The age-herald., 1900-10-11
THE COMMERCIAL
 CLUB MEETS TODAY To Consider the New Public
 School Buildings. THE OBJECT OF 1T UNKNOWN May Be to Oppose School Buildings and City Hall, Though City Council
 Waited in Vain for Oppo.
 sition-Buffalo Fair
THE OBJECT OF IT UNKNOWN

In compliance with the request of several members of the Commercial Club, that club is called to meet in special session at | 4 o'clock this afternoon for the specific purpose of discussing the action of the l Birmingham City Council and Board of l Education in providing for the erection of three new public school buildings. Secretary Gibson gave this information
 to The Age-Herald last night, with the request that this newspaper make it public | so that all the club members might know | of the meeting.
 Asked what the members who wished the meeting called purposed doing, Secre- l tary Gibson said he was unable to say; he was merely requested to call the club together at o'clock Thursday after noon.
 The meeting will probably impress the public as being somewhat odd. If there has been any general opposition to in creased school facilities, 1t has not been made known; and the City Council left the decision as to school buildings and new city hall open for an entire week after l everything was in readiness to pass the
 necessary ordinances, and this was done | for the declared purpose of hearing objec- tions, if there were any.
 The City Council waited, but there was no sort of objection from any sort of source to the great new work so emphati- cally demanded
 What can meeting do now? Maybe this afternoons meeting will answer the ques- ion. It ia odd
 Buffalo FaIr
 Secretary Gibson said President Kettig had informed him that MT. Fred Pfeifer, a travelling representative of the Pan American Exposition to be held at Buffalo,
 had requested the privilege of saying a few words to the Commercial Club regard ing that undertaking.
 It is understood that President Kettig expressed a willingness to hear MT. Pfeifer.
 Llr. Pfeifer called at The Age-Herald of- flee yesterday, and spoke in most praiseful terms concerning the Buffalo Pan-Ameri. can enterprise. He said in part: 'The management of the exposition is very desirous that Alabama be fittingly
 represented at the exposition next year. This desire Is not born of an anxiety to merely fill up space in the buildings now approaching completion on the exposition grounds, but because of the fact that the North, both East and Vest are looking
 southward for new fields of investment; and because of this fact exhibits from the South will perhaps have more particular interest to the better class of exhibitors from these sections than the usual exhibits of corn, oats, rye and the general line of farm produce. There is an awakened in- terest in the South and her different re- sources, and there is perhaps era of prosperity now prevalent here that has not been surpassed before or since the civil war. The exposition is so located that 1t is within a days or nights ride for forty four millions of people, and has two hun dred and fifty passenger trains per day, including the finest and fastest passenger trains in the world, and is, in addition to this, just short ride from Niagara. Be-
 cause of these conditions, 1t Is believed that the attendance will almost equal that
 at the Chicago Worlds Fair.
 "There are reasons aside from the adver- tisement that Alabama will receive from placing State exhibit at the exposition. and these are the influence a fine exhibit
 would have upon the Nicaraguan canal question, and contact with the people of
 the South American republics, nearly all
 of which will be represented. who. being
 neghbors, are yet practically unknown to
 us, their trade relations being principally
 with European markets. That the former
 question is the more momentous will read
 fly be conceded, because 1t will afford
 route to the Oriental ports that will be
 nearer by thousand miles than the pres
 ent system of transportation, and there will
 thereby be afforded the coal iron and oth-
 CT interests quick route that will be of
 great value when the eastern markets are more thoroughly developed.
 "The latter question concerning our South American neighbors is also of great importance, and the different departments of Birminghams resources should not, by
 any means, fail to have representation
 that will be an object lesson to these diff
 ferent republics that shall long be favor
 ably remembered, that trade relations
 will be established in the future that will
 mean a vast deal to the commercial inter-
 ests of Alabama.
 "In leaving Buffalo the management charged me specifically to attempt to get Alabama, so rich in mineral and agricul-
 tural resources, to make the best display
 possible. Through her commissioners. of whom MT. B. B. Conner is chairman, this
 shall evidently be possible, and we hope that the forthcoming exhibit shall be one of the best and most comprehensive in the grounds of the exposition.
 "It shall be my duty and pleasure to visit the different commissioners and vice presidents and women managers appointed by the Governor and get them to interest the press and members of the Legislature, so that when Commissioner General Weber
 and his staff visit the State during the
 coming legislative session the subject shall
 not be entirely new"
 MT. Pfeifer will appear at the special
 meeting of the Commercial Club this af-
 ternoon and extend greetings to the mem-
 bers of the organization from the expo-
 sition management. From here he will go to Montgomery and Mobile