The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-10-13
Badham Says Bessemer Will Show Jefferson How to
 Build Roads
BOWRON RAPS AT FEE
 OFFICIALS FOR OPPOSING
Crawford and Lee Bradley Say Bir- mingham Is Hub of County and That Even Lower End Resi-
 dents Oppose Change.

The battle for and against the Rags dale Bessemer county amendment promises to turn up the dust during the next three weeks. The citizens of Birmingham on both sides freely ex- press themselves, and there is con siderable difference of opinion. When seen yesterday H. L. Badham, president of the Bessemer Coal, Iron and Land company, and a citizen of Birmingham, said:
 You ask me why 1 favor the new mean good roads, better schools and self government. Let the people rule sounds good to me- especially when it applies to our own territory The poli- tician says, No, mol Do not touch i'm perial Jefferson. Of course not, as it now stands. We have two or more of the best paying political jobs in the south, and as side line, governor, lieutenant governor, United States sen ator. railroad commissioner, chairman of the state democratic committee, seven representatives of the legisla- ture, 40 delegates to the state con- vention and a site reserved for the state capitol (to be moved as soon as the lawyers have time to arrange iD, in order to save time and expense of go- ing out of the way to Montgomery. The people of Bessemer, Jonesboro and the lower end of the county have shown their ability to live and build up d city without help from outsiders and have annually contributed large sums to the mother city.
 Now give us the use of our own convicts and we will build roads that would meet the approval of Senator Bankhead."
 Birmingham Is County's Hub.
 Webb w. Crawford, president of the American Trust and Savings bank, said: This proposition strikes at the very heart of the trade of the Birmingham merchants. If they are not interested do not see why anyone else should be.
 The citizens of Birmingham can hardly look at the matter in any other light. It is simply business matter for Bessemer. and if Birmingham lies quietly down as matter of sentiment it will certainly deserve the loss of half the county. After working years for a Greater Birmingham, and with the whole grand county linked by street car lines and railroads with the very hub of the state, it is almost i'm possible to understand why Birming- ham citizen could favor cutting off the richest part of the county"
 
 MT. Bowron Favors Plan.
 James Bowron said q am in favor of the Ragsdale amendment to the constitution for two reasons. First, be- cause it is right; second, because it will help Bessemer without hurting Birmingham.
 'The opposition to this amendment ap- pears to me to be un-democratic and un- American. MT Bryan asks, Shall the people rule? But some of my friends say No. the Commercial club shall rule.' If American citizens in any part of Jeff ferson county which is not incorporated desire to be formed into a municipality the law gives them the right to hold an election and create municipality if the people living in the area affected by the proposal so desire. If the citizens think 1t will add to their wealth or convenience or prestige by joining to a municipality, the law gives them the right to vote ac- cordingly. In neither case does it give citizens in another part of the same coun- ty the right to say You shall Not If instead of advocating new county, anu perhaps only those portions of Jefferson, Tuscaloosa and Walker which are most remote from the centers and the least valuable to those counties, the people Of Bessemer had been more aggressive along a different line and had proposed to in- crease the limits of ther city to the ex- tent of Jefferson in one direction and up to Hawkins Springs in the other direction,