The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-11-10
Call Mass Meeting to Be Held in Montgorn- cry Tuesday Noon.
Commercial Club at Enthusiastic Session Sounds Trumpet Call for Men Interested in Alabama's Financial Welfare to Assemble Here and Stop Measures Which Would Affect Present Money Crisis.


 sible the program of Governor Conner and his legislators in passing the drastic railroad measures. which were given favorable reports yesterday afternoon by the Senate and House Committees on Commerce and Common Carriers, business men of Montgomery met last night and laid plans for a monster mass meeting of the business men of the State to be held in Mont gomery Tuesday noon to protest against the passage of these laws
 The sentiment of the meeting last night was that the passage Of these laws would cause irreparable injury to be done to Alabama's business in- terests and if q strong showing or the representative business men, will call the legislators to a halt in their frantic endeavor to do what the Chief Executive says, a halt will be called Tuesday.
 Hardly had the meeting closed than 100 telegrams were flashing over the wires calling an assemblage of the business clans to be held in Montgom- cry Tuesday. It was recognized at the meeting that the chances for success were ydesperate. but 1t was further recognized by every man present that there was need for desperate action. Not only will a mass meeting be held but the business men of every section will make personal appeals to their legislators not to be driven by whip and spur, but to view the matter care fully and vote as they and not the Governor think.
 No more earnest meeting was ever held in the rooms of the Commercial Club. Fully one hundred business men of Montgomery, men who haven't one thousand. but thousands of dollars in- vested in the city, were present and they were there for work. Every talk received earnest attention and matters were finally brought to head when Fred s. Ball introduced a reso iutfon calling on the legislators to act in accordance to their ideas of duty and when Mir. Alex Rice introduced a motion for a mass meeting of the business men of Alabama.
 Tuesday noon was finally decided on as the meeting time and the executive committee of the Commercial Club was put in charge of the details of the meeting.
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 The meeting was called to order at ss3o o'clock by President Forbes and the Secretary was requested to read the call. Following this formality President Forbes stated the object of the meeting. He said that 1t is the opinion of the Board of Directors of the Commercial Club that the business interests of the State are up against a condition and not a theory in the pres ent condition of financial affairs. He indicated that 1t is the belief of the business interests that the present un- rest and unsettled conditions in busi- ness are the result of the irresponsible legislation that has been enacted, not only in Alabama, but all over the South. He said he was of the opinion that the whole country applauds the effort of the Legislature in providing for the education of the children of the State But, gentlemen" he said "I believe that with this same education in force for the next few years We will have men in our legislative halls who will not let their prejudiees and pas sions run away with them and enact laws that are bound to react to the det- riment of the State. At the present time labor is demoralized and capital is seeking other places of investment simply because 1t is not known what our Legislative body is going to do. And I must say, gentlemen, that we cannot blame the capitalists.
 The speaker said that Montgomery's prosperity has been nipped in the bud by this unfavorahle legislation. "We all know that improvements in Mont gomery as well as all over the State have been stopped as result of the strenuous legislation and the conVen- ing of this extra session of the Legis- lature, and the directors of this com mercial body have decided that it is time for us to take some action. would like to hear from some of the gentlemen present"
 Resp0nsible for Unrest.
 F. S. Ball said that there Is no doubt but that the persecution and prosecu- tiou of the corporations by the legis- lative bodies of the country is large Iy responsible for the present unsettled condition of business, and has created the unrest which exists. The trouble has been attributed. in some instances to the failure of the Knickerb ocke1 Trust Company in New York, but he said this is improbable in the face ot the fact that the South is 1900 miles away and has abundant crops for the attraction of money here, were it not for the fact that the corporations are kicking back. We have no cause foI alarm" he said, If conditions are Jeff normal, and if the present Legislature can be prevailed on to let matters alone until the financial conditions arc settled have little doubt but that ey. erything will be, all right in a short while. He referred to the extra ses sion as & calamity coming at the time that 1t did.
 F. P. Glass said that there is no doubt that something is wrong, and that there is necessity for immediate action on the part of the business peo- pie of the State to prevent the enac- tion of the laws that will stll1 fur ther narfaSS DuSlnesS interests. lie assigned as a reason for the present unsettled condition of finances the en- actments effecting corporations He said that the business people are stam- peded like so many cattle, and that the legislative bodies are the primary causes of 1t. Alabama has been as much responsible for this panic as any one else" he said. "the Governor of this State is determined to punish cor porations This idea is stuck In his head and nothing but dynamite will get it out. The duty of the business in- terests represented here is to go to the Capitol and seek to impress the legislators with the seriousness of the