The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-10-25
SHAPIRO WANTS ID
 RETAIN HIS FREEDOM
Not Willing to COnfine At tention Entirely to Cotton
 in Case of Extra Session

lsadore Shapiro, who will be one ot
 Jefferson county's legislators in the
 next session of the legislature. in a letter to O. P Ford, president of tbe
 Farmers union, agrees to do whatever
 ne can In behalf of the farmer, but at
 the same time throws cold water on
 the scheme for an extra session of the Legislature to consider the cotton situ- aticn.
 MT. Shapiro, in other words, is not
 certain that relief can be had through legislation. In the second place, he da-
 cilnes to be bound by an agreement
 10 consider nothing in the extra ses- sion save cotton. He thinks that as an extra session Is costly, 1t should be
 utilized and he points out that the
 money of the state. if spent at all. can be well spent
 His letter reads:
 T am in receipt of yours of the a2d
 Instant, addressed to me as a nominee
 to the legislature, requesting my opin
 ion as to the advisability of convenine
 the legislature into extraordinary ses- sion to undertake a solution of the financial crisis
 T am deeply cognizant of the i'm perat.veness of action. but am not cer- tam whether that action should be
 legislative. l do not know that the leg
 islature is the proper forum for re-
 Ter. If the situation can be remedied or alleviated by legislation, then I am Willing, nay, I urge. that the gover- nor call an extra session; but I could not, and will not. be so presumptious as to declare that the legislature can effect relief. I am ready to be called
 into service now if the legislature can
 grant relief.
 You ask, should there be an extra
 session. whether I would be willing
 fine my deliberations strictly to the
 purpose for which the extraordinary session is convened.'
 'T hope that my patriotism, my -ense
 of honor and my fairness are such that
 l may be depended upon to waive small- ness and partisanship and not inject side issues into the deliberations of so serious a session. But am unwilling
 to bind myself in such a manner as to impair my usefulness as representa- tive. I can not surrender my prerog- | independence. l must be free to repre- sent my constituency will not be tied
 Eliminating the present financial crisis, have long advocated an extra session and have urged the governor on several occasions to call one The regular session is too short. Consider able remedial legislation is urgent Should an extra session be held 1t could be utilized for the. passage of a salary bill for Jefferson county and measures for Birmingham's relief These matters are rurely local. They could be agreed upon by the Jefferson delegation and only a few legislative days consumed in their passage. Moreover, at an extra session. both houses could be organ ized, and committees appointed to work until the regular session. It would he wise, expedient and time-saving to ap- point joint committees on taxation, ju- dicial revision and prison and convict conditions; to exhaustively investigate conditions and report to the regular session with concrete bills. In othel words. an extra session would be ex' pcnsive. and it should be utilized Should this be done and even no re- lief for the cotton situation be grant ed nevertheless the extra session would not have been empty and futile.
 'If can be of service in relieving the situation you need entertain nc
 hesitsncy in commanding me-"