The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-07
PETITIONS READY. FOR REFERENDUM ON MAYOR. RULE
Plans For Series Of Pub lie Meetings Being
 Formed

Petitions seeking a special election on the proposed modified mayor-al- dermanic form of city government will be filed with Probate Judge J. P. Stiles next Friday or Saturday. On the following Tuesday, an intensive speaking campaign throughout the city will be launched.
 This was announced Saturday by Hunter Armstrong, register of cbancery court and chairman of the mayOr-al- dermanic steering committee. He said check-up of the past weeks work showed that 5000 signatures, or the number required to call an election, al ready had been secured by the 70 cam paigners who have covered all parts of Birmingham.
 Frank Dominick, general campaign chairman, announced that plans for a series of public meetings would be com pleted early this week. A city-wide drive for votes will be pushed, while Judge Stiles office force checks the petitions, preparatory to certifying to the city commission. that the re- uuired number of names have been ob- tained, he said.
 q am greatly pleased at the progress made during the past week" MT. Domi- nick said. "very few citizens who were approached by our campaign workers declined to sign the petitions. In every section, the movement ap- pears to be gaining strength, and the prospects are indeed bright for sweep mig victory at the polls for representa- tive government.V
 Dominick To Speak
 Chairman Dominick will issue a formal statement on the campaign im- mediately after the petitions are filed in probate court. He also will make several speeches during the campaign, and probably will make his first ap- pearance at a meeting to be held in Woodrow Wilson park.
 Judge Edgar Allen of municipal court is another speaker on whom cam paign headquarters are counting for much of the verbal thunder" during the drive. The judge delivered the key note address of the campaign several weeks ago at Pratt City. It made such a hit with campaign leaders that he was at once placed at the head Of the speakers list.
 "The big issue in this fight" says Judge Allen, lis autocratic government against representative government. l contend that commission government Is autocratic, and that the government of our fathers, which has successfully stood the test of 150 years, should be restored in this city"
 Campaign leaders were busy Satur- day obtaining short expressions on the campaign from numbers of leading men and women. These statements will be read to the voters at the various meet ings soon to be held, it was announced.
 While the ayor-aldermanic forces have invited the advocates of the coun- cil-manager type of government to en- ter their plan in the campaign, no detl- mite steps towards this end had been taken Saturday. A number of leading women, including the executive board of the League of Women Voters, have indorsed the manager system as aaglnst the mayor-aldermanic plan.
 Committees Sees Success
 A statement on the progress of the campaign by the steering committee was given out by Mir. Armstrong, as follows:
 "In one more week our petitions will have been filed with probate judge and we will be ready for whirlwind campaign in every district of Birming- ham. During the week just passed, signatures on these petitions were se- cured in large numbers in every section. The stering committee is pleased tp note a steadily increasing interest in the campaign. As the voters take added interest and study the form of government we are proposing, the op- position to this movement decreases.
 We are glad to be able to announce that some of the leading women of the city, who formerly were ardent spon- sors of the cOuncil-manager plan, are now working for the mayor-aldermanic ordinance. We are also gaining sup porters daily from the ranks of the commission government forces. Even some of the officials and employees at the city hall are-with us. This commit tee hopes that every citizen will take hand ill this fight, whether he or she be for us or against us. This is matter that vitally effects every citi- zen and the election which we hope to hold in the next 30 or 40 days should bring out the heaviest vote in the his tory Of Birmingham" AN