The age-herald., 1900-06-09
SPICY MEETING OF
 COMMERCIAL CLUB
Members InduIged in Sharp Re-
 partee on Railroad Rates.
MAT TIERS FINALLY ADJUSTED
MT. Conner Said the Club Should Con tinue the Investigation Boldly or Strike Out Constitutional
 Clause Providing for It

A bit of ginger was injected into the first
 meeting of the Commercial club held yes
 terday afternoon under the new adminis-
 tration, growing out of the report or rather
 the explanation of President Kettig, who
 was chairman of the committee on rail
 reads and transportation, to which was re-
 ferred the investigation of the alleged dis
 crimination against Alabama by the rail
 roads, which has been hanging fire for six
 or seven months, and which has acted as
 an effevescent at several previous sessions
 Of the club
 In discussing the subject some spicy rep
 artee was indulged in by the members, and
 although there were some personalities,
 matters were finally satisfactorily adjusted
 and the meeting ended in a love feast
 The meeting of the board of directors
 was called to order at 3:30 o'clock by Presi-
 dent Kettig. Major F. Y. Anderson was
 elected temporary secretary, in the absence
 of Secretary Gibson.
 The first business before the meeting was
 the election of permanent secretary, and
 MT. Gibson, who has filled the position so
 creditably for several years, was unani-
 mously reelected.
 Major Miner and Major Anderson were
 appointed a committee to escort MT. Gibson
 into the room, which duty they most grace
 fully discharged.
 New Members Elected
 After disposing of routine business the
 following new members were elected
 George s. Mooar, J. T. Caldwell, II. D. Wood and c. H. Cawthorn. President Kettig announced the standing
 committees as follows:
 Mining and manufacturing, w. M. Ma lone; railroads and transportation, Ross C.
 Smith; legislation, J. J. Banks; wholesale
 and export trade, B. F. Moore; retail trade
 and excursions, H. H. Mayberry; city and
 county development, C. L. Stickney; real estate and insurance, A. R. Dearborn; en- tertainment, w. P Pinckard; miscelane-
 ous and grievance w. II. Graves; statis- tics and resources, T. T. Ashford; schools and education, w. J. Cameron; literature and periodicals, S. r. FoWlkeS; advertising | and information, s. W. Lee; health and | sanitation, Dr. E. H. Sholl; agricultural, cotton and produce, w. D. Nesbitt; finance and accounts J. A. Roy; Warrior river
 nal and internal improvement J. A. Van Hoose; railroad development, B. B. Co., mer.
 The meeting of the board was then ad- journed and the club meeting was called to order with quite a large number of members present.
 Reading of the minutes and other routine
 matters were dispensed with, and under the head of committee reports President Kettig started the ball to rolling by announcing
 that he had hesitated about calling the old railroad and transportation committee to- gether to formulate a report for the reason
 that grave differences of opinion existed among the members of the committee which threatened to create discord. Conner Represented Minority B. B. Conner, member of the committee who, according to his own statement rep resented the minority faction, his feet in a moment, and rather vehemently asked that the club by vote express its position the question in order that the
 members might know how to act. MT Conner reviewed the investigation and de- clared that the club should either come out boldly in favor of such investigations or strike out the clause in the constitution providing for it. He objected to being made a scapegoat and being drubbed a kicker l while acting in good faith and under a con- | stitutional provision
 Rufus N. Rhodes, while not agreeing | with MT. Conner in his radical view, en- | dorsed the general trend of his position | and thought that the club should pursue | such investigation to the end. He stated that the rates charged by the railroads in Alabama were too high and took occa- | sion to pay his compliments to the Ala | bama railroad commission in no uncertain | terms. did MT. Conner in his original remarks.
 1 MT. Kettig called Mir. Rhodes to the chair and explained his position more full | ly stating that in as much as there was | no possibility of an agreement in the com mittee he had thought best, after consult ] ing with other members to act as he did | He said that many different interests were | represented in the clubs membership, some | of which were not directly interested in the | question at issue, and suggested that it | would be more in the province of the
 Board of Trade, an organization composed l exclusively of merchants, to take up the question:
 | Fostered Iron Industries | The railroads, he stated had fostered the | iron industries of the district and in his l opinion had favored this district above any | in the south. He offered, however, to call | the committee together to formulate a re- 1 port if the club desired. Sterling A. Wood was recognized and in order to settle the matter offered as a sub l stitute that the entire proceeding be re- | ferred to the committee with instrlc- l tions to report back to the club at it's next l meeting. While on his feet MT. Wood took occasion to say that he believed that the railroad commission had some power, and
 would exercise it if given an opportunity l MT. Steiner read the section of the con- l stitution defining the duties of the commit l tee, and after discussion which was par l ticipated in by MT. Eustis, President John l w. O'Neill of the Board of Trade, B. F. | Roden and others, the matter was settled | by referring it to a special committee of | five, with MT. Conner as chairman. The subscribers to the stock of the new
 hotel being in waiting for the room, the 1 meeting adjourned.