Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1907-01-30
MAYOR DEN0UNCES
 JULIUS LESSER Secretary of Pine Bluff Board of Trade Says He Should Not Remain at Head of Compress Go.
AT BOARD SMOKER
Fine and Enthusiastic Addresses a Feature of the Evening-Much Will Be Done for the Upbuilding of the City-POstoffice-New Quarters.

At the smoker given last night by the members of the Board of Trade at their headquarters on Chestnut street, Mayor John L. Caldwell, secretary of the organization, denounced the meth ods of Julius Lesser, of St. Louis, president of the St. Louis Cotton Con- press company, and declared that he should not be permitted to remain at the head of that corporation. Mayor Caldwell intimated that Lesser was using his position and influence, inas- much as he controls four-fifths of the cotton compress interests in this state, with the railroads against Pine Bluff in the matter of cotton ship mems from Southeast Arkansas. An alleged congestion of cotton at the To- cal compresses, he said, was all the excuse offered by the St. Louis off, cials and the railroads in their en-
 deavor to ship cotton from Southeast Arkansas via McGehee, Ark, to East St. Louis, depriving Pine Bluff of it's long custom of handling the cotton of the Southeastern section of the state. When Mayor Caldwell exclaimed that Lesser should be busted from the presidency of the St. Louis Cotton Compress company, he was enthusias-
 ticaily applauded.
 The smoker was largely attended l notwithstanding the absence of so many Pine Bluff business men from the city, many of them having gone to Little Rock to attend the Good Roads convention. There was a spirit of determination and progressiveness about the gathering that was attrac- tive and the interest manifested in the future development of this city and section was amply shown in stirring talks made by members of the Board The cigars and luncheon, served by c. G. Schenck, were only a pleasant memory" compared to the interest displayed in the work of the Board. It was nevertheless enjoyed by those present.
 President TrulOck Presided.
 President Walter N. Trulock, in calling the meeting to order, reviewed the work accomplished in the past several months by the Board of Trade He began by saying that the meeting was of an informal nature, that the Board was desirous of listening to all who had something to say for the good of Pine Bluff and was open to all suggestions which would be cheer fully received. He recalled the excur- sion of local business men and said it had tendency to muchly adver- tise Pine Bluff and proved to the out side world that it possessed real live, wide awake and energetic business men.
 President Trulock also spoke on the efforts of the Board to secure needed immigration, river Improvements, the special trips of Mayor Caldwell to St. Louis, Kansas City and Washington in the interest of local improvements and jOyfully spoke of the recent ap- propriations urged for the betterment of our waterways. Everywhere May or Caldwell appeared" he said, Pine Bulff got recognition and he accom- plished great deal of work
 Although the matter has not been definitely settled, he said, the Board of Trade brought about the concentra- tion of cotton rates and added that the present rate would remain in ef- feet for the remainder of the year, if not permanently.
 Mayor DenOunces Lesser.
 Mayor Caldwell, in. characteris- tic address, did not hesitate to say that the Board of Trade did not en- dorse the methods of Julius Lesser, the St. Louis multi-millionaire, as president of the St. Louis Cotton Compress company. "He should not be allowed to remain there," he said, "a man who admits that he controls