The age-herald., 1897-08-19
GOSSIP OF THE STREET
 AND HOTEL LOBBiESs

Perhaps we beast too much of ouT' country" said General Fucker of thei Alabama National Bank in discussing the prospects of this section. Tt is an old saying that where there is so much blow anh bluster there is little reality, but al we ask is for the people from a distance ito come and make a personal exanina- tion."
 General RuIclSer has an Individuality of his own and a knowledge gained from long experience in the industrial world. He is an intense advocate of home indus tries and local enterprise.
 why" said he i've nave made our mistakes, but the kindergarten age has passed. We have the facilities, we are employing them and opening the eyes of I the world. When I first came here Bir- mingham was only a town of $500 peo- pie. I have wa tched it grow and have seen many obstacles encountered andr overcome.''
 'It is just like making a. good article of blltter," continued General Rucksr 'It costs just as much to make a good quali- ty as it does a poor one. It all lays in the mixing. It is just like making a gosd barrel of whisky You know it takes just as much corns rye and other mixtures to make a good barrel of lquor as it doss a mean one. Now, this district has the in- gredients and the people have learned to do the mixing properly.
 "Schwank is authority fer the s,ate- ment that the average distance to assem- ble the ingredients for thIe making of al ton of iron was 735 miles. It is not over 25 in this district and it is just such ad- vgntages as this that make certain the prosperity of Birmingham
 
 "Tobe Gibson of Randolph county ard M W. Carter, of Opelka, are having ther trials in Washington said a politician who had just returned from the federal capital empty-flanded." Both are very clever about rendering their friends any assistance possible and it was while h slp- ing an office-seelker from Alabama alang that a funny thing happened.
 iVNS was SlNHt o tinC dPPifS1liI q SpiSi- did recommendation when suddenly he stopped and seemed Ito be rsflecting on whether to tell something that would probably throw damper over the appli- -cant's chances. He screwed up his cour- age and blurted out:
 ''Well, jes' tell you, MT. Gary, there can't be but one objection to the feller; he fit in the confederate army"
 well" said Mr. Gary, q don't know about appointing such 8 man to re- sponsible position. Would a man who had fits in the army be competent for such place?"
 70, no no, MT. Gary" chimed in Car ter; "Tab don't mean he had fits; he jes fout, jes fout that's all."
 There was suppressed laughter on the part of MT. Gary as the pair filed out.
 'I have heard of and seen many dif- ferent kinds of reunions, but the one over in Georgia the other day was the queerest of them all," said Maj. P. F. Cross, who halls from that state. "It was horse-swappers' reunion and fully a thousand of them were on hand with nags of every color and description. There was plenty of whisky and tobac- co that would have made Cuban finch. They adopted a constitution and by laws and no man will be taken as member who will dare attempt to trade off an. animal with an infrmity. They believe that civilization has reached the stage where even horse-swappers should be honest.
 Notwithstanding the adoption of 8 constitution and bylaws every sort os trick known to the trade was introduced. One trader with keen eye and big hat, who could spit tobacco juice twenty feet, rode in on sorry looking animal early in the morning. This individual changed mounts about a dozen times during the day and rode away on equal- ly as good a mount as the one he brought and was $50 ahead on the days work. Now, could he have obeyed strictly the constitution?"
 T. J. Tuhoy, a mining expert from the
 
 terday en route to New York. Mr. Tuhoy did not have long to spend in the south but is well pleased with what he has seen. "There is nothing that can i'm pede or stop your progress" was the way he expressed himself. The gentleman is interested in the gold regions of British Kootenai and after his trip in the south he will go to New York to negotiate mining deal He says the gold wealth or that section is equal to the kloudyl5e. fortunes can be made as quickly and hs is perfectly content to remain away from | Alaska.