The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-04-09
GENERAL ELECTION
EARLY NEXT MONTH
City Council Selects Election
Officers Tomorrow Night
LITTLE INTEREST TAKEN
City Attorney Edward D. Smith Holds
That Registrars viii Not Be
Necessary-No Opposition
to Democrats.
LITTLE INTEREST TAKEN

The City Council will hold an adjourned
meeting tomorrow night at o'clock IN
the council chamber of the city hall Tor
the purpose of electing clerks, managers
and returning officers for the general
municipal election, which will be held In
Birmingham on the first Monday in May.
At this election a mayor, nine aldermen
and four police commissioners are TO De
| elected. There will be no opposition TO
| the regular nominees of the democratic
party and but little interest Is being
taken In the election. George B. WARD
who has served for a number OF years as
alderman from the Second ward, VIII De
the next Mayor of Birmingham. The al
dermen elected will be:
! First ward, John G. Greener' re-electeo'
Second ward, Simon Klotz; Third waro'
d. r. Copeland, reelected; Fourth waro'
John r. Copeland reelected; Fifth wara'
! w p. Gum. reelected; Sixth ward, Fred
| A Fulham; Seventh ward, John l.. Par
ker. Eighth ward. Henry b. Gray re-
elected: Ninth ward. H. A. Stockmar re-
! elected. There are nine hold-overs
The returns of the coming election will
he canvassed at the meeting of the City
Council on the first Wednesday night III
May and the new Mayor and members
of the City Council will be sworn in I'M
mediatelv. The Mayor and city clerk will
have charge of the election.
City Attorneys Opinion.
civ Attorney Edward d. Smith has
written an opinion to the effect that 1t
will not be necessary to appoint regis
trars for the coming election. In letter
to Mavor Bremen, Aldermen Ward and
Jones he said in part:
Judge Samuel Greene says that he Will
| not have anything to do under the new
law. with arranging for this election I'M
less he is compelled to by mandamns'
since as he constructs the law, it does not
repeal our charter provisions in toto. l
am inclined to agree with him. and there
| fore we fall back on the charter provls-
| ions except where they are amended by
| the constitution Before the new consti-
| tuition it was necessary under the charter
for the board to appoint registrars so that
| the voters could register and qualify
themselves to vote in the election. Now,
| however as we have been constituting the
law, voter holding life certificate or
it's equivalent from the state can vote
in any municipal primary.
"Therefore 1t will not be necessary to
appoint these registrars. This was the
! only thing that had to be done twenty
DAYS prior to the election. 1t is provided
| that the board of Mayor and Aldermen
shall appoint inspectors and clerks for
the election, and name the polling places.
But this may be done at the regular sec
1 xurfIl ba on tba
! 18th.
Opening of the Polls.
ut is also provided that 1t shall be
the duty of the Mayor and the city clerk
to provide for the opening of the polls
on election day. and ten days before cleo
ton day to give notice by publication in
some newspaper of the city of the time
and places of holding such election, and
the names of the inspectors of each poll
| ing place. This, you will find by refer
| ence to the calendar, can also be done
after the regular second meeting in April.
| The Mayor should after this publication
| cause fifty copies of the list of qualified
| voters in the city of Birmingham, or II
| this cannot be accurately separated, in
| beats 81 and 81 to be prepared. One of
these lists should be posted at the court
house at least one day before the election,
| and one in each public place in each ward,
| and the inspectors, on the day of the
election. should be furnished with said
| lists The boxes are returned after the
| election to the city clerk who takes
| charge of and. preserves the same and
delivers them to the Mayor and Board
of Aldermen at the next meeting Of the
board to be held subsequent to said cleo
ton. and the board at this meeting shall
canvass the votes, after opening the boxes
and shall declare the result of the cleo
ton.
This covers. as fully as I can give
you in this short compass, the details of
holding the election, and you will see that
there is no use to have the special meet
ing of the board on the 10th inst"