The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-14


(Note-The following story had been
Mr.. Rives' letter.
The importance of a municipal audi
toriurn for Birmingham from the stand
point of conventions, it's power to attract
new citizens, new capital new industries
and new talent from the outside world
cannot be emphasized too much, but in
the publicity campaign closed last night
in support of the auditorium this. phase
OF the institutions value may have uIi-
Intentionally been advanced to the ap
parent disregard of the value of audi
torium to Birmingham alone-its value
to the city alone and apart from the citys
relations with the outside world.
From the very physical and geograph-
ical layout of the city of Greater Bir-
mingham this value of an auditorium
probably applies locally to this city as
it could to few other cities in the United
States. The present city of Birmingham,
as all Birmingham voters know, is COM
posed of what very few years ago were
several different municipalities under sew
kral different civic governments.
Not Cemented Together
+. AS yet, although the growth of Bir-
mingham, according to actual census fig
ures has been something to attract the
attention of the entire country, the pop
ulation of the greater city has not yet
10 spread itself as to actually cement to"
gether al lof these different sections of
the city by those relations which one civic
community always feels for another civic
community directly adjacent to it. And
the result is that birmingham is still
composed of several outlying suburbs
which are In many ways separate and
distinct from the central city in their
community interests and ambitions.
The city as whole, therefore, finds
itself confronted with civic problems
which many other cities of different phys
ical construction have never experienced
Probably the most important of these
problems resulting from this scattered
condition OF the resident communities is
that lack of a spirit of cooperation be-
tween the sections of the town. Some
might term it jealousy of one suburb or
community for another; others might call
1T greed on the part of one section of the
city in wanting more than its share of
Z civic improvements. But no matter what
HI may be called or what it actually and
IN more or less large quantities, and that
1t is without a doubt the greatest single
enemy to the progress and prosperity or
the city as whole.
lanes Memorable Speech
No one will forget the memorable
npeech made some several months ago
nv Judge A. o. Lane, city commissioner,
At a banquet of the Chamber of Com
merce. in which he used as his subject
4 s.CSet Together and Stay Together Judge
Lane called a spade a spade and he
mainly told the assembled civic workers
that the dissension and quarreling and
4ealousy between different factions and
different communities In Birmingham
would have to be stopped before the city
could be expected to develop and progress
as its location and natural resources war
ranted. Much has been said, written ana
a,,nR in the past about the 'Birming-
6am spirit.''l but as a matter of fact there
never has in reality been any such thing
Z until within the past few months. Facts
are facts, and the sooner man admits
his own faults the sooner he will remedy
fhem; city is the same way
Birmingham, originally a boom town.
wss a place for investors who came here
Is make money and get away with 1t,
nxafn to spend it in some other chosen
MACE of residence. People came tG Bir-
1nfnRham and are still coming from all
J four points of the compass. A large part
Of the citizens Of this town were not
born here, and they consequently GO not
feel that inherited civic pride that comes
to 4 city's people only BY that city's age.
MANY of them still come merely to invest
and make fortune and then to return
a their former homes and live in luxury.
Primary Causes
Thege two things taken together, the
E e.r,,th NJ the city and it's physical con-
Ssr,'rtton. no doubt are the primary causes
~ those conditions and sentiments which
~ some time loyal citizens tried t. ig-
& Scre and forget, and which formed the
6asls Of Judge Lanes speech pefo,e re-
f S~~v,a 10 NO man who has lived in the
\ 2ifv 4 few years and has taken al least
& Snr1lug interest In its affairs can deny
11>S& what Judge Lane said was true.
G6x1 chat Il isn't true Of other places also
:. E1f ~ faot that other cities have faults
& 6n not oxcuse Btrmingham's
<< - votGr them who will admit TO either