The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-09-18
FURORE CREATED BY
 PROPOSED ELECTION OF SCHOOL BOARD i. BY VOTE OF PEOPLE
Despite Cries of Politics, " Real Cause of Fight Gen. ters on Position City Su- perintendent-Dr. Phil
 lips Position on Reve-
 nue Bill Criticized

Educational forces of Birmingham were thrown into furore yesterday when they learned that an amendment to the edu- cational bill which had passed the house provided for the qualified voters of Bir- mingham to select their own board of education by popular vote. Such a situa- tion would be caIamity, they declared. and immediately they became active in a feverish effort to defeat the amendment in the senate when it comes up tomorrow.
 The public generally declined to become unduly excited and viewed with more or less equanimity, the entire situation. The Benners amendment which was the cause of the uprising in educational cir cles, was received much as had been the West bill, which had previously passed the senate. Although different in form, the provision of both are the same. The board of education of Birmingham, be- ginning next year. would be chosen by a vote of the people.
 Keep the schools out of politics. was the pleasing and effective slogan selected by the opponents of the elective plan or selecting the board of education. They declared with great earnestness and con viction that a board selected by the voters of Birmingham would be an in ferior board: that it's members would DC deep in the mire of politics; that it would be suicidal to the best interests of Bir- mingham should a board of education chosen by the voters of the city, be thrust upon the educational system just at this time. With the prospects of spend ing several million dollars for the con struction of new buildings, it would be a backward step to have an elective board, declared the opponents of the West bill and the Benners amendment.
 ORGANIZE QUICKLY
 No time was lost in organizing for the fight against the election of the schoo! board by the people. Within a few hours an organiz ,tion had been built up, cen- tering around the school improvement as- sociation of the various schools and cer- tain other organizations. Friends Of the present members of the board Of educa ton became active and most of the schoo' forces joined in the plea to keep the schools out of politics.
 Reports from Ensley were to the et- feet that the people there were greatly distressed over the possibility Of nav ing the schools placed under an electiVe board, and it was stated last nighc that strong delegation would go to Mont gomery today to work among the lesis- ,ators in an effort to defeat the Sen ners amendment in the. senate. Last night the Chamber of Commerce joined in the fight and named a large com mittee, of which w. ]. Adams was chairman to go to the capital today to work for the retention of the present system
 The hurry call sent out yesterday to he school improvement associations evl- dently bore good fruit for it was an- uounced later in the day that the fol- lowing representatives of these organiza tionsi would so to Montgomery to take hand in the fight:
 Mrs w. D. Smith of the Graymon school association; Mrs. S. J. Cole, Bar ker school; Mrs. J. l.. Smith. Baker school; Mrs Vaughn Bush school; Mrs J J. Nickel, Pratt City; Mrs. Lockhar' and Mrs P A. Christian, Central park Mrs. Frazer, Ullman school: Mrs. Pau H. Earle president of the Central High School Improvement association; Mrs. J H Cornelius and others. It is expected that there will be about 25 in the dele gation.
 PUBLIC GENERALLY CALM
 Meanwhile, despite the agitation ap. parent in certain educational circles. the general public largely remained reason ably calm. There were no loud calls for mass meetings and many citizens failed to view with great alarm the al- legged dangers of board of education chosen by the vote of the people. The present county board of education was pointed to as refutation of the claim that an elective board would necessa- rily be an inferior one. Those who fla vored the Beni-rs amendment and the West bill contended that there had been no politics in the selection of the county board, that the members of that organi- zation were as competent and as pa triotic as could possibly be desired and they could see no reason why those op- nos:pg the popular election of city board should grow alarmed
 While those opposing an elective board were crying against the evils of politics in the schools, some contend ed that the educational forces of the state, including the city of Birming ham had not hesitated to delve into pol itics, even to the declared detriment of the business interests of Birmingham when they supported so strongly and successfully the tonnage tax on coal and