The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-06
.SQUAbBLE HURTFUL AND WRONG SAYS
 EUGENE BROWN Commission Government Is Impaired By Dissentions
 and Bickerings AMBITION SHOULD
 NOT BE A FACTOR Comments on Unpleasant Situation Brought About By Controversy
 on New Light and Rate
 Contracts

In an interview given out yesterday.
 Eugene L. Brown, one of Birminghams prominent citizens, deprecates the
 seeming unpleasant situation at the
 city hall relative to the light and car fare contracts. MT Brown, in his in- terview, does not suggest any way for the situation to be remedied, but says the commissioners are operating in way that is both hurtful and wrong. He says that the most regrettable fea- ture of the whole matter is the fact | that the commission form of govern
 ment Is impaired by the biekerings at
 the city hall.
 The statement of MT. Brown follows: 'It is very regrettable that our city commissioners have placed themselves
 in position wherein questions of rec
 ollection, and perhaps veracity among
 themselves. are controlling factors in the decision oe problem of real im- portance to the people of this city. Tt is more regrettable, however, that the commission form of government it. self is being seriously threatened, if
 not actually impaired, by these dissen- l sions and bickerings.
 The people of Birmingham have no right to expect from the present mem- bers of the commission, or their sue-
 cessors, absolute perfection. They
 must look for mistakes in judgment,
 errors in administration, and perhaps temporary impairment of service, by | hasty and immature attempts to change and improve financial and other condt- tions They have a right, however, to expect and to insist that the affairs
 of the city be conducted in an orderly
 and businesslike way, unhampered by personal ambitions, personal prejudices, temper, or desire for notoriety.
 "The unfortunate condition now ex-
 ists wherein an important contract, af- fecting practically every citizen of Bir-
 mingham, is the subject of public dis pute, and of apparent misunderstood ing among the members of the city commission. From a public standpoint. the situation will not be improved should either the majority or the mi- nority side in this controversy through persuasive reasoning or other means,
 gain debating advantage.
 "Whether the city commissioners used wisdom, or made wise contract with the Birmingham Railway Light and Power company it is not my purpose now to discuss, although personally l think they did. From the publicity given to the questions at issue; from the newspaper accounts before, during
 and after action, it seems that there can hardly be any serious difference of opinion with the people as to the fact that the light contract and the Ensley
 ear fare contract were essentially one, dependent each upon the other; and regardless of the wisdom of either, viewed from the standpoint of the city's interest; regardless of the position in public esteem, unfortunately and per haps unjustly, occupied by tie Bir-
 mingham Railway Light and Power company; regardless of memories, rec ollections and actions of the individual
 members of the commission; in right,
 in honor and in law, if the light con-
 tract is voted down. the Ensley car fare contract at the option of the company
 may go down with 1t.
 "The light rate and the car fare rate both may be right or wrong, dependent upon the views of individual citizens. The present unpleasant and seemingly
 unnecessary squabble, however. viewed
 from any standpoint, it seems to me is
 both hurtful and wrong"