davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14
Important Election Tomorrow

A regular election-not primary
will be held in Birmingham tomor-
row to choose president of the city
commission. President Exum's term
expires and the incumbent is not
candidate for reelection
The commission form of government
has been in operation long enough for
the people to see the large possibilities
of its serviceableness. While it has not
given unanimous satisfaction owing in
a measure to lack of harmony on the
part of the individual commissioners
on some questions it has on the whole
governed the city well, especially in
the economic handling of the city's
revenues. 1t is safe to say that the
business of no large city of Birming-
hams financial condition could have
been administered with more ability,
to say nothing of absolute honesty.
In order for the commission form to
continue popular and efficient the
commissions personnel must be made
up of good men of practical ideas and
business experience. OF the three can
didates offering for President Exum's
place former Mayor George B. Ward
is exceptionally we'll fitted and will be,
as he should be, elected by a good
round majority. His past record in Of
ficial life is admirable. He is not only
a man of initiative but his mind is in
formed with civic pride and he is in
dependent and fearless. Ward will
make an ideal commissioner.
Only l4tle less important than the
choosing of a commissioner is the au-
ditorium proposition which will be
tested in tomorrow's election. It
may be assumed that the need of
great auditorium or convention build
ing is generally felt. The voters will
pe asked TO express their opinion
through the ballot as to whether the
city should issue bonds not exceeding
$4,000 at per cent for the erection
of the auditorium building in question.
Two or three weeks ago there was
a tendency in some of the outlying
sections to oppose the auditorium bond
issue but an auditorium campaign has
been conducted with intelligence and
vigor and now the chances are that
the majority for the proposition will
be overwhelming.
The election should bring out
large vote. Those who are qualified
are not likely to forget that tomorrow
is election day.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14
Prospcritx Mt AL,

II have just returned to Birmingham
after two 7nonths' stay at Ashland, in
Clay county" said w. p Newton ASH
land is the county scat of Clay and is one
of the most prosperous farming centar;
l have ever seen. The cotton crop this
year will be fully as large, if not larger
than that of last year. Notwithstanding
the fact that less acreage was planted In
Clay. More attention was devoted to
corn this year than in any previous year,
and that is the reason the cotton acreage
is less-it was devoted to corn.
sAshland is purely a farming town and
has about 2000 inhabitants. AS an evil
dence of the solid prosperity of the far
mers in and around that community, a
church is now being erected which when
completed will cost $4,000. Four resi-
dences have been built within the past
two months, the aggregate cost of which
will amount to upwards of $4,000, or an
average of $1,000 for each house.
but getting away from Ashland and
it's prosperity, let's come to Birming-
ham and it's amazing prosperity. It
seems good to see this town again. The
Jefferson Bank building will soon DE
ready for occupancy and the new News
paper club will be most welcome addi-
tion to the large pumber of attractive
clubs in this city.
"Oh, by the way, l am voting for the
auditorium, too.'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14
TELEPHONE
Bell tprivnte exchange conheeaA -
Main 490O.
A man / am, cross'd with adversely.
Two Gentlemen of Verona.
caucus OPPRESSION

The walls of the republican minority
against government by caucus" are
equally amusing and pathetic. Mr..
Mann and Mr.. Cummins are firmly
convinced that the democrats must be
saved from themselves. They fear that
the men to whom legislation has been
entrusted will so gag and hamper
themselves that a condition oil cha
otic injustice is sure to result.
So far the democrats are seeming
ly unperturbed by the solicitous ad-
monitions of their friends the enemy
They do not fear the dire results that
the republicans profess to foresee.
They are not inclined to believe that
they will shackle themselves in such
a manner as to render the wrecking
of the ship of state an absolute cer-
tainty.
Any criticism of "caucus rule" on
the part of the republicans is bound
to be looked upon as Pecksniffian.
The caucus was the republican refuge
in the past, but in the days when the
G. O. P. was omnipotent, the caucus
was the instrument employed for the
assassination of legislation, not its
furtherance.
The democrats have found that
greater speed in law making can be
gained by taking important measures
before a party caucus. There petty
differences are settled. No mans con-
scious is ever curbed. No pledge pre-
viously made is ordered broken. Take
the case of Senators Thornton and
Ransdell of Louisiana. They fought
the democratic tariff bill at every turn
in the Senate. Yet no attempt has been
made to read these men out of the
the party. They are still welcome to
call themselves democrats and to en-
ter party caucus or stay out, just as
they please.
The caucus makes for efficiency
The majority party is responsible for
all legislation. Let it perfect that leg
islation in the manner most capable
and most speedy.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14
POINTED PARAGRAPHS

