The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-12-14
LAND CONGRESS NOTES
by N. r. THOMPSON
Secretary ana GENERAL Manager

The programme of the recent sessions
of the Alabama Land congress was pre-
pared with the object of giving a COM
plete review of Alabama's agricultural
resources and advantages brought up to
date. That this was done no one who
heard those addresses or attended the
sessions of that organization can doubt.
Indeed there are many who have claimed
that never has there been presented be-
fore such an array of facts and argu-
ments in behalf of Alabama's s agricul-
tural advantages as were heard at that
meeting.
Those facts and arguments were in
tended to serve a two-fold purpose: First,
to awaken our own people here in Ala
bama to clearer conception of what
they possess nj their lands and a higher
appreciation of them, and, second, to pre-
sent these same facts and arguments to
the outside world as inducements to To-
cate desirable settlers on the idle lands
of Alabama.
That the first object has been largely
attained may be judged by the increased
interest manifest fro none end of Ala
Ddiit W lilt olutl Ill dtNtlOpIleIl enter
prises and improving methods of cultiva-
tion of these lands, together with a ger
eral awakening to the need of closer CO.
operation between the business men of
the towns and cities with the farmers
around them.
But to obtain the second object requires
the publication of those papers and ad-
dresses in pamphlet form and their gen.
aral distribution. is this work that
management of the land congress now
desires to direct the attention of CONNER
eial bodies, land owners and public
spirited citizens throughout the state.
1t is desired to publish for distr.-
button $4,000 copies of the proceedings
of the recent sessions of the land con-
gress and the commercial bodies, land
companies, landowners, corporations
and all others interested in the up
building of Alabama are going to be
asked to help raise the necessary funds
for that purpose. Each subscriber vii,
be furnished with as many copies as
he will agree to distribute and thus
may be inaugurated one of the most
effective advertising campaigns for
Alabama that has ever before been at
tempted.
Many criticisms have been made In
the past that Alabama has failed 70
advertise her resources and advan-
tages and here Is an opportunity that
cannot be excelled to remedy this omis-
sion for 1t is true that we have neg
lected this heretofore, or left 1t to To-
calities and interested individuals, with
the result that the announcements sent
out have been so highly colored from
local or personal interest as to be OF
positive injury to the state at large IN
many cases.
AS an advertisement for the entire
state of Alabama nothing that could
be gathered within compact COM
pass would serve so well. for 1t would
| bear the impress of truth without any
| color from personal or community in
terest, and that is the kind of adver-
I tising that Alabama needs Just now
Every speaker or writer that appeared
on the programme of the land congress
was selected for his or her special fit-
ness to discuss the subject assigned
and most of them were chosen because
they were actually doing the things
about which they We're to talk or write.
Now here Is an opportunity to ad-
vertise Alabama in an economical and
| effective manner. To start out to
gather the material that will be COM
prised within this pamphlet. would
entail a large outlay of itself, while
the cost of preparing and editing II
would be a considerable sum in addi-
tion, but here is matter difficult to
procure and which cannot be surpassed
ready to hand for the printer and al
a minimum of expense. The city OF
Mobile recently raised the sum of s17.-