The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-06-30
WARM MEETING IS HELD
Session of the Press ASS0cia-
ton In BeSSemer.
To-day the Meek's Resolutions Severe
IL Condemnfng the Grating Of
the Deposed Secretary VIII
Come UP.

Ressemer. June 29.--(Special.)-Bya
vote of 40 to 81, the Alabama Press
Association late this evening tabled
harmony resolution on the matter of
defraudipg railroads. and an imme-
diate adjournment until tomorrow
morning undoubtedly saved ]. A.
Rountree, late secretary, from a con-
domination as severe as language can
express.
The members of the association op-
posed to Rountrees practices had the
bit in their teeth. but w. III. III. Judson
of Bessemer, who was one OF the lead
ers against Rountree and his friends.
moved to adjourn in the interest Of
the local committee on arrangements
and the association adjourned.
The resolution condemnatory OF
=. Rountree and Rountree alone was pre-
scented by w. M. Meeks, the veteran
editor of The Gadsden Times-News'
after it was discovered that the neces-
sary two thirds majority of the mem
hers to constitutionally expel Rountree
was not here.
Rountree's Managers.
Rountree and his Campaign mana
gers" Emil Lesser and A. J. Ohee1e OF
Birmingham. J. H. Hard of Bessemer'
Rev. E. w. Read of Ensley and II. G.
Benners of Greensboro, were on the
SCENE of action early this morning.
ty to eighty signatures of absent edi-
tors authorizing President VERIFY to
vote for Rountree's whitewash, already
published by The Advertiser. It de-
yeloped later that they had but twelve
of these proxies
The committee on proxies, r. e. l..
Mel of Selma, Major w. w. Screws of
Montgomery and Tom Garner of Tusca-
loosa, admitted these proxies. holding
that they could be voted on that spe~
cihc subject.
The executive committee was in ses-
sion several hours from IL O'Clock,
passing on eligibility of membership,
and very few were dropped.
1t was $3.50 o'clock when President
VERIFY called the association to order
in Armory Hall. The hall was filled.
There are more editors and ladies here
than have attended a meeting in sew
eral years. Every one was on the qut
vive for the Rountree matter, and
there was an evident restlessness in
the hall. In his invocation, Rev. Rob-
ert C.. Gilmore of the Presbyterian
church. invoked the Almighty to guide
the editors so that though they should
at times condemn men but may they
give due consideration to the wicked
ness of humanity"
The Pruning Knife.
Major w. ]. Parkes, city engineer
and a warm personal friend OF Roun-
tree. welcomed the editors to Bessemer
He. too, alluded to the main thought
In the minds of the editors, saying that
he was once member of the associa-
ton, but he understood the pruning
knife is abroad in the land and 1 may
have been Topped OF"
r. H. Walker of The Athens Demo-
crat responded.
Acting Secretary West began call
49, ha nd frOnJ1pntlV fnfaF-
rupted by objections to various mem
bers. 1t was discovered that The Vine
yardist. at Fruithurst, had been dis
continued year ago and that its for
mer editor, Mr.. Westerlund. is residing
in Chicago Rountree's friend. Mr. Hard
had Mr.. Westerlund's proxy.
The association dropped The Vine
yardist on motion of Major Screws.
There was a wrangle over Editor
Due, the singular young man of Birm-
ingham, who advertised his paper, The
Silent Eye, by sign on his hat.
Editor Meeks of Gadsden, was dispos-
ed to be pugnacious about the silent
eye that was not silent. and under the
persuasion of Rountree's friends the
eccentric young editor proudly produc-
ed a copy of the mute optic and the
veteran Gadsden editor yielded
President VERIFY delivered his annual
address. which dealt mainly with edu-
cation in Alabama. reference by the
President to the election of Major
Screws as President of the National As
sociation, was greeted with the most
enthusiastic applause of the day.
ROuntree's Charges.
At the conclusion of the Presidents
address and at the suggestion of Major
Screws, the Association agreed to hear
the report of the committee raised to
investigate the counter charges of
=
other officers of the Association. Chair
man R. F. L. O'Neal of the committee
read the report. It was in brief that after
due notice to Rountree and the accused
officers the committee met in Birmfng
ham Tuesday afternoon. The accused
officers were present, the report said,
and answered ready for trial, but Roun-
tree did not file any charges The com
mittee then called on Rountree, and he
declined to make oral or written
charges. Finally the committee said
IL did not believe there was any ground
for the charges
On motion of Mr. Meeks of Gadsden,
the report was received and filed.
At this juncture the Committee on
Proxies reported the newspapers whlch
authorized President VERIFY to cast their
vote for the "whitewash" resolution.
They were: Geneva Reaper. Opelika
Post. Scottsboro Citizen, Camp Hill
Times, Scottsboro Progressive Age on
eonta Southern Democrat Sheftield
Reaper, Edwardsville Standard News
Fruithurst Times. Birmingham News,
New Decatur Advertiser and Alabama
Medical Journal.
Then the Association met the Roun-
tree matter squarely. Mr.. Read in
good tone, read the "Whitewash" In
strument and argued briefly for its
adoption. Major Screws called atten-
tion to Rountree's conduct at the spe-
cial meeting. when he declared his will
lingness to stand or fall by the action
of the annual meeting. And now
said Major Screws. I'VE have met here
TO take action. I move as a substitute
that the report of the committee which
Investigated the conduct of Mr.. Roun-
tree be read" This threw the meeting
into parliamentary tangle from which