The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-30
MONTGOMERY STILL
 PRIDE OF TIE STATE
The Growth Not Rapid But of
 Highest Type
GLORIOUS TRADITIONS
Attracting Attention of Outsiders to Capital City's Adv.ntases
 ss Residence City
BY WALTER HARPER


 you the best secretary of the best commercial organization of the best city of the best state in the world Bruce Kennedy of the Business Mems league of Montgomery" This Is the way 1t was put by B l.. Moss, United States government man in charge Of the farm demonstra- ton work in Alabama. The occa sion was a few nights ago at meeting of the Alabama field men of the state demonstration work. The meetings were being held in the assembly rooms of the lea que at Montgomery. Bruce made his rema rks very brief and hurried home to tell his wife
 Bruce Kennedy is one of the hard est working men in Alabama. He is the executive head of one of the livest business organizations in the south located in one of the best rounded cities in the country. Montgomery has rare advantages natural and otherwise, and the people are keenly alive to tn em. Proximity to the inexhaustible fields of raw material of almost every de- scription makes it an ideal point for varied manufacturing industries It Is in the midst of the finest and most pro- gressive agricultural section west of the Mississippi river. It has an abnnd- ance of water as well as river trans portation and invaluable water power for all purposes. Its climate is su- perb.
 The people are of the best in the country. While Montgomery has not gained population like some of her sister cities the town has not suffered in the quality of her citizenship. Thai is something to be proud of.
 Every citizen of Alabama as well as of the entire south Is proud of Mont gomrey and will always be. It needs no forest of grooming industries or mountains of commerce to make it one of the greatest cities on the Amer lean continent.
 While it's volume of business is large and very important 1t will always lie close to the hearts of southern peo- pie for its noble traditions. it's immortal sentiment and it's landmarks of the glorious days of the southland.
 Here is the first capital of the Con- federacy star marks the very spot where Jefferson Davis stood when he took the oath of office as president of the new republic. Still standing in tho city is the old home of the only pres ident of the Confederacy.
 There are hundreds of other material and traditional things to make the city dear to every southerner besides it's superior present-day citizenship.
 But 1t was my purpose to speak of the Montgomery of today-the Bruce Kennedy city.
 At midnight the present population Is almost 10000. After the morning trains are in the population Is much larger. Everybody in Alabama with but one exception goes to Montgom- cry at lenst once every four years.'
 Bruce Kennedy is secretary of the Business Mems league. which Is a consolidation of all previous business and commercial organizations. All the leading business men of Montgomery as we'll as business firms belong to the league and support it literally. They get real service through the or ganization and are proud of its real Eelpfulness.
 Bruce makes the orga nization worth something to it's members. He knows how to get the information and the service that his members want and Is not afraid to work. The harder the problem the better he likes 1t. He is an old newspaper man, one of the best in the state.
 I called on him in his office a few days ago.
 Write something about Montgomery. Tell the people of Alabama what we have here. Help us boost" Well, wha at have you got?'' 111& of fa acfa ho could write. It was all on the tip of his tongue with more behind pushing 1t off.
 Here Is part of 1t:
 Montgomery annual commerce is $50, ,ooo. 900.
 Montgomery annual pay roll Is s12.- coo, 900.
 ..Montgomerys business men employ 14,000 people.
 Montgomery has 1897 commercial and industrial enterprises. Montgomery has perfect sanitary system with death rate of 15.74 per 1000 Montgomery has four national and three state banks with resources of 3ll,- 5oo. .0o0.
 Montgomery has six trunk lines of railroads radisting into rich territory. Montgomery has Alabama's greatest river with Montgomery-owned barge line to Mobile.
 "Montgomery's annual trade in cotton and cotton seed products is 312ooo,00o. Montgomery manufactures moro fer tilizers than any other city of the Uni ted States. Annual value $3,0oo,o0o. Montgomery provides electric power | for industries cheaper than any city its size in the United States and Is the best lighted city in the world. 'Montgomery's mules and horses are | shipped to every state in the south. Value of last years business was 5000. 0CO
 Montgomery county produced last year q, 600 worth of farm products in ad- dition to it's cotton and corn. Montgomery is close to virgin forests. fertile fields, mineral beds, quarries of marble and stone.
 'sMontgomery's postoffice receipts for last fiscal year were $lS4, ,624.s1. They have never shown a decrease.
 ''Montgomery's record of building per mits shows steady increase each year. Our skyscraper office buildings. public auditorium (seating 5000 people), seven modern hotels, IS well-equipped public Women and Catholic convent, fine three- story Young Mems Christian association and Young Women's Christian associa- ton buildings. 3sO.o00 Carnegie library. historic state capitol, $a5o,000 marble courthouse, picturesque city hall, hand some five-story government building, imposing union railway station. modern municipally owned wharf, beautiful club houses, Masonic temple. fine churches, modern hospitals, shaded and paved streets, parks, street railway service and