The age-herald., 1898-09-29
REPORTS WILL YETBE
 MADE FOR A CAMP Was the Decision of Commercial Club
 Yesterday. A COMMITTEE OF TWENTY Will Take Entire Charge of the Matter Trip to Washington. RIDDEN ATTACKED THE SOLDIERS Said Men of First Alabama Did Things Disgraoeful to Civilization General
 Shelley and Sigfried. Steiner
 Rallied to Their Defense.
RIDDEN ATTACKED THE SOLDIERS

steps to have a camp of soldiers located | here. This was the decision reached at a called meeting of the Commercial club yes ' terday afternoon.
 A committee of twenty will be named to- day by President Steiner to take full charge of the matter It will be divided into sub committt es-one to select site, one to go to Washington and another to raise the funds.
 There was some opposition to making eff forts to secure camp on the ground that the morals of the city would be corrupted but the champions of the American soldier were. in the majority.
 The called meeting grew out of the decis- ion of the committee on selecting site, which met the day previous and decided to drop the matter. President Steiner rapped for order, and said that the meeting had been called at the instance of members who had signed a petition to him. What is your pleasure?' he said, as he | waited for some one to answer. Emil Lesser was the first to rise. He re- l qucsted that the committee be asked to | render its report.
 Best Not to Get Troops | Chairman Jemison said that the commit- | tee held d meeting and after going over the | matter carefully decided that it was best l not to try to get troops here. In reply to | President Steiner's question if there was a minority report, he said there was not The | question was carried without opposition, al | though he could not tell whether everyone | voted.
 | w. B. Leedy moved that the committee be discharged and a new one appointed | MT Lesser wanted the committee to be 1 allowed to explain its reasons before this motion was put Mir. Jemson had stated that it was a majority report, but it was | not a unanimous one. There were two gen l tlemen who did not vote. He was ons' Of l them, and did not vote because he saw it was of no use. He then read minority re- 1 port, which set forth the advantages to be derived from military camp, and that ] from conversations with business men he | thought they wanted the camp. | The report concluded with the following l language: ''I believe the American soldier is a gentleman Exceptions only prove the rule), to whom the safety and welfare of l our community can be entrusted without l any danger whatsoever. I therefore l strongly recommend that all necessary steps be taken at once, so that such a camp be established here.'
 1 Committee Did Wrong MT. Molten said that it was his under
 standing when the committee was ap-
 pointed that it was the sense of the club to
 have a camp. He thought the committee
 had done wrong in going back on the club
 in it's decision
 - Mr. Lesser again took the floor and said
 that he still thought that the comm:ttee
 should have an opportunity to explain. He
 did not think the committee had the right | to kill the matter. He thought the board
 was due the reasons of the committee. MT | Roden and Mr. Enslen said in the commit
 tee meeting that a camp would bring a
 great deal of money, but this would not
 equal the injury to the city from a mora | standpoint. Soldiers, they said, would use
 their uniforms as license to commit al
 most any crime in the calendar. He had heard citizens of Anniston ond Huntsville
 talk They had some trouble at first, but
 good order was maintained now and they
 were all satisfied.
 MT. Rainbow moved that the minority
 report be adopted.
 Before the question was put B. F. Roder
 arose to state his pos tion. He stood the
 champion of virtue and scored the volun- | teer soldier, drawing his conclusions from
 what he had seen at Chickamauga.
 Disgrace to Civilization
 q speak from my own knowledge" ht
 said. q served in the army four years my
 self I know what soldier is. served il
 volunteer army far superior in morality
 and intelligence to the present volunteer
 army. You know what the First Alabama
 did Men lost their identity in their uni
 forms and committed acts that were a dis T grace to civilization. Some of them liv, here. and you will be taxed to pay for theil l acts"
 | Here he referred to the camp at Chicka I mauga, near Chattanooga. He said thu people were glad the soldiers were gone l "The men are glad of it. Their wive and daughters wouldn't go on the street l for fear of being insulted. Even some o the men would not go for fear of tn 1 drunken soldiers. If you get a camp her ! you will have to guard your children ol ! the way to school. Your girls and boy l will be prostituted"
 | At this point the gentlemen spoke of tn | lewd class that fiocked into Chattanoos; l and made statements that would not lool | well in print Several of the members pres ent blushed and looked around for fresl | air.
 .'Men should have higher motives thai | the making of dollar. If you want mon | ey so bad that you want to prostitute tn | town, I am ashamed of you and l don | want to be classed with you"
 Gen. Shelley's Defense | General Shelley arose to the defense o | the American soldier. He said that with | out regard to whether a camp should b.
 located in Birmingham, he thought MI
 Roden had been unfair to the great bod,
 of soldiers who volunteered to their coun l 'try's call. He explained that where s1cl