The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-25
BESSEMER |S ALIVE IN THE B|G FIGHT FOR PETTUS COUNTY Constitutional Amendment Is Simply RuSe to Throw Sand
 In Birmingham's Eyes HAS BEEN HARD AT WORK PLEDGING LEGISLATORS Bessemer Will Work for Out and Out Local Bill Which Takes Off
 one-Thrd of Jefferson
 County.
BY c. M. STANLEY.


 fees of "Pettus" county. These men want
 new county so very much that they
 have been conducting one of the most
 finished campaigns ever undertaken for a measure in Alabama
 They have an organization and they
 have been using it.
 | In the first place they do not want a constitutional amendment. That, it ap l pears, is beautiful and artistic way of l throwing sand in Birmingham's eyes. | They realize that in working for a con
 stltutional amendment they would meet
 the opposition of certain other counties
 in the state who might have rib or two taken out any time to assist in form ing another county.
 l What Bessemer wants is a straight out I and out local act creating Pettus county 1 The measure has been advertised and it has had men in the counties of the state working on the members of the legisla- i ture to get them committed. It has | gone as far into the north as Jackson county and as far south as Mobile. It
 works night and day and the fear has been expressed that the results will soon | show For instance the bill which has been ad- vertised will let Walker county alone. No part of that county will be touched You see, two state senators live in Wal ker county now and their votes are needed Trades of various kinds have | been attempted. Every influence possi
 ble has been brought to bear on the mem- bers of the legislature to pass this local bill.
 It will be recalled that in the former l new county campaign the Birmingham | committee circulated map which showed | a number of places in the state where new counties could be formed under the l provision. Counties which would have lost more or less territory under the amendment were induced to vote against | the proposition because they were per soaally affected It appears that Bessemer | has appealed to the representatives of | these came counties to vote for her To- | cal bill on the ground that by voting for | Bessemer's local bill the other counties will be forever free of any possible 1 fight.
 And during this time Birmingham has been sleeping peacefully.
 Here is what the proposed bill will do for Jefferson county It will take away about $20,CC0O0O of taxable property valu- ation. The county line will come close enough to Birmingham to take in the
 Bluff Park hotel on Shades mountain.
 It will take in the Oxmoor furnaces 1t will run within 40 yards of the limits of
 Greater Birmingham at Wylam It will
  Short Creek mines and hundreds of coke
 ovens. In fact the county line of the proposed county will cut just as close to Birnlir gham as is possible under the con-
 stitutional limitation which provides that the line of a new country shall not 1 come closer than seven miles to an ex-
 isting courthouse. The bill as adver- tised reads as follows:
 "A bill to be entitled an act to create | and establish out Of tho counties of | Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, Bibb and Shelby a new county to be called 'Pettus,' and to define the boundaries tn hereof. "Be 1t enacted by the legislature of Alabama:
 Section 1. That new county is here | by created and established out of the counties of Jefferson. Tuscaloosa, Bibb
 and Shelby, and shall be called 'Pettus.' Sec. g. That the boundaries of said
 new county are as follows: Commencing at point where the range line dividing
 ranges and west. in township 19, in- tersects the Cahaba river, thence run
 ming north on said range line to the north east corner of the southeast quar- ter of section l, township 19, range 8, west; thence west three miles; thence north one-half mile; thence west one mile to the northwest corner of section 4; thence north one-half mile; thence west one mile to the north west corner
 of southwest quarter of section S2; thence north three-fourths of a mile; thence west three fourths of a mile; thence north one-half mile; thence west one-fourth of a mile; thence north one- half mile to the north east corner of the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section 24 township IS,
 range 4, west; thence west one-fourth
 of a mile; thence north one- fourth of a mile; thence west one-half mile; thence
 north three-fourths of a mile to the
 north east corner of southwest quarter
 of southwest quarter of section 13,
 township IS, range 4, west; thence west
 one-half mile; thence north one and
 one-fourth miles to the northeast cor
 ner of northwest quarter of southeast quarter of section II; thence west
 three-fourths of mile; thence north one and one-half miles to the north ast
 corner of section 8, township IS. range f, west; thence west two miles; thence
 north four miles to the northeast cor
 ner of section IF, township 17, range
 4; thence west one mile; thence north
 two miles to the township line dividing
 townships 16 and '17 thence west along
 said township line to the county line
 dividing the counties of Jefferson and
 Walker; thence south along said county
 line to the Mulberry fork of the Black
 Warrior river; thence down with and
 along the meanderings of said Black
 Warrior river to it's intersection with
 the township line dividing townships
 1e and 20; thence east along said town ship line to northeast corner of section