaken in his construction I have been a persistent advocate of more and better schools. not only in Birmingham, but in all Alabama. But I will assert that every child seek ing admission to the public common schools in Birmingham and it's suburbs should be provided with seat in a com l fortable building. under a competent teacher, before we put money into high school. l believe thoroughly in high school building, large and roomy enough for all requirements, but in doing this at | the same time provide common school room sufficient to accommodate every child in Birmingham and suburbs. "A High School Boy is eminently correct in 1 declaring that education reduces crime. am really a believer in compulsory ed- ucation, but I cannot consent to cut out | the child who seeks to learn to read and