The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-12-29
Public Printer Burned All the
Original Documents
Only Last Week
GREATER BIRMINGHAM
BILL Is GOOD AS VOID
Author of Measure Believes an Extra
Session Would Put Measure
Through Almost Without
Dissenting Voice.

Jere c. King returned from Montgomery
last night, and when seen after allght-
ing from the train declared that tho
record of the passage on the Greater
Birmingham bill is the biggest lie ever
put on paper" =.
THE bill ITSELF" he said, has not been
mutilated in the least, but the childish
way in which it has been recorded makes
everything null, void and unconstitu-
tional.
Il went to Montgomery hoping to get
the original daily record of the senate
proceedings, but I found the bridges
burned. Upon applying to the state print
er, Brown Printing Co., 1 was informed
that the daily record had been burned
only last week. Such proceeding was
at least exceedingly careless. 1t was
composed of official documents weighing
go pounds, and should under all circum-
stances have been preserved.
when I saw the journal on August s.,
it was in perfect order, and the entries
were exactly correct. When 1 saw the
copy of the secretary of state yesterday
I found 1t perfectly false. and changed
SO that 1t was hardly recognizable. 1t
is not worth the paper it is written on,
and since the printer has destroyed the
original there is no hope of rescuing it.
IT do not think that the bill would have
been declared unconstitutional merely be-
cause the adverse report of one commit
tee is not shown, for the report of the
committee on mines and manufactures is
shown, and the taking from the adverse
calender is also shown.
However, the record of the journal
does not comply with Article 63 of the
the yea and nea vote on the final pas
sage, nor does it show a quorum of the
senate voting.
-. A. Kyle, journal clerk is directly
responsible for all the errors. After the
adjournment he had forty days in which
to print a complete copy Of the record.
1t seems that the pages bearing the Great
er Birmingham record were given to a
young lady to record and the result is an
abomnable muddle
All the enemies of the bill are re-
corded as voting for it, while the friends
OF the bill are put down as against 1t,
this occurring three distinct times. 1t
only shows IA of the 2S as having voted,
and is thus entirely void.
MIR. Kyle had all the time he needed,
and had experience as well. He is the
man who is totally responsible for the
error. While the senate rule on record
ing an adverse report does not affect the
Greater Birmingham bill, it kills several
others which were passed over an adverse
report.
However, I am not discouraged. We
will have Greater Birmingham. look
for an extra session of the legislature,
and think the same bill should be passed.
and will be passed. The people Of Mont
gomery are deeply interested and in fact
the matter has statewide significance.
When we show the legislature that the
bill was endorsed by vote Of the people,
$500 to 900, it will pass through like
lightning. While do not fear any dam
age from the claim that charters cam
not be annuled by implication, this will
probably be tested before the extra ses-
sion.
II am glad to say that neither Secre-
p. Brown are In any way connected with
the proceedings They have nothing to do
with the recording, and so far as know
are giving the whole state perfect salts
faction In their work"