The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-09-18
GET AT THE FACTS
is THE STATEMENT
Of PRESIDENT BUSH
Says People Too Dependent
Upon Big Corporations.
Should Break Away
FEW KNOW ANYTHING
OF CIVIC AFFAIRS
Freight Rates Are Discriminatory.
Smaller Industries Need to Be
Encouraged-School Amend
ment Is Favored
BY RICHARD F. LussrER

Ihat the citizens of Birmingham were
too greatly Influenced by the actions of
the big corporations was one of the
numerous telling statements made by
Morris w. Bush, president of the Cham-s
Der of Commerce, in an address before
the Community club Saturday after
noon.
| President Bush was speaking on the
question of What Was the Matter With
Birmingham"
Mr.. Bush stated emphatically that the
majority of the citizens of the Biz
mlngham district did not know what
they were talking about, the majority
OF the time, when a public question was
under discussion. He deplored the ig-
norance prevailing throughout Ala
bama on all questions of public policy
and also of the illiterate record of the
state He urged the adoption of the
school amendment to the constitution
as a remedy against a shameful and
embarrassing educational record now
advertised to the world by the state of
Alabama.
| you young men should fight for the
school amendment" said President
Bush, it means money in your pockets,
as lawyers, doctors, dentists and en-.
gineers. Education is what is needed in
Alabama
| is COSTLY LABOR
I'VE all know now that ignorant la
| Dor is costly labor. The ignorant man
| is not dependable. He knows just
enough to be suspicious He thinks the
employer is always putting something
over, and he is not educated enough to
a g a rf1a ttQr IF facf :, I,
thing is being put over on him or
not.
| But there is also another element,
| probably little better educated as to
book learning than the average work
| ingman, who is also ignorant of the
affairs of his government, of what is
going on about him. To my mind today
there is not one man in Birmingham
out of hundred that knows anything
accurately of the affaire of the city.
Yet he knows just enough to knock, to
accept for granted that the city Is
bankrupted.
Inform yourself That is your saliva
| ton. Do not accept second hand infor-
nation, but get the facts and then you
can talk intelligently of what is the
matter with your city, with your people,
and by knowing exactly what is the
matter the cure will suggest itself.
| ut is not only the people that are
| ignorant and careless, but the press
also I'VE information has gone out to
the world at large that Birmingham and
| Jefferson county are bankrupt or about
! to go broke. That Is not a fact. Bir-
mingham is not bankrupted-neither is
Jefferson county The facts of the mat
| ter are that Birmingham has enough
money to operate, but not enough to
| give us what we want. Jefferson county
has enough money in it's treasury to
| take care of it's running expences, but
not enough for the improvements the
citizens of the county demand. But that
| is not bankruptcy and it is damaging
| to the city and county that such state
ments should gain widespread circula-
| ton. The matter is simply lack of rev.
enue, and should SO be stated.
AN ARCHAIC CONSTITUTION
| "The fault of this lack of revenue is
directly attributed to the archaic con-
| stitution of the state of Alabama. Again
that is the result of ignorance and il
lliteracy. If we were blessed with an en-
! frightened electorate, progressive con-
stitution whereby various cities OF the
state could tax themselves as they saw
fit, would be possible AS it is prejudice
dominates, and rich county must bear
unnecessary burdens to aid the rest OF
the state.
Now what is the matter with Bir-
mingham? Do any of you know? Is it
| freight rates? 1t is true that we have
discriminatory freight rates, both in
coming and outgoing. 1t would be better
| if we would concentrate our attacks
on the outgoing freight rates first as
the incoming rates act in many cases as
| a protective tariff, against flooding the
| local markets with the product of out
siders. @
"Now, at the Chamber of Commerce
we are after the little fellow. Birming-
ham needs diversified industries in large
numbers We should start the small
manufacturer off right. We should in
yestigate- to see that he has the backing,
the executive ability to carry his plans
| through for if he fails he gives the city
a black eye, and it is worse than If he
| had never come here.
I'VE should have appropriate sites for
| these prospective manufacturers. Our real
estate has felt the influence of Birming-
| ham as boom town. and speculation has
given us false value. Real estate agents
| should remember that to the industrial
man the site of his factory means noth-
| ing more to him than shelf where he
will place his shop, and make his prices
accordingly. All should do his bit to help
| In building up the community.
is LABOR ATTRACTED?
"And then are the living conditions IN
! birmingham so much more attractive