From the Chicago News.
Some people are tireless in making
others tired.
And most people gladly take advice from
a stranger
Opinions. like visits. should never be
forced upon people.
All the worlds a stage. but it lacks an
asbestos curtain.
Some girls make it a point to blush at
everything they don't understand.
The fact that a mans home is mort
gagged is no sign that he owns an auto
mobile.
When Lot had spats with his second
wife he referred to his first as the salt
of the earth.
If the true story of your life appeared
in book form, would you want your chill
dren TO read it?
Somehow the man who attends strictly
to his own business never acquires a
reputation as an entertaining conversa-
tionalist.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14
Th. Aud,torium and MUSIC

big musical affairs will be among the
many events using the projected audi
torium,' said prominent citizen. There
seems to be no doubt as to the vote in
favor of an auditorium bond issue Mon
day After the expression OF the voters
in the approaching election the commits
sioners will have to order a special bond
election. That will be held probably with
in 80 or 40 days. After the result of Mon
days ballot is known no time should he
lost in planning for the erection Of the
broken in November the building should
be practically completed by May.
1--WE should open the auditorium with a
grand opera festival do not know
whether or not the Metropolitan Opera
company of New York will be available,
but am inclined to prefer the Chicago
Opera company. attended the opening
performance of this troupe last Novem-
Der. Campanini, the conductor. is unsur-
passed. He had an orchestra of So, which
was also high water mark in that impor-
tant department. Chicago opera would
be a novelty in the south and IL brought
here would draw immense crowds.
A very important thing to keep In mind
is that whatever is done in the way of
bringing big musical attractions should
be considered and planned for months in
advance. The trouble with many OF our
musical enterprises has been that those
promoting them have waited too late to
get the best results"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
Talks of Convict work

Mayor W. j. Cameron, member of
the Board OF Revenue, who has been
In poor health for some weeks but is
much improved, left yesterday at noon
for Atlantic City for weeks outing,
and also TO attend the annual meeting
of insurance general agents Speaking
of the working of convicts he said:
81 think the plan of working the con-
victs on the public roads a decided sue
cess l estimate that they are costing
us, for guards, feeding and general ex-
penses, 81 per man. We are getting,
at the rate we paid formerly day
labor-s1.50 per day-about 50 per hand
in service. They begin earlier. work
steadier, and are doing altogether more
satisfactory work. We have Just an
even hundred on the roads at pres
ant -
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14

is for the producer to point to the
| play itself and plead with mock
humility: "My work stands for itself.
Does it not show purity triumphant
and sin left in the gutter? Why, of
coursel It's all part of the 'uplift. !"
Such illogical balderdash is not al
ways easy of satisfactory refutation,
either. 1t is no hard task for the
purveyor of commercialiZed sordidness
to enlist in his behalf some blatant,
sensation-seeking pulpit FOUNDER or
amazonian suffragette who will pro-
claim that the dirty play in question
is educational" or "elementally in
sructive."
The class of entertainment pro-
vided by certain of the theatres in
New York this season makes it i'm
perative that some system of censor
ship be established. Just how this
should be worked out will have to be
given more consideration than has as
yet been accorded the problem. 1t is
evident, however, that a scheme tried
by the producers of 1.-THE Lure" will
hardly do. They gave special per-
formance in the early hours of the
morning "for newspaper men," At the
close of the second act, the members
of the audience were asked to express
opinions.
81 think it's rotten" declared one
man; certainly it's not the kind of
play a man should take his mother,
daughter or sister to see' Whereupon
ether members of the audience arose
and smote him hip and thigh, finally
landing him upon the sidewalk sadly
disheveled and with a positive knowl-
edge that his criticism was not the
kind wanted.
A grand jury censorship would
seem impracticable. But if this is
the plan decided upon there would
be fewer complaints of citizens shirk-
ing jury duty.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14

