The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-09-27
Nor Does Popular Acclaim Greet Returning Represen-
 tatives of Jefferson
CITY HAS PARED ILL
 AT HANDS OF SOLONS
Few of Things Asked For Granted. County Was Much More Gener- ously Dealt With-Revenue
 Board Patted on Back
By HUGH ". ROBERTS

Through Birmingham yesterday passed practically every member of the leg islature who dwells among the hills of the state Despite this fact, at the union station no bandmaster with awe-inspiring baton drove his buglers to unusual ex- ert.on.
 Among the home-eomers were the sew eral members of the Jefferson county dele gation and an innumerable horde of lob byists who had at so much per diem, and for such an immeasurable period. perspired In the cause of the. people. The lawmakers who were commissioned by the voters of this city and county were not received with open arms or in any other mode or method of demonstration They filed in one by one, separated, wound their several ways into the residential section. and today will appear after hay ing enjoyed for months tho distinction of newspaper notoriety as ordinary citizens in tho ordinary walks of life. And thus the time has come for every body without the dlstracting influence of battle passion to speculate on what the legislature has done to Birmingham and Jefferson county.
 What City Asked For
 The city, in the beginning, asked for the right to regulate telephones and telephone charges, the right to tax itself at q greater rate of interest than at present, the right to condemn after the expiration of contracts the property of the Bir- mingham Waterworks company, and the right to draw on the treasury of the coun- ty for s60,0oO in each of the years of 1915 and 1916.
 With apparent reluctance the delegation of Jefferson county agreed to permit Blr- mlngham to vote on the proposed increase in taxation, but imposed the condition that such election should not be held prior to November 1, 1916. The delegation in the house. or its majority members. are hopeful, it is generally known, that tho people. grown tired by November. 1916, of taxes, tax equalization and tax payment, will vote down the proposed in- crease in the municipal rate
 The delegation put through the bill which would have given Birmingham the right to regulate telephones, but ener- getic corporation attorneys, concluding that the authorities in Birmingham had baited corporations too bitterly secured the passage of the Cooper and Denson bills, which not only take telephones from under the jurisdiction of the city. but every other public utility enterprise as well.
 County Did Better
 On account of disagreement on the part of members of the house delegates from this county, the corporation influence of the legislature defeated without material trouble the '$60 900 bill'' and the 'con- demnation' bill. And then the delegation put through in accordance with their pre- arranged programme a 'flve-commis- sloner bill. which. If indorsed by the people October ii, will increase the num- ber of commissioners in Birmingham from three to five.
 The county, 1t Is probable fared better than the city. On account of the seeming proba bility that the legislature would di- vide Jefferson and create Psttus. the dele gation found it necessary, in order to estop the battle, to give to Bessemer q new courthouse and jail, and subdepart- ments of all departments of the county government. This will necesstate. of course, an increase in the tax rate Of the county for, as is known, the rate in Jef- ferson is not at the present time as high as the maximum rate which could be i'm posed under the terms of the constitu- ton.
 The board of revenue was repeatedly favored. The delegation. in the first place patted the officials of the county on the back when 1t failed to make the salary system effective in period prior to the expiration of the terms of officials. Av,J fa fbo : tion increased the salaries of the mem bers of the board from 5000 to $380O per annum, and authorized the board to em ploy and remunerate a chief clerk and an assistant clerk. And the delegation next transferred from the sheriff to the board of revenue the power to appoint courthouse janitors.
 The Sheriff and Coroner
 The sheriff did not fare so well. Tho delegatiofi did not put him on a salary, true, but 1t took out of his hands the right to name the bailiffs of courts. The judges in the future will exercise this authority, and the sheriff will in all probability, be compelled to increase hia number of deputies in lieu of the bailiffs which he will lose. And as has already been said, the sheriff in the future will not possess the power. even to name the 1anitors of the courthouse.
 Coroner Spain also fared badly. For practically term he has been invssti- gating mysterious deaths in this county for $10O per month--a sum admittedly too small. The coroner went to the legisla- ture, with his story. Practically every member of the delegation agreed that something should be done in his behalf. But the house members could not agree- and, as result, nothing was done for him. But something was done to him. For Representative Hogan secured the passage of a bill which provides that the coroner of Jefferson county In the future must be a doctor. The next coroner will receive R0o per month. But he will not be Coroner Spain
 The delegation secured the consolidation of the courts in accordance with it's pre- arranged plan. It cared for all the pres ent judges and clerks. But it was unable to prevent next year and every succeed Ing six years, the election of the entire local bench--or ten judges.
 NEGRO CONVICT
 RTINS AMT1CK