The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-06
DR.. PARKE EXPLAINS
INACTIVITY OF THE
SMOKE COMMITTEE
Says Opposition to Smoke
Ordinance Is Reactionary
and Based on Mis-
applied Fears

As chairman of the smoke abatement
committee Of the Chamber of Commerce,
Dr. Thomas .. Parke explained yester-
day the inaction as alleged. of that COM
niittee in assisting Mr. Weatherly in the
hight for an abatement of the alleged
smoke nuisance. He says that as an in
diVidual he called on Mr. Weatherly and
that Pittsburg expert was supposed
to be en- route to Birmingham with in
formation to disclose. These facts and
others DR.. Parlxe said were given out
readily and were generally known. DR..
Parlxe says the movement against the
smoke ordinance is reactionary and based
upon misapplied fears.
The statement of DR.. Parke follows:
THE chairman assumes the RESPONSE
bility for inaction since he has not called
meeting of the committee during the
concentrated attack by the forces of re-
action.
He did cali on Commissioner Weather.
ly as an Individual and it was understood
at that interview that an expert from
PHtsburg was to be induced to come here
at the earliest feasible time, in order
N-f'"h AfiI ie1ttS iiii5Il dSdtt Bt BfOQSiil
out and in authoritative way.
The afternoon papers were giving the
facts and the arguments based on these
facts They had been presented many
times during the months of propaganda
waged for the adoption of the ordinance.
Mr.. Weatherly was daily giving the facts
as well as assurances that all was well,
and he was right, in my judgment.
That the progressive spirit of this city
shall be overwhelmed by the spirit of
reaction after the discussion, even though
the forces of reaction can concentrate as
has been done recently, is more than one
cares to beleye.
'As during the ages. so now and here.
the forces OF reaction appeal to the fears
of our people, not to their hopes and their
ambitions. They discount our community
facilities by declaring that we will drive
off enterprises If we ask of these enter
prises only what other cities are asking
and have asked. They assume. tactIy,
that we cannot compete, on terms of
equality, with other cities.
They claim the abatement of the smoke
nuisance is not practical in face of DEM
onstrations all over this country and other
countries. They parade one Individual
enterprise as about to leave our city,
after years of operation, because greater
efficiency from his coal will be expected
and expect our people to be so blinded
by fear that they cannot take in the
apparent and the palpable.
"They have even excited the fears of
20 l..
come forth as champions of smoke based
on bacterial viewpoint. Fire being a
great purifier their conclusions seemed
Irresistible. but had they considered
smoke from Che standpoint of some suf-
feftr from Asthma or bronchitis op-
pressed by the smoke from a poorly con-
structed CRATE in the room, the conclu-
sions might have been different.
During the propaganda carried on prior
to the adoption of the ordinance, the
health aspect of the smoke question was
never emphasized. The whole stress was
laid on the economic aspect and the evil
dence offered by the government bureaus
is SO conclusive that opposition seems
to look like resistance to progress, wheth-
er in economical use of fuel, economy of
textures and of buildings, or the city
beautiful.
Men of middle life recall how the av-
erage farmer used to make sport of the
suggestions of the expert government ag-
riculturists. The past attitude of the
average reactionary farmer to progressive
ideas, looking TO efficiency is at present
duplicated by our local reactionaries in
their endeavor to make us retrace n
step towards efficiency, economy, COM
fort by repeating the smoke ordinance.
Like Commissioner Weatherly, the be-
lief is confidently held that all this dis
cusson, against and for has but strength
ened the ordinance in public opinion"