The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-30

voters of the city," says MT. Weatheriy. adding that he does not agree with Mir. Judge that the voters will indorse the five commissioner plan.
 His letter is as follows:
 Letter to Judge
 May 25. 1915. Hon. Thomas J. Judge, Birmingham
 Pear Sir-Replying to your letter of the 27th inst. beg to state
 "The purpose of the board Of city commissioners in calling an advisory referendum election was to submit 70 the qualified voters of the city one single issue, viz the Increase in the number of commit issioners from three to five a proposed in the bill fathefed by you as state senator, and to which you refer in your letter Fms biii speaks for itself and all It's provisions. including the reduction Of salaries oi the commissioners are matters easily accessible to the public. Your proposed bin contains number of other pro visions of fully as much Importance as the provision to which you reter, but which did not seem to the boarc of city commissioners necessary or ap- propriate to make reference to Tn de ,all. We took 1t for granted that ,ne iss,te being clearly put before the  three or five commissioners, as pro nosed in your bill, you and the othe' | friends of the bill could use the pro l posed reduction of salaries or any oth' | CT provisions of the bill as a ma,te' 1 of argument in support or your p'ii | giving these other provisions such pup 1 licity as you desire. In fact you nav | olrendv undertaken to do this Dy pup l fishing your letter in the papers 'sio' | receiving my reply
 1 aJ have n copy of your bill in my pos session. and would be glad to give vol l the benefit of 1t any time you WISH s' that you can publish all about the pro posed reduction in salaries, the apoli | ton of the board of education, reouc,ioi 1 in the terms of the com missioners' 'n' proposed proposition for the initiative and the like. In fact, l earnestly trus that every provision in your bill VII be given the utmost publicity in the dis l cussion that will take place and III l tend to use every effort In my power 1 to belp along the publicity feature O the campaign. as I think it very iinpor l tant that every voter in the city shoui' | be clearly and fully informed of ever, provision of your bill.
 Differs With Judge
 "At the same time. l respectfully pet leave to differ with you as to the attl tude of the public mind on the merlt' of your proposed bill l have never pe llieved that a majority of the qua1lhe' | voters of this city have been delhahu ing or really desire an Increase III tn' number of commissioners from three l' | five and l have always believed that | was not fair to put such far-reachint bill as this before the legislature whicf proposes to radically change the con | stitution of the city government or BIT mingham without first having submitted the direct issue to the qualihed voters 1 of the city. Whether or not this shall b' | done is the principal issue, but Tn sup hitting this issue, all the provisions O your bill will undoubtedly come up iol public discussion as mere arguments " favor or against the merits of your Dill There is no way of keeping down thii discussion and no way of keeping secre any provision of your bill
 "Mv own opinion is that the peopl' are disposed to try out the present forh of government thoroughly and are no disposed to rashly make far-reachint changes especially in the direction O creating more offices. Under your pli' nothing is saved to the people In th
 way of salaries Just as much money | paid out. and the net result Is simpl. the creation of more offices. In fact under the present administration, tn three commissioners are receiving $lS, 900 per annum, while under your bill tn
 five commissioners would receive s2l, coo per annum, so that the people woul
 be paying 5000 more under your bil than they are now paying.
 Not Interested in Salaries However, I do not think that the peo pie are so much interested in the pro
 posed change of salaries of the commis
 sioners as they are in the propose
 change in the constitution of their gov ernment itself-a far-reaching chang which you endeavored to have pu
 through the legislature without hrs having submitted the proposed chang to a vote of the people. The board O commissioners has determined that tn people shall have an opportunity to ex press themselves on this propose change in their government, and to giv Instructions to the legislature as what shall be done. This is popular gov lernment as we understand it. If tn
 people, after fair discussion of all tn merits of your proposed bill. shall In dorse 1t. everybody should be satisfied.