The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-07-18
WEAKLEY IS TART IN HIS ANSWER ID JAMES WEiTHERLY Intimates Attack May Be Due to Support of Five
 Commissioner Bill
RECALLS ATTITUDE
 IN 1901 CONVENTION
Says Home Rule for Birmingham Was Blocked by Lack of Support of Weatherly and Other Cor
 poration Lawyers"

Representative John B. Weakley of Birmingham, in a letter to the editor of The Age-Herald. replies to the attack made upon him by Commissioner James Weatherly in yesterday mornings issue and is satircal in his references to what he terms 'hysteria at the city hall''
 MT. Weakley intimates that MT. Wealth. erly's attack may be due to Weekdays $ support of the Judge bill reducing tho salaries of commissioners to s40Oo
 The Jefferson county representative says the privilege tax to be paid county and state under the proposed revenue law by the Annston and Decatur waterworSs companies in which Mir. Weakey is financially interested, will be increased and adds that MT. Weatherly, whose name he understands 'fs not on the tax books of Jefferson county" possibly can- not appreciate such patriotic spirit"
 Attitude in Constitutional Convention
 He concludes by saying that in the con- stitutional convention of 1901 he reported an ordinance giving Birmingham the power to frame its charter and thus ob- tain the fullest measure of home rule and adds that the fact that this measure was defeated was due to lack of support of Mir. Weatherly and other corporation lawyers who at that time dominated the constitutional convent!on" MT Weakley's letter is follows:
 'To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
 Repeating expression used in a statement made in the public press few days ago, I refuse to be stampeded on the tax question, and I also refuse to avoid the issue that has been injected into the tax question by what is termed taolrfHa do in your columns by Commissioner Weath- erly. The hysteria at the city hall simply demonstrates the great obstacles which are sometimes placed in the way of leg islators who trying to do their duty and it also illustrates the difficulty of dsconnectlng officeholder from his salary when once he gets attached to it.
 Reduction of Salaries
 For several years the people of Jeff ferson county have been aroused about the abuses of the fee system of paying their county officials, and this discus sion has brought about an amendment to the constitution under the provisions of which I have introduced bill in the leg islature to fix the salary and compensa- tion of the officers of Jefferson county; these proposed salaries. greatly reduce the compensation of these officials, I see no reason why the same reductions should not be made in the salaries at the city hall, and to bring about this result and others, I have supported a bill intro duced by Senator Judge. commonly known as the five-commissioner bill Possibly my support of this measure which will reduce the salary of the commissioners to S4000 per annum, if it passes the legis- lature as now drawn, has something to do with what The Age-Herald describes as the sensational attack made upon me by Commissioner Weatherly.
 ''Of course so good a lawyer as MT. Weatherly knows that all this trade against me personally has nothing to do
 sContinued on Page Seven.l