The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-09-12
WEATHERLY TALKS ON THE ELECTION ''Will Be a Long Time Be- tween Referendums" DEPENDS THE SYSTEM Says Size of Vote Cast Is No Argu- ment Against Settlement of
 Franchise Questions By
 Referendum
DEPENDS THE SYSTEM

Commissioner James Weatherly in an
 interview given yesterday in one voice
 defends the referendum and predicts that erendums.
 The defense of MT Weatherly was
 called forth by an editorial In a Mont gomery paper which apparently oon-
 demned the referendum" to employ MT weatherly's words, and MT. Weatherly
 says he was inclined to agree that there
 was some justice in the statement. He says. however, that the light vote on the water contract should not be taken as any indication of the indifference of the
 people on that matter. His statement fol- lows;
 An editorial in a Montgomery paper of | today Wednesday, apparently condemns | the referendum as a means of expressing | the popular will on public questions, and
 as an efficient vehicle of popular goy-
 ernment The editorial particularly calls attention to the very light vote on the
 Birmingham referendum on the recent
 contract between the water works conn pany and the people as strong evidence Of the indifference of the people to really vital questions
 There is some justice in the criticism,
 but the referendum should be judged by
 It's results rather than by It's size. '"rhe commission act for Birmingham
 restricts the call for referendum to grants or extensions or enlargements of
 grants of street franchises.
 'rhe commission has been operating
 since April 10, 1911, period of r months
 during which time only two referendum elections have been held. In both cases | extension or enlargements of street fran | chse grants by proposed contracts for
 long terms of years, with public utility corporations were involved. In both cases the contracts were overwhelmingly | rejected by the voters. In the first elec- | ton the vote was about 40oo to 2000 and | in the last election about 3300 to 300. In the | first case there was more of a contest.
 which accounts for the larger vote. Now what has been the significance of these popular votes? The significance | is just this: that the people have admon- | ished their commissioners as d matter of broad governmental policy that long term contracts covering street franchises are to , be avoided if possible, and especially where such contracts mean the extension | or enlargement of existing franchises of l a monopoistic nature, and that in all such cases wherever possible the rates and ser- vice of the corporations enjoying the | franchise should be fixed or rejected by
 ordinance instead of by contract. The l referendum has another meaning of i'm
 mediate practical value But for these two elections the objectionable contracts would be now in full force and effect as
 contracts. Whereas. In the first case the | beneficial feature of the proposed contract
 has been aoquiesced in, apparently by the corporation interested, while the disad- vantages have been set aside. In the sec I ond case 1t Is more than likely that the people will eventually secure plenty of cheap and wholesome water hereafter | predict, too, that 1t will be a long time | between referendums"