The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-08-26
ID. CITYPARK BILL Is LAID BARE.
Publisher Of Evening News, A Member Of Citizens Com mittee Approving It, Sends Confidential TeIegramS
LOCAL SELF GOVERNMENT ATTACKED, SAYS BR0WER
Governor Authorizes Senator To Declare He Refuses To Be
 Party To Proceedings InSti- tuted By Randall Of Bibb

Efforts of Senator George w. Ran call of Bibb county to recall for sen ate reconsideration the local bill pro- Viding for creation of park com mission for Birmingham were ex- plained Saturday, 1t is believed, with the coming to light of telegram addressed Thursday night to at least four members of the Alabama sen ate by Victor H. Hanson, publisher of the Evening News. Prior to the obtaining of one of these telegrams by The Age-Herald, Senator Randall refused to indicate to the Jefferson delegation who had requested him to recall the bill.
 Senator Walter Brewer and other members of the Jefferson legislative when they learned that the park board bill had been recalled for re- considera tion. Senator Randall had referred to the measure by number only when he moved that it be re- called When Senator Brewer raised the question as to whether he had voted on the bill, the senate voted Sl to that Senator Randall had ap- proved the measure as originally passed.
 Styled "DIrect Attack
 Senator Brewer, in statement made at the request of The Age Herald Saturday night, denounced Mir. Hanson's move as 3 direct as- tack at local self-goVernment-" He declared that the governor approved of the measure as 1t now reads and that MT. Brandon was not in sympa- thy with the move favored by MT. Eanson, although informing Senator Brewer that he had been approached by some one in Birmingham for this purpose,
 The telegram from MT. Hanson is i reproduced at the left, the name of the senator to whom it was addressed | being deleted by The Age-Herald to ! protect it's new source:
 0 Q O
 BrOYver's Comment.
 'aThis telegram to the members of | the senate is & direct attempt on the part of the publisher of The Bir- [ miEgham News to have the power Of regulation of Birmingham parks and ] playgrounds taken away from the citizens of Birmingham and placed in the hands of the state" declared Senator Brewer Saturday. Tt is a direct attack at local self government. IL is beyond my com prehension how anyone with the in terests of Birmingham at heart would be a party to this attempt to place the appointing power in the governor rather than in the city commission, especially in view of the fact that the bill as originally drawn and passed. had been agreed upon by and between the city commission and the com mittee of citizens rocking to have | the park commission created. ITO wait until the bill has been introduced to seek to amend it in thiS particular is palpable breach of faith on the part of the persons who have been parties to such tactics.
 'The whole proceeding smacks of l trickery and cheap politics, Had l ! ever dreamed that any sena tor would have so far forgotten the courtesies due from one senator to another as ! to recall a local bill of another sen ator without consulting that senator I would of course never have per mitted the bill to be recalled with | out objection on my part. When sd- vised later that the bill recalled by l Senator Randall was a local bill from 1 Jefferson county I was astoundsAs a ! put 1t very mildly.
 Tn my augment the overweh1minE | ma jority of the senate of Alabama will not put the stamp of its ap- J proval on such trfckery,
 T have been authorizezd by the governor of Alabama to say that ! some one in Birmingham attempted ] to get him to be a party to this proceeding nd he decided to do so.
 He stated to me that he did not think 1t was either right or proper for the governor of Alabama to ap-
 point the park board to control the ! Birmingham, He authorized me to
 say To the senate Of Alabama that he did not want the bill amended
 so as to give the governor the power to appoint the park board. l am sure
 that when the bill is reached on the
 regular calendar next week. it will
 be passed by the senate as originally drawn"
 o O Q
 To Go Back To senate
 Senator Brewer said Saturday that the mea sure would be sent back
 to the senate by the house for ! reconsideration, as the upper house had requested but that he had no
 fears that it would not be repassed as originally drawn.
 Members of the city commission, 1 the Jefferson delegation and the l citizens committee on parks are said to have agreed to the provisions Of 1 he bill under fire. Mr. Hanson is member of this committee.