and found much to criticise. Yet he
deals with our faults in a manner not
unkind.
So we cannot complain that things
are growing worse. And we can al
ways be consoled by the knowledge
that, however much caricatured and
maligned, we have made fair advance
along the paths of progress and pros
perity. Washington Irving, who WELD
ed pen as kind as it was able, wrote
a century ago;
For ourselves. 1t is comparatively
of little Importance whether Eng
land does us Justice or not. 1t is,
perhaps. of far more Importance to
herself She is instilling anger and
resentment into the bosom of
youthful nation, to grow with it's
growth and strengthen with its
strength II in America, as some
of her writer's are laboring to con-
vince her, she is hereafter to find
an 1uNlulOuS rival and gigantic
foe, she may thank those very
writers for having provoked rival
ship and irritated hostility The
mere contests of swords are tenn
porary; their wounds are but in the
flesh, and 1t is the pride of the
generous to forgive and forget
them; but the ISLANDERS OF the pen
pierce to the heart; they rankle
longest in the noblest spirits; they
dwell ever present in the mind, and
render 1t morbidly sensitive to the
most trifling collision
OF late years it has been the fashion
'f England to pay assiduous court to
America. Her neighbors of the con-
,inent have grown rich and powerful.
England needs the friendship and
goodwill of her cousins of the west.
How much easier would have been the
ask Of her statesmen had her writer's
always treated America with fairness
md justice!
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14
Poisoning" Friendships Well

Owen johnson, popular American
Writer, is back from a long stay in
Europe, and of course has been sought
by reporters to give some of his
impressions" Among other things he
said:
Right here l must mention one
thing that is the despair of Ameri-
cans living abroad It is the way
American news is treated in Eu-
rope. People are being taught that
we are a nation of Jack Johnsons
and Harry Thaws. What they
print over there about us is mostly
freak stuff
Since its beginning America has
been regarded by Europe as sort of
. side show, quite as interesting as the
bearded lady, and quite as intelligent
as the Wild Man of Borneo Travellers
from foreign shores have come and
viewed us, and then gone back home
to disseminate lampoons and lies con-
cerning US. The British perhaps have
been the worst offenders, and of the
British, Dickens, probably, did more
than any other to pervert in European
minds and to "jaundice" in European
eyes everything pertaining to Amer
lea. He-snob that he was-in his
sMartin Chuzzlewit" and american
Notes" did all perhaps it is possible
for mortal to do to arouse antagonisms
and foment animosities between the
two branches of the English speaking
people.
Later writers have dealt more leni-
emily with our follies and our foibles
our hurry and our assertiveness, oul
love for the dollar and our proneness
TO commissions over the proposition o1
electing a new town constable, but
they are still satiric in the main ane
seek to spy out what is odd or un
seemly, rather than to chronicle tha
which is substantial and cOmmenda
Bile. Kipling grew sarcastic at our ex
pense, but he drew the grandest pic
ture ever penned of the marvels O.
Yellowstone, and he was not stintet
IN his praise of all that met his ap
probation. Arnold Bennet, one o.
England's most popular novelists ol
- present time, has come among vi
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14
Science and Religion

Said a close student of the Bible: Il
always read the letters of Mr.. Darby
in The Age-Herald. The letter of Fri
day morning was headed Things to Be
Remembered. Among other things he
says, DO not be worried about what
the scientists and other learned men
are saying aboutethe mysteries of after
life.. The best thing to do is to go to
the Bible, and there you will find the
clearest view of another plane of ex
istence.' A great TRUTH
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14
THE RIVERS SONG.

L love the song the river sings
On its Journey to the sea,
And ever it's hurrying whisper brings
A vision back to me
OF other days and other dreams,
When life and hope were new.
And | followed the course of woodland
streams
With a lght-fleart boyish crew.
But the river strikes a deeper note
Than ever | heard before,
Away back there when | carved poat
And watched it from the shore
1t tells q story of strife and tears
And more perhaps of rue,
In these my later manhood years.
Than ever it used to do.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14
THE TRAVELLERS.

