The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-02-04
LEGISLATURE Is ID
 PASS ON ALABAMA'S
 SYSTEM OF HEALTH
Return. to Democratic. Re- SponSibIe Government Is lSsue," of Campaign,
 Says pr. Parke

Candidates for. the Alabama legis- lature this year will be asked to commit themselves on Irresponsible democratic government." according to pr. Thos. D. Parke. of BlrminE- ham.
 He says the legislature next Jan uary will decide. whether Alabama shall continue to farm out her health department to a private corporation the Alabama State Medical assocla- tion--or whether she will extend re- sponsible. democratic government 70 the state health department" Dri Parke writes:
 To the Editor Of The Age Herald:
 Candidates are offering for the legislature and other state offices and as the question of responsible democratic government will obtrude itself on the attention of the next legislature, it may well be advisable for our citizens to consider asking candidates to commit themselves.
 For 47 years. the people of Ala bama, through successive legisla- lures, have rarmed out an important department of government to a pri- vate chartered corporation. The peo- pie have said in action: we do rot care to conduct this department for the reason your corporation has con Vinced us it is so advantageously or ganized, so peculiarly fitted, for con ductfng this special department of government. We will therefore con stitute your corporation the state board of health. We will enact such laws as you require for the conduct of the department. We will even make it your duty. under the law, to write legislative bills for enactment by us. We will appropriate money, each year, to your corporation. You will. draw warrants at stated in teryals, on our treasury. and will render us report. of expenditures at the end of each fiscal year. Your corporation will select, elect.and con- trol all officials and subordinates of the department and pay all expendi- lures of all kinds out of the appro- priations we make you. The supreme court, in two separate decisions, has settled all questions as to our sn- tent and purpose by declaring that these officials are not state officials, do not belong to us, are not respon- sible to us; that they are your cf- ficials.'
 This chartered corboration-tne second party to the contract-is the Alabama State Medical association, and is composed of some 1900 doc tors-about three -fourths of all doc tors of the' state. It possesses prac- tieally no pfoperty. and no one has ever suggested any possible way by which 1t or it's constituent member ship can be uade responsible-as parties to the second. part of this un- usual contract.
 Recently this corporation. our state board of health, mailed out small leaflet to all doctors of the state, asking their co-operation in getting Alabama vital statistics accepted into the registration area. It named a number of sister states of the south that have been accepted and whose people conduct and do not farm cut the health department: After +7 years lease of power. 1t was a silent admission of. the advantage of re- sponsible government.
 Some. of us have long since con- cluded that the dissotution of this ancient and unique contract will ben eft both parties to the said contract. Seventy eight Jefferson county doc tors petitioned the last legislature to this effect.
 The legislature convening next January will decide whether Alabama will continue to farm out her health department to private corporation, or. whether she will extend respon-- sible, democratic government to the state health department,
 Every informed citizen must real ize that. this state needs a great pub lie health system that can command the support of citizens. and of the press-the support of public opinion. will not this support come and come generally when citizens realize that they have returned to the traditional AmeticAn practices. as adopted by the other states and as advocated by successive national leaders?
 THOS. D PARKE.
 Birmingham, February 8. 1922.