Birmingham state herald., 1895-12-07
THE SOUTH PRAISED.
Citizens of Chicago Were Highly Pleased With
 What They Saw,


 Chicago, Dec. 6.-Sout thern hospitality, southern resources and southern pros poets occupied the whole time of the speaker at the banquet of the Chicago Freight bureau tonight. Incidentally the Chicago Southern States Cotton ex- position received a big boom and south ern railways a scathing arraignment for discriminating against Chicago in its en- deavor to increase its business facilities with the merchants of Dixie The gath erlng was representative one. Many of the leading merchants and business men of Chicago were present and enthu- siastic feeling as to the south was abund- ant. President Elliott Durant was the first speaker. In calling the meeting to order he said it's purpose was to advance the cause of better business and more of it with the great country beyond Ma E son and DiXon'S line "I believe" said MT, Durant 'it Is in the power of the character of the freight bureau to lead the northwest to victory and turn the - balance of the southern trade, amount ing to many millions, to our city and her northern neighbors, bringing from the 9south in return her cotton, her fruits and her sugar, Only. one thing prevents our seeing a battery of sugar mills and cot ton manufactories on the prairies about r Chicago aided by cheap fuel and super
 
 thing is transportation"
 r MT. Durant argued that there was but one way possible to secure proper trans portation facilities, and that was to , build a railroad to the south of Chicago. He contended that such a railroad would be a paying investment.
 At the conclusion of his speech he in- troduced Col. Henry Turner. who con ducted the First regiment, Illinois na- tional guard, through the south. Colonel Turner spoke in glowing terms of the people and possibilities of the land from which he has but recently returned.
 N. G. Inglart, commissioner of the freight bureau, followed Colonel Turner. He spoke at length of the discrimination practiced by the railroads. "A fair pro- portion" said he, "of the trade of nine great states, comprising F, 2,500, 900 people and 421, 900 square miles of territory nearly one-fifth part of the United States is practically stranger to us on ac- count of the hoggish actions of southern railroads. This discrimination is two edged-it shuts Chicago out of this great territory and it prevents that stimula- tion of the southern markets which would undoubtedly ensue if Chicago had access Co it."
 Malcolm McNeal, secretary of the Chi cago Southern States association, was the next speaker, and related the prog ress made toward a cotton exposition
 
 of the southern states He said he was in receipt of letters from those in charge of the preliminary work of the proposed exposition at Chicago. This work was now being carried on at Augusta. These letters show the scheme to be well under way and the prospects brilliant for it's fulfillment. He indorsed the idea of a grand trunk line from Chicago to Charles ton, and said the scheme was by no means a visionary one.
 Secretary Hummer of the freight bu- reau followed in the same lines as his predecessors. and he was followed by Secretary Stone of the board of trade. who pledged the unreserved support of the board of trade to- any proposition which would advance the interests of the south, which, he believed, were identical with those of Chicago
 The following resolution was carried.
 Resolved, That the sense of the Chica- go freight bureau this evening heartily indorses the proposed cotton states ex- position to be held at Chicago and that they will do all they can to make 1t a