San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-04-08
HIS JOURNEY.
AN INTERESTING CONVERSATION
WITH MR.. GEORGE KALTEYER.
A City Full of Life, Money and Business.
Birmingham, Ala, the Pitts
burg of the South.

known druggist, cement manufacturer
and President Of the Lone Star Brewery,
was met yesterday afternoon by a re-
porter Of the LIGnT and Intercepted as
to what he learned and saw while alb.
sent on his recent journey to Washing
ton, New York and other cities.
Mr.. Kalteyer was obliging enough to
accord the scribe an interesting resume
Of his trip and began by answering the
question:
swell, how's Washington, d. c. ?"
BUSY, very busy" he replied. Con
gress Is in session, and as always the
case when this body meets, the city is
unusually crowded, and saw a great
many people there; met all the Texas
representatives met young Robert
Green, formerly Captain Of the Belknap
Rifles, now Senator COke's private Sec
rotary saw Mayor Fulton, ofGalVestop,
Congressman Sayers and others. Hon.
Savers was then very confident of seour-
ing the passage of his bill for an appro-
priation to erect Federal building In
San Antonio for $500, 900, and which has
since been passed, appropriating this
sum. He said to me the people OF San
Antonio, he hoped, would have patience
and he would secure the passage Of the
bill for the postoffice, and thought he
would get the 100000. His bill was in
troduced for this amount, but was sub
sequently cut to $4,000 by the commit
tee to whom IL was referred. A bill Is
first introduced in the House, read the
first and second times, and then ordered
printed. 1t is then referred to the proper
committee, and from the committee it is
reported back TO the House of Represen-
tstives, and comes on the calendar ac-
cording to the number it was reported
back Sayers' bill stands No. 20 and
Mr.. Coke's bill from the Senate stands
No. "a. This IS a bill for the same OBJ
ject, and the Senate approved of granting
the $500, 0OO asked. Savers was in hope
they would substitute Coke's bill for his
In the House and pass it for the full
amount, or, II not that, that they would
cut ii to $3.50, 900 and send it back to the
Senate for concurrence. The Senate
would likely not agree with the House
and conference committee would be
appointed, land we should very likely
get either 100000 or $4,000 at the
lowest.
"Did you learn of any new measures
to come up before Congrsss?" asked the
reporter.
Nothing of special Importance. The
new measures are too numerous for Inc
to particularize. There are already
5000 bills on the docket. While walking
through the corridors.of the White House
met and talked to a great many Wash
ington people and they spoke in high
praise Of our Texas delegation, and say
that the two real working members are
Messrs. Savers and Grain, the two new
members. They have made exceeding
ly good records.
From Washington went on to New
York and Philadelphia. In New York
l found everything very quiet and stag
nRnt on account of the st. Louis strike.
Business men were complaining of dull
business every where, except in CalifOr-
mia traffic, which was booming, and
freights through to San Francisco were
being hauled at the rate Of 30 cents per
hundred weight. The labor question is
the all absorbing topic and agitates the
entire North. How about Gould? Lit
tie is said, although Hoxie's spunk in
dealing with the question was greatly
admired. Gould does not walk about,
apparently In any personal danger, and
does not appear to have any body guard,
though Ii Is almost impossible to say as
| to this, as there may be detectives en-
| plsyed for this purpose by him. In re-
| gard to the recent arbitration between
| the Knights and himself, | heard he
made S4,000,Ct0 in one day in the transac-
| ton in the stock market. l was but two
days in New York and did not see any
| one from Texas that knew.
"While in Washington heard little in
| politics, as am not well versed. Sew
| eral Democratic Senators. 1 understand,
| say they would have done better to have
had Blaine as President. They are Of
| the opinion that Cleveland is doing
great harm to the Democratic party.
81 stopped several days at Birming-
ham, Ala, on my homeward journey.
This is such busy little city and so full
| of life that IL is called the Pittsburg Of
the South. The city is on veritable
boom. never saw anything like IL. 1t
| Is to-day the best city in the United
States for its size. Twenty thousand is
its estimated population. Real estate is
such good investment that holders
do not really know how much
| to ask for 1t. While there
l met Mr.. Henry DeBsrdlebep,
formerly interested in this city in an in
vestment. He is the life Of the city and
is very enterprising man. Birming-
ham now has electric light and gas
works, coal, iron and blast furnaces,
rolling mills, waterworks, sewers, pub
lie fountains, street cars, macadamized
streets and lots of get up In one day
during my stay the two blast furnaces,
employing 5000 men, turned out $50 tons
Of Dig iron, a tremendous days work.
Labor prices are varied. For unskilled
labor the price per day is from 30 cents
to Sl.25. Skilled labor is paid better, OF
course, and some of the iron moulders
and others am told, earn 81 and SIS per
day. One transaction in real estate
which came under my eye is man who,
some few years ago purchased large
piece6f property for $4,000. He sold
one strip of for Sl0,Co0 and owns three
quarters Of the land yet, besides having
four large brick business houses thereon
The sidewalks in Birmingham are Of
brick and cement exclusively. Theil
streets are maOadamiZed beautifully,
In Philadelphia cement is supplanting
brick in sidewalks, and asphalt is being
used for street-paving. In New Orleans
this is the same, asphalt being largely
used there for stree,-paying, and is TIKI
pavement; particularly SO, as the Barber
Asphalt Company give a warrantee o.
20 years to their work, and this warran
tee consists in bond and q deposit Of 81
much per cent. Of the bonds they receive
from the city.
They have two magnificent breweriei
in New Orleans. The stock Of tn,
Southern Brewery, which was founded
by Mr.. Hoppe, Of the Lone Star Brew