The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-08-01
WEATHERLYF ERVENT
IN HIS DENUNC|AT|ON
|OF WATER CONTRACT
Very Small Crowd Attends
the First Rally Held
in Ensley
SPEAKERS POINT OUT
THE BAD FEATURES
Commissioner Grows Dramatic in Tell
ing His Hearers the Proposed
Contract is Ubiquitous
and Insufferable"

and Insufferable''
The opening gun of the referendum on
the water contract was fred last night
at a meeting held at Ensley.
The speakers were Commissioner James
weatherly, the minority leader who OPP
posed the contract; Fred DeWolf, car
penter OF East Lake, and Isadore shs-
piro. Mr.. Weatherly made the most ex-
tended speech OF the meeting, and al
though the crowd was unusually small,
numbering only about %, yet there was
high degree of enthusiasm against the
contract. 1t developed at the meeting
from the references made by the speak
ers that there is considerable opposition
to the referendum in Ensley and that
feeling is proving factor in the fight
in that section.
Dr. E. t. Fields of Ensley opened the
meeting and presided as chairman. He
introduced Fred Dewolf, who was the
first speaker Mr.. DeWolf pointed out
the Indifference of the working men of
Ensley TO the meeting he was addressing
and then assaied the contract executed
by Judge Lane and President Exum. He
was caustic in his references. Isadore
Shapiro followed Mr.. DeWolf. The young
speaker was fervent in his address, ac-
cusing the company of bribins every per-
son who had been given a rebate and as
sorting that the water contract drew
tighter the moose around the necks of
Birmingham citizens. He appealed to
the men present to work and vote against
the measure. The speaker pledged his
word at the meeting that 1t mattered
not how the election went he would as
sail the present contract and keep on
until this city has municipal waterworks.
Weatherly Speaks Next
Commissioner Weatherly spoke next. He
said that it was pleasant to feel that the
people of Ensley had sent some of its
most thoughtful men TO the meeting and
he invoked their interest and work for
the referendum. Mr.. weatherly spoke
with much feeling. His remarks were
stirring and would have swayed an audi
ence composed of 80 times as many men
as were present. He appealed to the
audience upon a life of honor to be-
lieve him when he said the measure the
company was trying to force upon the
people was iniquitous and insufferable.
He said that with all the earnestness
solemnity and power that he possessed
he invoked the interest of the working
men to the contract. knowing that they
would vote against 1t once their atten-
ton had been directed to its hurtful pro-
visions.
Hurt Municipal Ownership
cai1 al -
municipal ownership of waterworks If the
contract carried and said Birmingham
should start now to break up that mo-
nopoly. His utterances were dramatic
in the extreme at times and when he
referred to every teaspoon OF water that
trickled down the throat of fevered
baby being 'doled out by a mereiless,
grasping corporation" his hearers were
vigorous in their applause.
Mr. Weatherly was given an ovation
when he arose He began by saying:
las commissioner and citizen in
terested with you in good government.
l appear here to enlist your interest
against this contract. We have $50, 900
citizens. Birmingham is growing ev-
cry day We are growing every day.
Birmingham more than any city in the
south is prepared to put itself Clearly
and clearly in front In the way of
civic improvement and citizenship. Why
do we live in town? The old fash
Toned idea was when people gathered
in town all they could do was to keep
order, keep people from getting drunk.
collect few taxes and that was about
all.
1.-THE new idea about the town is
that the whole power of the munich
pality shall be exerted to give to ev-
cry man, woman and child all that
tends to make them a brighter, better
and happier people. You want your
town beautihed; you want good schools;
you want parks; you want good roads;
you want street car travel regulated.
You want all these things that tend
to make you better satisfied and
happy.
Water Doled Out
when 1t comes to necessity like
water, you want all the power OF the
community to get you that ommodity.
You don't want water doled out by
private monopoly so that every drop of
cold water that goes down the throat of
a fevered child Is charged for"
Mr.. Weatherly then discussed the old
contract. recalling the circumstances
under which the new plant of the COM
pany was constructed. He pointed out
the 1888 contract as being contract
which now hampers the people. He
discussed the suburban contracts, say
ing that all the contracts were alb
solutely the same except E1yton and
Graymont were not to establish COM
petition with the company. He said Bir-
mingham was paying $4,000 for fire
hydrants and would be compelled to
continue to pay that charge for 81
years unless the contract was beaten.
Well Planned Scheme
Mr.. Weatherly said the contract was
a far sighted, deliberate, well planned
scheme to handicap the ownership of
n water plant by the people as those
contracts created q capital of about
$500 900 to overcome before a plant
could be started. He then charged the
company with interpreting the con-
tracts.
"Dr. J. r. Smith objected to the
contract" said Mr.. Weatherly "and he
hired A. o. Lane and f. S. White to
test It. They won and old Birming-
ham was placed on flat rate. All the
people acquiesced In that decision"
Mr.. WeatIeriy reviewed the various test
cases against the water company. He
referred to the Smith case, that OF
Mrs Brown and Mr.. Kelley, saying that
many holes had been shot through the
contract.
THE point I want to make" said Mr..
Weatherly with great fervor, sis that
every time the supreme court has been
called upon the company has been beaten
and tie people have won
Mr.. Weatherly declared that the con-
tract. waving copy in the air, was SUBJ
stituted by the company for the city ex-