The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-06-22
CITY HALL ROW USED AS TRUMP
 CARD IN FIGHT
To Fire Opening Guns At. Mass Meeting In
 Early July
WANT REFERENDUM
 HELD ON AUGUST IS
Lawyers Committee Says Move Not Dependent
 On Legislature

Forces favoring a return the the mayor.aldermanic form of city govern ment in Birmingham will begin their onslaught with big mass meeting early in July. and will ask that referendum on the issue be set for August 16, Hun- ter Armstrong, campaign director, said Saturday.
 Meanwhile, a committee of lawyers is completing it's report on legal aspects of the movement against the present commission government. This report will declare that the move is legal and that no action by the state legislature would be necessary to put the changes into effect.
 Petitions asking the city commission to call an election will be circulated in every section of the city, beginning about July 1. Armstrong said. He and his leaders plan to obtain 10000 or 15,- 900 signatures before the petitions are formally presented, although only 5000 names are necessary.
 While the anti-commission govern ment forces are making ready for an intensive drive, the "stand-patters' are watching the situation closely and await. ing developments. City hall leaders who favor retention of the present form of rule say the movement launched by Mir. Armstrong will fall flat. They say the mayor-aldermanic plan was tried for years and that the voters denounced it as a failure in establishing commission government.
 Controversies Feared
 Opponents of the movement. however, fear that Armstrong's forces will be able to win many votes by airing at public meetings and rallies the numer- ous rows and controversies that have kept the present commission almost con- tinuously in hot water.
 It is known that recent developments at the city hall have caused members of the city commission to express concern oyer the outcome of the reform move < nieit.a z4s kS
 The late war over the proposed police training school, together with the bitter feud over the. proposed audit of the city comptroller's books, have caused considerable worry in the ranks of the 'stand-patters."
 Commission members who intend to run for reelection next year if com mission government still obtains here frankly stated Saturday they intend to use every resource to keep down any further dissension among the official family.
 Armstrong has been keeping books on the city hall turmoil and has hundreds of newspaper clippings which he fig ures will be real dynamite" when his drive gets under way.
 As soon as Armstrong presents pe- titions calling for referendum, the op- position to his movement will open fire in earnest, it is stated. Advocates of commission government make it plain they will not surrender without hot fight.
 "We realize we will encounter stiff opposition" Armstrong said Saturday, in summing up the situation, ''but in the last week I have visited every sec- ton of the city and sounded out senti- ment. I found overwhelming dissatis- faction with the present government and I received assurances of widespread sup port. A campaign committee will be ap- pointed in few days and we will take this fight into every nook and corner of Birmingham. We are Out to win.