Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-10-03

| sion, and to suggest was as much as they
| could do.
! Mr.. Conner said he went before the Leg
| islature and asked thai the power of the
| Railroad commission be increased in or
| der that they might be able to render re-
| lief when necessary and the greatest OPP
| position he met was from the commits
| sion itself. They claimed that the rail-
| roads have never refused to grant every
| request the commission has asked for.
This is not personal matter with
me-" continued Mr.. Conner, but If Bir-
mingham ever expects to build up a job
bling trade she will have to be placed in
condition to meet competition, and this
she can never expect as long as the rail-
roads discriminate against her."
Mr.. d. f. Roden said he was member
of the Birmingham Wholesale Groeers
association; that 1t is a fact that Birming-
ham is hampered by unjust dlscrimina-
ton in freights. Nashville" said Mr.
Roden, "ean ship goods to Cullman cheap
er than Birmingham can ship them there;
Memphis can ship to Jasper cheaped than
Birmingham can, notwithstanding the
distance from Jasper to Memphis Is 200
miles, while it is only forty miles from
| Birmingham to Jasper.
1.-THE merchants" said Mr.. Roden, "are
| the bone and sinew of every town and
city. They concentrate business and
wealth, 1t matters not what other feeders
| you may have. Newspapers of Birming-
| ham can hardly live because the mer-
| chants are hampered and cannot do the
| business they should do. The railroads
will give Bessemer, even Blocton, as good
a rate of freight as they do Birmingham,
where the receipts and shipments are no
| comparison.
Birmingham can neither ship in nor
| ship out goods with anything like the ad-
| vantage allowed other points.
| "In Georgia the Railroad commission
| regulates the freights, and why not Ala
bama?
II have talked with our Railroad COM
| mission on this subject and all to no ef-
| feet. If they have only the power to sug-
| gest let the legislature give them power
| to act. If they are only to sit up and
draw their salary the office should be dis
| pensed with.
New Orleans, Memphis, Atlanta and
| Nashville can all ship goods to almost
| any town in Ala bama cheaper than any
| jobbing town in the state can ship them
| II recently had occasion to ship a car
| load of coal tar to Fruithurst. The
freight from Birmingham to Fruithurst is
| 50 per barrel, while from Atlanta it Is
only rs cents per barrel and the result
was I had to ship the car first to Atlanta
| and then back to Fruithurst to have
| difference in the freight"
Mr.. Rhodes moved that a committee
of five be appointed by the chair to act
with similar committee to be appointed
| by the birmingham Wholesale Grocers'
association to take such steps as is
| the jobbing interest of Birmingham
In compliance with Mr.. Rhodes mo-
| ton the chair appointed the following
| committee: B. b. Conner chairman; S.
| W. Lee, Fl. II. Sinnige, b. Il. Roden and
| W. III. Kettig.
Mr.. Conner stated that the iron inter-
est of the city has always obtained the
| rates demanded
He also stated that as the question of
| a constitutional convention will come be-
fore the Ala hama Commercial association
| to meet here next week, all efforts be pun
| forward looking to that end; that in case
| constitutional convention is not held,
| he believes the next legislature will be
| untrammeled and relief can be secured
| before that body.
| Mr.. Conner moved that the clipping
| from the Atlanta Constitution published
| above be sent to each member compos-
| ing the Alabama railroad commission.
| Motion carried and the secretary in
| structed accordingly.
| New Members.
On motion the following new members
| were elected:
w. c. Moore, r. Ehrman, ]. W. Minor,
S. L. Robertson, George w. Harris, L.
| Minor.
| President Joseph said the club was in
| fiourishing condition and that from
ten to twenty new members are added
| every month.
Mr.. Rhodes suggested that those pres
ent contribute to the liquidation of the
| Indebtedness of the club and put 1t clear
| of debt
Mr.. ]. Morgan Smith called attention.
| to the fact that the bylaws prohibited
| the taking up of a collection at any of
| the meetings. When such was the prac-
| tice many were deferred from attend
| ing the meeting, and this gave rise to the
| passage of the bylaw referred to.
| Chairman Joseph said he did not think
| the intention of the bylaw was to pre-
vent anV voluntary SllDEpriptiOn and
would rule if the members desired to
pay up the back debt of the association
| they could do so at the close of the meet
ing.
Delegates to State Association.
| The president appointed the following
| delegates to the Alabama Commercial
association, which meets in the rooms of
| the Commercial club Wednesday, Octo-
| Der 7.
r. Y. Anderson, J. A. Going, w. H.
| Harvey, r. d. Johnson, ]. X. Mcdonald,
David Roberts, w. c. Shackelford, A.
| Schillinger, James A. Roy, b. Steiner,
| B. F. Roden, w. !. Miner, w. N. Ma
lone, Robert Jemison, 7. H. Spencer j.
| Gregory, r. N. Rhodes John M. McCarty,
| G.. f. Wheelock, w. G. Estes, George
Blinn, Jr., r. H. Thomas, o. w. Under
wood, w. b. Leedy, A. T. London, E. Les
ser, W. B. Phillips, II. A. Passolt, o.
Chalifoux, Joseph Beitman, T. NJ. Allen,
| c. Bradshaw, w. M. Newbold, f. N. Gull
lom. B. B. Conner, M. p. Messer N. E.
Barker, Ben Meyer, b. F. Moore, f. w.
Mccarthy H. A. Sharpe, A. D. Smith,
| A. C. Reckling George M. Morrow. J. B.
| Cobbs, James e. Webb, J. A. VanHoose,
John S. Jemison, I. C. Lebolt, S. w. Lee,
| c. w. Cody, S. Steiner, j. A. Rountree,
| E. GlucS, N. w. Trimble.
| Mr.. Sig Steiner moved that the dele
| gates be instructed to vote for consti-
| tutional convention.
Mr.. Rhodes stated that he thought the
| delegates should be left unpledged; that
| he was satisfied nearly, If not all, favored
| a constitutional convention.
There being no further business the d.
| rectors adjourned.
| AS the hour was late and a quorum
| not present no general club meeting was