The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-12-11
LARGE CROWD HEARS
 SHAPIRO ADDRESS TAT SECOND AVENUE
Stands on His Record-Ed Smith Says Shapiro Was Only Legislator Who
 Fought for City

T attack no 'canddate-I am mere-
 lily telling of what l have done and
 what I stand for
 Thus dramatically addressed Isadore
 Shapiro from an automobile to an as- semblage estimated at over 500 people at the. corner of Second avenue and Twentieth street last night. The large crowd was enthusiastic and continu- ally applauded Shapiro with: ''We are for you-Shap-because you are for Us
 Tn the automobile with Representa- . tive Shapiro were Ed Smith, Rodericl< Beddow, Dupont Thompson and Ben Davis. MT. Thompson addressed the constantly increasing crowd and in- troduced all the speakers, of whom Attorney Ben Davis was the first Rod erick Beddow made an impressive ap-
 peal to the voters to rally to the sup port of Shapiro and then Ed Smith took up the cudgel.
 MT. Smith in stentorfan tones stated that he was the paid representative of the city of Birmingham at Montgomery and that of the members of the Jeff ferson delegation Shapiro was the only
 member who fought day in and day out for Birmingham.
 "Elect him your commissioner" cried
 Mir. Smith amid the applause of the crowd. "He has served you faithfully" GETS WARM RECEPTION When Shapiro got up to speak he
 could not be heard at first because of the tumult the crowd maintained, but when he could be heard among the first words caught were:
 "I don't say that every man who is against me Is a crook. but I do say that every crook is against me. My opponents in this race are at tacking me with ridicule. They whis-
 per from mouth to mouth that I am too young. Let me tell you that I am
 the youngest man in this race. There is another candidate who is old enough to be my grandfather. But yet. young as l am, l am the only man in this
 race with public record.
 For the past five years I have been fighting for the people. was not seek ing public office then. I went about and attacked the Birmingham Rail- way. Light and Power company. the Birmingham Waterworks of Pittsburg, Pa, and the Southern Bell Telephone company and managed referendum elections to defeat the aims of these selfish corporations, and what I want to know is, where were my opponents then? Furthermore, where are they now?
 "Arle Barber has just started his 1 fight on the telephone company. Where do my opponents stand on this ques- ton? Why aren't they here to tell you on this corner as I am? How do my opponents stand on the waterworks question? Where are they? RECORD IS KNOWN
 True, I am but a youth. but you all
 know my record on these questions. All my life it has been fight and I have always been lined up with the under
 dog because I am one of the under serve.''
 How about the Sunday movies? ? yelled a voice from the crowd Shapiro gazed over the heads of the lcrowd and then said:
 To-day I lost a stanch supporter on
 that farcical issue. It was in North Bir- ningham-a doctor-a respected and in- telligent man told me he could not vote for me because of Sunday moving pie
 lures. told him that I was the author
 of the initiative and referendum clauses !. in the five-commissioner bill which al- lowed the people to rule themselves He
 answered he did not care what the ma
 jority wanted he was against any man who personally favored Sunday pictures.
 That single issue was all that troubled him in this campaign.
 HE GROWS SARCASTIC T told him, my fellowmen. that Bir-
 minghsm presented the appearance of being the greatest city in the world. Its streets were all like skating rinks. There was system and surplus income for pub i lie works The people did not mind the {, tsxes, because there were no taxes to
 pay. There were schoolhouses in every hiock and high school thrown in for good measure at every street corner The police force was so large and the city 1 so orderly that the officers were used Ito run errands for tired housewives. There was a fire department in every back
 yard, and the street lights made night
 into day. Water was free and as for gas