The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-09
South Is FOrecasted as the New Mecca for All
 Settlers
TYPIFIES NEW UNION
 OF SOUTHERN STATES
Noted Men From All Over Country Make Addresses Extolling the Progress and Unlimited
 Resources of South

movement of settlers will not be toward
 the west or northwest. which heretofore
 have been the Mecca Of persons seek
 ing new homes, but to the old south
 This sentiment was expressed at the first
 session of the Southern Commercial con gress' three-day meeting. This organiza- tion. formed little more than thres
 years ago, stands sponsor for the tide
 of immigration by forcing the advantages
 of the country south of the Mason and
 Dixon line and correcting false impress | sions prospective investors may have formed.
 | Todays session was devoted to speech making by well-known men of the coun- | try and individual delegates from the various southern states. Each pointed to the increased prosperity in store aud | the multitude of natural advantages which are hardly begun to be utilized John M. Parker of New Orleans, pres. ident of the congress. in a general state
 ment explained the aims of the organ ization and it's conventions. Speeches by Gov. Joseph M Brown of Georgia. Gen. | Julian s. Carr of North Carolina an1 | United States Senator Duncan |. Fletch- | CT of Florida were followed by a series of addresses on the general topic "Ex- ternal Views of the South,' by men of national prominence in the business and professional world. These speakers in cluded James Wilson, Secretary of Agri- culture; George W. Perkins, formerly with J. P. Morgan & Co.,; Arthur Kav- anagh, cashier of the National City bank of New York city.
 Symposium of the South
 The night session was given over 0 a Symposium Of the South,' a dele grate from each state represented max | ing a short talk on the opportunities in his particular section and what had been done toward business awakening These speakers and their states included: | Albert P. Bush. Mobile, Ala. Col S. W. Fordyce Hot Springs, Ark. E. P. Con- roy Jacksonville. Fla; J. S. Davis, Al- tany, Ga.; Logan c. Murray, Louisville, Ky; J. w. Porch. New Orleans; E. Howell Griswold, Jr., Baltimore; B. ". lGriffith vicksburg. Miss.;s Cyrus F. Walbridge. St. Louis; J. Elwood Cox. High Point N. C.: Prof Charles N. Gould, Norman, Okla; W. Robertson, lColumbia. S. C.. Leland Hume, Nashville, | Tenn; Oliver c. Beans. Wheeling, ". I lumbia,
 Col Theodore Roosevelt Is expected | to arrive tomorrow morning and will
 deliver the principal address at the night session tomorrow on the subject, '"The Souths Obligation in Statesman | ship and Business Endeavor." Other speakers of prominence on tomorrcw's programme are Bernard N. Baker, pres l ident of the National Conservation as- sociation. John Barrett. director general of the n-American union; Charles H. Sherrill, minister to Argentine, and John Temple Graves of New York.
 Big Attendance
 Just 50 years after the states of the | south had united for a struggle of arms | and typifying new union of the south | along constructive lines of commerce and business endeavor. the congress this | morning opened a three days session. More than 2000 delegates and visitors. Including hundreds of the leading busi- | ness and professional men of the south, | were present when President John M. Parker of New Orleans brought the gavel to the desk with crash and an- nounced the converting of the congress. | The downtown district of the city was | decked out in gala attire for the con gress. while the great auditorium where the meetings are being held was | a riot of red, white and blue, the stars and bars of the Confederacy being free ly mixed with the stars and stripes.
 Today's programme called for three scs- sions, the first to begin promptly at 10 o'clock this morning. At this meeting l the objects and scope of the work of con- gress were set forth by the officers or | that body.
 | This congress Is not merely an annual l meeting 1t was stated, but Is a union of efforts on the part of all Southern com mercial bodies and individual business in l sttutions to induce n proper understand ing of the resources of the South by the people of this section. and to clear the mind of the world at large of all mis- understanding of the South The pro- grammes have been arranged to have some particular bearing on all lines of development. and include score or more | of the best informed speakers in the | United States.
 I President Parker Speaks | Following the opening invocation oy
 Bishop c. K. Nelson of Georgia. Presi- dent Parker in a general statement, set
 fcrth the objective of the Southern Com mercial Congress M l Gov. Jos. M. Brown of Georgia, in wei coming the visitors. called attention to the wonderful resources of his native state and the advancement made since
 the days of the civil war. He was fol- lcwed by Gen. Julian S. Carr of North
 Carolina, second vice president of the congress, who responded in the name of all Southerners at congress
 He was followed by a notable address
 made by Edwin TQuarles
 Southern patriotism in business en-
 deavor" was the subject of Asa G. Cand-
 Ter of Atlanta, one of the most prominent business men of the south. He declared
 that "a noble nationalism must spring | from an enobling sectionalsms and | praised those business men who adver-
 tised their section of the country in for
 warding their individual interest.
 MT Candler was followed by United States Senator Duncan |. Fletcher of
 Florida, who spoke on the southern rem naissance."
 l.. Afternoon Session
 The afternoon session was devoted to
 External Views of the South" with sev- I eral speakers of national prominence. in | cluding Secretary of Agriculture James | Wilson. George W. Perkins of New
 York. Arthur Kavanaugh and Arthur NJ. l Harris also of New York
 When the afternoon session was called to order by President Parker he present. | ed to the audience the Secretary of Az | riculture, James M. Wilson. who delivered
 an address on "The Agricultural Oblisa- tions of the South" Mir Wilson admon- ished southern farmers that the time war | l CONTINUED ON FACE D