The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-10-01
A YARIGATED BUNCH

replied, men earning from 81 to So a day.
That's the kind of a population that
pays. They are the feeders 10 successful
business. A city cannot base it's success
on either the corporations or its poor,
but on the quality of it's middle class In
Birmingham at the present time what
with being MIXED on all sides by the
public service corporations and getting
disgruntled with life by the intolerance
of the moral fanatics, and hearing con-
tinuously the raucaus knocks of the
slackerS,' the real workers are leaving
the city. The exodus of the negroes is a
small item in comparison with the fact
that hundreds of skilled mechanics have
left Birmingham in the past two years.
In fact in Detroit today there exists a
Birmingham colony, and Hopewell, Va,
is popularity supposed to have been set
tied by Birmingham workers.
WHAT ATTRACTION is THERE?
What is there to attract the skilled
mechanic to Birmingham? If he comes
here he is met at the Terminal station
by the greeting of 'Birmingham-admis-
sion So, sung to him in doleful tones by
a street tax collector. If he wants to
send his children to the public schools,
an institution that he has been taught
from the day he was old enough to I'M
derstand was as free as the air, he is
charged more fees. Tn fact civic fees
stare him in the face at every move,
and if he gets in trouble the county
skins him to death. AS for the cost of
living it is higher in Birmingham than
nearly anywhere else.
I'm fact there appears to be a general
conspiracy to get you coming and going
in Birmingham on the financial question,
but to cap the climax the fanatics come
along and proceed to regulate your mode
of living so that whatever the city, county
and corporations leave you to spend you
must spend in a perfectly good Sunday
school manner.
HE'S NO KNOCKER
Now from what I've said people might
say 1 was a Stacker, but really 1 am
not. I just stated the facts as they are
in cold hard truth We must recognize
the truth if we desire to better ourselves.
Hypocrisy gets US nowhere. 'Slackers'
do not present the facts, if they did no
one would object. 'Slackers' merely knock
because they are mean and petty. They
stand around and just knock and knock
and misrepresent anything that comes
up. They are the cheeful gallery that
encourages all these injunctons. An in
junction to them is sweet mamma from
the gods.
But enough of Birmingham. 1t is my
town, and 1 like it-everything in it.
L even ike us lAlOlcIdLl lldII
ness, because it is strictly and distinctly
Birmingham. Provincial? OF course we
are provincial, but 1 have always fancied
being countryman. However, let me tell
about my trips last summer"
And Scotty proceeded to traverse the
northern part of the country. He had
good things to say of everything and
everybody. He was particularly enthusi-
astic of Canada and the cities of To-
ronto and Montreal. In Toronto he saw
the Duke of Connaught, the English
governor-general
''Say, he looked just what he isl said
Scotty. "a great big, fat, jolly English
man. I can just imagine him drinking
his wee bit of Scotch.
VERY MILITARISTIC
Canada is very militaristic at the
present time and very proud of it's
achievements They have meetings every
night and speeches are made for the
young men to join the colors Officers
pass in and out amongst the onlookers
and courteously make the request to join
the colors. One of these recruiting Of
ficers accosted me:
Won't you join us?' the officer
asked" said Scotty, 1.-The old country
needs you 1 replied: I am sorry buddie,
but I have a battle every day on the
baseball field and fighting the Germans
would bore me to death. You've never
faced the mitter sarcasm of a 300 hitter
that you've just called out on strikes, or
you'd understand what 1 mean.
"The very next afternoon the same Of
ficer was at the ball game and had
several close decisions and the boys and
fans were giving a little touch of high
life when looked up and heard my Eng
lish friend yell Say understand now
you blooming rotter. You have battle
A. rs-l-4 H. all ,rrlNk I,r& y<tr
ought to be shot for that decision you
just made oh. these English are learn
ing fast. You'll see a baseball league
in England before many years"
When Seotty was asked about Wilson s
chances in the north, he repneo:
ALL DEPENDS ON KAISERBUND
"It all depends on how much Kaiser
Wilhelm decides to spend to buy the
American election. If he puts up five or
six million dollars Wall street will, in all
proba bility, put up like amount and
Hughes should win as there are enough
purchasable patriots in any city of the
country to carry elections provided the
money is spent judiciously. I doubt if
tht democrats will spend over a million
dollars while the republicans AIDED by
the Kaiserbund will undoubtedly spend
at least SIX, 100000 SO that it is quite easy
for any intelligent man to understand
how the election will go if nothing sensa-
tional happens to render valueless the
vast expenditures of Hughes and. the sup
porters.
Merit, of course, still has dignity in
the United States, but its the almighty
dollar that makes the mare go. woodrow
Wilson should be reelected as he is I'M
doubtedly the greatest of our American
Presidents and if he is elected it will
make me very happy and will renew my
confidence in the judgment of the Ameri-
can public"
well, what are you going to do this
fall and ,winter?" was the final question.
He replied laughingly:
I'm going to write a, book on the rise
and fall of prohibition" and Scotty
started to walk around his beat.
The Philippine hand embroidery indus
try has made rapid progress during the
last year. The trade is almost altogether
with the United States, and special inn
petus has been given to it by the Euro
pean war The supply of embroideries