The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-11-24
WHOLESALERS HAPPY
 AT BANQUET BOARD
Travelling Men Are Guests of
 the Association
OPTIMISM IS THE KEYNOTE
Birmingham's Bright Future Empha sized-Present Stringency Only Temporay-Bush, Rhodes,
 Bowron, Harding, Talk.

There was a great social gathering Of wholesale merchants and commercial travellers at the Hotel IIillman last night. The occasion was a banquet given by the Wholesale Grocers association. This or ganzation has two banquets each year. one complimentary to the brokers and the other to the travelling men.
 Last night, when it was the drummers' turn to be entertained, the Grocers as- sociatlon extended the scope of it's invi- tation list and had as it's guests repre- sentatives of all the jobbing interests of Birmingham.
 The time for assembling was s o'clock, and the guests were prompt.
 Before the clock had struck the hour the lobby of the hotel was crowded. The scene was animated and reminded one of the eve of state democratic convention. At S:30 the dining hall was thrown open and $50 men were seated at the tables. About 250 of the guests were commercial salesmen, and this number, by the way represented only about one-third of the drummers travelling out of Birmingham the absentees having been busy on the road.
 It was generally agreed that no finer body of men was ever seated around the festive board. In addition to the mer- chant guests present. Col. T. GA Bush, R. N. Rhodes James Bowman, W. P. C.. Harding, and few others were in at tendance by special invitation.
 John E. Morris, of the Tyler Grocery company. acted as toast master. and those who made speeches were Colonel Bush, MT. Rhodes, MT. Bowman, Nil. Harding, and J. D. Moore ex-president of the Moore X Handley Hardware com pany. All the addresses were full of local color and were not only bright and pithy, but optimistic enough to satisfy the most ardent booster of the Birmingham district. Each speaker referred to the money stringency as of small temporary moment. Each pointed to Birmingham exceptionally prosperous condition and the good times that were just ahead of us. Tine speeches aroused immense enthu- sasm and the applause was hearty and spontaneous.
 Toastmaster Morris in calling the as- semblage to order made a short but happy talk, in which he referred in high terms to the commercial traveler; to his intelli- gence, energy. and loyalty; his readiness to travel at all hours and to sleep on hard bed. He said the drummer, next to the newspaper, was the greatest dis pie, and the speakers who would be called on would, he thought, present facts and ideas worth remembering and repeating.
 Bush Is the First Speaker.
 Mir. Morris introduced as the first speaker Colonel Bush, formerly whole sale merchant in Mobile put for years one of the prominent factors In the indus trial life of Birmingham. Colonel Bush began by telling of his experience as a merchant and said he believed he was the first in Alabama to start the system of sending men on the road to sell goods. He then gave his testimony to the high worth of the drummer. He alluded to the qualifications necessary in the making of a successful commercial trayeler-cheer- ful disposition, good business judgment and a knowledge of men. He said he did not agree with the toastmaster in intimating that the drummer slept on hard bed. My observation is that the commercial traveller gets the pick Of everything" said the speaker When l go to a strange town 1 invariably ask to be directed to the hotel where the drum mers stop, for that is sure to be the best
 Colonel Bush said that as the Birming ham drummer went through the country he had an excellent opportunity of speaking good words for his community; of telling about the wonderful advantages of his city. The speaker then enpha- sized the significance of the entrance of the United States Steel corporation into the Birmingham district. It was a great thing for Birmingham and would sooner or later result in more extensive develop ment here than ever before.
 Referring to the temporary dulness in business Colonel Bush compared condi- tions today with those or 1893. Tn 1S95 he said, business was like a delicate man. The patient being weakly and slow to recover. Now business is like hardy man. He has only a touch of indigestion and will soon be all right again. You drummers can tell your friends wherever you go, and tell them truthfully, that Birmingham has strong financial institu- tions; ;-.the stronges of banks. You can tell them that these banks have not only helped the country banks and the farmers but that they have at the same time maintained their strength.
 Bush drew a roseate picture of the dis trct's splendid resources and closed tH predictions of great things in the fu- ture.