The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-01
Barber Undaunted to Yer bal Assaults From Repre-
 sentatives of Churches
WOOD IS HECKLED.
 AND DENIED HEARING
Candidate Hooted and Jeered When He Indorses Sunday Movies-Crowd Calls for Speech From Barber
 and Walks Out on Middle of It
By RICHARD F. LpssIER

Sunday moving pictures triumphed again yesterday afternoon before the city commissioners.
 A crowd numbering 100 or more men and women packed themselves in the council chamber at the city hall yester- day afternoon at 3 o'clock and for two hours thereafter speaking directed a yer bal assault on Commission Barber be- cause of the fact that he was a social ist." Amongst the leading orators of the Pastors union were the Rev J. w. John son, although George IL Estes also spoke at length. Numerous ladies also ad- dressed themselves to the audience on the iniquity of moving pictures on the Sabbath.
 After it was all over and personalities had been indulged in until Commissioner Weatherly had difficulty in stifling his pictures began requesting Commissioner Barber for a speech. That ended the meeting as MT. Barber said:
 T am good Christian. but I can see no harm in Sunday moving pictures and therefore I shall stand by them until I have good reason to change my atti- tude"
 immediately afterwards President of the City Commission George B. Ward announced that the question of Sunday moving pictures would remain in statu for the present.
 WOOD IS HECKLED
 disagreeable feature of the hearing and one that caused much bitter and acrimonious comment was the fact that while the pastors and good church ladies were exhorting their cause a respectful hearing was given to them, but when J. B. Wood, a well known labor leader, espoused the cause of Sunday pictures he was hooted and impertinent questions were hurled at him from the crowd. This attitude was considered so unjust that the Rev. J. w. Johnson implored his col leagues to restrain themselves and allow MT. Wood to complete his remarks. This. however, could not be done, and Mr. Wood was heckled throughout his re- marks. Such remarks as you are talking off your head,' and "how about the gamblers and saloons,'' were frequently hurled at MT. Wood, who, however, stood by his guns and announced that he was member of the Baptist faith: i
 T am mighty sorry to hear of it. yelled George Estes, which brought a roar of laughter from the crowd.
 Earlier in the meeting, MT. Estes had made an address to the crowd in which he said: '1 did not know MT. Barber was socialist. I did not know he stood for Sunday pictures until two days before 4 11o IOttA ha ie a $40 nfnli jet and stands for Sunday moving pictures. so I appeal to my friend George Ward
 Mr Estes also referred especially to the laboring men:
 "Ah, yes," he said, ''the laboring man is a great man today. The elections are near"
 Mir. Estes finally ended his speech with a dramatic demand on Commis- sioners Ward and Weatherly to redeem their pledges"
 Following the lead of MT. Estes, sev- eral other protestants against Sunday moving pictures assailed Commissioner Barber, and it was openly stated that he pulled the wool over the eyes of the church people" and that it was un- known prior to the election that he was a socialist" Throughout the tirade Commissioner Barber had a benign smile---which may have been of amuse. ment.
 CALLED BY ROGERS
 However, Commissioner Barber did not go undefended, as Judge Thomas Mitchell Rogers of Woodlawn, wiry old war horse, finally got mad clear through" and began talking:
 Gentlemen, you are intolerant,' be- gan Judge Rogers, in a voice that trem- bled with emotion. "and you've no right to assail MT. Barber, or to attempt to bulldoze the city commissioners"
 Judge Rogers then asked the pointed question of the pastors present why they had not protested against Fast Lake park" which was a place in deed vile and likely to contaminate the youth of Birmingham"
 Judge Rogers also went into the law of the matter and stated that no city ordinance that could be written would be worth the snap of anyone's fingers as long there was no state law preventing the showing of moving pie lures on Sunday. Judge Rogers also made reference to his ancestor
 "In 1858 old John Rogers was tried for heresy because he preached ably but without good judgment against Ro- man Catholicism in the reign of Queen Mary, the Romanist. Well. they cooked him for his opinions, and gentlemen I have some of his blood in my veins
 (COntinued on Page Seven.l