The age-herald., 1898-11-11
 DID NOT CONFER Citys Invitation ScOrned by the
 Suburbanites, THEY ATTENDED MEETING Passed Resolution Which Stoped
 the Talk. ALDERMAN GRAY ITS FATHER His Colleagues on Committee Resent
 His Action. DECLARE THEY ARE NOT BOUND Will Make Their Report to the Board of Aldermen, and if Thought Ad- yisable Some Other Proposi-
 ton Will be Submitted.
DECLARE THEY ARE NOT BOUND

The suburbanites scorned the invitation of the board of aldermen for a conference. They went to the appointed place at the appointed hour last night, but they refused to confer.
 The meeting lasted nearly two hours and was one of kaledoscopic changes. The chairman of every committee announced the willingness of his delegation to enter the conference when organization was per- fected. Then by their votes they placed a sudden terminus to the conference in passing a resolution introduced by Alder man Gray, minority member of the Bir- mingham committee.
 This is the resolution which resulted from the alleged conference:
 Be 1t Resolved, That the annexation of the sired at the present time.
 Call of the Meeting
 This is the resolution under which the alleged conference was held:
 Resolved, That the mayor is hereby au- thorized and directed to appoint com- mttee consisting of five members of the board of aldermen, with the mayor added, who shall be the chairman of said commit tee, to further confer with the citizens of this city and the outlying districts proposed to be annexed to ascertain if such annexa- ton is advisable and to the best interests of the people, and whether the same can be accomplished upon a fair, just and equit- able basis to all concerned, to determine the territorial extent of such proposed an- nexation, and to procure suitable bill for such annexation containing such provisions and conditions as may appear proper and expedfent, and to report said bill to meet ing of this board, and if approved by 1t, to submit the same to the next general assembly of Alabama, petitonng that body to enact a law authorizing such an- nexation."
 This resolution was introduced by Alder man Henry B. Gray, appointed a member of the committee under the above resolu- tion.
 His Act Resented
 MT. Grays resolution was far from sat isfactory to the remaining members of the committee of the board of aldermen. Three other members of the committee were pres ent at the alleged conference.
 Mayor Evans.
 Alderman W. J. Pearce.
 Alderman Walter Moore.
 We do not feel bound by Mr. Gray's res olution." said Alderman Pearce, after the meeting had adjourned. ''The Birming- ham committee invited the other commit to nd Wa conference held. The resolution introduced by MT. Gray was not in accordance with the spirit and purpose of the meeting. The resolution passed simply meant that the different delegations did not want a conference after they had agreed to one in the beginning of the meeting. We were powerless to stop the passage of the reso- lution because we were hopelessly in the minority. As have said, we do not feel bound by MT. Gray's resolution and we will make our report to the board of alder men, and then if they see fit to submit some proposition to the different outlying districts it can be done.''
 Alderman Pearce thought that he could speak for his four colleagues, saying they were opposed to MT. Gray's resolution
 '.I, as one member of the committete, do not feel bound by the Gray resolution" sad Alderman Walter Moore. 'Mr Gray only represented himself when he intro- duced the resolution. He did not repre- sent his five colleagues.
 From the action of the suburban com mittees," he continued, "I am lead to be- lieve that they are unduly prejudiced, or else they are afraid to go back to their people with any proposition from the city of Birmingham. I believe that there is an undercurrent for consolidation that they are afraid to stir up."
 Mayor Evans Substitute
 Mayor Evans offered a substitute for MT. Gray's resolution, which was tabled.
 The sense of it was that when the meeting adjourned it adjourn to meet next in Woodlawn. A proposition in writing could then be submitted to the citizens of that locality and the doors would be thrown open and all invited in to discuss it. When the meeting adjourned at Woodlawn it should next meet at East Lake where sim liar proceedings would be held and so on until a meeting was held in the center of each outlying district. From what informa- ton the committee gathered it should then report back to the board of aldermen.
 More Secrecy
 All the delegates from the outlying dis tricts held another star chamber" meet ing before the general conference in the city council chamber. From the proceed ings of the meeting it was evident that the