The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-02-26
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
Many Topics Discussed.

Sidney II. March of the prominent bank ing house of Ladenburg, Thalmann X Go. of New York arrived in Birmingham Sum day and proceeded to Anniston yester- day morning. From Anniston he went to Talladega, and after spending a part of the day there returned to Birmingham. He leaves this morning for the east.
 Mr. March is president of the Birming- ham and Atlantic railroad, which extends from Taladega to Coal City, via Pell City He is also a member of the direc- torate of the American Cities Railway and Light company, and also of the Bir- mingham Railway, Light and Power com- pany Few men of the financial world keep in closer touch with the business situation of the country than MT. March. He is especially well informed regarding southern resources and southern progress and as he represents large investments in the Birmingham district, he is practically at home here
 T am by nature optimistic said Mr. March last night, but l believe this year will witness flagging in business. l have not turned pessimist; not a bit of it. But l do not see how the country can keep go- ing ahead at the rapid pace it has been moving for the last eighteen months. Our prosperity has been simply phenomenal and the south has had it's full share of the general thrift. But the high pressure at which we have been pushing everything cannot continue indefinitely. It would be unreasonable to expect our production and the consumption of manufactured products to increase without an occasional rest The best machinery that is driven to It's full capacity must be allowed to stop and cool off, otherwise it would smash up' And so 1t is with business prosperity. cooling spell must be in order before long, After prosperity has had little rest business will be in all the more vigorous condition when it revives.
 Taking a conservative view of things I think the industrial world is in find shape. Hard times are certainly not in sight There will be a slowing up be- fore the year is over-that is all.
 Birmingham is giving splendid &C., count of itself This district was never so prosperous as now and it has rich future The city is taking big strides and the substantial character of the im- provements here is generally remarked.
 q find Talladega a good, solid town. l have been inspecting the Birmingham and Atlantic railroad. The company has just completed its steel bridge across the Coosa river and there is no better struc- ture of the kind in the United States.
 "As I am largely interested in street railways I observe closely the lines in every city l visit. Birmingham's street car system would be a credit to a com- munity twice the size of this. Notwith- standing the fact that the company has spent millions in developing it's property, the rapid growth of the Birmingham dis trict makes it difficult to keep quite up with it. The most enthusiastic prophet of Birmingham could not foresee four or five years ago what was coming.
 Memphis Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Montgomery, Mobile, Little Rock and all the other southern cities with which I am familiar are making healthy progress.
 "One more word. The south needs inn migration on a large scale The national government is at last preparing to give the south a chance to land ship loads of foreigners. l hope nothing will be done in Alabama to restrict immigration. The handicapped if foreign labor does not find it's way here. There is room for thousands and thousands of newcomers.