The age-herald., 1899-01-06
FLORENCE MAKES
 SARCASTIC REPLY To the Letter Of the Commercial
 Club. ALL ABOUT "OPEN LETTER" Proof of Their First Assertions EStab-
 liShGd by Admissions. HIGH TRIBUTE TO DIR. BELLAMY They Allege That Neither Memphis Nor Nashville Are Making Any Effort to Secure the Much Talked
 About Wagon Factory.
HIGH TRIBUTE TO DIR. BeLLAMY

Among other important matters that will come before the meeting of the Commercial club this afternoon perhaps the "warmest number will be letter from tine Busi- ness Mems League of Florence, which is a sequel to the open letter criticislng the ac- ton Of the club in negotiating for the re- moval of the Florence Wagon works to this city. Just what action will be taken cannot be stated, but it is probab.e that it will precipitate an animated discussion as some members of the club are not inclined to take the same view of the matter as do the Florence people.
 The letter, winch bears date of January g. 1898, is quite an exhaustive presentation of the question, which in Qart and SUD- stance is as follows:
 Established by Commissions
 "Merrs T. H. Molton J. D. Chichester, A.
 R. Dearborn, A. D. Smith, N. N. Malone,
 Robert Jemison, Committee Commercial
 Club, Birmingham, Ala:
 "Gentlemen: Your communication of the 27th of December, with enclosures was du y submitted to the Business league of tnis city, and received their careful considera- tion. We were directed to forward this re- ply:
 "We beg leave to say that the rumors upon which was based our "open letter, and which you are pleased to term un- founded, seem to be completely established by your own admissions.
 You admit that your club has been and is now engaged in active negotiations to secure the removal of the Florence Wagon works to Birmingham
 You admit that Dr. Bellamy has, at your instance and request, submitted proposi tion with which you are now endeavoring to comply. The nature of this proposition you fail to state, but we are sure we betray no conndence in saying that it is simply an offer to remove the factory to Birmingham in consideration of a satisfactory subsidy.
 "You deny, however, that these negotia- tions were secret, and you resent as unjust the imputation that your methods were un- derhand and unfair. It is far from our pur- pose to do you any injustice, but we can not refrain from saying that If, as you state, the removal of the wagon works was discussed publicly in your club of two hun dred members without any pledge of secrecy. it is most singular that the enter prising newspapers and reporters of your city failed to give it any mention We admit tha it was frequently stated in your local press that the removal of a large wagon factory to Birmingham was under consideration by your club, but we invite your attention to the fact that your papers carefully refrained fsom giving the name of the factory or stating that 1t was located at Florence.
 You must also in all candor concede that it was very remarkable that in the public meeting to which you refer the name of the Florence wagon works again was not mentioned, and that a prominent citizen of Florence who was present was not even aware that the wagon factory un- der discussion was the one located in Flor ence. If you will also refer to the pub lished reports of the proceedings of your club in reference to this particular factory the notices and comments made by your local papers and the communications and dispatches of your local correspondents to the press in other cities-you will dis cover that the name of the Florence wagon works was not mentioned nor were any facts stated which would justify us in as- sumng that you were engaged in an effort to secure by a subsidy the removal of this industry.