The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1915-02-26
saturdays Daily.)

Revived, terminated, rejuvenated,
the Columbia Board of Trade took the
most momentous step of its existence
Friday evening, when the two hun
dred and odd citizens present from
every portion of old Maury, repre-
senting the flower and cream of the
citizenship of the greatest county in
the state of Tennessee, went on rec
ord as unanimously favoring the is
suance of 100000 in bonds by legis
latiye enactment, for the purpose OF
building good roads, and as endorsing
the paving of the central portion OF
the city Of Columbia with a perma.
nent system Of street paving.
The banquet was the largest in ev.
cry respect that has ever been given
in the history Of the commercial or.
CARNATIONS of the city. One hundred
and ninety men, exclusive of the
members of the Columbia band,
which numbered fifteen, sat down to
magnificent menu Of four courses
prepared by Mr.. Dedman, the propri-
etor Of the Bethel House.
The banquet was great In numbers,
great in enthusiasm, great in its de-
termination to right some things that
have not been. and yet ought to have
been done, great in the character of
the citizenship that was present at
it. 1t was not strictly Columbia af-
fair. 1t was Maury county banquet.
The assemblage was drawn from men
from Spring Hill to Culleoka. from
Parks Station to Williamsport, from
Rally Hill to Mt. Pleasant. There
was unity of spirit, a community of
interest displayed that there has new
er been in any previous dinner OF the
Board of Trade.
POSTMASTER James A. Sloan caught
and displayed the spirit of the occa-
sion within few moments after the
diners had taken their places when
he asked every man present to turn
and give to the men at his side a
hearty handshake OF good fellowship,
no matter whether they were strang-
ers, or whether they had known each
other a life time. There we're fire.
quent manifestations of the same
spirit through the whole evening.
The great assemblage gathered at
8 o'clock. At the toastmaster's table
at the end Of the big dining room
were gathered the postmaster and
that prince of good fellowship and
good cheer, James A. Sloan, the
speakers of the evening, and the min
listers of the city. They were flanked
on either side by the magistrates of
the county. while the rest of the large
crowd was scattered over the big
room.
The invocation was given most elo-
quently by Rev. R. M. W. Black, rec
tor of st. Peters church. Mr. Sloan
then asked every man to remain
standing and to sing America" as it
was played by the Columbia band.
The four verses we're sung right lus-
tily by every man present.
For the next hour and half, two
hundred hungry men partook of the
four course menu of Mr.. Dedman, the
best that has ever been served at any
Board of Trade banquet 1t was not
only wholesome, plenteous, nourish-
ing. and sufficient to satisfy the most
ravenous appetite, but served with
ease and dispatch.
The table was cleared and the ban
queters pulled back their chairs to
hear the speaking at $3.50 o'clock.
For the next three hours there was
continual stream of oratory and wit
and good common sense. James A.
Sloan kept the crowd in good hui
NOR with his witticisms at the ex-
pense Of various ones in the assem-
blage and his remarks apropos to the
occasion.
In part Mr.. Sloan said:
I'VE have partaken Of the good
things to our hearts content for the
past hour and q half. We are now
going to have the pyrotechnics Of the
occasion. It hard to say what this
Board Of Trade is, what Il fs doing.
or what Il shosld %. We are situAt-