The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-04-15
ALA1AlrA Musr BE HEFaE-

M 8ENTEO.
 If wilixbe . serious mistake If Alabama has. no exhibits at St. Louis. It win be serious. not only because of the loss to the State. but because it will place Ala hama almost in . class by herself. and win give us credit, or discredit for de- gree of niggardlincss which our people do not deserve. Most of the other States are preparing to be suitably represented at the great exposition and it win be dis
 creditabIe if visitors look in vain for any
 thing from one of the best States of the
 Union.
 The action of Governor Jelks in declin-
 ing to approve any State appropriation
 until he is assured that the money can
 be spared. should be approved by alk To
 set apart such . sum as would be nec-
 essary. without first ascertaining whether
 the State can afford it. would have been
 imprudcnt and might have caused embar-
 rassment when 1t would be too late to
 remedy the evil. and he was right to
 postpone action. at present. It may be
 that the States financial condition will be
 such that the Governor and the Legisia-
 ture will find it practicable to make some appropriation next fall, whether it be as much as is needed or a smaller sum. But the fact that the State has no money for a creditable exhibit should not stand in the way. To tell the truth, some good and patriotic men have all along contended that the State had no right to make such an appropriation and that to divert public funds to such pur- pose would be wrong. Whether they were right in their view need not now be dis cussed. The fact remains that there will probably be no State exhibit and that 1t would be discreditable to Alabama not to
 be represented.
 It ought not to be at all difYicult to raise at least s5o.o0o for the purpose of exploiting our State at St. Louis If prop CT steps are taken at once. The various commercial and industrial associations. private corporations and land companies
 will all be benefited. A proper display of the mineral. agricultural. horticultura al and arboreal resources of Alabama would
 be the means of bringing desirable i'm migrants to the State. They would buy
 land. they would establish mills and fac tories, they would become farmers. gar deners and fruit growers. they would add to the population. they would pay taxes and they would enhance the value of
 much property that is now unprohtabie. Other States and other sections get
 good immigrants because they use prop CT efforts to get them. There is no other l way. for strangers do not, as rule. travel about the country at random in
 search of desirable locations. They have
 not the time or money to spend in that
 way. and hence they go where induce ments are offered-where they are invit- cd. in fact. If we want industrious, self sustaining and tax-paying additions to eur population we must ask them to come and show them that it Is to their inter
 est to come.
 As before stated it ought not to be diff
 ficult to raise the amount needed. If all
 the interests which would be benefited by
 such exhibit would contribute a fair share it would be but trihe to each. It may be that the State will be able to supple ment whatever amount is raised. but if nothing is done till the Legislature as- sembles again it will .be very dificult to get an exhibit ready in the short time that would be left. Mobile. Montgom- cry or Birmingham. either of them could easily raise the amount needed, and each would be benefited, but there are other interests in the State which would derive much greater benefits than the cities
 would. In various portions of the State there are yet thousands of acres of good
 land for sale. There are many good To-
 cations for manufacturing enterprises. There are many farms wanting good ten ants. and. in fact, almost every section of the State would in some way be ben.
 efited by letting the thousands of visitors
 at St. Louis know what we have to of. | fer them.
 | As we said, the time is short and what
 Is done must be done soon. Why may
 not our Commercial and Industrial As.
 sociation again take up the matter?