The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-17
WARD D|SAPPROVES
 CONTINUED ATTACKS
Comments on Barber's Speeches Against Corpor-
 atiOns in Commission

Commissioner George B Ward yester- day issued a formal statement in reply to an interview from Commissioner Bar
 Der, published yesterday morning, in which he says the commission does not
 hold secret sessions and comments upon MT. Barbers habit of attacking corpor- ations at the commission meetings. MT
 Ward writes:
 The most unfair newspaper article I
 have seen lately was the one in The Age
 Herald yesterday morning, headed, Bar
 Der Objects to Secret Sessions
 Whether MT. Barber indulged in such
 insinuations or whether the reporter was
 trying to create trouble in the commission
 is a matter not known to me.
 This commission does not hold secret
 sessions, and never did. Of the few ex-
 ecutive conferences held from time to
 time a large majority have been called
 at Commissioner Barbers request for the
 purpose of discussing internal affairs
 largely connected with the police well
 fare departments. All of which was wise
 and proper.
 T know of few executive conferences
 in many months in which any corpora tion, or it's affairs, have been the sub-
 ject of discussion. Such subjects seem to be too valuable for Commissioner
 Barber, to allow to escape public meet
 ings of the board while pursuing his
 progra mrne of prejudice and publicity. Nothing but patience, forbearance and | the natural kindly feeling that comes from daily association with a colleague has prevented this commission from pro- testing against the weekly use of its meeting place as rostrum where tirades | against all capital against all corpora | tions and against all people who are try. ing to build up a great city in this valley are spouted up for the benefit of the press and personal ambition.
 "As for the Alabama Power company license, MT. Barber made dema gogio
 attack on it's operations in Alabama. He tamely wound up by stating that, in his opinion, it should pay some sort of license to the city of Birmingham for the priv ilege of having it's general offices To- cated here.
 "The writer suggested that if they owed any license, and were notified to that ef- feet, they would undoubtedly very gladly pay it, to which MT. Barber agreed. MT. Hornady then moved the matter be referred to the legal department for the purpose of seeing whether or not any license was collectibe. To this MT. Bar Der agreed. The commission now awaits report from the legal department. MT Barber seems to be pursuing a studied plan of attack on every corpor- alton in all public meetings, seeking thereby to become silhouetted against the political sky as the peoples champion, hoping thereby that should other commis. sioners ask questions as to the law, or in the name of fair play, they will imme-
 diately stand out with equal prominence as the corporations advocate and the peoples enemy.
 Since writing the above I have been informed by MT. Barber that he said
 nothing about secret sessions to the re- porter, and was not quite accurately quoted in the rest of the article. All of which tends to show that the reporter ex- pected to make trouble, and that Com missioner Barber raised the license ques- ton for the purpose of making public attack on the Alabama Power company.