The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-10
VETO SECTION OF ] COMMISSIONER ACT
 |RKS WEATHERLY
Declares Its Purpose Is In- tended to Kill and Prevent LegislatiOn-OppOses Bill
 on Other Grounds

The veto power accorded the president
 of the city commission by the '1ive-com-
 missioner bill ranl1les in the Weatherly craw.
 Yesterday, the commissioner issued an interview respecting that veto power. He declared it to be snake in the grass
 He declared the purpose of those who
 provided veto power was to check and
 kill legislation enacted by the other com
 missioners
 At the present time the governor is
 equipped with the veto power, and mayors
 of Birmingham were formerly possessed
 of the veto power. As Is remembered,
 George B. Ward when mayor exerted the
 veto power in successful effort to kill
 an ordinance inficting street tax on the
 people.
 While in his interview Mir. Weathery
 dealt solely with the veto clause of the
 proposed commission bill. 1t Is understood
 that he opposes the bill for other reasons.
 One of it's sections. as is known, reduces
 the salary of commissioner from s7000
 to $40OG per annum
 His interview follows:
 lukCA NACV VvANN w "I am opposed to the Weakley i've commissioner bill for several reasons It dilutes the strength Of the commis sioners by giving extraordinary powers
 to the. president.
 ."The people are to elect five comms sioners, four of whom will be rummies and one, the president of the commis- sion, a dictator. Instead of making every commissioner responsible for his own department. and other departments as the law now stands, 1t limits the re- sponsiblity of each commissioner to his own department, and at the same time vests authority over all departments in the president. IL adds two additional commissioners on the plea cf helping out the suburbs. and at the same time makes no provision for securing sub urban representation. It increases the temptation to play politics.; 1t increases the number of candidates to run in each election as all go out of office at the same time
 But the greatest objection is the veto power lodged in the president of 'hc commission. The veto power is thor oughly repugnant to the principles of commission form of government The theory of commission form of govern ment is direct personal responsibility to the people of each official. without opportunity to shift responsibility or
 anyone else.
 Object Is to Kill Legislation
 'The sole purpose and objects of lodg- | ing the veto power in the president of the city government is to check or kill Ilegislation enacted by the Legislative haya other DurDOSe or meaning. It implies distrust in the peoples elected representatives on one hand, placing an inflated value on an other man no less human than his as- sociates. The veto power Is wire en- ltanglement between the citizens and the object they wish to accomplish. It is intended to crystalize dissention and controversies; to check notion and prog ress. and has always been notoriously employed fin the history of aldermanit lrule as the favorite tool of political bosses and ringsters and their allied interests to defeat good government and to choke down the civic spirit oi the community
 .The people in every city in this land | have reascn to hate the veto power with all the just hatred that they have for eny other snake In the grass. and should spurn 1t from their midst witt all ... passion and all the power whicl they can command. Whatever virtue the veto power may have in a compli. lcated system of government like that ol the nation or the state. 1t has no place ] in the modern city government, no more than for two legislative branches. Both of these archaic relics have | been religated to the past in modern usage. and it remains for a bunch oi
 reactionets elected to the Legislature from JeAerson county headed by tIon John E. Weak1ey. to attempt to turr back the hands of time and to put Bir miugnam again on the list of alder
 manic tsos serned cities.
 ! "A.d by the way. sl.is fNe-commis
 sioner' bill has never been published.'