The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-11-06
E. J. Dunn Fears Result.

MT. II. F. DeBarde1eben, City,
 Dear Sir:-Referring to your letter of November l, published in The Age Herald. l cannot refrain from writing you a few lines of commendation and congratulation on it's appearance at this time on the splendid ideas that it contains and ema- hating as 1t does from so worthy source The men of Alabama who do anything towards making a living for themselves and families should read it and ponder over it's lines. Well do l remember my first meeting with you in the old Relay house of this city, now more than 20 years ago. You were then among other things opening the Henry Ellen coal mines, and I thought that you had the most unpronouncable name and the great est nerve of any man I had ever met Our firm had at that time contracted to build certain parts of the old Georgia and Pacific (now the Southern), and you had stopped our work, saying that you pro posed to build the road tos the coal mines yourself. Since that time l have learned to pronounce your name without trouble for it has become household name in the mineral district of Alabama and your splendid nerve has always been my ad- mlration. Not many months after our first meeting things did not look quite so bright in this district as they did a few months ago. The mines then being WoihSQ toulu lOl Illiu dD outlet TOT Ilolr output owing to want of railroad facili- ties. The pratt mines were at that time worked, or at least portion of the mines were worked by Messrs. Conner & McCur- dy, with state convicts There was little for them to do and Messrs. Conner & Me Curdy we're glad to hire some POO of their men to Us to work on the new railroad in the western part of the state It was about that time that the Louisville and Nashville railroad began it's wonder full system of developing this mineral dis trfct which to this day has not ceased All must admit that yours was the head among others (and feet 1 must say for you tramped the hills of this section as no others did), that helped very greatly to build this wonderful district. but the very liberal policy of the Louisville and Nashville railroad, you say has done far more to make this section the iron and coal producing wonder that it is, than any other agency. none can defy. There are hundreds of miles of branch lines and sde-tracks put in by this com pany that few of our people know any thing of. many of them cannot pay for the cost of construction for they are built to small mines and yet they are needed, for all help to develop the coal and iron district. l thing with you and believe that every business man in this territory will say when they know the facts that every thing possible should be done to help the railroad that has done more towards de- veloping this state than all the others combined, and I say again with you, let us all say with one voice to our state government stop fighting our home peo- pie and work together for the good of all. Let the members of the legislature return to their homes with the feeling that they have done no harm to one of our greatest benefactors
 Hoping that many may follow your most admirable advice and example. am yours very truly, E. J. DUNN.
 November 4, 1907