The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-10-28

| ter, recently created eight new coun- tics after the constitutional amend ment permitting 1t to do so had been
 carried by large majority. They al- l ready had one hundred and thirty seven counties or more than double the
 number in Alabama. Why did the peo- pie of Georgia vote for eight more counties If they had too many to start | with, and if great injury would be done to any of them by the. adoption of the amendment?. The reasonable in- ference is that Georgia has found that In bringing her public business close
 to the people she had adopted a poli-
 cy whose wisdom has been proven by
 the test of experience.
 Again Mir. Kettig in hls campaign
 address published yesterday makes this
 statement: If the amendment is
 adopted Bessemer will vote county
 precincts from Walker, Tuscaloosa.
 Shelby. Bibb and Jefferson into new
 county against practically the solid op-
 position of such county precincts, be-
 cause Bessemer will have more votes
 than the county precincts and will not
 consult the wishes of the voters in
 the county precincts. The same thing may happen to your county sooner or later"
 If the balance of their contentious are as unsubstantial as this one, and think they are, the whole case of the opponents of the amendment can be disposed of without difficulty. The truth is. that seventy-five per cent of the new county, If one is created by any possible combination of lines. 1 will live outside of the city precincts | of Bessemer. If, therefore, these coun- | try precincts are practically solid as | MT. Kettig says they are, against the | new county it will be defeated by a vote of fully three to one.
 I repeat, no possible combination by | which Bessemer could get the required area in order to make a new county | could be made that dld not leave the | precincts in an overwhelming as against Bessemer city. | My own belief from what l have been able to learn on the subject, is that the country precincts in the territory affected will give majority for the new county rather than against 1t. But in any event, I cannot see any possible objection to giving them a vote on the subject It Is their affair --not ours. If they conceive 1t to be opposed to their interest there will be no difficulty found In getting them to vote it down and if they think 1t is to their interest ! can see no reason why we should object to their voting it up
  measure upon their own grounds and treat 1t upon basis affecting our own ldVantage without regard to the pros- )erlty the convenience and the happi- ness of the people immediately involv- sd. Considered from the Standpoint 1f pure and utter selfishness. I believe t Is to the interest of the city of Rir- ningham to help the movement along.
 The establishment of a new county will not move a foot of~ground nor a single individual one inch further from 1 than they are at present n addition to the various railroads between Birmingham l Ind Bessemer the two street car lines between the two towns make an ave ,rage schedule during the day of a rain every fifteen minutes. These rains during many hours of the day Ire loaded down with people They are lot people going from Birmingham to 3essemer. but they are people coming rom Bessemer to Birmingham. They Ire not coming to court in Birming- lam, they are coming to trade. And me of the main sources of our pres 1erity is the Volume which comes over he North and South Bessemer street ,ar lines.
 It has been said that we win lose he trade of many people coming to court if this amendment becomes al aw. The fact is that our jurors are bald two dollars per day, and our wit iesses. when they get anything. get rom seventy five cents to one dollar md a half per day. The trade of all he Jurors and witnesses who come iere simply to attend court from the territory affected would not amount