The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-11-13
Gather From All Parts
 of Alabama. DELEGATES ARE PRESENT
 FROM FIFTY-0NE COUNTIES Merchants and Financiers Awake to Seriousness of Situation. Leading Men of Their Communities, ksewfns sf Conditions. Make
 Appeal to stop Leg-A
 tsIatien Affecting Hus- iness Interests.

Several hundred representative bus mess men. representing every section and every commercial and industrial interest of the State, crowded into the auditorium of the Commercial Club last night to participate in the move- ment to fmportune the members of the Legislature to halt in their course of passing drastic measures that jeopar- dised the business interests of Ala bama. While much enthusiasm was manifested, it was solely for the pur- pose Of the meeting, and the addresses were by men who are deep students of finance and industrial conditions.
 In response to the call sent all over the State by President Forbes delegates arrived in Montgomery yesterday morn ing from fifty-one counties. Many of them bore credentials from commercial bodies in their communities, and some held letters from mayors and aldermen endorsing tEe meeting and expressing regret that they were unable to at tend.
 At noon formal meeting was held at the club rooms Owing to the fact th1t 8 number of telegrams had been receivsd from those who were not able to arrive in time for the noon meeting, 1t had been decided Monday night to postpone the formal action un- tif last night.
 A sufIicie 1t number were present at the noun hour, however, to hold meet ing, and several speeches were made, Those who spoke were Frank Nelson of Birmingham. R. H. Adams of New Decatur, A. c. Barclay of Mobile, Mir. Nichols of Roanoixe and MT. Hair of Montgomery.
 On resolution an invitation was ex- tended to the members of the Lesis- lature to attend the meeting last night, but if any took advantage of 1t. they were not n ,ted in the large audience. 4 committee was also appointed to draw up resolutions, which were in- troduced and adopted at the night meeting
 Two hun1red seats were arranged in the auditorium, but long before the meeting was called to order they were all taken, and many were forced to stand, while the reading room was crawded with those who arrived too late to secure seats.
 There were warehousemen, mer- chants. druggists. bankers, real estate men. fsrmers, cotton mill operators and members of nearly every profession present. During the evening there was not a single digcordapt note, the una. niYnity of opinion being that this Is an unwiRe time to further aggravate hnan- eiaf conditions by passing drastic laws that will tend to further injure condi- lions.
 Earnest Mem Who Know.
 The class aef men present al the meeting Represented the business life of the communities in which they live. and shere could be no mistake that lhey- were thoroughly -arnnsed tn the seriousness of conditions.
 They were all men who have much To do with the conduct of the financial affairs of Alabama. and their foresight In this instance is the same that Mas been exercised to make them the prom lnent figures in Alabama's commercial and industrial life that they are.
 It was the general belief that if the visiting business men will remain in Montgomery and place the actual con- ditions squareiy before the legislators from their immediate sections, much good will result. and there will be a disposition to adjourn the Legislature until more opportune time arrives.
 The meeting was called to order by President A. c. Forbes, of the Com mercial Club, and the secretary read fifteen or twenty telegrams and letters from all parts of the State showing an extraordinary unanimity of opinion in regard to the call for the meeting and the meeting itself as being timely and important Some of these letters and telegrams had been signed by Ra high as twenty-five business men of the diff ferent localities.
 Immediately after the reading J. C.. Webb, of Demopolis, aroused the enthu- sIasm of the meeting by declaring that in addition to the persons already heard from, he represented twenty men from Demopolis. present in the meeting, and that those men represented every sim gle business man in Demopolis.
 President Forbes opened the meet ing with & short speech showing that the present distrust leading to shortage of currency and imposslbility of rats- ing loana was Condition confronting the whole of Alabama, and not mere theory of the business men.
 Birmingham Man Chalrman.
 After pointing out the causes that had brought together this meeting he nominated for chairman of the meet ing T. c. Bush, of Birmingham, who on taking the chair addressed the meet ing for more than half an hour. arous- ing at times to cheers and at other times to laughter as he sketched the cause at issue as he understood it.
 The further he progressed, however, with hts speech the more earnest and sincere did he become until at the finish he seemed to have won to his view aI- most every man who heard him. He said that 1t is time to cease from folly In this State and be serious.
 He had been accused by Mir. Conner as being fit subject for the czar,