The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-09


 railroad committee was read in which he recommended that a bill be intro dueed in the legislature providing for week end ticket for travellers with re- duced rate when sold for week only. For the hotel committee F. s. Req re- ported that he had adjusted several mat ters with the hotels and was receiving general cooperation. MT. Weiss, known as the dean of the legislature reported for the legislative committee the passage of the interchangeable mileage book and several other important bills. c. P. Ken nedy said the sick and relief commit tee had not heard of a single i'll trav- eler during the whole year
 The secretary then read various com municatons from Messrs. Conner, Rhodes Johnston and Gray, expressing regrets at their inability to attend from the Cit- izen's league of Milwaukee, asking for assistance in securing the national con- ventlon; from Louis T. Oaks of Louisiana, asking for support in his candidacy for national president. which was laid on the table, as the delegates to the conven- tion will go uninstructed along that line
 Alderman ONeill then introduced the resolution asking that Birmingham se cure the next convention of the national association, and after much dscussion 1t was unanimously adopted.
 Montgomery Man Talks.
 The address of the afternoon was de- livered by F. P. Marltz, from Mont gomery, prominent member of Post A. His subject was "The Duty of Members of The Association" and he said: Biblical ethics teach the threefold duty of man--duty to God, duty to his fellow
 man, and duty to. himself According to | his nature these ethical teachings ap- peal to the average man. If he is selfish,
 he places the dutly to himself first. If he Is God-fearing, his first duty is to
 God. No matter what he is, his second duty will be to his feowman. "Traveling men. either from inclination or lack of time devote but little time to the study of Bible ethics but gather their 1 knowledge and ethics from the worlds | book of experience.
 When you joined the T. F. A. you carried out this ethical instinct, mani fested in the dual duty to your family and to you associates. Protection you craved for your family in case of acci- dent to yourself. or death, perchance. You realized that your brethren and as sociate would watch over your depend ent ones. You should have realized that whatever good you expect to accom- plish, for the ameliration of your cond- ton and that of your associates must be done by a community of interests "lf you desire better hotel accommo- datlons, purer food. better beds, cleaner lin ms, more sanitary conditions, you must act with your hotel-committeeman f,.t.. more economic means of travel, less ar- btrary and less exorbtant charges for excess baggage, you must act with your railroad
 "If you wish wise enactment of laws relating to commerce, you must act with your legisla ative-committeeman
 "If you wish to better your position or secure employment for your friends you must act with your employment committeeman.
 "If you wish your wants known, your complaints heard, your associates or your own good deeds and kind acts noted, you must act with your press committee man.
 Duty has a two-fold meaning-that is, 1t refers to those things ought to do and to those we ought not. Some things we should do as a moral obliga- tion; some things we should avoid do- ing by reason of a duty we owe some body or ourselves. How best we can perform this duty to our association, Is a matter which concerns our inner con sciousness and our external environments
 Tn union there Is strength. So your first duty is to the union; make each link in our fraternal chain strong and durable. Select your material. Do not select the frail or the fckle, but the strong and the sturdy, morally and physically, II the foundation is weak. the structure may F..TI Weld your material into a homogeneous mass, thrilling and throbblng with lm- pulses that make for the betterment of yourselves and your employers Work together for the amelioratlon of cond- tlons that are onerous and burdensome Second the efforts of your chosen officers Back their efforts In every move that seeks to Tighten your burdens either through Legislative enactment or corpor- ate concessions Attend your post meet ings. Discuss sane and sanitary measures, point out needsd reforms that may tghten your trials and your tribulations. Work with your officers to give publicity to your reasonable requests. either from hotel proprietors or ot arbitrary trans portation lines. Instead of being always agn the railroads help them fo tighten the burdens of ,the travelling men. Get them to concede reduced rates, inter- changeable mileage, higher limits Of weight on excess baggage and lower rates, or anything you ask The travelling man is the railroad companys best friend He produces business for them. Show this by sales inetead of sails that are moved by wind alone
 Nine times out of ten the fellow who bellows loudest about the ills that befall him on the rail or in the hostery is the one who does least for his association. Like the character in opie Reads Ken lucky Colonel he talks continually and eternally about ihs hard work and Is the laziest drone in the hive
 What your association needs is the careful. thoughtful. modest, strong worker, who lives not alone for self but for those around him; the man of action, not of speech. We have plenty of those spell binders, who froth at the mouth at the appearance of some slight personal dis comfort, but who take flight at the first approach of a needy brother who needs moral or financial balm What we want is more balm of Gilead.' more concert of action. more cohesion. more enthusl-