The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-02-26

Of Montgomery sat down to supper in the
rooms of the Commercial and Industrial
Association at $50 o'clock yesterday
evening and for nearly four hours be-
tween the courses Of an excellent menu
and pnnctuated with choice musical Sc
lections by trained orchestra, DISCUSS
ed the manufacturing advantages of
pest way ayn 70 pro-
equal Importance to the material welfare
Of the community. rs
1t was an inspiring scene. The Cover
nor Of Alabama was there. Standing
Miller he. as the representative of all Of
the people OF Alabama, spoke words Of
to these loyal and deter
mined citizens Q. the States Capital City
Next to the able young Governor sat
George Foster Peabody. the young New
York financier who was yesterday the
guest OF the city. When this Young
South-Northerner arose to address the as
sembly. he was cheered with enthusiasm
and when he closed with an appeal to
Alabama and to Montgomery to train the
minds of the young people 30 that they
may work intelligently with their hands
his advice was met with the most cordial
Of responses.
Annual Entertainment .
The occasion was the annual entertain
ment Of the Association and 1t took the
form OF manufacturers evening" for
the theme Of all Of the speeches was
manufacturing. The principal speakers
were Capta., J. NJ. Falkner. Major w.
w. Screws. Fred $. Ball and Leopold
ernor william d. Jelks and George Fos-
ter Peabody Of New York.
1t was the first time in the history of
the Association that such an, ambitious
entertainment had ever been undertaken.
It was executed In the most successful
manner and reflected credit upon Presi-
dent Rice, Secretary Gilbert and the
Committee which labored so faithfully to
make 1t enjoyable. Abundant satisfaction
was no doubt theirs as the occasion was
most memorable.
The billiard and reading rooms were
utilized as one immense dining room.
Long tables were improvised and they
were decorated with stands rof brilliant
red carnations with ferns and palms here
and there. Covers were laid for go per-
sons. At the extreme southern end oil
the room was the table Of the presiding
officer, Colonel A. j. Miller. On his right
sat Governor jerks and George Foster
Peabody Of New York. President Rice
and Secretary Gilbert OF the Association
sat on his left hand.
Assembly Called to Order.
At $3.50 o'clock Colonel Miller called the
assembly to order and said that he had
been selected to preside because. he was
purpose of the meeting and declared that
he had been accused of being a manufac-
turer Of excuses by persons who had COM
plants against the telephone service
Colonel Miller Is the local manager of
the Southern Bell Telephone and ,Tele-
graph Company.
The menu, which was excellently
served, consisted of oyster cocktails oys-
ter patties. chicken salad. celery Nea-
poM1tt,a an Ice Ice cream es. coffee and cigars.
Colonel Miller introduced Captain j. M.
Falkner as one Of the foremost and most
progressive Alabaniiars to respond to a
toast to Manufacturing Essential to
Montgomerys Growth"
Captain Falkner was greeted with a
tremendous round Of applause.
Speech of Capt. Falkner.
With his customary good humor Cap
tain Falkner began his address by say
ing that the room could be filled with
what he did not know about manufactur-
ing He drew a picture of hundreds OF
steam whistles and hundreds of homes
of factory operatives and said, these were
the essentials to Montgomerys growth.
Captain Falkner declared that he did
not see anything on the tables or any
thing in the room that was manufactur-
ed in Montgomery or in Alabama. Mont
gomery, he said had a. cracker factory
and holding. upaa cracker he. said with
emphasis: This is not Montgomery
cracker"
IF convenience to crude material and
the facilities for transporting the same,
are important factors in building UP man
ufat turing industries. continued Captain
Falkner. there can be no good reason
why Montgomery should not be a very
important manufacturing centre.
The difference between the market
value Of the crude material, and the fin
ished product IL very great element of
wealth. Up to a recent date our lands
have been so fertile as to produce large
and remunerative crops. and our people
have been content with the proceeds aris-
ing from the sale thereof. and the trade
and traffic resulting therefrom. and I'M
til comparatively recent date the mule
and the negro have really been the prin-
cipal machines in use.
1T Is but a statement Of truism to say
that cotton can be bought and manuiac-
be in the East. The cotton manufacturer
can save the cost of transportation to
Lowell Mass. and other Eastern points,
which, in itself. is large profit 10 the
manufacturer.
but, while we have been content with
devoting our time and attention to agri-
cultural pursuits the peopls North, East
and West have been building manufac-
turing plants, furnishing employment to
many thousand skilled workmen. distrib-
uting large sums OF money from day to
day, thus necessarily building large cit
les Of great commercial Importance, add
ing very greatly to the commerce of the
country. until all such places have be-
come prosperous, ana IileQ WIFI a HAPPY
and contented people.
I'VE have not only the cotton at our
doors. but we nave an unlimited supply
of iron, steel and coal within hundred
miles of us, and under these circum-
stances there can be no good reason why
everything in which cotton. steel and
iron Is a constituent element should not
be manufactured here.
1T has been said that the principal
sources of naturl ii wealth are agriculture.
manufactures, trade and com lerce, rail-
ways. mines and fisheries. The agrfcul-
tural resources of this country are un-
equalled by any other. We are able to
not only supply all the wants OF our peo-
pie, but to export large quantities of food
products, ana very materially aid In feed
ing the people in other portions of the
world.
An examination of our late census re.
ports Will snow that our manufactures
ure OF no less Importance tnan the pro-
ducts oil agrIcul. ure. and today manufac-
tured articles from this couEtry are In
demand practlcaIlv throughout the world.
The Lrogress that has been made in
the traue ana commerce of this country
Tor the last twenty-five or thirty years,
has been simply marvellous. The balance
OF trade for a considerable while has
been decidedly in favor of the United
States, wnIcn means necessarily increased
wealth. to oar country.
Railways which are the great arteries
of OUR trade, and commerce continue to
multiply until they now traverse a large
part of our great country, by which there
Is full am complete interchange of
commodities from every part of our coun-
try. anu today they constitute a very
material element in the wealth of the
- nted States.
Our mining industries, while they are
tpidly bong developed, are practically
tn, ir infancy. Alabama alone can fur