The age-herald., 1900-02-13
IN HOTEL LO3BIES
 AND ELSEWHERE

.'On FSadlnB the aff1c+e III 1he Ase-fftIdil about the big salar.es of railroad presidents and traffic managcrs. I was reminded of Sol Haas prominence as a traffic official said well known railroad man at the Nor ris. MT. Haas, just before accepting the presidency of the Sloss company, was fourth v5se-presidgnt of the Southern. He was regarded as one of the a5lest traffic men In the United States. He worked up on his merits from a small freight agency of the Richmond and Danville, now the Southern, to be general freight agent and afterwards traffic manager. He was get ting large salary some years ago when the Chesapeake and Ohio offered him, it was understood, $20000. The Southern, rather than lose him, raised his salary to $25,OOO. At that time he was one of only three or four traffic managers in the United States who received so large a salary"
 
 Yesterday, dull. dreary and damp, found many persons without rubbers. The shoe stores did rushing business, and in quite number of places large placards announce ing "Rubbers for sale" caught the eye of those whose feet were wet and cold. It is a peculiar fact that nearly half of the men who wear rubbers buy them on rainy days only, and then lose them during, the pleasant weather This all works well for the shoe dealer. but there is a mystery about the disappearance of so many rub bers. Like pins, thousands are bought In every city yearly, but very few are ever worn out.
 The city is supplied with rubbers today, but within ten days many a man will be Inc uuat z walks.
 .People restort to all sorts of means to obtain aid from the city," said MT. Murray, private secretary to Mayor Drennen yes terday. From early morning until the of- flee is closed we are besieged with mendi- cants and persons with troubles and you would be surprised to know how apt some of them are in the art of exciting sympa- thy. It would be safe to say that more tears are shed daily within these four nar- row walls than in any other equal space in Bsrmingiham Next to tears, eloquence stands the in line of argument Set speeches rolled off with wonderful ora torical effect are poured into the ears of the mayor almost daily and if he chances to be absent the appeals are made to me. On0 or tne most amusing CdSeS thdl uit'S come under my observation occurred sew eral days ago. was in the office alone when a woman about 40 years of age rushed into the office weeping as If her heart would break and ringing her hands as If she were suffering the most intense physd- cal agony. She proceeded to make herself at nome and seating herself in a chair. be- tween sobs, managed to say, look at me. Oh, MT. Mayor, please let my horse out of the pound. He amt notllin' but an old plug but have got a chance to sell him and you all have got him locked upH l tried to soothe her grief as best could, | but when she discovered that I was not the mayor and could not grant her request, l she broke out afresh and left the office in l disgust. I tell you it's not such a snap to l be mayor, nor the mayors secretary, | either"
 l "I found business wonderfully brisk" said l Oliver Chalfoux, just returned from two | weeks trip to the east. "I divided my time l between New York and Boston and never l before did I see trade more active. Presi- | dential years have been usually marked by | business depression, but this year will be an exception to the rule. Straw goods-men's straw hats of all styles-have been advanc- ing rapidly. I priced a line of straw goods | one day and when went back to the job l ber to purchase had to pay a consfdera-
 ble advance over. the prices of the day be- l fore The demand for straw hats Is SC | great that manufacturers are unable tc | keep up with it. Merchants who have not l laid in their stocks will find 1t almost inn
 possible to do so now. What we know in l the trade as fur hats are offered at the
 old prices. But the spring and summer of
 1900 will be remembered as the season of
 high prices for straw headgear." Mr.
 Chalifoux said that New York was full of
 out of town merchants and from every
 section of the country these merchants | brought tidings of prosperity.
 Memphis is making rapid strides in con- l merce," said Shelby Smith who recently | spent several daysdn that city. Tt has a | population of about 100000 but it does a | larger volume of business perhaps than any | city in the country of 150,0OO. Memphis has | great variety of manufacturing and mer- | cantie interests. It has come to be a cen | ter of the hard wood trade"