The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-13
M'DOWELL ASKS
 MORE QUESTIONS Is Still on Fence Regarding
 Bond Issue ANSWERS THE CRITICS Says Personal Abuse of Himself and Former Administration Is Not Answering the Questions
 He Has Asked

M H. Mcdowell, former chairman of the finance committee of the city coun- l cil of Birmingham in reply to recent att
 tacks made on him, yesterday made the following statement regarding the pro- posed bond issue:
 "Wben I permitted myself against my
 better judgment to dare ask the city
 commissioners through the Age-Herald 1 last Tuesday a few questions about their
 bond issue, questions I thought pertinent | and the answers to which the people were entitled to have, I did not think
 the editorial departments of the after-
 noon papers would answer by personal
 attacks and appeals to prejudice against former administrations. Did any of that
 or the interview of one of the commits
 sioners in the same vein. tell the people
 why S121 ,000 of notes for sidewalks and
 streets, secured by statutory and con- | stitutonal liens against abutting prop erty, should be a deficit?
 l q hastily concede that I am no fi-
 nancial Moses nor have so posed. But
 were I one the duly accredited and self | appointed Aarons of the Birmingham
 Dreibund have spoken otherwise, and who am I that 10 should gainsay? One of the distinguished editors takes occa- sion in the course of his fulminations, showing my inferiority and his super iority to goat over the fact that he himself had lately talked with railway magnate I have never boasted of such q blessed privilege. but I did see one i,a human. There was large wart on his nose and he evidently suffered from bunons. think he was for the bond issue
 But one very important point the gentlemen have overlooked. Railway magnates and confidants of banks are not the people who will have to author ize this bond issue, but the votes must come from the great mass of Birming- hams citizens, who while they may be denounced as disgruntled kiclzers for dar- ing to ask about the use of their own money, will hesitate to fall before and blindly worship this strange new god called commission that has been set up until they know whether it's shining front is gold or brass and the heavy feet iron or clay
 "I confess that I am an ex-alderman of Birmingham that I was made a cit- izen of Birmingham without my consent, that was first asked to accept and did not solicit place in the council, that one-eighth of the people of all Birming- ham unanimously endorsed me, that acted in terms of perfect amity with volcanic Walter Moore the alleged spokesman of the alleged old ring, and other so-called rinssters, with that brainy, ingenious. incorrigible. insurrecto George Huddeston, with diplomatic liar rv Jones, with those cool. able and con- servative men, John F. Morris, P. J. Rogers and J. B. Gibson, and other es- timable gentleman of that old body. I also held that Important position with the high-soundng title,' chairman or the finance committee for six months What was done is matter Of record but I challenge any of the Aarons to deny that that committee increased revenue and decreased expenditures in an aggregate sum more than twice the amount pruned by the present commis- sion. Not member of that committee was paid g. cent for his services either, and all was accomplished without the blare of trumpets or employing the de- Nghtful crudity of Borneo head hunters.
 .Jdeal commission government means husiness administration and pitiless pub licity. The Birmingham pitiless pub licity part so far consists of few of- ficial heads hung upon the outer case ment. and vitriolic personal attacks on
 tnrNc the acts of the commission are to be concurred in without question by the people, popular government has reached a dangerous state and too great strain is put upon public confidence
 .It has been charged that my questions were prompted by opposition to commis- sion government. This is untrue. When the question was voted on 1t was present. ed in A way that smacked very much of cheap politics. and not knowing any thing of the system l did not vote 'or express myself I am learning something about it now every day.
 ''But my residence in the province or Ensley my connection with the old ciy government my personal standing or abll- itv ar my opinions of commission gov | ernment, reciprocity, prohibition, or chi- nesf exclusion have nothing to do with the issue For four years Birminghafn Wiii | have commission government. and the neople must adapt themselves Mun1cipal government touches more closely the cit- izens than county, state and national com hined. and 1t is to the interest of all to have A government of publicity, reason- abieness conservatism and economy NO ripht-thinking man will vote against the bond issue because he is opposed to the commission form or to the personnel of the commissioners. Neither will r;cht-thinking citizen vote for the issue solely because he Is satisfied with the form and the commissioners.
 Commission form is not the issue since there can be neither remedy nor snbsti- ute The commissioners themselves are not the issue and should not be. A large sum of money has been asked. and the people have been called upon to mortgage the patrimony of their children to secure it. Did the commissioners act wisely in asking this large sum? Were they fair and frank with the people? Were 40 days sufficient time in which to thorough ly analyze all the complicated ramihca- tions of the city government and evolve a practical solution of all the problems in addition to attending to the great multi