The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-14
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
FarReachina Idea.

l "The Library association is seeking to enlist the interest of all the citizens of Birmingham whether they are able to subscribe to the building fund or not said Miss P. N. Greene, director of the public library.
 i Cold cash cannot buy what the asso- i citation stands for, though I am Tree to say that about s20O,OOO wouldn't be a 1 drawback to it's schemes.
 When we strive to enlist the efforts i of all the citizens in the project it is for double purpose. Of course the erection of an adequate building and the 1 purchase of many thousands of volumes would be the most immediate result and the one occupying public attention at present, yet there is a deeper purpose back of this and one which Is founded on the library's real reason for being and that is to make sure that the peo- i pie generally will use the library-will place themselves within the radius of it's influence when it is an accomplished fact.
 "One of the problems which confront many long Established libraries is to reach the people. There would be no such problem were all the citizens en- listed in the work of establishment. We | naturally love and cherish that upon which we expend thought or effort or money. To this end every citizen in Birmingham should be appealed to. One of the very best ways of waking a man up thoroughly is to take his money away from him. The man who subscribes a dollar toward a free public library ever afterwards feels toward the institution like doting parent toward promising child.
 Those who cannot give money can give effort and thought to the movement, and working for a good cause, like prayer, has a valuable reflex influence.
 For this good reason we would put every child of over years of age to work for the library. We would incite each to make every copper he could for the good cause by dint of real labor. This would at least insure plenty of interested little readers, and would give our future citizens a most helpful lesson in civic pride and public usefulness"
 The Tariff Problem.
 Henry Clews, in his weekly review, says in part:
 "The prospect of an early adjustment of the tariff problem is now more remote than at any time since the movement for revision began. Already there is sharp conflict with powerful interests that spells nothing but delay. AS has been aptly said, the tariff is simply a question of profit; and this being true 1t follows that each interest will fight to the utmost for every advantage. Such differences can not from their very nature be settled by any commission. Advice from all disinter- ested bodies will be spurned, and it is only through the test of battle on the floor of Congress that a solution will be found. Neither the politicians nor the people will surrender their say about the tariff, and there is no good reason why they should. Talk of a commission comes chiefly from those who wish to strengthen their influence in tariff making for them selves, and is politically impracticable.
 ''The ways and means committee has taken a mass of testimony that may en- able it to frame some sort of measure for Congress; but Congress will as likely
 
 as not disregard it's recommendations, and the present outlook is for hot and long debate in both the House and Senate lasting possibly into the early summer months. The settlement of the tariff, moreover, is greatly complicated by the governments need of revenue, by the necessities of our dependencies, the Philip pines, Cuba and Porto Rico, and by our reciprocity arrangements with foreign countries, the importance of which has been temporarily overshadowed. It would be extremely unfortunate if war of tariffs should break out as a result of the burdens we place upon foreign trade. Talk of retaliation grows, and much harm might follow; for trade prospers best under freedom and not under friction.
 "A somewhat f1rmer tendency has been shown in money, chiefly as a result of the drop in bank reserves, the withdrawal of government deposits and further gold ex- ports. The latter have, received at least a temporary check. The withdrawal of government money, however, will con- tinue owing to the great excess of expen- ditures over receipts