The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-10-17

Wife of contractor. .. :. ................. 1 Capitalist. .....,................ Back Tax Commissioner. .. ............ 1 Money lender. ......................... Secretary Dixie Home Pub. Co........... 1 ................... l Telegraph operator. :. ............... bank clerk.. ....'............... Wife of banker. .. .. .. ................. Two daughters and son of president of
 transfer company. .................
 Not a Press Excursion.
 "AIl of whom had transportation either given to them or purchased by them, and none of whom were In the slightest way with the Press Association, hence while 1t was technically speaking a press excursion. it was in truth com posed overwhelmingly of men and women who were out for a good time in sight seeing, and enjoyment of travel and recreation. Ordinarily. leaving ont of ac- count the matter of railroad transporta- ton. which I trust has been satisfactorily and effectually explained. the item of ex- pense and cost other than railway fare incident to such trip would aggregate s64 for each person. It would have been impossible for a party of fifteen editors and thirteen ladies to have received the benefits of sleeping cars. and the side trips and hotel reduction for any such cheap rate as s32.5o. tho amount whici, they and the 152 outsiders actually paid. and this cheap rate was procured by a guarantee which personally made to tho sleeping car people, boat people down the St. Lawrence River for passage and meals, Mpskoha I.ake trip and Niagara Falls trip which included livery and car fare. had no authority or instructions from the Association or its executive com mittee to make any guarantee or contrac. based upon a guarantee. and the Press Association had no funds for guarantees, nor had they to my knowledge ever made any guarantee of such character on ex- cursions of like kind. If anything should have occurred to prevent the excursion I would. under my guarantee. have had to meet the cost.
 Took Up Much Time.
 During the four months just prior to said excursion, for a considerable por- ton of the time. I was not only engaged in making arrangements for it, but much of the time two stenographers in my en- ploy were needed to carry on large cor. with newspaper men making inquiries concerning the arrangements for it, The hundreds of letters written or dictated by me necessarily consumed time, which l could otherwise have de- voted to my business and almost every day broke into and interfered with the routine of my own work beside the work of stenographers for whose service had to pay. The Association had no money to pay bills, and there are no bills of any kind against it. 1t hadn't one dollar in. vested in the excursion. did not under take by any action of the executive com mittee to furnish dollar. and it's mem bership, except the small number stated preferred to either give or otherwise dis. pose of their transportation and interest in the excur sion. rather than go them selves.
 Although few editors went on the ex- cursion. it SO happened that there was a large crowd of outsiders w.io were more than willing to take their places. The result was that made some money. and the question arises. is 1t reasonable to say that I should have worked myself and my stenographer, as was necessary secured by my guarantee a most enjoya- ble $64 trip for $32 per capita for 15l men and women who were nothing to the As sociation as an organization, without com pensation whatever? l do not think SO nor do I believe the great body of the Press Association so considers. l believe that when the facts are made known that they will, by the final action of the As sociation upon this matter, say that the charge made against me as to fraudulent or deceitful conduct toward the railroads or their representatives regarding trans potation is false, and that under all oi these circumstances and conditions of the Canadian excursion I was entitled to such compensation as secured, and upon this representation of facts l am willing tc stand. J. A. Rountree."
 At the conclusion of the reading of tn, letter. Mir. Glass asked if this was all MT Rountree had to say.
 MT. Caldwell replied that this wa, merely a statement of MT. Rountreei case.
 Wanted Financial St 4tement.
 Mir. Glass asked If MT. Rountree ex pected to present a financial statement.
 Mir. Doster said MT. Rountree woult be asked for this statement later.
 A. J. O'Keefe, formerly editor of { Birmingham labor paper. said as mem Der of the association he objected to tn, committee demanding a statement of Mir Rountree. The executive committee, h, said was the only power authorized t demand this statement. Mir Rountree
 
 the committee now, as no regular charges had been filed against him.
 Mir. Glass answered MT. OKeefe. H read a printed circular from MT. Roun tree in which he said he had been in structed by the executive committee t, arrange for the trip for the association He also read from the regulations of tn association providing that affidavits mus be made as to the right of applicant fo trip. Mir. Glass argued that the commit tee was here to investigate what MT Rountree had done. The committee, h. said. had delegated its authority to MT Rountree.
 And" said MT. Glass. The has show you how he exercised this authority"
 Mir. Glass declared that MT. Rountre had invited fraud and the matter coul, not be diffused by saying that the execu tive committee and the members wer responsible.
 MT. Caldwell said the reason no figure were put in MT. Rountree's statemen was because to admit that money wa. made by Mir. Rountree was all that wa necessary. He said the whole question involved was. Did MT. Rountree impos on the railroads?
 ''Yes, we made money" exclaimed MT Caldwell. but that is a matter that mus be inquired into by the executive com mittee"
 Mir Caldwell said MT. Glass had start ed out as an outsider He had exhibited feeling in the matter, he said, and ye Mir Glass was not a party to the trans action He appealed to the committee no to be influenced by the remarks of Mir Glass, but MT. Glass should show Mir Rountree proper courtesy.
 Mir. Glass replied quietly that he wal la Tk ifestly improper, he declared, for Mir Caldwell, confessedly present as an at torney, to criticise the motives of a mem Der of the association.