The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-19
TYPOS HONOR
 BEN FRANKLIN Hold Jolly Banquet At Jeffer-
 son Hotel
GREATEST OF PRINTERS"
One Hundred and Thirty-three Guests Around Banquet Table Enjoy Themselves and Join in Mu-
 tuaI Praise and Fellowship.

Members of Birmingham Typograph-
 ical union No. 104 assembled around i the banquet board at the Jefferson hotel i last night and celebrated the birthday
 of Benjamin Franklin. whom the union
 printers have placed upon a pedestal in
 their estimati with the inscription of greatest printer the world has ever
 known"
 l The dining room of the hotel was ! filled with the 133 guests, all of whom with the exception of a few invited guests were members of the union. l Everyone present was quickly entwined i by the coils of good fellowship, and for
 several hours the men of the linotype
 and the case appeased the inner man
 with choice viands and enjoyed their i intellectual being with quips and elo- quent expressions of praise from their
 employers and other men coming. in
 contact with them.
 Around the table were printers from
 the youngsters in their teens just be- ing initiated into the mysteries of the trade to the veteran printer of 42 years experience. The latter is Charles Rob-
 erts who has conducted a printing shop in Birmingham since the earliest days of the Magic City.
 Henry C. West. president of No. 1O4, acted as toastmaster, while the speak
 CTS of the evening were c. w. Ufford, i Rufus N. Rhodes, Capt. Frank P. O'Brien, F. W. Barrett, J. B. Babb, Capt. Billy" Lopez, Judge Samuel L. Weaver, | T. T. Mock, James H. Leath, Charles Roberts and Allen M. Holt.
 MT. Ufford was the first speaker, his words, q have been in close touch with the union printers for several years and have always found them fair and ready to do an honest days work; I would like to join you, but as I can't set type, suppose I am ruled out" bringing everybody into close fellow ship.
 MT. Rh odes followed with an eloquent tribute to the union printers and to the memory of the man whose birthday was being celebrated. He first spoke of the home for sick and disabled printers which has been established by the union at Colorado Springs, Col, and of the monthly allowance made by the union to printers who are too old to work or otherwise disabled, and who prefer to remain at home with their families.
 "You are celebrating the birthday of one of the greatest men to whom GSd gave life," said MT. Rhodes. "One might discourse all night upon his virtues, but there is one characteristic of his which desire to refer to. That was his imperial pride in his democratic prin- ciples."
 He also told of an incident concern ing a toast made by Franklin at a certain banquet. The eloquent Fox of England proposed toast to his coun- try as the Sun of the World" Then followed one by gentleman from France, making his country The Moon of the World Enshrouding Everything in It's Soft Rays of Politeness." Then came Franklins, "To the United States; the Joshua of the World; Who Com manded the Sun and the Moon to Stand Still, and They stood"
 Capt Frank P. OBrien emphasized pre- yious statements regarding the printers friendship. He referred to the loyal man. ner in which the printers had stuck to him years ago when he was proprietor of The Age-Herald, and when it was rock ing about on the financial sea. Cant you see that can have nothing but love for the men who stood so nobly by me-" concluded the captain and mayor-elect, after relating the details of that stress.
 F. w. Barrett praised the printers for the caibre of the men in their trade, say ing: "There Is not better set of men anywhere than are in your trade here.'
 J. B. Babb referred to the great spir-
 itual help" he had always been to the
 printers by furnishing them good copy"
 almost breaking up the gathering by this remark He then proceeded to dwell on
 the systematic and intelligent manner in
 which the printers had placed themselves on firm basis with both fairness to
 employer and employe.
 Mike Cooligan entertained for few mo- ments with songs. jokes and humorous
 dialect stories Captain Billy" Lopez followed with a few short words. at the
 conclusion of which Judge Weaver was called upon.
 His remarks were in part: An institu- tion like this which the legitimate up-
 building of itself. is bound to succeed. You have one of the strongest unions, and
 1t Is befitting that you should celebrate the birthday of the greatest printer whom the world has ever known. Your home in Colorado shows that you are knit to- gether" He concluded with the wish that each of the printers should live to be as old as Judge Coleman.
 1 T. T. Mock. after addressing the gather 1 ing, "Mr Toa stmaster, Gentlemen and | Printers" proceeded to jolly both the | printers and their employers. He spoke l of Franklin as being the first hobo print 1 CT saying that he had walked into Phila- | delphia with his shirts in his pockets, the 1 only difference between him and the pres ent-day printer being that the latter had l no shirt.
 l James H. Leath spoke of the printers | being proud of their employers and then | paid a tribute to the union label.
 Charles Roberts declined to make a long | speech, simply stating that this was his I forty-second year in the printers trade. | Allen M. Holt stated that he had just 1 sent the last form down, but that it had | a wood cut in 1t and that it would
 keep him busy for some time, consequent | ly there was no time for talking. l Mir Rhodes then concluded the speech | making with the words, You have the | best union on earth because you have the ! most intelligent membership, and you are | always conservative"
 k. C. Campbell then pronounced ben l ediction and the printers, full of good { cheer, departed for their homes. the hour