The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-14
MANY INDUSTRIAL MEN RESENT WORK IF MUCKRAKERS Walter Moore Says Survey Articles Do the District
 Grave Injustice FIND FAULT BUT
 OFFER NO REMEDY Others Point Out That Birmingham Is Yet in Its Infancy But Is
 Improving as Fast as
 Possible
By CLYDE W. ENNIS

| in Birmin gham relative to the assault committed upon the district by the pub l 1ications in magazine called the Sur vey.
 l George B. Mccormack, president of the Pratt Consolidated Coal company, who was done the honor of having his l likeness reproduced in the story, said l yesterday that although he had upon his desk a copy of the publication yet he had not read it, and unless he grew too inexpressibly bored by other affairs he would not read the reflections cast upon the district. He added that the pictures whiled away an idle moment and he would perhaps glance at them. Walter Moore of the Red Star company said the write up' was the most inex- cusable injustice that had ever been done a district, and that every man who had labored and sweated blood here to make a, city lad 8 perfect right to feel sense of righteous indignation. The entire industrial world antici- pated an insulting arraignment from the raking, and on that account the Impact of it did not create such a fur
  some interest by thoughtful men who seek a solution of problems here, but the fact that in most instances no sug- gestions were found to better condi- tions caused an early abandonment Of the articles.
 Resenting the advent into the dis triet of muckrakers, Walter Moore, well known for the vigor with which he expresses his opinions, said yester- day:
 Walter Moore's Views
 "The articles on this district were written principally by men employed to get up colored stuff. and who are not interested in whom they blacken They could not sell decent articles, but must appeal to the imaginative to market their products. am not indicting any one. but upon what meat has the mighty Survey fed that it has grown so fat?'
 "Why must the Birmingham district be entered in the night, as 1t were, and Ilambasted by men whose minds never light upon anything concerned with the good, the beautiful and the true? They uncover and seek the slime Of sensationalism and undertake to tell us our faults. l have only this to say: There is a handful of men in Birming- ham who have withstood the fever's blistering breath; they have conquered the untrampled depths of this district; they have worked until the blood al- most spurted from them; they have con- ouered the elements and have brought wealth and happiness to many score of thousnads Yet they are crucifed be- fore the world by staff of alleged philanthropic men whose whole life is spent in turning up the muck. I ven ture to say that there is not a man. in all of this district who does not know more about the bad spots here in one minute than the writers would know if they remained here 40 years. We know 1t. and we do not mind looking the sit uation squarely in the face Yet we are not given credit for having created out of the cloth a good city and with having tried, in measured way 1t Is true. to correct some of our local trou- bles It occurs to me that the Survey could well dllDld u sup III ~N''' Dt Ah' Pittsburg, Buffalo, Chicago and other places that are five times as old as Birmingham and solve those problems without having swooped down upon an infant district in its swaddiing clothes endeavoring as best 1t can 10 remedy what we know to be true.
 q personally may have few skeie- tons in my private capacity that l look souarely in the face day in and day out but I would hold personally responsible any i'll bred person who dared tell me what should do to remedy my personal defects, which we all have, and how to correct the social evils that abound about me.
 .'The Birmingham district is infinitely small and inexperienced compared to other districts, and we have accomplished more in our social evil work than any community that has ever started. We are not given credit, however, for that which we have done, nor are we given any remedies to cure the early cancerous growths upon our social and political body.
 ''I am told that the fee system is round- y condemned by the people of the district I condemn it as do all who know the iniquities of it. The Survey does not tell us in it's unrivaled arraignment how to improve, and what we need is a rem edy. We all know of it, and we are against it. But how to cure is what we are after most of all
 ''The publication that has assailed Bir-
 
 will be years in recovering, has no inter- est here. l am told that it is a mag azlne operated by philanthropists for the good of the people. l cannot conceive. of a more ludricous proposition than mag azine of that type being called the Savior of the people, do not believe Birmingham has any right to set itself upon pedestal and announce 'holier than thou to the world, but we are not entitled, and we do not in any measure deserve. the evil that has been inflicted upon us.
 Opinions of Others
 Various coal operators and industrial leaders who were roundly flayed in the recent issue prefer not to comment upon the articles. The general opinion as ex- pressed by a widely known operator was that; The Survey never said any thing good about any one. so whats the use" That indifferent opinion is held by
 ,rt~ nronraucae Coal Tron and paitrooI