The age-herald., 1899-03-25
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
 AND ELSEWHERE


 the most remarkable gathering of men and women ever assembled in Alabama for any purpose. As to numbers, 1t is reasonably certain that this meeting surpassed any other meeting ever held in the state. Men used to large crowds and used in one way or another to dealing with them estimate that there were fully 5000 persons who lis- tened to the wonderful eloquence of the Ne braskan. The Auditorium will comfortably seat over 5000 men. On Thursday night every seat was occupied, and hundreds stood for hours in the broad spaces behind the three tiers of seats. A reporter for The Age-Herald not assigned to duty at the meeting, stood for an hour and half un- able to obtain a seat of any sort. On the great platform there were 15O men, and every square available foot of the immense building was utilized.
 The demeanor of the listeners was pro- foundly impressive and significant. Fss the most part there was absolute stiffness, men and women sitting motionless, looking and listening. It was the intenseness of the audience, not ebulient enthusiasm, that impressed the onlookers most. This is not to say that there was any lack Of enthusiasm or applause; but merely to suggest that men had gone there for instruction, not for the cheaper thing which we may designate as mere shouting. MT. Bryan secured the undl- vided attention of the crowd at the outset, and held it through three long hours whilst he discussed subjects that only his genius could so long make interesting to the average man. His marvellous voice and superb personal presence thrilled every man present and appealed to every woman. One fact impressed those who studied his manner of speaking. Notwithstanding his extraordinary and almost unexampled power of speech, there are two or three well known and ordinarily effective tricks of the trained orator of which he makes no sort of use. It is impossible that he doesn't know these tricks. Therefore he ignores them by design. Infection and meditation he scorns imperiously. He gets on a high note and thunders through to the end with the steadiness, the momen- tum, and with the comparative power of the driving wheel of some vast machinery. He compes his listeners to listen The on- ly possible way of escape from his argu- ment is to fly. One must needs take to flight; for no thoughtful man can hear with indifference the full rounded, majestic periods of that matchess eloquence-the verberating power of the man who proba- bly is the first master of speech now living in this country, or perhaps any country. With his logic, his figures, and his conclu- sions this Is not the place to deal. There remains this to say, that none but a great man representing a great popular demand or cause could have attracted that crowd Thursday night; and none but a genius could have held the attention of the crowd for three hours.
 For the pleasure and profit of Mr. Bry- ans visit to Birmingham, credit is chiefly due MT Tominson, the intimate personal and political friend of the democratic lead CT. MT. Mryan was the guest of MT. and Mrs. Tomlinson at their beautiful South Highlands home on Thursday evening be- fore the speaking, and he dined there. The meeting of the stockholders of the splendid cotton factory at Avondale was eminently satisfactory. The report of bu- siness done and progress made pleased all the stockholders present, according to MT. Moses V. Joseph, the emnently sue cessful merchant. Mr. Joseph never talks for effect. He is practical man of affairs. Very shortly his firm of Loveman, Joseph & Loeb will occupy the largest and hand somest dry goods buildings in the south, and probably carry the largest stock Amongst the large stockholders of the cot ton mill present were Messrs. Smelling and Hale of Boston; Wilson, of Baltimore; and
  cotton mills, Rhoed Island. Two changes were made in the directorate. T. T. Hill- man, of Birmingham, was elected in place of MT. Thompson, of Providence, R. l., and Mr. Smelling, of Boston, in place of Mr. Chadwick, of North Carolina, recently dead The directors will meet next week and, it is understood, will re-eect the pres ent officers. The prospects for the big mills are entirely satisfactory to the stock | holders.
 | The death of Probate Judge w. F. Cad l dis, of Elmore, will bring on a warm fight | amongst the democrats of that county, the l good people of which seem to be so fond | of politics. Judge Gaddis, a Wetumpka | lawyer of high standing and ability, was | elected last August as a democrat, after one of the warmest county campaigns ex- | perienced in the state. During the canvass | many speakers for the democracy were | sent to the county. Governor Johnston | himself made two speeches in favor of | Gaddis. Fillmore had been anti-democratic
 for number of years; and the county
 democrats contemplated an arrangement 1 or combination with the republicans to de-
 feat the populist candidate for judge; but
 the imperative orders of the state execu- | tive committee that every county must
 have regular democratic ticket led to the nomination of Gaddis for the judge
 ship. The populist candidate was Tyler
 Goodwin, son of Former Congressman
 Goodwin. Gaddis won. His death now
 creates vacancy. which the governor is
 called upon to fill It is likely that there
 will be several applicants, and the governor 1 will have some difficulty in deciding as to
 whom to appoint.