The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-11
A SURVEY OF THE FIELD
.l Ny ETHEL ARMIES. Auth of of Coal md Iron in Aahamno

company Bessemer Transfer and Livery company
 How It Figures Up
 The total number tf suits outstanding against those above listed companies according to the statistics of November 15, 1910, figures up as follows. Railroads. 463; iron companies, $200; coal companies. l43; public service, 52; city and county, 53 factories, GA; miscellaneous 6N. traf- fic, II; contractors, s; private, H. The number equals in all 1195, as heretofore stated. The suits filed in the year ended i November 15, 1910, amounted to l52s, all told.
 First was recorded the struggle of cer tain of the smaller industries, the fight they are having to keep from being vie timzed by the damage suit practice and the fact that one of the direct effects of Birmingham fool damage suits actually prevents the location here oI diversified industries on large scale D. B. Dim mick, president ef the American Casting company, gave the 5nformaton that cer- tain New England textile manufacturers who were considering locating in Bir- mingham turned down the proposition the instant they obtained facts about the damage suit evil here, and learned of the little redress to be had by individuals and companies once entangied in the courts.
 Battle of the Railroads
 Second, the railroads viewpoint was pre- sented; the reign of the shyster lawyer was shown to provilxe wholesale swim ding of the railroads; specific instances Of the professional fakir were given and the various ways and means employed to
 do' railroads and street railway com panies. In this connection interviews with several claim agents were given, among them, George L. Stone, L. M. Smith, G. G. Beclkley and II. Seixas and others.
 Third, cost of damage suits to the tax payers of Jefferson county were given in detail; complete record of the companies | by name in the courts in 1910. The facts and figures in this article created morv or less excitement. Practically every bus | mess and professional man of importance l in the city then took up the pro and con of the damage suit. It became for while the main topic of discussion in the offices, the shops, the banks and particu- larly at the courthouse. It is still a topic of ever increasing interest.
 Files of the articles are being kept in dozens of offices. by attorneys. railroad men and business men. Duplicate copies have been sent by various claim agents and others to Montgomery, New Orleans, Atlanta, St. Louis and Kansas City. The lheadquarter offices of many of the great railroad systems of the south have been kept en rapport with the progress of the work. For the evil is one of the great present-day problems, not only in Birmingham, but everywhere in the United States
 An eloquent, fearless and forceful pa per from Isadore Shapiro, a young Yale graduate just beginning practice in this city, was written in comment on the campaign" and incidentally arraigning the Birmingham Bar association in no uncertain terms for allowing such unethi- cal and evil practice to so control this city.
 More arraignments followed. Altogether there were two weeks of "arraignments."
 It was acknowledged to be case of the bowling of the hit dog. The author Of the battle plan," was even accused of stealing her thunder Somebody said "She did not write what she wrote her self by herself" Somebody else said she was trying to reform the ethics of the legal profession; was running the clubs, the courts and the town!
 Yes All of that!
 And then a little more.
 Then one more delicious inning all quiet, and back to the main facts again.
 The seventh article of the series pre- sented few statements giving the stand ing of Birmingham in the damage suit line as compared to certain other towns and cities. Then certain facts and in stances concerning the legal profession here were again dealt with and mal-prac- tice assailed. The deplorable condi- tion of the courthouse, and facts concern ing jury service were the subject of an other "chapter;" then a table of statistics again, a more detailed exhibit of costs to Jefferson county for maintaining the trivial damage suit. b | A distinct difference was emphasized in every circumstance, between the personal injury suit proper-the meritorious case and the fake and trivial suit. A score | of times and more has 1t been repeated | that the fight being waged is against the fake and trivial case-not the other.
 A Transcript From Life
 To nail matters down all the more surely, two or three fake cases were followed and transcribed word for word from the court room A minute study of