The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-08-30
I. W. HOLMES


 To the Editor of The Age .ierald: I have been citizen and voter In Birming gham for the past seven years, and have lived here all of that time, ex- cept for about eighteen months durlng the war I have just read in today , Age Herald the interesting communiea- tion of one J. o. O'Connor Of Chlcago together with the expressions or senll- ment which it has provoked. think you have already given fully as much space to this matter as it deserves, and l am writing this, not with a view to making any contribution to the discussion, put simply to give you a little more cumu- lative evidence" of how the people or Birmingham feel about it.
 am sure that we all share with Brother O'Ccnnor his evident regret at the unfortu unate circumstances that made it necessary for him to spend the last month in Birmingham, Montgomery and different parts of Alabama, and l am sure that we further share with him his evident relief that he is now able to seek a more congenial environment and more salubrious cline.
 Mr. O'Connor's letter addresses itself to three matters in order of treatment as follows Blue laws; jelly beans; pro lhibition. I judge from the size of the paragraph devoted to each of the afore- . Brother OConnors imagination in order of importance as follows:
 l First, jelly beans; second. blue laws; ! third, prohibition.
 We'll have to acknowledge. I suppose ! our proportionate share of jelly beans. This is a species of pest that grows spon- taneously, as it were, just as the jimp- i son weed, the dog fennel and other such ground numbering and non-pro- | ha ia nnt nAcnlia r Ito any particular soil or climate, how i ever, as Brother OConnor intimates, and 1t is hardly conceivable that we have a i better stand of it in Brmnihgam than they do in Chicago. They ought to be weeded out, however and Mr. O'Conno, could have added just little construc' 1 tive flavor to his criticism on this point if he had told us how they have man. aged to get rid of the jelly bean in the Windy City.
 1 The blue laws MT. O'Connor takes rather too seriously. The recent proposa to enact so-called blue laws in Br- mingham was overwhelmingly vetoed thence there is no occasion whatever fol lthe rather extended treatment given te | this incident in our friends letter. The brother must have hung around the city hall a good deal during his leisure hours when he was not engaged in spottinE jelly beans or negotiating for corr l whisky. It is a source of qualification to a majority of our citizens, l believe that while we don't have blue Sunday l down here de don't have red Sundays leither. but try to preserve sane poist in the matter. giving proper regard botf to the material welfare of our citizens and to the sanctity of the Sabbath day, ' As an abstract proposition. the sub ject given the scantiest treatment in th' illuminating epistle of OUT Chicago friend. deserves the most attention. to- wit: Prohibition In the concrete. how lever Brother O'Connor's remarks on thi. point simmer down to this; He has beei around soma hither and yon, so te speak, and he finds corn whisky ease to get and very much cheaper here thar anywhere else. Is this a compliment O. a complaint? Isn't our brother seekins , to bite the hand that feeds him, as i were? Most ungracious. Brother O'Con nor and most ungrateful If you reail, } intend seriously to imply that we ar, unusually behind in the matter of pro } hibition enforcement way down here il Alabama. may we not remind you of al offical statement from Washington re gently published. to the effect that Chi cago is the wettest city on the map? ! It may be, Mir. Editor. that our fai city needs and could profit by few con
 structiye suggestions for civic improve ment, but l. for one. would like to asl
 Brother O'Connor. not as a mere matte of information, just how and when Chi
 cago qualified to advise and admonish u in the matter of Sunday observance. jell beans or prohibitions. Yours very truly,
 J. W. HOLMES.
 Birmingham. August 27. l412 Jefferso : County Bank Building.