The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-01-20
NESBITT TALKS ON
WAREHOUSE SYSTEM
Birmingham Man is Regarded
as an Expert
DESCRIBES BUILDING HERE
Tells of the Great Benefits That viii
Come to South If System of Ware
houses Is Established In
Southern States.

The address of W. d. Nesbitt of Biz
mingham on warrant warehouses, which
was delivered before the Southern Cotton
convention yesterday, was one of the
most interesting of the session. Mr. Mes
bitt spoke as follows:
Mr.. President Ladies and Gentlemen:
1t has been my privilege in both of the
preceding conventions of this able body to
be present l have, at this time, double
pleasure, the privilege of being present
and in the city of my adoption, where it
is a great qualification to join her cit
liens in acting host to such an as
semblage of southerners.
lone of our Birmingham men with
ideas. has in our decorations aptly con-
trasted this coming of the south to Ala
bama with that when her sons journeyed
in 81 to meet at Montgomery. At that
time Minerva was their goddess and Mars,
the god of war, their leader. They were
engaged in an undertaking, which, r.
respective of success or failure, meant
only DEATH devastation and decay l
go back to that time that we may thor
oughly understand the vast difference in
possibilities between this assenblage and
that of 81. Today we come with i'll will
to no man or set of men, with high pur-
poses and earnest endeavor, to better
the conditions of our own people and the
peoples of the World.
CERES, the bountiful goddess of the
golden harvest is our patron, and whether
full success or partial failure at
tend our efforts, we are confident that our
strength is being expended in such way
that only good can result 1t is happy
co-incident that this second coming of the
south into Alabama should be centered
In this fertile valley, where nature has
been prolific in her blessings, where the
.F( C
accomplishments of God-given opportun-
fly. That the sons and grandsons of the
great men of the COS who gathered at
Montgomery the mother of the Confed-
eracy, should today gather with so Diff
ferent purpose in Birmingham. the grand
daughter of the old south, a daughter OF
the new south, is prophetic of success,
Tremendously Beneficial.
1.-The Southern Cotton association has.
in its two years OF life, been tremendous
ly beneficial 10 the sections which gave it
birth; that it has been unable TO ac-
complish all that we would like to have
accomplished is true that it has been as
sailed, rdiculed and fought is also true;
still, in spite of lack of funds and
widely scattered, loose organization that
1t has, through the very power of the
thought of cooperation among the cot
ton planters of the south, raised and held
the price Of white cotton in the south
above 10 cents for two years, is absolute
ly true. This value for cotton has put
millions of dollars into the banks and
industries Of the south, that otherwise
would not have been there, and this in
crease of surplus money has made pos
sible a prosperity throughout this section,
that today is so boundless as to overflow
the capacities of nearly every line of bus
mess. Every character of business
aa N
the United States, WITH the one eXcep-
ton of that of the Spectator, has been
helped and put on a stronger basis by
this concerted action on the part of the
business men and farmers of the south.
Should there be any hesitaney on the
part of all interested in supporting and
keeping alive this thought and using
all endeavor towards putting on a more
perfect and substantial basis the organi-
cation, whose every step brings US nearer
to the contamination of practical and
up-to-date methods in the raising, storing
and marketing of that produce which is,
to the commerce of this country, reserve
asset, as all-important and as necessary
to it's welfare as the legal reserve re-
ouired in our banks and in our national
treasury, is necessary to keep a proper
balance in our financial system. l have
spoken of the fact that in 81 men came
to Alabama with war in their hearts, and
that today we are here, not contemplating
strife, but. laying plans for commercial
conuuests TO be successful we must now,
as then, prepare to hold and protect our
frontier Then to the front, forts We're
built. armed and manned, that incursions
might not be made into the territory of
the homes in the rear. Today if we would
succeed we must throw out protecting
lines and build forts that our business
prosperity, our very homes shall be full
" guarded. The impregnable fort of the
cotton producer or owner in the south
today is the warehouse, so built, so
operated. that the farmer the merchant,
the miller may there store his cotton or
other product; and through the protec-
ton furnished by low insurance low stor-
age low interest, If he wishes to borrow
be saved the necessity of having his