The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-14
STEINER CALLED ON
 FOR SOME VIEWS Was First President of Con-
 mercial Club
TELLS OF THE DARK DAYS
Former Citizen Says If They Will Give Him Two Years He Will Be Back In Birmingham
 to Live

At the meeting of the Chamber of Com merce yesterday many gathered around the genial countenance of B. Steiner, the New York resident member of Steiner Steiner Bros, who is visiting in the city.
 MT. Steiner enjoys the distinction of be-
 ing the first president of the Birmingham Commercial club, out of which grew the Chamber of Commerce. He promised 10 return to Birmingham to live within two years.
 He was called upon for a talk and gave 1t with his usual enthusiasm. introduced by w. N. Malone. he said:
 'I want to correct Mir. Malone. I al-
 ready have the privileges of this floor. I am member of this organization
 was there when 1t was organized and am one of its godfathers.
 Those were the dark ages. Sometimes
 we failed but not because we didn't try.
 We had to whistle when we walked through the graveyards.
 "The city has grown away from ms. feel lost when I come here, but that
 don't stop me from pulling for Birminy- ham whenever the opportunity arises. I've all feel proud of your population. your great growth.
 "The only person in my family who
 does not appreciate it is my wife. She
 has a fine fellow who peddes chickens
 at her back door, and he sells them fat and cheap. About the time the articles
 were coming out about the marvellous l growth of Birmingham this peddler came
 around and, knowing that my wife was 1 ,l you get to that wonderful placer And
 my wife, fearing that she would lose
 good chicken peddler, has been running
 Birmingham down ever since. 1 But you mustn't stop. You've got lots l to do. You must clean your city. It is l not clean. You must get rid of the smoke l And you must overcome your enemies "The Southern railway is fighting you. | The other day they declined to sell me
 mileage when I said wanted to come to Birmingham, and they refused to sell me
 return ticket or to reserve berths. All
 they would give me was a straight ticket
 to Birmingham.
 Now, any time you want anything.
 write to me and I will hustle it up." M. " Joseph introduced a resolution asking MT. Steiner to come back to Bir-
 mingham to live. Give me two years" said MT Steiner, and will be back with you. As soon as I can get my boys in charge of my business l will be back and pulling together with you"
 ~-~~ ~~~~-~-~-~~~~~~~~~~ GUS cases of petty and inconsequential | misdemeanors by the habit of deputy sheriffs, constables and the like, in mak- 1 ing indiscrminate arrests and raids with out warrant, and frequently, if not en- tirely for the sole purpose of collecting excessive fees.
 Arrested By Wholesale By this device ignorant negroes and the poorer and more defenseless white
 men charged with such trivial offense for | example, as craps shooting, have been ar rested by the wholesale. Sometimes they
 are locked up. and not infrequently they
 are discharged upon so-caled cash bonds,
 which have no sanction in law or public
 policy In many cases of these cash
 bonds the cash never gets beyond the of ficer making the arrest, and the cases are
 never entered upon the docket. In other cases where CdSn DoHuS nOt tdHci
 arrests are made for the most trivial of tfenses, in no sense involving the public welfare, whereby even more injustice and oppression is visited upon the poor and
 defenseless classes of the community. It is to this fact more than to any other that labor has been demoralzed in this district and we believe that with the in dorsement of this chamber and of other enlightened citizens of the state we can
 mitigate and largely destroy the prac- tices spoken of and to a great extent at least secure immediate release from con
 ditions which are intolerable and inde- fensible.
 Your committee earnestly hopes that this chamber will go on record as indors- ing our action in this behalf, and that it will request the cooperation of all like bodies in the state, as well as of the state organization, to the end that i'm
 mediate relief be granted"