Birmingham age-herald., 1895-04-14
ALABAMA IS ALL RIGHT.
An Interesting Talk With N' F. lhompsoH' Keep Your Eye on Birmingham,
 He Says.

One of the guests of the St. Nicholas IS N. F. Thompson, secretary of the Com mercial club of Birmingham, Ala, ana or the Alabama Commercial association. He is here in the interest of the Alabama colonization scheme, and last night talk ed very enthusiastically about his state He said:
 "The Alabama Commercial associa- tion. at its recent meeting in Birming- ham, requested the state -encampment or the Grand Army of the Republic, when assembled in Montgomery the next day, to appoint a special committee rom that body. who would officially examine, un- der the guidance of committee rom the commercial association, the resources and advantages of Alabama for colonlza- tion purposes, in view of the early move ment of large colonies from that order to the south That committee was prompt ly appointed, and Is composed of the fol- lowing persons: William Snyder and F. G. Shepperd of Birmingham, and M. D. Wickersham of Mobile. These gentle men have esta blished headquarters at 1906 Second avenue, Birmingham, Ala, and will be glad to answer all inquiries sent them.
 Tt seems to me that in view of the importance of this movement, 1t should be undertaken with great care,. for as a citizen of the south, no matter where Sucn a colony SnOulu De lOcaleu, l WOuiu wish it success, since failure would tend to discourage others from coming, and l feel that there need be no failure, because there are so many favorable conditions that one needs must go out of the way to find unfavorable ones. Immigrants should be located upon soil similar in some degree to that with which they are familiar, or have been culivating. Many of the proposed colonists are on prairie lands, or upon those from which hard wood has been removed. Such lands can be had in Alabama at very low prices. without the arduous labor of removing timber, stumps, etc.
 Enough northern people have located in that state to show its advantages. and communication with the committee I have named will elicit all the informa- tion desired.
 "One strong point for Alabama is that she is the coming manufacturing state of the south. With her cheap coal and iron and the eXhaustless forests of hard wood and pine at hand there Is home market assured for the products of the soil and a field for all surplus labor. 1 want to say in this connection for the benefit of the business men of Cincinnati, whom know are wide-awake to their interests that they should keep an eye on Bir- mingham.' Recent events have given that city new life and hope. The long talked of era of steel making is at hand. Two strong corporations are now en- gagged in active preparations for the manufacture of steel from our native iron, and this means the working of the raw material and sending the finished product where we now send out only the less valuable article. @s
 There is no question but that this will bring industries to Birmingham that have hitherto not thought of locating there. There is no desire for any more real estate 'booms but this time it is going to be in the line of industrial de- velopment that Birmingham will be most conspicuously noticed. Politics is not going to disturb us much either The Commercial club started a campaign of education some time since, having for it's text this idea More business, less poli- ties, and the entire press of the state has very generously responded, and the pa pers are now devoting large portions of thelr space to the matter of better busi- ness methods and industrial deVelopment than ever known before.
 Tn line with this, at the meeting of the Alabama Commercial association. to which have referred, that body decided to nave an exhibit of Alabama's match less resources at the Atlanta exposition. For the first time in her history the wealth that lies in Alabama's mineral deposits will be shown to the world in sucn way as will convince any one see- Ing It that, like the queen of Sheba, it Will be said the half has not been told
 Tt strikes me that it would be n bie stroke of business policy for some of your monied men to come down there and put Tn some capital along with our people Tn this work of development in which we are so auspiciously entering. "-Cincin- natl, O.. Tribune.