The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-21
Met By Many of Birmingham'S Prominent Men At HilImaR
 Reception Last Night
TODAY TO BE DEVOTED TO
 AUTO TRIPS OVER CITY
Lunch Will Be Given at the Country CIun-LeaVe for Chicago on Special Train at 3 p. M-Mem-
 bers Discuss Trip.

The delegation from the Chicago Cham
 Der of Commerce arrived at 7:45 o'clock
 last night and proved a bunch of real, 1 big, active business men and good fe- 1 lows. They were met by Birminghams most representative citizens and escorted along Nineteenth street to the Hotel Hill
 man. where a reception was held in the l palm rooms. For oyer an hour repre-
 sentative prominent Birmingham people
 were greeted by the visitors who were all affability and bubbling over with good
 spirits. They talked of their impressions upon visiting the south. their faith in Bir-
 mingham and were not entirely out of
 good jokes.
 In each branch of business one would gather that the most pleasing talker had been selected. The newspaper boys or rather celebrities, who are in the party, are among the best in the land. Richard
 H. Little, war correspondent during the
 Russo-Japanese war, president of the Chi cago Press club, and a writer of no little
 fame; Elliott Flower well-known short
 story writer; Roswell Field of the Ex-
 aminer, a brother of Eugene Field; Will liam Harper of the Chicago Commerce
 Magazine, and John E. Meador of the Tribune, were among the important mem bers.
 Automobile Ride Today. The automobile ride over the district will begin at the Hotel Hillman this l morning at 10:3O clock, winding up with
 lunch at the Country club at 12:9O ! o'clock. The party will then be taken
 directly to the cars. which leave on big special train over the Illinois Centrol at
 3 o'clock for Chicago
 The impression which Birmingham
 makes on these visitors will probably re-
 suit in great good for the city. At least it will be interesting. They were only able to look hurriedly over the business
 section by electric light last night, but many were the exclamations of surprise and pleasure as well as remarks upon the broad streets and the solid manner in which the city is built.
 Have Made Extensive Trip. The party of Chicago business and pro- fessional men now paying Birmingham
 visit have been on an extensive tour throughout the south with view to learning the needs and studying the re- l sources and industrial conditions of the | country which is considered commer- cially and geographically akin to Chicago
 The delegation represents the Chicago Association of Commerce, one of the largest civic and commercial bodies in the United States it's membership of 5000 firms representing about 10000 men and
 millions of dollars. Their mission is purely to promote closer business and social relations between the sections and to encourage ties of friendship between the north and south. Every member of | the party is prominent in a business or professional way and the trip is being conducted on a broad scale. No sales men are along and no orders are being
 solicited nor received upon the journey
 This association does not confine It's
 energies alone to Chicago, but takes an l active interest in matters of national
 welfare and is especially concerned in
 the agricultural and industrial develop
 ment of the south. The members have
 
 waterways and the satisfactory solution
 of many commercial and transportation problems It was as the guests Of this l body of men that Taft and Bryan during l the heat of the campaign sat side by 1 side at the recent deep waterways ban
 quet in a friendly non-partisan and non- political meeting
 | Although their. special cars did not
 arrive. until after dark many express
 sions complimentary to Birmingham were
 heard and all seem to relish the oppor- l tunity of seeing the city from automobiles | today.
 Moody Discusses Trip. Walter D. Moody, business manager for 1 the entire association, who is making the | trip, when seen at the Hotel Hillman last l night said: "There is probably not in 1 the south business man who has not
 discussed in his own mind or with some
 of his acqualntances, why this party of l 30 active business and professional men l from Chicago should leave their stores ! and offices, engage a special train and l come hundreds of miles to visit the busi- | ness men of your city, where many of our | party have never been before. Now that | is the paradoxical query that I will an- | swer fully while have this opportunity. "No doubt every business man in Br- | mingham has read of firms or corpora l tons that have been in commercial or
 manufacturing life for so long time that | their founders have long since passed l away. They have noticed that when such | a concern changed hands and the business | was transferred to others without a ] change in the name of the firm that the l main asset in the inventory of the firm | was called good will While it consti- | tuted a large part of the concerns assets 1 it had no property representative in the 1 schedule except valuation wholly intan- | gible, even if estimated to be of great i value.
 | Now, it is the securing of that asset | for every mercantile and financial house 1 in the city of Chicago that has brought i us to your handsome and progressive city. | We have not come here to sell goods or 1 wares or merchandise and you could buy
 nothing from a member of the party. The 1 only way this valuable asset can be &C., l ouired is by acquaintance. There is not a business man in Birmingham who does
 not much prefer to buy from an ac- 1 olaintance who he knows will give him 1 full measure, at reasonable price, and |