The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-10-04
THE BrRMINGHAM WAR.

Shell there be armed intervention? And if armed intervention. shall 1t ss by Federal troops or by the state Mnitiay
 The terrible war in Birmingham must be stopped In the Interest of humani- | ty, in the interest of blessed peacs, cruelty banished order and security must be restored The last battle in the Birm.sgaam City Council was some thing awful.
 Toe to toe on a chalk line the inn passioned ward warriors hurled defi- ance and anathemas at each other. With pale. set faces, they went to the con- fict, and with gallant courage flung at each other, Liar" Crater" Get your pistol I don't care,~ Crook" ..whose lia<y Put him out" "Kiil me if you want to-" You are a liar. you are liar and you are a liar" "Po- lice." Oh it was a terrible scene. this deadly verbal battle. as 1t appears in The Age-Heraid.
 Tine President pro tenn or tine Coun- ell was put out of the Council Chamber by the police. The Mayor, in an of1- cial communication, denounced two Al asrmen as grafters and said one of them was no better in his private life than he ought to be. whereupon one Alderman said to His Honor. "You are another"
 A second Alderman scattered "Iiars" all over the chamber. and defed the Mayor to use his pistol He handed out few moro liars.. and when he ceased. six policemen were holding the City Attorney. who was trying to break the rules of the tournament by striking a real blow. Moreover. the City Att torney apearsd to be in error because the hot-air battle was an aldermanic and mayoralty affair. and the specta- tors coYld only stand by and applaud when some other contestant ran for ward with an extraordinarily fine string of adjectives. Because fifty of the populace cheered at the wrong place. the police rushed them out of the door. There never has been anything like 1t since the Drcyfus trial and the meet ing of the Black and Tan Republican Committee of Montgomery County when the Chairman always put the question with the butt end of billiard cue. It's handy and effective argu- ment in a close quarters debate-ths butt end of billiard cue. According to the Birmingham idea, however, as it appears in the debate, dependence is placed upon . pistol as being more logi- cal and convincing. After alI it is a matter of choice. Much might be said in support of either argument
 The Alderman who had the closing chance easily won the henors of the evening. He opened up with the cpl thet of Liar" delivered three times in quick succession. Before his antagon-
 ists could recover, he had shot over six separate charges of graft. He had the other side groegy and hanging on the ropes when the bell rang.
 The populaee was apiaudihg loudly. 4 new detail of police was sent for and the reserves were 'phoned to hold them selves in readiness In the outer dark
 ness there was the pathetic figure of the President pro tenn. condemned like the knightly Ivanhoe. to hear the sounds of the conflict, but restrained from taking his place in the battle. From this distance, 1t is impossible to tell whether the Ward faction or -he
 Parker faction are the insurgents. But peace and humanity demand that the
 cruel conflict end The President and the Governor are both in Memphis Somebody ought to wire them of he horrors of Birmingham municipal up- rising and ask that the troops bs called out
 But before it is all over, the moving picture people ought to get a represen- tation of meeting of the Birmingham | City Council on their flms and tour Alabama with the pictures. What a rush there would be to see the circus!