The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-10-06
DR. EAVES TELLS WHY FIGHT MADE. 0N ANT|-T. B. WORK
Regrets There Should Be Any Jealousy Over State In
 Birmingham's Progress

Dr. GeOrk9 EAVea, cOnsplCuouS loh many years in the anti-tuberculosis work of Birmingham and Alabama, has written to The Age-Herald a full explanation of the facts in, con- nection with the flare in the Iegis- lature Just before adjournment. He writes:
 To the editor of The Age-Herald:
 Several days ago 8 certain Senator Waddell of Russell county made 3 foolish and needless personal attack on mo in supporting a bill for the abolition of the tuberculosis commits sion. Before that time l saw evi dence of & determination not to got at the truth but to destroy the com mission, and I wrote the following communication. to which I now would add an earnest word of thanks to all members of tho house and senate who resented that attack and the terms of it.. !
 So many friends have sprung up to champion my cause and to offer me consolation that I am really over whelmed. Allow me to express my gratitude. Doubtless Senator Wad- dell is sufficiently answered. here with and by those who know me here in Birmingham. Moreover the com mission will no doubt have its own answer. It consists of a group of fine business and professional men
 
 know also how stupid and foolish it is to destroy the commission at the moment when it's work outside this county might have been moving happily towards the necessary hos pital care of tuberculosis persons there.
 I would raise my own voice In earnest protest against the plan so successfully carried out against us lSeping silent and hidden from ths people and those concerned matter which deserves the utmost daylight. As 1t is now, a legislature created to do the will of the people has pre- vented the people from knowing it's own more or less nefarious schemes, He that does evil hateth the light" My letter. which answers the sena- tor from Russell, Is subjoined. The bill I understand was signed by the SO' GEORGE EVANS pr. Eaves' Explanation.
 Until I saw in the papers of Fri day of last week that bill had passed the Alabama house of repre- sentatives abolishihg the tubercu- losis commission, I had no knowledge of the existence of such a bill. That fi,reafs had been made by private persons was all I know. These sim plv indicated some mode of attack, but absolutely no invitation or sum mons of the commission or its secre- tary to Montgomery, that It mi ght give an account of it's stewardship before an unprejudiced committee, has ever reached me. On request of the examiner of public accounts every record was laid before his rep resentative. Hence. however, wrong impressions and misleading quota tions have been inevitable and were evidently made the basis of attack in the house on Thursday. Such a hostile attitude might have been met but I am temporarily suffering with phlebitis and am obliged 10 aVolo excitement or exertton. l dlo not go down to meet men whose mihos have been made up.
 On the other hand. I value too greatly the love and confluence ionB lavished on me here in Birmingham to keep silent in the face or sucn challenge Hence this letter.
 The impending abolition of the tu- berculosis commission appears to De based on the ground that It has spent much money without adequa.o U effect. Its total expenditure at tnls date has been approXimately $1S,- OO0 in nearly four years. This money has been devoted to the task of ere etinpy A. hospital service on an ade- cuate scale for this, the leading ana most important section of the state population. Only few weeks as9 tba results of this early and special hut continued attention to Jefferson countv were seen the other day Tn the raising of over $200,0OO for that very hospital purpose. Ihose Wno led the way assured me that lne movement might be taken as vosS of approval on me for the years v1 1.hor heginning in 1912. It was relt that no such gift and no sucn ,l, m stitution would have been posslpIs without those years, during ah os which I refused to receive more a .nail S150 per month ana was 9o of aii The most inadequately pald or aii tbe servants of the Anti-Tupercu- insis Association of Jefferson county; will say nothing Of the G0st such poverty in my home, Wna must say is that self-denlai was tne order of the day; ana without tne generous toll of nurses, doctors tp oio ficers of the association, ana the snlendid liberality of most Gi Sriends toward the work, It would have been impossible. Let me un- derscore my gratituoe 10 i .,,rsas especially, (may auu'' 'e
 and doctors.
 st,te Organization Formed.
 Tn 1913 the National association suggested the creation ol s'ae. a, '.,,a canization. and the Alabama League Tyas formed, with myself as unpaid sacretary, No attempt to secure any navment for service rendered In that canacitv was made till 1918. beyond the cost of unavoidable traVel. U was indeed the failure or the sla.e' outside three-or four centers, 10 sup mort tuberculosis work which led 10 the creation of the present commis- sion, whose end is now planned. need not add that the war years checked advance and that. l was OF use in the beginning Of that tlme' with great gladness, to the local chapter of the American Red Cross, an early action of the commission was it's electing myself as secretary and deciding to concentrate attention first of all on Jefferson county, be- cause success here was a necessary preliminary to even the prospect or success in any other county. And considering the cost of work here, the investment of Alabama money here, is it not evident that Jefferson mas done well by the state, devoting about $100.000 tor maintenance as well as buildings for the old Red Mountain sanitarium, and this new gift of $200,000 for the new hospital, or $300,000, to offset the $22.OOO in- vested by the state in tuberculosis commission work? Of coursee,, l gave up the secretaryship ana US pay by the local association when the commission elected me. but T have continued to serve as recording or corresponding secretary all along without pay; have been constantly ready for counsel, and have continued to be along with it's president signer of it's checks. This is at thesrequest of the local association's directors. That I have bsen recently paid for the past three and three -fourths years out of nearly 24 years service does not seem to me so very improper.
 fta<1 k Al sick folks stood in the way that were indeed a fault ncredible.s. Have l