The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-08-28
MERCHANTS LEAVE l FOR THEIR HOMES l l IN BEST OF HUMOR Convention Just Closed Most Successful Ever Held by
 the Association MULTIPLICATION OF
 BIRMINGHAM SPIRIT Murray Brown in Main Responsible for Great Success of the Conven- ton, Although Every
 body Helped

the greater part of the 2O0O delegates to the Alabama Merchants convention Tor their homes after holding the most successful meeting in the history of the organization.
 The merchants of Alabama. without doubt. by their expressions in Bjr- mingham while attending the conven- tion, realize and appreciate the true worth and character of the conven- tion. It seems there are many people in Birmingham. however, who do not. For instance, the average Birming- ham man would be startled when in : eormed that the entertainment of the convention by Birmingham wholesale nlms, Birmingham manufacturers and Birmingham jobbers represented this year total cost of $sOOO. Yet such is fact. Of course the actual expense of the convention was but a lew hundred dollars over half this sum. sut this is due to cooperative spirit that always has pervaded the whole negotiation of the annual convention Of the merchants of the state in this city under the leadership of Murray Brown, chairman of the wholesale trade committee of the Chamber of Commerce
 The Birmingham Spirit
 For instance, two railway trains of Il coaches, baggage car and engine, each. cost the committee in charge nothing. The two meals furnished the merchants, the big barbecue at East Lake at which nearly 5000 people were SCrVad ho which 1900 people were served, cost the committees but about half what would have been the cost had such been negotiated for on a purely busi- Eess basis. The same with the baseball same at which nearly all of the 20OO merchants attended and every other expenses attached to the entertainment plans.
 It. would seem that never is the CO., operative spirit of Birmingham ex- pressed to such full extent as during the annual merchants convention and to this and this alone, under the magic hand of Murray Brown, is accredited the success of the meetings and espe- cially the one just closed, the largest and most successful from every view point ever held.
 When such men as those who com
 
 the great amount of work attached to the entertainment give days and in some cases weeks of their time from their business to attend the most mil mute details attached to such plans s"me idea can be grasped of the real spirit that prompted them and to which is due the affairs success These committees are as follows:
 Wholesale Trade Committee-Murray Brown. chairman; R. D. Burnett, R. H. Baugh, V. S. Gage, Joseph Loveman.
 Glad Hand Committes-Harry Jones, chairman; all travelling men for Bir- mingham houses complete this com mittee.
 Barbecue Committee-F. M Jackson. chairman; R. D. Burnett, J. P. Phillips.
 Lock IT Supper Commttee-J. c. Hodges, chairman; Joseph Loveman, S. W. Lee. Fl M. Beck
 Theatre ommittee-Culpepper Exum, chairman; Robert McLester.
 Baseball Committee-R. H. Baugh. :. Transportation committee-1 F. Young, chairman; R. H. Baugh, J. P. H. DeWindt.
 Admission Committee-Capt H. B. Kennedy.
 Registration and Badge Committee W. c. Phillips. Paul Earle, B. l.. Biv- ens
 Invitations and Stationery Commit teo-H. A. fOrter, cnAlrman, HudmOn Hopson H. M. Mcclellan
 Music Committee-Sidney Lazarus. chairman; J. D. Moore, Robert w. Ew- ing, George Jackson.
 In addition to these committee are Sec retary w. c. Radcliffe and Assistant Secretary w. B. Everitt of the Chamber of Commerce, to both of whom much credit for the conventions success is be- ing given And above them all Is Mur- ray Brown, ''the big chief behind the whole business.
 Much Work Required
 No one can know without actually go- ing through with the thing themselves the thousand and one details that mus, be considered and worked out weeks and weeks in advance in making the plans for such an entertainment of as big meeting as has just been held here. For two months, MT. Brown has spent almost half his time at the Chamber of Commerce and in the past two weeks he has spent practically all of his time with the convention affairs. The correspond ence with the speakers, the securing of the boats, which required many tele- gram, telephone message and letter and finally a trip to Mobile, and all such matters were merely the outward names for things behind which hid a thousand details, everyone of which had to be met and solved.
 Mir Rrowu did it opd no otbor mo ',