The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-05
LETTERS TO EDITOR

To the Editor of The ge-Herald:
 The announcement in the daily papers in one day of two or more organza- tions of the best clements of our citi- zenship for the purpose of combating the evils of the hour is impressively sig nificant of an encouraging renaissance. of a spirit of love for law, order, peace and tranquility in our community which appears to have lain dormant consid- erabe period in the past and let us not forget that it is a monument to the heroic, untiring and patriotic efforts of the prep" of the city toward an awakening to the gravity of the situation and the arousing of a more normal and saner sentiment among our people as to the Imperative duties of a citizen.
 The situation is indeed peculiar. Every one says 'taint me. 'taint my fault. and there is scarcely any two of the county or state officials who agree upon the same remedy for correcting the evils
 Well, really, when we begin searching for a cause and a remedy we certainly are confronted with difficulties. It is not my purpose to place the blame and the responsibilities.
 Perhaps the indifference which has been manifested among the people in the mat ter for some years past is as much the cause as is the conduct of our officials; anyway, if we fail to see the light dawn ing by the first day of April. when the primary takes place. it may be we'll to turn all of them out who we will have lick at on that day and put in some new blood
 In this unique and perplexing situation suggest that joint committees be ap- pointed from all organizations having In view the uplift of the law for conference to the end that concerted action may be taken in promoting the great and sacred cause and that intelligent conclusions ,may be reached NJ. M. WILLIAMS.
 Birmingham, February l. 1912. To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
 We have had our little scrap over the referendum and lots of us have had a chance to vent our spite at a public. util- ity corporation. Now, we have knocked on Birmingham harder than on anything else. After 17 years residence in and around Birmingham. I am ready to con- gratulate the citizens thereof on their magnificent light, power and transporta tion facilities
 We've had 'em all along and have felt real proud of them-have even bragged about 'em to our visiting country cousins But somehow. we can't resist the tempta- ton to knock on anything in the shape of corporation.
 We grant corporations charters under our laws. to do business, and pull like the dickens to get them here, and then turn around and begin to jab at them just as soon as they start on a profitable basis and pay few dividends to anxious and expectant stockholders.
 By gum, The good citizens who have moaey invested In corporation stock are beginning to get weak in the craw and wonder where they are at.
 There are lots of people riding on street cars today who are most anxious to have some little accident happen so they can get a damned finger or a ruffled dig nifty, to sue the car company for Why, it is really worth a whole lot of money to some people to ride one block past their destinations, and if the worm (con- ductor) turns when they jump on him with all four feet-each equipped with a spur-and rawhide him like he was some kind of low form of animal, they need In their business a neat little sum to help place their majestic dignity back on the pedestal from which it was ruth lessly torn.
 Now. I've always been pretty well sat
 
 treated me, here and elsewhere. and every time l pay my light water and other like bills have felt like I couldn't have done any better if 1 had burned lamps and pumped dirty water out of an open well
 Years ago l found out that something for nothing was a fairy tale You may buy a Smith & Wesson for the price of an unknown, but youll have to show me.
 I got awfully riled up and wrote a great long. sassy letter about the 'nbo,o increase some time ago. but since then I have been made familiar with a Iot of things that charitable organization has to contend with. and feel like kicking my self for singing mud at them. Why. signed contract in which was speciiad that my phone was for the use of suh- scribers only and right in the face of that turned around and allowed every body within a radius of-wel, the whole neighborhood-to use my phone for bus mess. pleasure. firtatfons etc. and the heartless phone corporation didn't kick bit. Some of my free customers even talked short and cross to "central'-and even then they stood it. Huh. I am pay ing my bills now with a smile and thank ye too.
 Now. think we ought to cultivate more of family feeling. and stop bowling about how we are oppressed by the cor poratons that we chartered ourselves. Somebody outside will eventually hear us-maybe some fellow with a lot of filthy lucre. who is thinking about squattinz in Rirmingham.
 We would sure be in roaring old fix without our water. lights, phones. etc. and would kick like Hooligan's Maude if we had to pay simoeon to ride in q rickety hack. where we now ride for a nickel Gee, But let's quit kicking and use up that good energy in boosting. Let's swap of our grouch for single-barreled smile l
 w. F. WRYE