The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-09
HARRISON STAND ON SHORTAGES
 BRINGS ATTACK
Aldermanic Forces Term Statement Attempt To
 Dodge Issue \

A statement by City Commissioner William l.. Harrison, asserting he has always stood for clean and honest government" and inviting the public to consider his record before criticiz- ing him in connection with the series of city hall shortages, was seized upon by the mayor-aldermanic forces Friday night and used as ammunition in their fight to change the city's form of gov ernment.
 In speech before a mass meeting at Avondale, w: l.. Crumely, well known labor figure, termed Mir. Harri- son a "dodger' and charged him with an attempt to fasten responsibility on ], the commissioner in direct charge of the financial department. He declared Harrison and tic other four commis- aioners were Aequally responsible"
 Crumley said: Commissioner Har- rison, in the afternoon papers today, states that the people ought not to crit icize him for certain doings at the city hall, and implies that the commission CT having charge of that certain de- : pertinent ought to be blamed entirely This illustrates what the people are trying to accomplish, viz.: to get rid of any system of government where a representative of the people charged with the duty of looking after the af- fairs of the city as a whole, has the chance to shoulder the responsibility of another. Mir. Harrison ought to be responsible for the way our city af- fairs are being handled, no matter in what department these affairs happen to be administered. Any system that does not make him responsible is wrong system and ought to be wiped from the face of the earth.
 Small Politics"
 Mir. Harrison refers to my admin fstration.' He has no administration that is separate and apart from his colleagues. He is one of the system and he must stand or fall with that sys- tenn.
 Mir. Harrison's statement smacks of small politics from start to finish. He seeks to array the department of one of the commissioners against his own department, and is asking the peo- pie to compare the two, note the diff ference and vote for him at the next election. He does not care what be- comes of the other departments, but is passing his plea solely on the propo- sition that the people have not yet discovered any shortages in his depart ment.
 Furthermore, it is runored that Mir. Harrison has on the city payrolls 10 or 12 of his relatives. If this be true, l would like to ask Mir. Harrison if they were appointed by reason of their competency or by reason of their kinship. And does he think that such appointments work to the best interest of the people of this city?
 The people understand that Mir. Harrison is hoping to be the president of the next city commission-should there be one. They understand quite we'll his present tactics. His only .ac- complishment' at the city hall has been sto help the Birmingham Electric com pany tighten it's stranglehold on the people.n ss... .lsss-
 Statement In Full
 Commissioner Harrison's statement, given out by him Friday morning, fol- lows:
 T am constrained to issue this statement because of developments it the city hall and because some people .are prone to condemn the whole com mission without considering or credit ing the individual members of the com mission with his or her record and po- sition taken from the beginning on the