The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-13
COMPANY HELPLESS IN PASS QUESTION ChIIdren'S Reduced Fare Tickets
 Cannot Be Sold FORD MAKES STATEMENT Street Railway Willing to Pass Police men and Bremen, But Such Action
 Is Penal Under the
 New Statute.
FORD MAKES STATEMENT

President and General Manager A. H. Ford of the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company thinks his company is being done an injustice by those who say the discontinuance of free passes to policemen and fremen and the with drawal of school tickets to children was voluntarily done by the company. In talking of this matter last night, MT. Ford said:
 Some of the public seem to be laboring under the impression that the Birming- ham Railway. Light and Power company either brought about or at least volun- tarily allowed itself to be placed under the recent anti-pass aots of the legislature. In this they are clearly mistaken. My company was not the author of the bill, 1t did not in any wise aid in it's concep- tion, nor lend any assistance to it's pass age. On the contrary, we opposed the passage of 1t in it's present shape, and at that time called attention to the very sit- uation that now confronts us.
 Attempts an Amendment.
 T do hot believe that it is fair and just to hold us responsible for the measure, and it would be still worse for the munich palities through which our cars run to attempt to punish us for the passage of the act. lam told that the Alabama Press association attempted to amend the bill, excepting newspaper men, and failed; and that a separate bill was introduced in the senate providing a 21a-cent rate to school children, which was defeated in the sen- ate committee on commerce and common carriers. The journals of the two houses will doubtless show other proposed amendments, none of which was adopted but some of which if adopted, would have Nhedied the evil complained of - informed that a separate applicable solely to street
 Is introduced in the house.
 hded in the house so as to
 ce officers and firemen from
 The house passed the bill
 but when it reached the seh-
 erwhelmngly defeated We
 power to exclude from the
 the law policemen, firemen
 ildren; and stand ready now
 h the same privileges as be-
 DV1ded we can do so legally. Our attorneys have advised us that inasmuch as the company is a common carrier of passengers, about which there can be no dispute. either in law or in fact, that it comes within the inhibitions of the act. ! Would Be Bad Policy.
 ..I requested them to advise me if they ~could find any way to accomplish the end desired without violating the law, and for your information I will give you a full copy of my letter to them and their reply thereto, all of which you may use as you see fit. It has been suggested that if the company should, as to tn csc classes, go ahead and violate the law, that no criminal proceedings would be instituted against it or it's employees. This. in my judgment, would be, as a rule. not only bad policy for an individual to persue, but would be suicidal for this company, as l am ad- vised that as habitual violation of a penal law by corporation would prob ably work a forfeiture of it's charter.
 If the legislature should be recon vened in a special session, it would be well for the municipalities to join the company in requesting the governor to embody in his call an amendment to the which would allow us to issue this transportation to these classes with out violating the law. I trust that the company's position will be understood and appreciated, and that the public will, as 1t should under the circum- stances, not hold us responsible for a situation which we neithe invited, nor voluntarily accepted, an done which we used our best efforts to prevent"
 Request for Interpretation.
 The correspondence on the subject which is referred to in MT. Ford's in- tervew is as follows:
 Messrs. Tillman, Grub, Bradley & Nor row, Counsel, Birmingham Railway Light and Power Company, City.
 Gentlemen-Regardin the anti-pass Jaw, passed by the last legislature, two questions present themselves to us.
 1t has been the custom of this com pany for a number of years to issue school children tickets at reduced rate of fare. We desire to continue this practice as it's discontinuance would be a serious matter to all the families whose children attend the public and other schools of the city. Under the present law, can these tickets be legally issued?
 It is our desire to carry on our cars,