The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-11-09
Committee in Atlanta FaVOrs
the Magic City
BRINGS 1000 VISITORS
Nesbitt and Babb Do Good Work and
Birmingham Wins Out Over Many
Competitors for the Big
Gathering.

Birmingham gets the next Southern
association convention This great body
the most representative in the south
will meet here in January. The decision
was reached yesterday by the executive
committee of the association, which is in
session in Atlanta. The convention will
last four days and from 5000 to 5000 peo-
pie, members and visitors, will be in at
tendance. The exact date of the meeting
will be decided by the committee today.
The convention is expected to be one OF
the biggest assemblages of men from
all parts of the south ever held in the
cotton states. The membership of the
association comprises bankers cotton
mill operators, cotton seed oil manufact-
urers, merchants, planters, and business
men in general who are interested in
the souths chief product.
Required Effort.
While several of the officers of the
association, in considering the numerous
invitations, recognized that Birmingham,
the great coal and iron market of the
a place of meeting for the cotton people,
it was not without effort that this city
secured the convention. New Orleans,
where the two former conventions were
held, was after it. Montgomery made a
fight for it and in fact, every city in
the south tried to get the prize So nu-
merous were the invitations that it was
thought highly probable that the execu-
tive committee would be unable to decide
upon the meeting place, and that through
the columns of the Cotton Journal, the
matter would have to be put later before
the members of the association.
w. D. Nesbitt and ]. B. Babb, repre-
senting the Commerce club of Birming-
ham, went to Atlarta 10 meet with the
executive committee yesterday and to
Plead this city's cause. Besides assuring
the committee that Birmingham's hotel
and boarding house accommodations were
adequate to entertain the thousands of
visitors coming to the convention. they
pointed out that by reason of it's
geographical position and railroad facili-
ties Birmingham was the logical place
for the convention They emphasized the
fact that in the way of industrial activi-
ties there are many things to be seen
here which would be novelties to most
people of the cotton belt. They also told
the committee that by January Birming
ham would nave two auditoriums with
large seating capacities, one of which
would be Used as .he meeting place for
the convention, and the other should it
become necessary, could be used as i'm
provised lodging quarters.
Effective Fight.
In a telegram to The Age-Herald last
night Mr. Babb stated that w. H. Sey-
moor, president of the Alabama division
of the Southern Cotton association made
an effective fight to bring the conven-
ton to Alabama, and that Mr.. Nesbitt
made a telling speech, which had much
to do with the result in favor of Bir-
mingham.
B. D. Armstrong, auditor of the asso-
citation, recently spent several days here,
making Investigations relative to the COM
ing of the convention At that time the
two places considered were Birmingham
and New Orleans When Mr.. Armstrong
left he was ardently in favor of Bir-
mingham, believing that for sightseeing
it would prove of absorbing interest to
the visitors, and also that as many of
the members represent large financial in
terests that the convention could but
inure to the benefit of Birmingham.
The meeting of the executive commit
tee in Atlanta will continue today, when
it Is expected, the date of the conven-
ton's coming to Birmingham will be
named.