The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-13


town should vote "for annexation" or
against anneXtion.' and if major
ity of the towns voted Tor annexation
1t should be taken into Birmingham,
and If majority voted against an
nexation' 1t was to remain out Each
OF these towns was to have a vote sep
a, ately from all the other towns and
old Birmingham was not to have any
vote at all.
Candidates Are Pledged
After these Smyer bills were pub
lished a conference with this Greater
Birmingham committee and representa-
| tlNes of the surrounding towns was
called and all agreed to this plan of ref
Ierendum elections contained in the
Smyer bills for determining the mat
ter of what territory should be taken
into Birmingham and what should be
left out.
| THE several candidates in the pri-
mary FOR the legislature, both for SEN
ate and house of representatives were
called upon to express themselves re-
garding these Smyer bills. Mr.. King
was a candidate for the house and |
Tor the senate, and we each expressed
ourselves on these bills and agreed
to make legal provision for the method
OF extending the corporate limits which
was set forth in the Smyer bills. Many
other candidates likewise expressed
themselves. Thus a fight between old
birmingham and the suburbs was pre-
vented The agreement for this plan
OF extension was as much a pledge to
the suburbs that they should not be
taken in unless upon the referendum
vote they voted for annexation as
1t was promise to old Birmingham
that this method of extending it's lin
it's should be provided
AT the regular session in 1907 this
method of extension set forth in the
Smyer bills was enacted into law and
under it some referendum elections
were held but Avondale is the only In
corporated town which voted for an
neNation. 1t was taken in and the 9TH
ers which held elections and voted
against annexation were, of course, left
our. But when the special session of
the legislature was called in 1909 old
Hirmin CHAM, finding that these towns
We're not voting themselves in as fast
as she had hoped, and being anxious
to make a big showing in the 1910
census, inaugurated hurrah campaign
| for the arbitrary extension of the city
| limits, all of which was in violation
and disregard of the plan proposed by
the original Greater Birmingham COM
| 1nittee and agreed to by the suburbs
Mr. King thought he saw a popular
tidal wave and, disregarding his cleo
/ tlon promises, climbed on the Greater
Birmingham band wagon. He Is given
to climbing on band wagons
Bill in Senate
He prepared his Greater Birming-
ham bill and came to me to know wheth-
er or not l would put 1t through the
senate. told him I knew the prom
| ises he had made and the promises
| | had made, and that we could not
support that bill without violating the
promises on which were elected; that
he could do what he pleased, but that
| was going to stand by my promises
to give each of these towns a refer
endum. That this referendum had al
ready been provided for and no fur
| ther legislation was needed except to
| take those people in against their
| wishes. and that / would oppose his
| bill. He pushed his bill through the
| house and the Birmingham lobby, with
the help of Lieutenant Governor Gray
who was presiding over the senate put
( IL through the senate after a hard
| fight in which | tied the vote three
| times. No representative ever stood up
against a more aggressive lobby, or
took more abuse for standing by his
pledges than [ did in that matter
While Mr.. King boasts his accomplish
| ment in that regard, the whole pro-
ceeding was in violation of his cam
paign promises to the suburbs which
were taken into Birmingham against
| their will
King on Politics
Mr. King upon his return to Birmng-
| nam from Montgomery was met by a
| brass band, escorted up the street and
| made a speech Shortly thereafter he
| ran for mayor of the Greater Birming-
| ham, which he says he created. He got
| only little hat full of votes. There were
three candidates, and he was the third
nd act t11an in !,
| any political preferment by his Greater
Birmingham services. it was the mayor
atty of the city he claims to have created
| If the people would not elect him mayor
on that platform, how does he expect
| them to elect him to Congress on that
platform.
| These suburbs constitute nearly 40
| per cent of the vote of the vote of the
| entire district and many of these voters
tell me that they remember me and King.
and the fights we made and Kings vote
| in the suburbs of Birmingham will be
even less than in his race for mayor, but
| that | have demonstrated that | will
| stand by my promises and fight for their
| fulfillment, and that they are going to
| show me that they appreciate the fight
1 made to preserve to them the right to
determine for themselves whether or not
| they would come into Birmingham. | will
get more votes in that part of the city
| of Birmingham which was taken in un-
+, der the King bill than King will get
| in this entire congressional district
"The next plank in his platform is that
he made most spectacular fight against
| the evils of the fee system in Jefferson
county, and proved himself to be great
agitator in the conducting of a losing
fight. The trouble was he was attempting
to do what could not be done without {,
constitutional amendment Had he been
less spectacular and more learned as to
the constitution he never would have at
tempted the plan at which he failed. Since
then an amendment to the constitution on
the fee question has been submitted to
and ratified by the people, and the way
is now open to legslate upon that ques-
ton. Kings plan utterly failed. Walker
Percy is the author of the amendment
which has been ratified, and under which
the legislature can now legisate upon
the fee question.
His next proposition is that he is a
local optionist. and an Underwood man.
He voted for statewide prohibition. He is
has been prohibitionist who is trying
to help Hobson make the liquor question
the issue In national politics, and at the
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