The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-09-26
GEO. WARD IN ROLE. .OF FORTUNE TELLER STATES DR. BARRETT. Enthusiastic Barrett Meet ing at East Birmingham
 and Club Is Formed BATTERIES OF HATE ROUNDLY DENOUNCED "Conscript" Meeting at the Tutwiler Hotel Explained-Aird Re-
 lates Fable of the Ass
 and the Fox

 greeted Dr. Barrett on his first ap- pearance in East Birmingham last night.
 The meeting was an open air affair, being staged in front of Maritime drug store, a large goods box serving as small but substantial platform Prior to the meeting a Barrett club was organized. with Dr. J. C. Hart line as president, and Homer R. Brown as secretary Practically all those present enrolled themselves as members.
 | In addition to the address of Dr. | Barrett, J. B. Aird delivered forcible argument in favor of the East Lake candidate.
 Tt was my most earnest wish,' pr. Barrett said in the beginning, that | this campaign should be conducted on high plane, free from personalities and charges of unworthy motives of anyone. I have done my best to keep | it so and shall continue this policy until the end of the campaign. I have no words of censure for those who | are opposing me- It is their right and | their privilege to support and vote for ] the candidate they consider best fitted | to serve them. have no feeling of resentment whatever now, nor shall 1 have any when the election is over. l And when I speak of MT. Ward or | MT. Barber I speak of them as public 1 officials and not as individuals. The | officials acts of any public servant 1 are a subject for examination and dis cussion, and upon their official acts l the public official must stand or fail
 WARD A FORTUNE TELLER
 George Ward, among his other ac- complishments, has developed into a fortune teller" said pr. Barrett. He forecasts all the appointments that l will make when I am elected presi dent of the board of commissioners. George ought to adorn himself with a red kimono, drape an oriental rug over his limbs, tie bandana handker- chief over his head and get real money for his soothsayings. But want to say here, as I have said many times be-
 fore, that any man or men who say
 that I have by word or nod or i'm
 plicaton promised to make any ap-
 pointment to any place after my cleo
 ton states that which is absolutely false"
 Dr. Barrett stated his platform brief. 1y declaring in favor of municipal
 ownership of water and electric light
 plants, free textbooks in the public
 schools conservation of the city's fran
 chises. enlargement of the public health system, improved highways. ex- tension of the city's sanitary sewer
 system. reduction of the 5-mill sink
 ing fund tax and readjustment ol
 the license schedule.
 PREPARED TO TELL NAMES
 Did you know there is merchant or Second avenue, he said. 'who by spe cial permit, only pays an annual licens, of s60 and that other merchants in the same line of business. with the sam, class of goods, and the same amount o. stock, are required to pay s20O or s25 license? If George Ward denies this, am prepared to tell the mans name Why is it that this man secures thi. extra consideration from the city, while it exacts from other merchants the ful amount of the license to the last farth ing, and penalizes them if they are no prompt in the payment Of their licenses
 They say George Ward is grea business man and that he was conscript ed because he was such great bus ness man; conscripted by either 19 O 25 other great business men at littl private dinner at the Tutwiler hotel De hind closed doors, to which the publi was not invited; 19 or 25 business mel selecting president of the city commis sion in this fashion for 100000 people.
 There Is no use of George and m trying to fool each other. We under stand each other perfectly. If shouls go to George and say that a great pa triotic society which he Is pleased t term the T. As were not supportin, me by large majority, George woul' l know that I was not telling the truth And, likewise, if George should come tt me and say that a great and powerful religious political organization called thu
 K. C.'s were not supporting him to { man, would know that George was no telling the truth
 BATTERIES OF HATE "But why is George turning all tn, |. batteries of his hate and vindictivenes on this patriotic organization, whose
 principles you all know. At that littl meeting of Georges conscripting part, Z in the private dining room of the Tut wiler hotel the so-called T. As were sai