The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-14
|DECATUR'S MAYOR FILINGS CHALLENGE Proposes Consolidation Un-
 der General Law PAPER GROWS BITTER Attacks Governor O'Neal for the Veto of the Greater Decatur Bill.
 Prepare for the Junior
 Mechanics
PAPER GROWS BITTER

| Decatur, March 13.-tSpecial.) )-"Now
 that the Greater Decatur bill has been vetoed by Gov. Emmet O'Neal, I still | stand where I have always stood on the
 matter of consolidation of the two De- caturs. am willing that the two cities vote or the question under the general
 law" said Mayor Henry A. Skeggs of Decatur today.
 | Mayor Skeggs says that he has always stood for the agreement that was made hetween Decatur and New Decatur at Montgomery when the matter of consoli- cation was first brought up and when del- egations from Decatur and New Deca-
 tur went down to Montgomery for the purpose of looking into the Greater De- | catur' bill. introduced by Capt. Dan Wal | den of New Decatur. That agreement 1 was that committee of three lawyers be selected by the two cities to investigate | the consttutionality of the bill and in the event 1t was found to be unconstitutional, then the two cities call a consolidation election under the general law" said Mayor Skeggs. This Decatur was willing
 to do, but New Decatur failed to comply
 with their part of the agreement. l Many citizens of Decatur are surprised at the attacks that have been made on
 Governor O'Neal for vetoing the Greater Decatur" bill Some of the local news
 papers have made bitter criticism of Gov
 ernor ONea1 for placing his disapproval
 on the bill. One local newspaper refers
 to Governor O'Neal as Judge O'Neal,"
 and says that the governor sets himself
 up as a great constitutional lawyer and | forgetting that he is the chief executive | of all the people of Alabama Governor
 ONeal did the expected and returned to | the house without his approval the Greater Decatur bil' This editorial | charges further that Governor O'Neal has
 usurped the authority of the supreme | court of the state. The editorial is a col
 umn In length and contains many bitter
 paragraphs of criticism on the chief ex- 1 ecutive of Alabama
 | Decatur says she is now ready to hold
 an election on the consolidation of the | two cities under the general laws as they
 exist It is therefore New Decatur S
 move.
 To Hold State Meet
 |
 the holding of the fifteenth annual ses- l sion of the state council of the Junior Order, United American Mechanics, in
 Huntsville commencing April IS.
 The principal officers of the state coun-
 cil are: Junior past councillor, T. T.
 Mock, Birmingham; state councillor A.
 D. Kirby, Huntsville; vice state coun- | cillor, William J. Everette, Mobile; state
 secretary, Will W. Nelson, Decatur; state treasurer, James T. Baker, Huntsvilla state conductor, G. ". Walter, Lacy Springs; state warden, John w. Bailey | Decatur; state inside sentinel, J. H l Thomas, Whistler; state outside sentinel w. l.. Byers, Moulton; national represen- | tatives, w. J. Nesbt, Decatur; and ".
 F. Mccartney, Anniston.
 At this session the reports of the state | officers will show that the order through out the state has made a greater growth l during the past year than it has ever | made before in it's past history. Many l new councils have been instituted and | nearly all of the old councils will show l an increase in membership, while the l finances of the order in the state will | show a corresponding increase. During the l past year more than S3000 has been paid l for relief alone.
 l The chief organizer from the national l council who has charge of the work | in Alabama, is Dr. J. H. Junghans, who has headquarters in Birmingham. Dr. l Junghans comes to Alabama from Wash ington, D. C., and is a most experienced
 man in this line of the work.
 1 A boathouse at the foot of Bank street sunk yesterday on account of rise in
 the river and it will be with difficulty l that it will be raised
 The boathouse was owned by James A. l Nelson and John w. Knight, both of Decatur, and used by them for their gas l oline launches. The launches were not
 injured by the sinking of the boathouse.