The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-12
Stafemenfs By Leaders M
 W00dlaA,n OntY0beYsy
By w. M. LINDSAY.

| To the Editor of The Age-Herald I have read the letter of MT J. B. Gib- 1 son in your issue of the 10th inst. As 10
 the identity of the third party referred
 to in his letter 1 do not think any one l will for a moment attribute to me what 1 this "third'' party is accused of-mls-
 statement of facts. Thus far in this con- l tloversy, or any other that may arlse' | will be supported by facts in any state | ment may make, and I will refrain from | concealing my identity. So the public Is | not informed who was interested in mold | ing the editorial referred to in his Iet- | ter.
 Now as to the petition: do not suppose
 anyone will deny that when it was pre- scented to the board the statement was made that several who had signed had asked that their names be taken off, and that there were a good many who were not qualified electors This petition was
 referred to a committe to make inquiry
 as to the qualifications of the sgners do not suppose the mayor or any memper of the hoard will deny that a great many signers of this petition were approacheo by the mayor or some member or mem- bers of the board and an effort made to
 get them to take their names off the pe-
 tition; that some or all who were thus
 approached were told that all improve
 ments under way in Woodlawn would pc
 stopped at once by Birmingham 1T Wood- lawn was annexed now Does anyone
 believe this method is even tainted with
 sincerity? Then, is it not reasonaple to suppose that the mayor and aldermen or a town of 1000 or 5000 people would know practically every qualified eiector Ill tne town when there have been so very mary primaries and elections held there ln the
 mast 12 or IS months? Does not this ap- near to be d reasonable conclusion Wheh it is recalled that something like year aeo there were only seven wards Tn lhe town that one member of the poaro moved into another portion or the town and out of his ward he was elected lroiii that on the night he resigned so much was known of the conditions Tn this re- gard that the town was redistricted ana made into Il instead of seven wards, member appointed from the vacant Waru' the resigned alderman appointed from one new ward, and three others appoiil.ed from the other three new Wards! lhe citizens had no notice of these proposed changes. They went to sleep in one ward and woke up in another, with man 10 represent them who was not ol tiieii choice. Why was this donel
 Rut enough of this, except that nave just learned that after the earnest so. llcitations of the mayor and aldermen oi Woodawn and after the inVestgation (?) by the committee, the petition ol oi names has been reduced to about 70, ana this Is the petition MT. Gibson says IS to he reported on by the committee next Monday night. But another petition VIII be before the board when 1t meets agaln and 1t will have more than loo hahes signed to it-names of citizens ~ho cah- not now be persuaded or frightened into a1,owing their names to be scratched | recommended by a certificate or the pro- hate fudge that the names appearing on said netition are all qualified electors or
 Woodlawn. as shown by the records or the probate office.
 Rave inst been informed that there is being circulated in Woodlawn douot- less by some third party" a paper 1n- dorsing the present administration, anu skiing the mayor and aldermen not 10 call the election heretofore asked TOT. If might be asked If this petition Will meet the same fate as did the one presented I do not believe 1t Will. on tha contrary, I am constrained to be- lieve a very different use will be made of it.
 At the election for Greater Birming- ham" Woodlawn voted more than two to one in favor of Greater Birmingham, and during the day enough was heard from voters to justify the statement that "immediate annexation would i have received practically the same ma ioritv. Some of the administration | forces voted for and some against Greater Birmingham.
 If is rumored that one member of the hoard has stated that he will spend money to prevent the immediate an- nexation, and that prominent citizel has made the same statement. Is this the result of patriotism?
 A few words as to why immediate annexation will be best: From an edu- cational point of view, we have every thing to gain and nothing to lose' MT. Burris said in speech the other i night that we had everything to lose and nothing to gain by coming into Birmingham now. Professor Clayton, who was called on in this meeting of citizens Friday night of last week to answer statements of MT. Buck shaw that the school cost, per capita, In Woodlawn was greater than elsewhere in Alabama, got started along the line of advantages that would result to tho | children of Woodlawn, and actually , could not remember one disadvantage. | He said the Woodlawn school buildings | were not to be compared with those of | Birmingham, either as to size, possibili- | tie of enlargement, equipment or econ- l omi al management; that Birmingham | emp oyed high priced experts in dif- l ferent lines of instruction which Wood | lawn could not afford that there would ! be saving in the management of these