The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-03-26
CAMP PA|GN IF '|NS" AGAINST 40UTS" 0N
 AT STATE CAPITAL
Present Commissioners Out For Re- election While Op-
 position Busy on Job
STATE CAPITAL BUREAU |
 THE AGE-HERALD MontgOmery. Ala. March 25 l

Six persons have announced as candidates for membership On the Montgomery city commission and will announce during the next few days Montgomery is entering warm political contest which will continue until the election May 16.
 All members of the present com mission-Mayor W. A. Gunter, Jr., and W. ]. Drum and James Hardway, associate emmissioners-are candi- dates for reelection. An attempt is being made to solidify the opposition with Lawrence H. Lee as the can didate for mayor and c. l.. Patterson and J. Johnson Moore as the candi = dates for associate commissioners.
 Political gossip has indicated that Berto H. Johnson. member of the county board of revenue and defeated candidate for public service commits sioner, will be a candidate. A. c. Smith, who was defeated for member ship on the public service commis- sion two years ago, also has indi- cated that he may get into the con test. If Mir. Johnson and MT. Smith enter the effort to solidify the oppo- 
 will have failed.
 Fight Goes Into Court.
 That the campaign will be a warm one has been indicated by prelimi- nary maneuvers. For instance, the "outs" went into the circuit court and applied for a writ of manda us requiring the "ins" to publish finan cal statements fer every month they have been in office. The fins" an- swered that these statements were published for a few months in pamphlet form but that no citizens called for them, not even the "outs, and tbae the publication was re- garded as useless expenditure of the city funds. The circuit court declined to grant the writ of mandamus and the "outs" appealed to the supreme court.
 Following the action Of the circuit court, the "outs" addressed a letter to every employe of the city warn ing him or her that the law creating the Montgomery commission prohib- ited any political activity on the part of city employees and that any em- ployes taking part in the campaign would be prosecuted
 Bob Jone. Take. Hand.
 The campaign will be made on lines which will be surprising. Rev.
 
 that he would return to Montgomery and take part in the campaign. sup porting candidates who would favor closing the amusements on Sunday. When MT. Lee. MT. Patterson and Mir. Moore announced it was thought they would favor closing moving pie ture shows and baseball parks on Sunday, but in an open meeting they declared they would not favor closing the amusements. If Mir. Jones carries out hi5 plan as announced when ne held his last meeting in Montgomery there will be a third ticket in the field.
 The city's financial condition will become an issue in the campaign, the opposition tG the present administra- tion will contend that proper atten- tion has not been paid to the city's finances but the administration Will answer that the bad financial condi- tion was brought about during the terms of representatives of those now opposing tfc reelection of the com mission. The truth is that MontGom- cry became seriously involved finan- cially by the expenditure of large sums in the purchases of property on which Camp Sheridan was located during the World war and by the construction of water pipes connect ing Sheridan with the city water sys- tem. -
 Montgomery's interfactional ptliti- cal contest always will attracts at tention throughout Alabama because of the large number of persons Wno make regular visits to the capitol ana get a bird's-eye view of the cfty at freuuent intervals.