The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-09-02
BIRMINGHAM CROWD
TAKES NEW COUNTY
FIGHT TO CAPITAL
Over 200 Local Citizens in
Montgomery to Work
Against Division of
Jefferson County

Armed with all available ammunition
Pettus county bill, which is scheduled
to come up before the house today, 200
BIRMINGHAM citizens, representing ev-
cry civic. industrial and business or
ganization and club left yesterday att
ernoon at 1920 o'clock over the Louis
gomery to protest against the division
of Jefferson county. The trip was made
in three special cars, which had been
chartered for the occasion.
Final plans for the fight against this
bill were made at a mass meeting held
yesterday morning in the auditorium OF
the Chamber of Commerce and the re-
ports from the various community or
CARNATIONS showed that the full quota
of delegates pledged at the meeting
Saturday would make the trip. A COM
mittee composed of T. H. Motion. Ira
Randall, A. c. Kylce and w. K. Terry
were appointed to get other men not
representative of any civic organiza
ton to accompany the local delegation.
This committee was most successful
according to reports made by them
just before leaving and the personnel
of the Birmingham delegation was
greatly increased as a result of their
efforts Frank L. Butler left on morn
ing train for the scene of action
where, assisted by John s. Turner, he
will make hotel reservations for the
committee.
The men making the trip met yester-
day afternoon at the gate nearest the
baggage room and received their tick
cts from a special committee headed
by George .Yancey and A. j. TSgrant
Although Birmingham began organ
izing forces to defeat the Pettus county
bill last week, no attempt was made to
organize the county forces, and when
Jere Gwin, president of the board OF
revenue, stated that 46 men from the
county would make the trip the an
nouncement was received with enthus-
iasm
Short talks were made by Represen
tative S. w. Hawkins, who spoke oil
the necessity of keeping a permanent
delegation from Birmingham on the
spot as the Bessemer people had been
doing Representative J. D. Truss also
spoke along the same lines Stressing
the Importance of this step if the bill
is to be defeated "
Petitions have been received from
Blossburg, Palos, Trussville, Huffman
Flat Creek, Clay Mulga Mount Pinson
and other outlying communities pro
testing against being cut off from Biz
mingham. 1t was stated that the ma
jority of the people in those sections
of the county were opposed to the Pet
tus bill and that canvass showed
that 95 per cent of the population were
against the division of Jefferson county
Following the reading of the names
of the Alabama representatives ~ant
senators. everyone present at the meet
ing pledged himself to send tele-
gram to each one he knew asking him
to oppose the Pettus bill when it came
up. 1t was stated that within the next
ten years Bessemer would be part OF
Birmingham and the division of Jeffer-
son county would hinder the growth
and progress of the entire district. II
is expected that many additional Biz
mingham men will go to Montgom-
cry today and remain until the bill is
either passed or defeated, and in the
meantime every effort is being made tc
defeat the bill for Pettus county.