The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-10-12
For Good of the
 Community
XX7ITH every attainment there arrives w duty.

When the Roman father took his son to the forum and he was there clothed with the toga it meant that the badge of manhood should be earned by service.
 After thirty years of dreams the War rior stands finally equipped for the trans portation of general merchandise. The first builder, John H. Bankhead, has been gathered to his fathers. In his footsteps younger men carried on the work until to- day it is finished product.
 Finished in all except use. Finished in all except the further development which must continue to come if service is main tained on parity with the needs of a growing section.
 Two duties lie just ahead. The first is to get freight for the first self-propeller on her maiden trip up the river and her maiden trip down stream. This vessel is the City of Birmingham" named for the city on which rests more than all others the fate of inland waterway transporta- tion and it's benefits.
 The vessel has a cargo capacity of 1,500 tons and is built to handle general merchandise Whatsoever the Birming- ham merchant gets from New Orleans and from Mobile. and whatsoever he wishes to ship to these points he can now ship by the river at 20 per cent under the all-rail rate.
 There is no time to be lost. The self propeller leaves St. Louis today with a cargo for New Orleans. She will arrive there. Then she will be ready for her first trip up the river via Mobile.
 What fine thing if she is loaded to her gunwales both going and coming. That will be the equivalent of saying to the on looking world that Birmingham knows good thing when she sees one and pro- poses to do her part when her part is called for. It will be proof that the mer- camille citizenship of Birmingham is worthy of the toga with which it has been invested.
 More freight has been offered Port of Birmingham than 1t could handle in the absence of the proper craft. Now is the time to make new offer of that freight Former profits were slips of paper. They should take the form of the merchandise.
 But we cannot rest there We can no more afford to rest on the river as it is and CIlc uOW CIdIt dS CIl0y are CIldIl we CcIl IcSC on the roads that we have, the schools which we have, the banks which we have. As man grows he must take on larger ways to fit his increased proportions. The Warrior terminals and equipment of to- day are but the beginning of what we will need as time goes by.
 The Warrior will not serve the people ! as it should until the strength of the coun- ty of Jefferson gets behind it. The port of Mobile cannot serve until the strength of the state stands back of it. The two amendments drive to the same end One is statewide, the other local, but the same spirit of united effort in the name of the whole people pervades each
 Alabama looks forward Her people arenot gazing back on the mistakes of the past. They do not propose being pillars of salt along the dead sea. They are not waiting on someone else to man their cart of progress and pull them along. They are in the shafts themselves and bending to the straps. That is what moves things.
 Have that freight ready for the City of Birmingham. Vote the amendments.