They're coming back by boat and train,
A hundred thousand strong;
By trolley and by auto car,
To town, where they belong.
With grips and trunks. and goldenrod,
And shells from oceans shore,
And birch-bark souvenirs, and ferns,
And babies by the score
-Laurana Sheldon in New York Times.
They're coming back, with faces tanned
And weary, hopeless looks,
To bitterly complain about
The scarcity of cooks
They're coming back to brush away
The cobwebs from the doors
And gather up the things their hubs
Have strewn upon the floors
Sam kiser in Chicago Record Herald.
They're coming back with strings OF
hearts
And nifty coats of tan,
And stories of Dan Cupids darts
And how they caught each man.
They're coming back to start anew
Loves merry game in town.
And pots of cream witt clear the hue
/ OF skins just now so brown.
Paul Cook in Birmingham Age Herald
They're coming back with redbug bites,
And poison oak galore
They're coming back with skeeter bites,
And bee stings red and sore;
They're coming back from timed goods
and
The meals that made them frown:
They're coming back to restful days
And comforts here in town
Judd Lewis in Houston Post,
They're coming back with purses fat
And home bills overdue;
They'll cuff the dog and kick the cat,
And "cuss'' the cook maid. too;
With grins and groans and goldenrod
And mussed up clothes galore
wreck unequaled anywhere
This side plutonian shore.
Dixon Merritt in the Nashville Banner
A BUSYBODY.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14
From the Savannah Press.

From the Savannah Press.
A woman was mobbed at Atlantic City
the other day because she wore a bath
ing suit slit to the waist. She expected
to attract attention, although probably
she didn't think it would be of such a
strenuous nature.-Birmingham Age-Her-
aid.
She deserves all she got. She wanted
to attract attention. Well, she attracted
it all right. only it wasn't the kind she
wanted.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14
UNUSUAL.

"And here" said the man with the meg
aphone. '.is the home of a millionaire with
nine children"
Passengers on the rubberneck wagon
could hardly believe what they heard.
"Well. by cracky," exclaimed an old
gentleman from the rural districts. from
the way you talk, I'd although he was
pore,'
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14

''rhe Presidents guardianship of Con-
gress," says Senator Cummins, Il regard
as a sign of decay in the republic Now,
that's one of the most peculiar charac-
teristics of this grand and glorious ma
ton. 1t has been showing signs of de-
cay ever since July 4, 1I76 and is pretty
sound yet.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14
pEnEECTIY OBVIOJFs

From the Philadelphia Public Ledger
johnny Mamma. Tommy Browns
mother makes him go to Sunday school
every Sunday morning.
him go?
Johnny Because he goes.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14

At Lucerne both the horses and
women were beautiful. At Dublin there
was conglomerate mass of every
thing-many good looking horses but
few beautiful and well gowned women
in comparison to the whole.
was disappointed In the Dublin
horse show in that it was largely com
merclal All the horses there were for
sale-thoasands of them. Everybody in
ireland raises a horse or two year.
and good ones too. The Irish horses
are all over the world noted among
cayalrymen and hunters for speed and
strength. Ireland likewise produces
some of the greatest race horses of
the world, the most gallant young son
of its greatest derby winner having
fallen to my lot while in Dublin.
An American newspaper man. the
possessor by circumstances of the best
bred and most beautiful of all yearl-
ing colts in Great Britain, competent
for all the best two-year- old classes
next spring, is rather odd. Yet / am
told that, like one-time shirt sale in
Birmingham. this young horse may
earn enough to keep music in Birming-
HAMS parks during the heated periods.
The colt is now safely under tute-
lage in a Chester. England training
school, having made a pleasant night
trip across the Irish sea from Dublin
to Holyhead and thence by train to
Chester. Well educated he may make a
mark
But for fear that Commissioner Exum
might get tired reading things in cold
type I would tell about lots OF Bir-
mingham people here. and some of their
experiences-notably B. NJ. Aliens,
who goes home with an assortment of
hats and clothes from every country in
Europe. II there ever be any little
Aliens they will inherit more different
varieties of garments than were ever
before known in one family.
Alabamians are as thick over here
this summer as one finds them in Mont.
gomery at a state convention
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14
THE FLOWERS NAME

