The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-09-25
WILKINSON POINTS SOME WEAKNESSES AT THE CITY HALL Attorney Now in Training Camp Hears Sounds of
 Battle Even There GOES INTO RECORD OF PRESIDENT WARD Cites Some Recent History in Re- sponse to Claims Set Up That
 "Mr. Ward Is Big
 Man.

Horace C. Wilkinson, the well known
 attorney who is now in the officers
 training camp at Fort Oglethorpe. writes
 The Age-Herald some interesting data
 Tn response to the claim that George
 Ward is a big man.
 NIT. Wilkinson cites some recent munici- pal history to uphold his contention tha f
 all IS not we'll at the city hall. He writes
 as follows:
 10 the Editor of The Age-Herald:
 The fair play that The Age-Herald has
 exhlblted in the campaign that is now on
 must appeal to every citizen who likes to
 see the press tote fair on public oues- 1 tions.
 The writer. along with large number
 of other citizens of Birmingham, has been 1 at the officers training camp since Au- gust 27, but he has not lost interest in | the affairs at home, and although in all probability will be unable to vote, as leaves of absence are unobtainable. Yet he desires space in your columns to di- vert attention to some of the high points in the career of Prince George of Jones Valley" who, by the way. seems to be the only reputable citizen, according to his estimate of others in Jefferson county.
 GOVERNMENTAL DISHONESTY
 Be 1t remembered that "Prince George nas lnaugurated an era of governmental dishonesty which if followed by indi- Vlduals would crowd the penitentiary and mines with convicts. Every one re- calls the liquor tax that the supreme court said was illegally levied and wrong fully collected. Did the city play the part Of man and refund the money that it had unlaWfully taken? On the contrary Prince George devised plan that made It more expensive for citizen to obtain a refund than to lose his money, and so far as l have been able to find, no one except MT. John Altman, a very good lawyer, who supported MT. Barber in his last race. was ever able to get the city to refund any appreciable amount of this tax. As 8. result it is estimated that the 1 city now has over $2o0OO of illegally col lected funds which ex equo ct bono be- longs to some one else, but the Prince says nay, and the Prince can do no | wrong.
 If an individual had forcibly taken soc | from another, said individual would have | been sent to the pen, yet the city, act | ing through G. w., takes $2O000 and he | asks for reelection, because the city | needs the money" So does the burglar
  stance of governmental dishonesty and | official piracy in the history of Birming- 1 ham.
 HANDLING PEOPLES MONEY
 The Prince" boasts that he has han died millions of dollars of the peoples | money and that he has never been caught misappropriating any of it. Well, let's see. Every dollar paid to liquor in spectors according to the supreme court, was illegally paid, and should be in the city treaNury now.
 This money was paid out with Mir Wards approval and no attempt was made to collect it back. He had no more right to pay it to them than he had to pay 1t to me, yet honest George says that he has never been caught.
 Again, a few months ago, according 70 reliable information. certain city official who works under Mir. Wards di- 'ection. was checked up. and the auditor discovered that said official was short lbout $2000. This fact, so I am in- ormed, was reported to MT. Ward. The prince" was not only active in pre- enting an exposure of said defaulting ficial. but actually wanted to. keep aid official in the service of the city | , here is a maximum that "It is a fraud F, Q conceal fraud" and when said of cial ''resigned'' the prince" actually :, aid high tribute' to his character ] nd integrity" The court records show hat number of men have been con- icted of being accessory after the act" but sometimes "the mills of the nd dc nd ell 1x 4 r