The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-05
Question of Opening Ga rages On Sunday Now
 Ruffling City Hall
POSNER COMPLAINS
 ABOUT VIOLATIONS
Commission With Firmness, But Without Finality, Decides to ''Take the Matter Under
 Advisement
By RICHARD F. LUssIER

About ana concerning the sweet singer of Israeli
 According to Basil NJ. Allen, the well known attorney who represented the prom inent owners of garages and automobile accessory shops before the city commis- sioners yesterday afternoon H. J. Pos ner, of the Blacklock & Posner Tire and Repair company, and incidentally 8 chorister in the choir of the First Pres byterian church, lis the sweet singer of Israeli
 Mr. Posner, it appears, is one of several owners of garages who object to opening on Sunday. In thus objecting to opening their own shops on the Sabbath they also seek the assistance of the city com missioners in forcing their convictions upon other garage men who seemingly have no compunctions regarding laboring and making the harassed owners or mo- tor cars happier by remaining open on Sunday
 And thus it came about yesterday aft ernoon that the city commission perforce gave one of it's noted droll seances in which the hoi poloi-and Commissioner Arlie Barber--was given an opportunity to air his views. Of course nothing was done-but as this was in strict accord ance to precedent it occasioned no espe- cial comment.
 IN SOLID PHALANX
 The garage men and the anti's marched in the council chamber of the city hall in solid phalanX at o'clock yesterday afternoon. The commissioners and their satellites, the reporters, followed a mo- ment later as befitted the dignity of their station.
 "Ah, ah, the peepul' are with us again. said one of the ''commish'," but for pure ly political reasons his name is with held.
 "Call the meeting to order, said Presi- dent Ward.
 Secretary Lloyd looked around to see if the commissioners were all seated com fortably in their chairs and then an- nounced solemnly that as far as he knew the meeting was in perfect order.
 It was then that H. J. Posner stood up and orated on mundane things-and the Sunday closing of garages in particular. MT. Posner made the fatal error of ad- mitting that he sang in the choir of the First Presbyterian church, and that work
 ing on the Sabbath interfered with the pleasure of the members of that church in that it deprived them of the melodious chantings of his voice,
 Allah the sweet singer of Israel" said Judge B. NJ. Allen taking full ad- vantage of the tactical error. CRATES HIMSELF And then Judge Allen orated a few himself. In calm, dispaSSionate voice, in which there always lurked a tinge of irony, the noted attorney gently reminded the city commissioners of many things. It was like a patient father enlightening his f1,A fN1I Af nt.sx Sl,tx "Of course" said Jucge Allen, If my clients could sing as this sweet singer of Israel and get paid for it they would not be obliged to open their garages on Sunday. But unfortunately for us and the dear public my hun..o1e clients cannot sing-not a solitary warble-and thus they commit the iniquity of keeping their garages open on Sunday for the benefit of owners of automobiles who seek to ride out to the glorious hills and dales of Alabama, and at the same time have a place in which to obtain the necessary oils, inner tuber and tires should it be- come necessary to have them. 'Now, I've no particular objection to the man who desires to observe the Sab bath as this sweet singer of Israel or to allow his conscience to be his guide. If a man wants his conscience for his guide it is quite likely to be an excellent guide for him, but he should not insist on having his convictions forced on others. This thing reminds me of the Pilgrims of Massachusetts. They left England to es- cape religious persecution and to obtain liberty, and the moment they arrived at Plymouth Rock they framed up the bluest laws against all other sects than theirs, They burned decrepit old women at the stake and invented new tortures for all persons who did not observe the Sabbath as the Purtans believed. It is , merely another twist to the ever-recur- ring question of enforcing your beliefs on SContinued on Page sevea.l