BY Robert Browning.
Z ERE'S the garden she walked
Arm in such a short while
H0rk! now I push its wicket, the moss
flinders the hinges and makes vince.
AS back with that marmur the wicket swung;
For she laid the poor snail chance foot spurned,
To feed and forget it the leaves among
Down this graves-walk
She while her robes edge brushed the box:
And here she paused in her gracious talk
To point moth the milk white phox.
Roses, ranged in valiant row,
will never think that she passed you byI
loves noble roses, L know;
But yOnder where the rock plants lie
This flower she stopped at finger lip,
Till gave with pride o slip,
soft meandering Spanish
What name! was it love or praise?
Speech half asleep, half awake?
learn Spanish of these days,
Only for that slow sweet names sake.
Roses II I WELL
l may bring her of these days
% with fine spell,
you each with his Spanish phrase.
But do not detain now. she fingers
There, like sunshine the ground:
I her soft white fingers
Searching after the bud she found
Flower spanlard, look that you grow. not
Stay you and be loved forever!
Bud If 1 kiss tbs that you blow not,
Mind. the shut pink mouth
while thus it pouts, her fingers wrestle,
Twinkling the audacious leaves between,
Till round they turn, and down they nestle
Is not the dear mark still to be seer?
Where I find her not, beauties vanish
Whittier follow her. beauties Flee
there method to tell her Spanish
Junes twice June since she breathed II with me
Come bud; showsm the least OF her traces;
Treasure ladys lightest football;
All, flout and turn faces,
Roses, you are not 20 fair after all
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14
PRAISE.
sed to censure everything

I'm not disposed to censure everything
about the Turk"
Neither am I. His cigarettes and his
coffee are both good.''
PAUL COOK.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14
NED BRACE WRITES ON BEAUTY OF LUCERNE
AND THE ANNUAL HORSE SHOW in DUBLIN

many of which are snow capped even
in August. has its shore dotted with
towns and villages every few miles,
some on the water front. others high
up and reached by funicular railways,
and all with comfortable hotels.
should say in Lucerne and round about
there must have been an average of
an hundred thousand visitors, not to
speak of the thousands of passing tour
lists, Americans predominating, noisy
and generally bit shabby. as many
seem to think it proper to take three
months tour of Europe with The wear
jng apparel an ordinary suitcase will
hold.
Well, one can boat about climb or
ride to the crests of the different
mountains, rising from thousand to
five thousand feet or more above the
lake. One can play golf. tennis, go to
theatres. circuses.- listen to music in
the most beautiful gardens in the
world, gamble in the kursaal dance at
the hotel nightly balls or do as one
pleases.
No .l... t., II. i
for hunters and jumpers was held in
Lucerne recently. The army officers
of every country in Europe were rep
resented with the greatest jumping
horses in the world. The course con-
stitutes water jumps, fences, gates,
stone walls, hedges and mound jumps,
where the horses jump upon the top
of a five-foot grass covered earthen
mound and from thence over hurdle
to level ground again. Once around the
short course the horse and rider must
take eight different jumps. no two
alike. and one about six feet. OF forty
eight entries l saw not one fall Many
women riders were among the num-
ber. The men in their military costumes
and the red coated hunters made 1t an
attractive sight
x * =
Since this show l have been to the
Dublin horse show--a great sight with
its larger jumping arena and hundreds
of entries, but the horses were not as
those seen in Lucerne.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14

If the immigrants at Ellis Island are
being fed on imitation pies and spoiled
meat no wonder detention there is looked
on as serious matter.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14

We still hope there's some loophole in
the law whereby we can wiggle away
from that per cent tax on incomes of
$500 600 and more
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14

Riding on an all-steel train is even bet
ter than taking out an accident policy.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14
A SAD OCCASION.

II once saw southern colonel who did
not care for a mint julep"
"You are joking"
mo. I'm not. And the floral offerings
were beautiful"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14

Congressman Henry has consented to
the Dallas fair. From the decisive man
ner in which Mr.. Henry was squelched in
the democratic caucus, it may be inferred
that it will not require any extended pc
riod of time for him to tell all he knows
about his subject
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14

Senator LaFoette says his vote for
the democratic tariff bill was a sacrifice,
but the ST. Louis Republic is inclined to
score it as a home run.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14

The Prince of Monaco landed in this
country and boarded a democratic trolley
car. However, he came in his private
yacht, and that's princely
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14

Newspaper reports say Anna Held is
looking younger than ever. Her new man
agement does not claim to be responsible.