The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1907-05-17
DENoN,cED
AGITAT0RS
G ton Manufacturers
! Busy Day.
FINLEY MADE HOT SPEECH
Others Present Spoke Against So
Called Reformers.
Plan For warehousing staple of south
Ii Endorsed and Steps Taken
To Correct New York Ex-
change.

Philadelphia, May 16.-Much busi-
ness was crowded into the concluding
session today of the American Cotton
Manufacturer Association conven-
ton.
Besides the many interesting papers
read on subjects pertaining to the cot
ton industry, there was an address by
President Finley of the Southern Rail-
way Company, the election of officers
and reports from committees. The re-
port of the secretary and treasurer
showed the organization to be in a
prosperous condition. Among others
who addressed the convention were
Congressman Burleson of Austin. Tex;
James T. Fuller. of Charlotte. N. c.,
who spoke on "combed cotton" and
w. H. Carrier. Buffalo. N. Y.
President Finley called attention to
the assistance rendered by the rail-
roads in the development of Southern
industries and pointed out that the de-
mands for railway service in the
Southern States have almost reached
the capacity of the roads and that II
Southern progress is to continue, there
must be an early increase in the facin-
ties of Southern transportation agen-
cies
He said that If the roads were to
provide these facilities they would re-
auire large amounts of new capital,
for the obtaining of which the main
tenance of earning power was tun-
damental requisite. Unfortunately the
LEGISLATION enacted in some of the States
and proposed in others, he said, was
tending to make it difficult for the
roads to sell their bonds to provide
funds for new construction.
Ii Injuring Everything.
This condition of affairs" he said,
ais fniuring not only the railroads.
hut every business in the country.
Legislation attacking the power OF
road to maintain their earning capa-
city and proposing to impose penal
ties upon them for failure to perform
services beyond their ability can only
have the effect of inturing their creuie
and Gripping their power to afford the
additional fachtties so inpera'iNe'y
needed
Mr.. Finley said that laws subJecting
common carriers to proper regulations
such as might be necessary to prevent
discrimination or unreasonable charges
were proper and could not be objected
to, but that when legislation went pc
vond this proper field of regulation
ana nroposed to reduce charges arbi-
trarily and to impose penalties for ran
ure to perform impossible services II
became destructive.
In conclusion he said:
al think that every intelligent man
on careful consideration must realize
that any legislation having this effect
ia not only unjust, but that 1t is as I'M
wise as II would be to dam the rivers
and fill up the harbors of the country.
interests Identical.
'If you agree with me as to the iden-
tical interests between the railways
and the public; If you realize as L do
that a railway cannot be prosperous
unless the communities along its lines
are prosperous and that, conversely.
community cannot be permanently pros
porous unless 1t Is served by strong
and prosperous railway, able to give
prompt and satisfactory service and to
Increase its facilities 1T is your duty as
patriotic American citizens to do ev-
erything in your power to bring about
a universal understanding of the inev-
liable effect on the country as whole
of the Gripping of it's transportation
facilities"
q W. d. Hartshorn, of Boston, presi-
dent of the National Association of
Manufacturers, a sister organization.
said without any suggestion of ANAL
gamation o fthe two bodies, they would
work tremendously for the good of the
industry.
President whitman of the National
Wool Manufacturers Association spoke
on American business honor. He dep
recated the cry set up by the army of
agitators" who under the guise of re-
formers, could see nothing but evil in
the land. He said the standard of bus
iness honor in this country today is
higher than ever before.
The committee having in charge the
matter of the controversy with the New
York Cotton Exchange over the grading
of cotton reported that it had a con-
ference with a committee from the New
York Exchange. The committee said
there was a harmonious exchange of
vfSws in regard to the establishing of
cotton warehouses in the South, and the
advisability of making changes in con-
tracts and classification of cotton. No
conclusion was reached, however, and
because of the absence of representa-
tives of the New Orleans Cotton Ex-
change. who were to have been pres
ent. the committee recommended that
another committee be appointed to take
up the matter during the year. The
report was adopted and the present
committee was continued. One of the
resolutions adopted was as follows
That this Association place on record
its disapproval of the action of the In
terstate Commerce Commission in the
case of the rate on trans-continental
shipments of Southern mill products to
the Orient"
The action referred to was on q sale
case in the Southern goods to the Orient
in which suit was brought by New
York exporters against Southern rail-
roads to collect the difference between
So cents. the rate from New England.
and $1.25, the rate from the South The
Commission decided In favor of the rail-
roads.
Resolutions were adopted favoring the
establishment of national forest re-
serves in the Southern Appalachian and
White Mountains.
The election of officers resulted as
follows:
President. s. B. Tanner. Henrietta. n.
C.. Vice President, T. H. Rennie,
Graniteville, s. c.; Secretary -Treasur-
err. c. B. Bryant. Charlotte N. c.;
hartman of the Board of Governors,
r. A. Blythe. Philadelphia.