The age-herald., 1898-12-17
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
 AND ELSEWHERE

elers for Birmingham delay their arrival here in order to take part in the welcome I to the nations ruler but great many Bir-
 mingham men left the city to join the shouting throng. It was the dullest day
 for gossip of all sorts experienced here for i many months. Up to o'clock in the after noon the hotel registers showed beggarly 1 array of empty pages; but within four hours the tide had turned and the cry for
 beds was renewed with more vigor than before. The rushing crowd of business men may ebb from Birmingham for few hours, l but it must inevitably flow back and rise each time higher and higher The good I moon which governs the tide of progress
 for Birmingham now shines constantly with good grace; for the tide is always flow ing in reality, though yesterday it did seem I to ebb little way. It was mere seeming. | The tide rested.
 1 How wondrous the tide of Birmingham s | prosperity! How high it is rising, how con- | stantlyl It approaches the high-water mark, | and before 1899 passes the flood shall nave
 passed the high-water mark, the quays will
 have been submerged, and Birmingham will l have mounted to the higher heights. That | is what wise men say. and they speak in | the language of experience.
 l The principal topic yesterday was the l character of the reception accorded the l governor of Alabama, the high officers or | state, and the state parliament in Atlanta l The utmost indignation prevailed through | out the city, and many conservative citi- zens were violent in their expressions of 1 resentment Nothing can humiliate good men; but there is no question that the great body of this people feel affronted
 and outraged by the neglect of their rep
 resentatives on a ceremonial visit to At | lanta. The matter was discussed In all its bearings, and on all sides there was mani l fest a sense of wrong that it will require l years to forget or appease. The lack of | courtesy shown to the representatives of l Alabama is held to be an insult to every 1 Alabamian.
 Ut is a great outrage" declared dis l tinguished man who was in public life when
 most of the leading public men of Georgia | were in their cradles or yet not born into I the world. Ut is an Insult to all Alabam-
 fans, and should be stoutly and persistently resented. You and I may not personally | care red cent for our high officers of state or the general assembly; but they I represented us in Atlanta, and the out | rageous lack of courtesy shown them is I an insult to us all. We care nothing about 1 Atlanta. Very likely we most of us con- | slider it vulgar town out of which no real l good may come; but when it. throws open | it's gates and bids our representatives to l enter, we have right to demand that those l representatives be treated with common | deceney In point of fact, Atlanta has got no gates to throw open. She is sort of l Phrynne that daren't disrobe. 1T doubt if in the history of the states
 there is any record or any memory of such | discourtesy manifested by one state toward another as Georgia displayed toward Ala bama yesterday. I said Atlanta's action was outrageous. I repeat that, and I don't | believe Alabamians will forget the out rage.''
 MT. McKinley's visit to Alabama Is the 1 third presidential visit since the war be- l tween the states. Ten years ago MT. Cleve- l land visited thestate. In 1891 MT. Harrison came to Birmingham and was given one of I the most enthusiastic receptions ever ac- | corded any visitor to this city. Governor Jones and his staff. with a large party, | went from Birmingham on a special train | to the Alabama-Georgia state line to re- 1 ceive the president and escort him to Bir- mingham. Fifteen thousand people crowd l ed all the approaches to the union passen- I ger station to greet the illustrious visitor When the presidential train came in it was profusely decorated. and just below the | headlight was huge portrait of Harrison. l There was temporary platform erected | under the big carshed, and from that Gov ernor Jones delivered his formal speech of 1 welcome. The president responded in I happy vein, after the noise of steam wflis- | ties had subsided. By concerted arrange
 ment every steam whistle in Birmingham | blew its 1oudest blasts for ten minutes.
 In the afternoon the president held pub | lie reception at the Caldwell hotel, since destroyed by fire. At night he was enter l tained at a banquet in the great saloon of | the Caldwell, and there was grand time. | President McKinley's suggestion that the l general government should care for the l graves of the conferedate dead created a | profound impression amongst ex-confeder- | ates and the descendants of old rebel" sol 1 diers in this city. It touched the tenderest
 point in the emotional southern nature, and
 tne president made a personal well-wisher
 of every true southerner He did not mean
 to play to the gallery. So far as his indi-
 vidual fortunes go, it cannot be of much
 concern to him what the southerners think.
 All the more graceful, therefore, his refer
 ence to the confederate dead.
 l
 Amongst the visitors to the city is MT.
 J. s. B. Thompson. assistant general super
 intendent of the Southern railway. MT.
 Thompson's headquarters are in Atlanta,
 and he is here in his private car looking
 after the interests of his great company.
 He is one of the ablest and most success
 ful railroad magnates of the south. More
 over. he is one of the best and most popular
 of all good fellows between the seas. He Is
 wide-awake. vigilant, watchful. wise; but
 he always finds time to be civil and agree