Birmingham age-herald., 1895-04-03


 not here, with their addresses. including
 districts, be furnished the committee of
 five, and that said com mittee shall prepare
 at once well considered and written ap-
 peal to the people of Alabama aud that
 each member of this association personally
 see to 1t that this paper is brought to the attention of the probate judges, the mayors and the newspaIe CTS in their respective dis iricts and especially ask their co operation, and let the good women of their towns and counties know that we rely upon their as- sstance and that where there Is no repre- sentative of this association that steps be taken to reat such localities. The comm ttee on immigration then made the following report, which was adopted:
 MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES. Your committee on securing cotton fac- tories for the south and on immigration regret that they have not time to treat the matters which came up and the sut scts at the length they deserve. But we would respectfully recommend that all commer- | cial bodies and the several municipalities 1 of tue state endeavor to have their county l commissioners and their city authorities l pass resolutions or take such legal steps to exempt from taxation such cotton mills as may be located in the several counties. | This they are authorized to do for a period l of five years by existing law That the | fact of such exemption being gwen be pub 1 lished in the several newspapers of the diff l ferent counties and made known as
  | ble method.
 We beg to express regret that the bill l granting exemption to cotton mills from l state taxation Jailed to be enacted into law l by our last legislature, believing that such | a law would have brought thousands Of dollars to our state.
 We recommend that all commercial bod 1 ies and newspapers of our state begin now | to advocate this legislation in order to make sentiment in it's favor that we may | secure such law at the next session of our | legislature.
 | We recommend that all commercial | bodies see to 1t that the advantages of our | state over other states for manufacuturing | cotton goods, which are manifest. shall be l constantly advertised in every possible way ,laying particular stress on cheap coal, | about which there seems, from recent re- port of the Massachuse committee sent out to investigate this question, there is much transformation in the cotton man- ufaciuring districts of the east Stress also | should be laid on our laws which may be l favorable to the investment of capital in l manufacturing; also upon cotton supply, cheap and contented native labor, free l from disposition to agitate and strike; l healthtuiness of locality, aud, in fact, all l points to be considered by this convention. l We would also recommend that the building Of small mills on the insta llment 1 plan be commended to the various locali- l Lies where large mills cannot be had, even | if such mills be restricted to the manufac- | ture of yarns, which branch pays hand-
 somely. Small mills form the nucleus for | big developinent, as is evidenced by North | and South Caroline, these two States now
 leading the south in this line. Much can l be done by individual effort.
 IMMIGRATION. | Your committee recommend that the l governor be requested to use such money | as can be spared from the agricultural l fund of the state or any other available l for thls purpose to advertise our resources
 This can be done by articles in newspa-
 pers in the northern states by the distri- l button of leaIlels, and by permanent ex-
 hibits at either Sioux City, Onealia, Min
 neapolis, St. Paul or Chicago, or all l these points. Also that man well in- formed on our resources be sent to repre-. 1 sent us with these exhibits. Your com- l mittee also recommend that the Comner- | cial club, and municipalities ask all north l ern people who have settled and done well
 here, 10 write to their Dortnern homes and | friends giving such favorable impressions | as they may have of the south and that
 these letters be edited by the several ass = 1 ciations. Your committee also recommend that the next leg stature be asked to provide for q l beureau of immigration.
 MT. Rogers of Quincy, Ill.,, was intro l duced by Captain Graves and made an ex- | cellent speech upon the subject of immigra- l ton to the south, the necessity for the | appointment of competent man to look after it and also to distribute literature in l every home in the north He said the first l time he came to Alabama was with a mum. Der of newspaper men to see if the bloody | chaSm could not be bridged over, but that | he found 1t too hot and the chasm too vide. 1 He spoke of how the west had been settled l up and how the people of the north were l turning towards the south (which has ample | lands for the accommodation of. all wno come. He believed that the formation of l colonies was of the most successful | modes. He urged that something be done | in that direction. The club applauded his l speech very much.
 | The convention then adjourned until
 o'clock. NIGHT SESSION. The night session was called to order at | S:25 o'clock, and President Wood stated | that the only thing before theassociation | was the election of officers, and also the re- l port Of the committee on permanent organ | ization.
 The president asked if any other business | was to be brought up. Secretary Ihomp-= son then rea1 the following resolution, which was presented by MT. James F. | Slater. Whereas, There is movement among | the members of the Grand Army of the Re- public throughout the north to organize a colonization enterprise looking to imni- grafton to the south; and,
 Whereas, Alabama possesses unequailed advantages to attract such emigratlon, in order that such information may get before those interested in that movement, be it Resolved by the Commercial Associa- | tiOn of Alabama, That the state encamp- ment of the Grand Army of the Republic
 that assemblies ia Montgomery on the 4th | instant be and the same is hereby re- quested to appoint committee of three from that body to investigate the resources of AIabama for the purpose of reporting on the same officially for distribution among their comrades in the north, and that Mir. J. F. Slater be appointed committee of one from this body whose duty it shall be to accompany said committee in their in-