The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-16
WILLIAMS SUBMITS
 MORE QUESTIONS
Asks Stern What Authority He Has for Paying Ger
 tain Primary Expenses

R. L. Williams local attorney, and
 one of the defeated candidates=in the pri-
 mary election of April 1, is interested in
 the financial muddle in which members
 of the subcommittee have become in- volved
 He has written a letter to Samuel B. Stern, a member of the subcommittee, in
 which he asks questions in reference to
 authority of the committee In making as-
 easements and in reference to the pro- posed action of that subcommittee in the
 matter of refunding surplus moneys to the candidates. MT. Stern stated yester-
 day that he would not answer the letter of MT Williams.
 That letter follows:
 Birmingham, April 13, 1912. MT. Samuel B. Stern, Chairman Sub-Com- mittee, County Democratic Executive Committee Birmingham, Ala: Dear Sir I read your statement in to- days Issue of The Age-Herald regarding the removal of Chairman J. H. Trice, and l the election of yourself as chairman of I the subcommittee; also regarding ex' penses of the primary, etc.
 | If your statements regarding the ac- l tlons of MT Trice as chairman of the subcommittee be true (which l notice
 he denes), well and good. But as to the l various expenses of the primary, l beg l leave to ask you few questions, which
 l hope you will not ignore, as they relate | to matters which may be of importance | to you as well as to the other members
 of your oommitte, viz:
 1 Do you not know Gas a lawyer, if not as
 a committeeman) that the primary elec- | ton law, under which the democratic pri-
 mary was held. provides, in substance, | that the expenses of such primary
 shall be paid by the county, in the l same manner and Ito the same extent as | the expenses of a general election? Is it
 not fact that under the general election
 law, the printing of the ballots, tally sheets and Llank books Preferred to in your statement to The Age-Herald) are paid for by the county? If such be the I law. why is your committee to pay for 1 these things out of the funds of the can 1 didates? Is it not a fact that under the
 general election law 1t is the duty of the l sheriff to furnish a polling place, rooms 1 and booths at the expense of the county? I If 1his be true, why is your committee to pay rent of polling places at the expense
 of the candidates?
 l In your statement, I note that you say 1 that your committee proposes to pay what you term relief men" during the | SiSttipiis lipn many Ol liltSt dIt l1tTE / 1 Is there any provision of law for employ l Ing or paying such men. Did not their l participation in the election, counting l votes and keeping the tally sheets with out authority of law, invalidate the cleo l tion?
 I also note that you say that your com
 mittee has not voted itself any compen- 1 sation, but that Mir. c. K. Hall, one of your number, has a petition signed by a mo iarftt aft tI,1 .I4.1..
 that your committee be compensated for Its services to the party. Is there any provision Of law or any custom, provid- ing for such compensation, and has any such tnlhg ever been done in Jefferson county?
 ' Do you know. as a lawyer, if not as committeeman, that the appropriation ny your committee of any part of the funds of the candidates now in your hands .9 the purposes named, wouli be | Illegal, to say the least? I do not ask
 these questions fiippantly, but to call your attention to the facts, if you have not ob- | served them.
 Shortly after the meeting of the county committee I asked Chairman Robert N. Bell by open letter in The Age-Herald what was to be the purpose of these
 heavy assessments against candidates
 when the primary law provided that the county should pay the bulk of the eN- pense, to which he made no reply It
 seems now that it would have been well | if he had replied for the guidance of the subcommittee, if for no other purpose. Just what I feared has come to pass, a | large fund collected from the candidates without rhyme or reason. and a wrangling over that.
 am told that your committee has col lected from the candidates the sum of Sl52o Is not this a fact? How you can legally appropriate more than $500 of this l sum, under the law, is more than I can understand. But kindly advise me is re-
 quested Yours truly,
 R. l.. WILLIAMS.