The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-12
Enjoy Banquet at Country Club-Does Not Break Up Until Early Morn
 ing Hours
OSCAR UNDERWOOD
 J. THOMAS HEFLIN
 AND OTHERS SPEAK
Hugh Morrow Acts As Postmaster and Keeps Banqueters in Uproar With Mathematician Tells What is Necessary
 for Prosperity

Forgetting business cares. the bankers of Alabama last night made merry.
 At the Country club about 250 bankers of the state, delegates to the twenty-third annual convention of the Alabama Bank CTS association, now in session here, and their friends last night sat down to a feast of food and oratory, the food fur- nished by the excellent cuisine depart ment of the famous Country club the oratory furnished by a galaxy of famous public speakers. including United States Senator Oscar Underwood, Congressman J. Thomas Heflin Hugh Morrow, oscar Wells and others.
 The banquet did not break up until nearly 1 o'clock this morning, enjoy able and interesting was the entertain ment arranged by the committees in charge. And though the occasion pri- marily was one of pleasure and merriment, repeatedly throughout the evening strong notes of the serious affairs with which bankers and statesmen deal in their bus- ness life were sounded.
 Hugh Morrow, whom many claim is destined to become one of the most fa- nous after-dnner speakers of the coun- try, presided as toastmaster With wit z that kept the great banquet hall in an uproar, he made the opening remarks He rambled from one story to another and following him went the laugh-mad dened diners, drunk with the humor and wit of the speaker. To begin with he ad- dressed the gathering with the salutation, Bankers and Fellow Borrowers" He then stated this was not by any means the first time he had had dire need to address banker and from then on foI a half hour held the diners breathless with his wit and eloauence.
 Ovation for Underwood
 At the last course of the banquet tn, toastmaster introduced Oscar Underwood and the junior senator from Alabama wa given an ovation as he arose. He state, he had declined to discuss the tariff be cause every place he went people wante, him to discuss the tariff and he wante, to talk about something else for rest.
 "i want to talk to you a moment. h, said, about what I consider is necessar, for this nation to obtain permanent pros perity.
 Tt is almost inconceivable that in thu srace of 24 months this country has gon through the throes of a complete reor sanitation of it's fiscal system inaugu ration of an entirely new currency sys tenn and at the same time the most stu pendous war the world has ever known involving the whole of Europe We should not have expected the boat not to rocl little bit. But l tell you now that al that is necessary for the business crew of this nation is for them to sit steady in the boat, keep their oars in the bust ness channel and the great boat of ma tional prosperity will come safely through the storm and into port.
 'I might discuss here tonight the greatest single piece of legislation tn- acted by Congress of the United States since the civil war. But | have not the daring to undertake to discpss a legislative act before the very n,er who are to interpret that act for tn, men who interpret our laws have a fdi more important duty than the men wht draft them. As long as we had the o,d system of currency we were bank ing against bonds and there wer' bound to follow those bankers panics which all remember and which hav' brought the country face to face witt disaster. But under the new currencl laws we are banking against legitimat' and actual securities and this courtr, will never again witness another bani: ers' panic. Individual banks throusl mismanagement may go to the wa, from time to time, but never agah will all the banks any great par of the banks of the country be placed in jeopardy
 Transportation is the Key
 Transportation is the key that m locks the gates of harbors. Until re gently Birmingham has been an inlan city; recently we have become a sea ort. Our industry in the past ha to be measured by the railroad track that touched our city. for it wa through them alone that our product oi trade could reach the markets 0 .ae world.
 There is no more intimate problem connected with the inner life of a na ticn than the problem of transporta ton. It was inevitable from the be ginning that transportation must b. regulated. It is coming to either gov crnment regulation of all transporta tion lines or--what I think most Q <s do not want--we will have to fol low the example of European countrie and have government ownership | transportation lines.
 No one is more interested in tn' commerce and trade of the nation tna.
 6Cnmtfuuad nm pono 'rNelvel