The age-herald., 1900-03-24
RESCTNDED ACTION
 ON CULLOM BILL Directors of Commercial Club Reconsider Former Vote, THE REPORT WAS IRREGULAR Should Have Been Made to Club Instead of the Board-Will Now Come
 Up at Next Regular
 Meeting.
THE REPORT WAS IRREGULAR

The board of directors of the Commercial club held a special meeting yesterday af- ternoon for the purpose of reconsidering the vote taken at a former meeting on the question of an endorsement of the Cullom interstate commerce bill now pending in congress.
 When the question of an endorsement of the bill came up in the club at the last meeting, it was referred to a special com mittee with instructions to report back to the club at the next regular meeting. At a special session of the board of directors held few days later the committee made a report and the directors unanimously en- dorsed the bill. This action did not please a great many of the directors who were ab- sent from the meeting, and accordingly a request signed by five members of the board was handed President Anderson asking him to call special meeting of the board to reconsider the matter.
 There were present at the meeting yes terday President F. Y. Anderson and Messrs B. Steiner, J. K. Mcdonald, w. H. Kettg, Joseph Beitman, D. W. Barrett, H. H. Mayberry, and Ross c. Smith.
 In calling the meeting to order President Anderson stated the object for which it had been called and also that the former action of the board in endorsing the Gull lom bill was irregular in that the commit tee had been instructed to report to the club and not to the board of directors.
 B. Steiner moved a reconsideration of the vote by which the bill had been endorsed.
 Objectionable Features
 F. A. DeFuniak, general agent of the Ia, ,fc nit a H. dressed the board, setting out some of the objectionable features of the Cullom bill. He said: "The railroad people feel that the Cullom bill has great many objectionable features, especially to. the south and the west. The principle objection is its rigid application of the long and short haul clause The bill says that a railroad shall not charge more proportionately for a short haul than fer long haul over the same route. This will hurt the interior jobbing points to the benefit of such centers as Chi cago. New Orleans, Mobile, Savannah and other points which have river competition It would enable those places to ship to the smaller towns in the interior. For example,: Take the points nearby Birmingham, and with the rigid application of the long and short haul Louisville could bill goods through to those points at one rate, while Birmingham would have two rates to the same points; that is, Birmingham would have to pay the rate to the city and then from the city to the point of destination. That would give Louisville, with it's river competition, an advantage over Birming- ham, Birmingham has no water competi- alon and would have no reason for asking special rate, while Montgomery, with her river could get an adjustment. All local places supplied by Birmingham would have the same rate from other centers as Bir- mngham, while Montgomery would have the advantage of the river"
 Joseph Beitman said he favored the Gull lom bill, and that he would vote for it when it comes before the club, but as the directors had endorsed it in an irregular manner he would vote to rescind the former action.
 A vote was taken and resulted in unani- mously resembling the former action of the directors. The matter will be presented to the club at the next meeting, which will be on April 6.