The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-02
FELIX BLACKBURN HAS
 NEW SOLUTION ID OFFER
Wants Legislature to Arbitrarily Take In Practically Everything In Jones
 Valley for Birmingham,
 Effective Jan. i, 1910.

as if Elyton had never held an election at all. The city fathers base their ac- ton on the claim that the election was H. legal and void.
 It will be remembered that at a March meeting of the board the city attorney was instructed to draw up the necessary papers ordering an election In all the un- incorporated districts adjacent to Bir- mingham, including the whole of Elyton. At that time the board did not remember the fact that old Elyton was incorporated years ago and by mistake the district was included within the proposed lines.
 1mmeg tely after this order the cti- zens O the west took steps to incor- porate the towns of Greymont and Ely ton. The elections have been held, and Elyton has taken in a territory half as large as Birmingham itself.
 Changed the Aspect
 Of course this put a new front on the matter. On investigation the city attor- ney found that Greymonts action was perfectly legal, but that Elyton, in his opinion, and that of many other lawyers being already an incorporated town, had no authority to hold the election changing it's boundary lines as if they never ex- isted
 Acting on these premises the board last night recognized no corporate lines of Elyton, except those for which the char ter was given way back in the thirties. The city attorney was instructed to take steps looking toward an election in all the territory lying westward except Greymont and old Elyton.
 If this plan goes through Birmingham will not loose her baseball park. Green Springs and Idlewild Park, nor will Ely ton be the large city that she hoped to be. The resolution was introduced by AL derman Cooper and unanimously passed. = Felix Blackburn Jocose. In behalf of the city of Elyton Felix Blackburn said to The Age-Herald last night that inasmuch as Mayor Ward had ! in a recent interview threatened that should Elyton load herself down with | bonded indebtedness Birmingham would not accept her, he felt sure that Elyton would be willing to accept Birmingham and shoulder all her debt Jokingly, he believed Greater Elyton would be fine idea.
 But seriously, MT. Blackburn stated that no one is more in favor of Greater Bir- mingham than he. "In the first place" said he, "I want it understood that we did not incorporate simply for the pur- pose of loading ourselves down with bonds In order that Birmingham might shoulder the debt, nor to defeat Greater Birming- ham. I, with several others. visited Mayor Ward and asked that some provision be made whereby money arising from the sale of Elyton Improvements ponds could be used in Elyton, but he pointedly re- fused to consider the matter. It was for this reason that we incorporated.
 We did not want to have improvements charged to abutting property owners, while Avondale, Woodlawn and East Lake l 1r.11 To ..vf&I A1.1,~ IOI-f or.I we would have to help pay for their im- provements. We merely wanted to be put on a level with them.
 The Only Solution.
 NOW in my opinion the only safe and sane solution of the Greater Birmingham problem lies in a single course Let bill be passed by the July session of the legislature arbitrarily extending the limits of the city of Birmingham so as to take in all the territory from East Lake to West End, and from North Birmingham to Red mountain, without any other pro- visions whatever except that the law shall ! not go into effect until January l. 1910. This would give all the outside towns | and territory time to get ready and al l the same time answer all purposes In l the next census we would have our prop | CT standing.
 This would be an absolute solution of
  bers, including City Attorney Ed Smith, l and Walter Moore, both of whom agree 1 that the matter Is practical. ''The mayor of Woodlawn and of other | suburbs have signfied their willingness to I the proposition. and I believe 1t is the | only thing to do.
 l 'So far as the recent incorporation of
 Elyton is concerned, I believe it is legal. | Old Elyton has been out of existence 1 thirty years, and I think we will have
 no trouble in holding our position. Bir- | mingham need have no fear for her base | ball park, nor its police protection. We l will look out for that"
 The board of aldermen last night also
 passed another resolution providing for an election in eastern territory described as follows:
 Territory for New Election. "Beginning at point on the western l boundary line of the city of Birmingham, Ala where the same intersects the west l boundary line of section 12, township IS | south, range 8 west; thence southward ] along the west boundary line of said sec l ton F to the crest of Red mountain; | thence northward along the crest of Red mountain to the west line of the east half of the east half of section 32, town ship F south, range west; thence north ward along this line to the boundary line of Avondale, Ala; thence westward and northward along the southern and west ern boundary line, broken, of Avondale to it's northwest corner on the west line of section 29; thence enthusiastically along the northern boundary of Avondale to the west boundary of Woodlawn; thence northward and eastward along the west boundary line of Woodlawn to it's northwest corner; thence east along it's northwest boundary line to the east line of section 20, township IT south, range west; thence north along the east line Of said section 20 and the east line of sec tion IT, township IT south range west, to the north line of the right of way of the Birmingham Mineral railroad; thence westward along the north line of said right of way to the eastern boundary of North Birmingham; thence southward along the east boundary line of North Birmingham to the boundary line of the city of Birmingham. thence southward and westward along the eastern and southern boundary line of the city of Birmingham to its southwest corner; thence northward along the western boun- dary line of the said city of Birmingham to the point of beginning.