The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-10-29
MORE ARGUMENTS
 FOR NEW COUNTY Bowie and Judsen Discuss 0b-
 jections Raised HUDSON ATTACKS HARDING Says Mir. Harding's Argument, If Fol lowed Out Means That Jefferson
 Should Annex Remainder
 of the State.
HUDSON ATTACKS HARDING

To the Editor of The Age-Herald It seems in the closing days of the cam paign a number of our friends have ex- hiblted a mortal terror of the loss to Jefferson county of large percentage of it's ore and coal mines and very val uable amount of land, being some few hundred square miles of It's territory. They speak of that property as belong ing to Jefferson county and the crea- ton of a new county would amount to a. transfer of it's title and the loss of it's ownership.
 If the gentlemen who seem to have been seized with a mortal fear in this con- nection would turn either to the law or to the public records they would find that Jefferson county does not own a single inch of land in the territory proposed to be included in the new county if one is established. The public records disclose that the title and beneficial ownership. legal and equitable and in every other way, if there Is any other way-to own land. belongs either to private individuals or to private corporations. We have neither legal right nor moral claim upon the twentieth part of one square inch of that territory. It will be just as far and no farther from Birmingham when the new county is established as it is at present All of that vast property be- longs to its private owners and should be under the political control of ma ! jority of its citizenship, and governed according to the laws desired and the public policies dictated by them.
 The argument of our friends as to the dire calamities which will befell us if these people simply get a new govern ment of their own reminds me of the story of the lady who lived on the border line between North Carolina and Virginia. She had always supposed and it had al ways been understood that her residence was just across the line in the state of North Carolina. Some doubt having arisen as to the correctness of the line a new survey was ordered, by which it was ascertained that the lady's house was really in the state of Virginia Where upon she expressed her great delight at the fact, because she says: 'I have al ways had bad health in the state of North Carolina and now that I am in Virginia I think it will improve.".
 STD J. BOWIE. Birmingham, Ala, October 2S, 1908.
 To the Editor of The Age-Herald: Kindly permit me brief space to re- ply to the statements of MT. w. P. G.. Harding in this mornings Age-Herald. He states That the adoption of the pro- posed new county amendment means a division of Jefferson county in the inter- est of some of the citizens of Bessemer." The proposed new county contains over 4000O population, of which number Bes- semer has but a little over a fourth. Does he really think that some citizens of Bessemer'' can dominate the 40.0OO and form a county against the will of a ma jority of that 4O,0O0?
 MT. Harding says: This is an age of big things-of concentration and not di- vision If that be his real idea he must be in favor of absorbing Walker, Tusca- loosa, Bibb, Shelby, St. Clair and Blount counties. The whole would surely be a big, compact and homogeneous county, much more imperial than the present i'm perial Jefferson, and while annexing and concentrating is not MT Harding in favor of annexing the state and have one great grand, imperial Jefferson? His logic would lead to this.
 MT. Harding says that We need water and we need a county with large credit and wealth to float bonds at low rates to secure water" We ask in all sincerity and seriousness if he really thinks it the function of this county to supply Bfr- mingham. Ensley and Bessemer with .tk 1 1tr.er $21 ,O00, 900 and New York city hundreds of millions to supply those cities with water. Is 1t Los Angeles county and the sew eral counties in which New York city Is located expending this money, or is 1t the cities? MT. Harding knows that it Is the cities, not the counties.
 If Birmingham wants water or needs water why don't she go for 1t herself like all other cities, and especially cities that do not brag about themselves one-tenth as much as Birmingham does? How can she have the face by her preponderating vote to force the country people, the peo- pie of Warrior, Trussville. Leeds, Park wood, McCalla, Adger. Johns. Toadvine. Mulga, Dolomite, etc, to supply or help supply her with water? What interest have these people in Brmingham's water supply any more, perhaps. than they would have in her whisky supply? Can any one imagine that in case our new county is formed that Bessemer or any of its people would possess the suprems gall to ask the new county to bond itself to supply us with water?
 The cheek of Birmingham was brassy enough in forcing upon the taxpayers of Jefferson county, who had no possible in- terest in the service, the half million bonded Indebtedness to build her trunk sewer. The people are not yearning for and this people are endeavoring to avoid any further forced taxation exclusively in the interest of the greater and grand Magic City"
 MT. Harding's peroration on the future of Birmingham, Ensley and Bessemer Is fine. But Bessemer won't be removed from it's present location. nor will it's present general business relations be sew cred by enjoying, in conjunction with the