The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-04
CLUB THINKS THE SENATE AGITATION
 IS UNWARRANTE TED Nothing Illegal About Purchase Of Tennessee Co. By The
 Steel Corporation
CULBERSON DOES NOT
 REFLECT SENTIMENT
One Member Thinks Agricultural Sena- tors Should Confine Attention to Boil WeeVil Experimentation-R
 Iutions Will Be Forwarded.

action of the United States Senate in it's
 ''unwarranted attack on the United States 1 Steel corporation for it's purchase of the
 Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad com
 pany' and criticized Senator Culberson
 of Texas for introducing the resolution
 requesting an investigation.
 1 In calling the special meeting to order ] President John L. Raul announced that
 the board of directors had decided that
 Birmingham should take some action on
 the matter and had appointed com
 mttee to draft resolutions. w. P. G.
 Harding then took the floor and as chair
 man of the committee stated that the
 club should not wish to appear as a critic
 of the Senate yet should protest against | indiscrimingte investigations. He said
 that for the past few years everything
 from matches to steel rails has come
 in for its share of investigation and
 that while 1t has done some good the l spirit can be taken too for. Prosper
 ity does not lie in the path of perpet-
 uel agitation" he said
 Not Based on Sentiment.
 1 In introducing the resolutions MT. Hard | ing made it plain that they were based
 on the fact that no law had been vio-
 lated and not upon any sentiment what
 ever, but the opinion of the Attorney 1 General and the President" Since Con- l gress has met three times since the
 merger and the matter has never been
 suggested it seems to be kind of bun l kum for petty spite against the Pres
 ident. It hardly seems right, that cor l poration that has been so beneficial to
 our community should be persecuted
 without our protest" he said.
 l After the resolutions given below were
 read w W. Crawford suggested that
 the section criticizing Senator Culberson
 be cut out as he thought best to hurt no
 ones feelings. Guy R. Johnson was in 1 favor of leaving it there declaring that 'ft is time the senators are waking l up" James Bowron said "The senator's
 of great agricultural states had better
 confine their agitations to the extermin- ation of the boil weevi'' He even re- gretted that Culberson was said to be a
 native of Alabama and said that he
 didn't know whether to be angry or
 to feel contempt for such a man. "He
 ought to have sense enough to know that 1 the Tennessee company had only a ca- l pacity of per cent of the country's rail l production and practically no per cent l of any other kind of steel manufacture. | He deserves rdicule and in my opinion
 the committee let him off with remark
 able consideration The following resolu-
 tions were then adopted unanimously:
 Text of Resolutions.
 Whereas, It is admitted without ques-
 tion by all who have cared to acquaint | themselves with the facts that the pur-
 chase in November, 1907, by the United
 States Steel corporation of the stock of l the Tennessee Coal. Iron and Railroad
 company, which was at that time large , ly held by hard pressed, financial insti- tutions in the city of New York, the l financial center of the country, and re- i lieved the stress and stopped the pro-
 gress of what threatened to be the se- verest panic this generation has known: 1 it made possible a speedy improvement l in commerce, transportation and manu-
 featuring that has been in evidence dur 1 ing the past F months, and
 l "Whereas, It is the opinion of those competent to judge of such matters, that l had the change of ownership not been l effected that the improvement work and l operations of the Tennessee Coal Iron
 and Railroad company in the Birming ham district would have been entirely
 suspended, thereby adding enormously to 1 local distress, and
 'Whereas The United States Steel cor 1 poration immediately after its acquisition ] of the stock of the Tennessee Coal, Iron
 and Railroad company assumed charge. 1 proceeded with the work of improvement l without interruption and kept a large l number of mines and plants in opera l ton so that the Birmingham district l felt the effects of the panic less than 1 any other iron producing section, and i has, by reason of the enlargement steady 1 operation and increased capacity of the 1 furnaces and steel mills of the Ten nessee Coal, Iron and Railroad company
 been established more firmly than ever as a steel and iron center. and
 Whereas before the purchase of the stock of the Tennessee Coal. Ircn and Railroad company by the United States Steel corporation a committee directly in- terested in the transaction voluntarily waited upon the President of the United States at Washington and conferred with him and with the. Attorney General as to the legality of the proposed transac- tion, producing facts and figures relat- ing thereto, of personal and confidential
 nature and having been informed by the President and Attorney General that there were no legal objections on the part of the authorities of the United States to the transaction, the transfer was duly made.
 "Therefore, be it resolved, by the Com mercial club of Birmingham, That it de- pores the investigation now pending in the United States Senate after 15 months have elapsed of transaction sanctioned by the President upon the advice of the chief law officer of the government. be- lieving that such Investigation however
 sincere the motives inspiring it. is ill., advised and unnecessary, and can produce no good roads nor benefit the public in any way; and this club especially regrets that the resolution providing for this in vestigation should have been offered by a prominent southern senator, fearing that if will be construed as expression of hostility to corporate interests per SC on the part of our people and will tend to discourage the investment of outside
 canital in the south. so necessary to our further development
 Resolved That this club deprecates unwarranted attacks on corporate interest and demands that individuals who have associated themselves together under corporate name in any legitimate line of industry, resulting in the employment of large numbers of men and the develop ment of our section. be conceded the same legal rights and privileges as are secured to natural persons.
 Resolved, That this club comments and upholds the President of the United States and the Attorney General in their