The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-07-09

ei in particular would like to have tt answered.
 T. Mclonaid. former chief .ot
 police, former state legislator and
 largo local o,orerty owner, admits s'lav ely that h. is the only agency
 that is seekifg. to prevent the city ur Hlrmingham from utilizing the special
 5-nlill tax to pay the interest charges
 on its nonde. indebtedness. s The commissioners. however hold widely divergent views regarding the litigation. One or more of the commissioners believe the pubic service corporations are behind a'; If their troubles. An | other holds ihe opinion that some
 bankers proti'lng by what has been done heretofore are seeking to wreck the city's cfecit in order to purchase the outstanding S7,000,000 in bonds at low price and then by legislative en actnent to aring }-back the bonds to par cd thus net themselves profit | oe millions. Stii another commission CT believes 1t .s an attack to disoredit the commission form of government
 and tnst in he main is contention that is believed by great many peo pie.
 It is pointed out that the s450O, 900 5ond issue voted two years ago to build q municipal waterworks is now prof. ect that will be indefinitely postponed The negotiations now under way to purchase ths Birmingham waterworks VIII also coiiapse under the results of fudge Sharpc,s decision Iheh again, Commissioner James Weathcrly and City Engineer Julian kendrick have mapped out system o1 viaddcts for the railroad crossings. Under the present chaotic financial conditions Of the city negotiations for. yyi1 ha The southern Bell Telephone com nany also profits from the present at- tack on the city through the fact that the plans Of Commissioner Wearherly to install a competing automatic svs tsm IS forestal1ed. Attacks on the tele- phohe company on the part of the city are also weakened through the pal.
 pable fact that the city commissioners nave enough troubles facing them without continuing the heckling of cor porati0ns.
 The Birmingham Railway, Light and f'ower company gains through the Me- Donald injunction suit the stopping or the issuing of the s500,000 electric hSht bond issue. True. the city is not ehJoihed from issuing the electric light ponds, cut as it has been pointed out even if it issued them it could nor sell them, which means that the Bir- mlnGhdm Railway, Light and Power company is not in danger of municipal cor1pe ition for the next few years at least
 TO DISGUST THE PUBLIC Another feature of the attack on the city commission at the present time IS that it is hoped that hy the rais. ing of street taxes and merchants. licenses the public will become so dis gusteG tbat it IS doubtful if any of the present lrd will be able to make a succfull race for reelection. Still an
 other phases of the situation is the polfnsnent killing of the socialistic ten
 dencies oe the local government by ex- plotting to tho general public the fu- t1lity Of such oolicies t d Ana that in rart, explains just what l Is the matter with Birmingham this mcrnlnr. A crisis has arrived in the affairs Of the city.
 It is quite tlain even to the unin
 tiated that lew ;eck us cards is wanted anf as William Shakespeare might have sn!d
 Tne city commission is in h. of a fix