The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-01-07
Everybody Working for the
 Cotton Convention
DECORATIONS A FEATURE
Birmingham District Will Get More Advertising From Big Meeting Than Anything She Has
 Ever Had.

is only ten days until the third annual convention of the Southern Cotton asso- ciation assemblies in Birmingham.
 The executive committee will meet two days earlier and the influx of visitors will probably begin on the 18th.
 That the attendance at the convention will be very large is now certainty. It may exceed 7OOO. This is indicated by the enthusiasm which marked the meet ings of the organization n several states of the cotton belt last week, at which large delegations were named. Moreover. the convention has been widely adver- tised, not only by the publicity commit tee of the Commercial club, but by the innumerable "drummers," who travel out of Birmingham to nearly all points in the cotton belt The low rates of fare granted by the railroads will induce a great many people who have lively curiosity to see Birmingham, to take ad- vantage of the occasion.
 Taking all of these facts into consid- eration, the estimate of TOGO delegates and visitors would appear to be con servative rather than otherwise.
 Enthusiasm Is Widespread.
 During the past weel, a wave of cleo tric enthusiasm has swept over Jeffer- son county. Not Birmingham alone, but Bessemer, Ensiey, Pratt City, North Bir- mingha, Avondale, East Lake-in fact all of the towns in the county-have awakened to the importance of the con- vention. They recognize the historical sig nificanee of the event, the assemblage of the people of the south again in Ala bama, after. lapse of forty-six years. In 1861 they gathered to face the war cloud which hung big and ominus upon the northern horizon. In 1907 they come to see the magnificent development of the resources of the most wonderful district in the United States and to devise means whereby the prosperity which the south has enjoyed for seven or eight years may be maintained.
 The Appeal to Local Pride.
 This, of itself, were enough to impress the significance of the convention upon the mind of every individual in the coun- ty, but there are many other reasons why local pride has been aroused as never before and from East Lake to Bessemer and from the hills on the north to the highlands of the south the one cry Is, Let us be worthy of our op- portunity." Each city and town has some- thing distinctive to show the visitors and is anxious to show it. Never before have the people of Jefferson county been brought closer together or has there
 
 will and zeal.
 The Practical Aspect.
 So much for what may be called the sentimental aspect. The practical phase of the situation is not the less inspiring. The committees of the Commercial club and Board of Trade of Birmingham and those created by the Boards of Aldermen of Bessemer, Ensley. Woodlawn and East Lake are cooperating heartily, and the boards of the other towns in the county will appoint similar committee next week. All of these will attend the meeting of the Commercial club next Friday after noon, when the final arrangements will be made for the reception and entertain ment of visitors.
 That Happy Word, "Howdy."
 "Howdy," the word of welcome agreed upon by the Commercial club and Board of Trade, has been approved by the other cities and towns of the county, and wherever the visitor goes he will be con fronted by this unctuous, truly southern word of welcome, on flags and banners, and other devices The effect of thousands of the "Howdy'' flags, futtering from the windows of the tall office buildings and from store fronts in Birmingham, Besse- mer, Ensley. Pratt City, West End, North Birmingham, Avondale, Woodlawn and East Lake, and from the porches of homes in the cities and towns, from the homes along the car lines, has appealed powerfully to the imagination of the pub lic and it will not be surprising if the original order for the flags will have to be duplicated in few days.
 A Vast Cotton Field.
 The flag is white, symbolical of cotton, and Jefferson county will blossom into a great cotton plantation, as it were. dur ing the days of the convention. These flags, moreover will not interfere with any other schemes of decorations-rathe lending themselves to it-and will be plastic material in the hand of artistic window decorators. The flags will be sold at a small profit, and the fund ac- cruing therefrom will be devoted to unique and collosal scheme of decoration which the committees on publicity of the Commercial club and Board of Trade are now working out. If this plan is suc cessful, it is quite probable that such il- lustrated weeklies as Golfers, Harper's and Frank Leslie's will reproduce photo- graphs of these decorations, and Bir- mngham will thereby get publicity which cannot be bought at any price. Thus purchasers of flags will contribute to the advancement of the city and district as we'll as participate in the great welcome which is to be extended to visitors.
 Suggestions Invited.
 The publicity committee of the Commer- cial club has practically completed the work of advertising the convention (and Birmingham incidentally throughout the cotton states, and will devote itself this week to means for mpressing the great ness of the Birmingham district upon visitors For instance, it proposes to show that Birmingham is not only an iron and steel center. but one of the greatest railway centers in the south, cotton market of no mean importance, jobbing center, the best retail trade Cor shop ping) city between Cincinnati and New yo,l- q city whose financial strength fas