The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-07-17
MEANS OF FINANCING CITY THE PEAL PROBLEM Plenty of Time for Careful Study of Means for Per-
 manent Relief ULLMAN POINTS OUT
 FINANCIAL STATUS Interest on City's Bonds Must Be Met Before the Supreme Court Can
 Possibly Pass on the Me-
 Donald Case

City Attorney Monte M. Ullman, in a lengthy letter to the editor of The Age Herald, undertakes to answer the various criticisms that have been directed at the city commissioners because of the re- cent financial collapse. Mr. .Ullman def nitely announces in his letter that the city commission has not given up in the Mcdonald injunction case, but that an appeal is to be filed with the supreme court within few days, and every ef- fort will be made to secure an early de- cision on this important question.
 MT. Ullman goes exhaustively into the question of the financial condition of the city. He cites with emphasis the pres ent needs, and what will be done He re- fuses to recommend any permanent re- lief on the ground that it is too big a job for any one man to handle. He ex- presses the belief that Governor Charles Henderson could not be persuaded to call special session of the legislature whose main purpose would be to straighten out the financial troubles of the city. Following is Mir. Ullman's let ter:
 
 Tn a great crisis, it behooves every patriotic citizen to put his shoulder to the wheel in an endeavor to pull the wagon out of the difficulties into which it has been driven.
 After that has been accomplished it will be time enough to ascertain whether or not the present administration has been negligent in the performance of it's duties
 Continuation and recrimination will not solve our difficulty. Public officials charged with the performance of impor- tant duties will not respond to unrea- soned criticism. Men who write letters to the press, expressing their opiniops, without having studied, first hand the financial and legal questions involved. are not safe leaders to follow; their ad vice is usually unsound
 Mr. Altman is doubtless sincere in his criticism. But he has not informed nimself, and his advice in this instance IS the result of the wish, rather than careful consideration of the patent facts, which cannot be contradicted
 MT Altman is mistaken when he con- ciuoes that the attorneys representing the city of Birmingham, have thrown nm the sponge in the Mcdonald case. The attorneys have not abandoned the case. and we can assure him and all others similarly situated that the peoples in- terest will be protected as vigorously and as carefully as it is possible for the writer to do.
 TO APPEAL AT ONCE
 An appeal will be taken in the Mo- Donald case at once, and we will pre- sent the same to the supreme court at the first opportunity, and every possible and reasonable proposition of law and fact which can be presented to the court will be presented with all the ability that we possess, and no stone will be left un- turned
 But in the meantime Birmingham must continue to perform it's functions School teachers must be paid their sal aries. Police and firemen civil engi- neers, sanitary and food inspectors, garb- age men, and milk inspectors, lawyers and recorders, and all other city em- ployes cannot live and work without the small salaries which they are receiving. and, therefore. provision must be made to pay their salaries, if the people want the city to continue to perform it's accus- toned functions. There seems to be nc question but that everybody wants the schools to continue to be operated upon the very highest possible plane of eff Clency TOT nlne months beginning the second week in September This cannot be done without money It takes So5O OOC out of the general fund to run the schools of Birmingham for nine months In ad- dition to this, the city schools receive di- rectly from the state more than $250 O00 but the city must provide the remainder. A cut in the school term would disrupt the organization, by forcing the better eachers to seek other employment in other cities, where they would not be subject to the uncertainty of receiving their small salaries and the uncertainty of the school term The best teachers would leave and the poor teacNa,s would stay. and our school children would be the sufferers.
 There is an annually accruing interest of $246, coo which must be paid. Of this amount, $25,000 must be paid September 30 1916, and this amount. under Judge Sharpe's decree cannot be paid out of the special 5-mll tax. It must come from other sources. Likewise. there are vari- which must be paid in August September October, November and December, 1916, and these amounts will all be due and payable and must be paid before the case can be decided in the supreme court. Pro- vision must be made for the payment of this interest now. It will be the part of unwisdom to wait until the case is de- cided before making any preparation or provision for the payment. In the event the supreme court reverses Judge Sharpe the tax collected can be refunded But in the event no provision were made for