The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-08
Provision Which Reads Tuscaloosa or Else where," Proves Stumbling BlOck-Fear it Means Bir- mingham
HOUSE COMMITTEE MAKES FAVORABLE
 REPORT ON MEASURE
Mobile Legislators Fear Birmingham Wants to Slip One Over" and Oppose the Bill-Dr. Denny
 Does Not Want School to
 Lose Its Rank
By HUGH W. ROBERTS

Montgomery, February 7.-tSpecinlD A bill in which three cities of the state, Birmingham, Mobile and Tusca- loosa, and all alumni of the Univer- sity of Alabama are vitalIy concerned, is at present being weighed in the taI- ance. It is q bill which provides that the trustees of the university will have the right to remove the medical de- pertinent of the university from Mo- bile to Tuscaloosa or elsewhere in the event that 1t ever happens that the medical department in Mobile Is unable to maintain it's present class A rank. The law of today especially pro- yides that the medical department shall always be in Mobile. The trustees of the university desire that the law be amended so that the medical depart nient will always be ranked among the highest of America The representa- lives of Mobile oppose the bill which now bends not because they desire the medical department to be ranked be- heath the standard grade, but because they believe the bill is an entering wedge in a general proposition to de- Drive the Gulf City of an institution of which it has grown peculiarly fond The committee of the house to which the bill was referred has agreed to put it on the floor with favorable report. As to whether or not 1t will be able to weather the storm which Mobile legislators and citizens will pre- einitate remains to be seen
 Now Enters Birmingham Dr. Denny, president of the uniyer- sitx: R. l1 steiner of Montgomery, and Thomas NJ Stevens of Mobile, trus- tees of the university, have been ac- lively in charge of the situation re- |' lating to the university. In the begins nis5g tis4 sstise board ol trnstees, of | inc university were agreed in their | support of the bill-for in the begin hing the bill read--"may be changed to Tuscaloosa" When the bill WAS first | introduced it was amended by Repre- sentative John of Dallas to read may be changed to Tuscaloosa or elsewhere" The .'elsewhere'' meant Bir- mingham, of course, and the ''else- where, caused change in the sit
 
 the board of trustees, expressed oppo- sition to the idea that Birmingham was preparing to slip one over' on Mo- bile.
 pr. Denny, as a matter of fact is in- terested neither in Birmingham nor Mobile He was moved to take part in the pending struggle because of his interest in the university and the med ical school. In other words, he is will ing for the medical school to remain in Mobile, but he is decidedly nuwill- ing that that school lose its rank and aniliation with other representative national schools in America.
 The Possible Contingency At the present time there are about 100 Class A medical colleges in the United States. During the last eight years so many colleges were rnable | to meet requirements annually made more stringent that the number was decreased by one-third--or from 160- odd to 100 in round numbers. Tn the south there are a very limited number, l Vanderbilt, Virginia, Georgia, Alabama. i Tulane and Texas. six. in fact. Dan ger that Alabama will lose it's rank
 is due to the fact that in Mobile the
 medical department will not have
 charge of a hospital, recent provi-
 sion of the city commission of Mobile
 having taken from the direct manag ge-
 ment of the university the city hos
 ptal and transferred that manaSement
 to charitable hospital, corresponding
 in measure to St. Vincents in Birming
 ham.
 should the pending bill be enacted
 into law and should the medical de-
 partment in Mobile lose its elassifi-
 cation, it would be so arranged that
 the first years of the medical course
 would be taught in Tuscaloosa and the
 graduate years. in Birmingham. The
 medical graduate school, were 1t 10 be
 located in Birmingham, would have
 charge of the Hillman hospital
 The Birmingham delegation is as a
 unit in support of the bill and pr
 Hogan is making his principal light
 in the legislature in that the bill
 might be made law.
 Dr. Denny's Dream
 It is interesting in this connection
 to consider the real plan of Dr. Den
 ny. It is his hope that in the years
 to come Chow many he himself would
 hesitate to say) the state will estab-
 fish magnificent hospital in Tusca-
 loosa. unit by unit, if necessary
 At the head of this hospital would
 be put some surgeon of national or
 International reputation. The hospital
 would be open to the people of Ala
 bama, all of them, those able to pay
 and those unable to pay. It would be
 equipped with rooms for charity pa
 tients, for those patients able to pay
 only reasonable rates and for those who
 demand the very best Such an Instf-
 tuition, in the opinion of Dr. DArny.
 would bring patients to Tuscaloosa Il
 from every county of the state
 In the meantime the medical co.lege
 of the university would be located in
 all it's units in Tuscaloosa. And then
 it would happen that this city would
 become even better known than Nash
 vile as the medical center of the
 south.