The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-01-29
ISSUE EXPECTED IN MAYORALI1Y RACE At Present Only the Records
 Are Spoken 0t CAMPAIGN GROWS HEATED Candidates Meet Today-Five Men After 15o Votes-seventh Ward contest-Murphy Advertlses
 His Platform.

abroad in the land and with the wide smile and the glad hand greeted their fellows. Electioneering is seen on every corner and when the candidates them selves are absent the voters are discuss ing. Yesterday was the beginning of the campaign.
 Today at the noon hour in the ci5y hall there will be meeting of eandi- dates. On account of the large number of office seekers 1t is certain that the meeting will be well attended. With the candidates the subcommittee of the city executive committee will meet, and II. B. Abernathy, chairman. will pre- side.
 The meeting was called for the specific purpose of qualifying the several candi- dates who have already published their announcements. Judge Abernathy will call the roll and as the man called an- swers his name he will be required to state that he is a resident and regis tered elector of the city of Birmingham, owing a certain fealty to one of the nine wards.
 After thus qualifying himself he will be required to next hand over to the presiding official a certain fee. The amount of this fec depends on the office that he seeks and how many others there are seeking the same office. The sub committee has assessed the offices and not the candidates. The mayoralty IS assessed at 800, and before the names Of George B. Ward and Frank P. O'Brien are enrolled on the ticket each will be compelled to pay $500.
 An Issue Expected.
 The present city campaign will be lively for the reason that strenuous fight is pending in every ward of the city and In the majority, two fights. In every ward save the Second and the Fifth, there are two or more candidates for the alder manic board, and in the majority there are several candidates for the executive committee. In reference to the commit- tee 1t is learned that the fight will be bitter, as in certain quarters there has developed considerable opposition to the old committee
 The keen political observer foresees several bitter fights in which it will take the final count to pick the winner The contest for mayor promises to be unusu- ally warm, as both candidates are fast aligning their friends for the final effort At this time, no issue exists and 1t IS wondered whether the campaign will be fought out with only the records of each candidate as guiding lines, AL though it is known that Mayor Ward VIII ask the endorsement of the feature or his administration-its antwhisky proclivi- ties-Captain O'Brien has stated that he Is running in the interest of no class or faction. Whether or not the formal Issue will be drawn is unknown. It is learned that Mayor Ward will publish the ac- complishments of his administration, chief among which are the increased rev. enue that has been brought to the col { fers of the city and the strict survell- { lance that Is being exercised over the l liquor traffic
 Three-Cornered Fight. | Another fight that promises to be inter- esting is that for chief of police, for which office there are five contestants, ] Chief Wier, c. w. Austin, George Bode- l ker. T. l.. Perkerson and J. B. Morson. | It is generally thought that the fight will ! be narrowed down to a three-cornered affair, with the odds favoring the re- election of Chief Wier.
 For the commission, there is another warm fight, on account of the large num- l her of candidates and their prominence. ! If is learned that an effort Is being made to bring about the election of the car didates favorable to the present admins | i,, bill in the legislature to do away with the commission, and to bring the depart ment again under the wings of the city government The campaigning for this office is warming up right off the reel, and the fight for the four vacancies will be so strenuous that one cannot keep his attention in another direction for Q long space of time.
 Divide 15o Votes.
 The aldermanic candidates are waging a stern war on their own account. The l fight in the First ward is interesting on account of the fact that there are five candidates after the 150 votes which tha: ward casts. In the Third ward, Dick Eggleston is already claiming a victory though Dick Gambill and James Odea are also making statements of their | strength. In the Seventh ward one of the most interesting fights of the entire cam. paign is promised The candidates are c. C. Heidt. who has long been an alder man; w. B. Grant and L. N. Archer. All three of the candidates are well known and influential, and the friends of each are preparing for a hard struggle. Since the retirement of Harry Jones' the race in the Eighth between Barnes Morgan | and Dan Hogan is giving promise of much interest. Both men claim the day.
 Murphy "Bill Boarding" Robert Murphy claims the victory in the Ninth. He is opposed by G. H. Estes and Joe Weiferich. The campaign for votes in the Ninth is to be a strenuous one, as the candidates are in to win. Mir Murphy has adopted a platform which appeals to the people. He has promised to see that the voters of the Ninth are represented in affairs of the city by loud voice, and that his ac- tions shall be governmed by the wishes of the people.
 MT Murphy this morning will post about the ward bill boards. He thus makes use of his profession. The bili boards will say: Tn 1889 they dumped trash on Thirteenth street and Avenue I. They have been doing 1t ever since" Of course this will be stopped when Mi. Murphy Is elected. Another will declare: When Bob is alderman the people will