The age-herald., 1899-01-22
Birmingham, Ala, January 2i, 1899.

BifIn1nBnam, Ala, January zl, 1c55.
 To the Editor of The Age-Herald.
 This community is deeply interested in se-
 curing additional industrial plants that
 bring with them workmen and their fami-
 lies, who need to be supplied with homes,
 sometimes with furniture, and always with food and clothing and transportation. They
 require the services of professional men, doctors, lawyers, dentists, and others; they
 pay taxes and contribute in every way to
 the upbuilding of the city and it's aggregate strength and wealth.
 Every member of our community is inter- ested in seeing such plants secured by any legitimate means As a matter of fact however, when a plant Is brought here there are usually not more than dozen. or at most a score of ndiiduals, firms or cor porations, who become actively interested, by which I mean financially interested, in the undertaking. The modus operandi is 10 apply to the Commercial club, which ap- | points a committete of public spr ted, hard working citizens, who go out and neglect | their own business and solicit subscriptions l or donations from two or three dozen peo- | pie. They secure them from some, are re- | buffed by others. and fail to see some of | those whom they desire to interest in the propos tion. The question, therefore, cf raising the bonus or the subscription may 1 depend upon, and may succeed or fail as the | result of accident; namely the health or
  | tive leisure of members of the soliciting | committete or the presence or temporary absence of one or more of the parties to be | interviewed. The method adopted is un- l ia r, because it is entirely unequal. The l burden is imposed upon a few manufactur- l ing or mercantile firms. and 99 per cent. Of l the community escape untouched and unso- l lieited. This method is equally unfair to l the gentlemen on whose broad shoulders l the burden of solicitation usually descends | It is not pleasant work and it becomes l somewhat monotonous.
 It may be necessary to secure general subscriptions for the creation of new en- terprise where the desired capital has not yet been accumulated. but cannot see why | this should be justifable in case of any ex- isting enterprise which already has It's capl- tai invested, and which it is proposed 10 remove here from some other place. In every such case it is presumed that the person, firm or corporation does not move to Birmingham on sentimental grounds, or
 to enjoy the saIubrity of our climate, or the
 picturesque scenery of our pretty valley.
 The removal is based in every case upon sef-interest. and is made, if at all, to secure
 the benefit of a cheap supply of coal, coke,
 pig iron. bar iron, lumber, or cotton,
 coupled with excellent railway facilities.
 There Is no reason why any member of this
 community should be called upon to sub
 scribe to help some one else to make
 money and the effort, if successful only r>results in the subscribers frequently losing
 money and gaining experience. have con-
 tributed in my lifetime towards the removal
 of two industrial plants and subscr bed to the stock of each enterprise. In one case I got back 10 cents on the dollar of my subscription and in the other case I got
 back nothing and these two subscriptions
 alone represented several years salary
 earned by very hard work. After this ex-
 perience, I do not propose myself ever to
 subscribe for the removal of a plant from
 one place to another, or to ask any one
 else to do so At the same time. the ben
 efits to which referred in the first para
 graph of this article justify some effort be-
 ing made in each and every case where a
 respectable and solvent concern seeks to move here and desires aid; or where a well considered movement is made for new plant; but this effort should be made on