The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-05-26
GREAT REUNION TAUGHT BIRMINGHAM HOW TO DO
 BIG THINGS IN A BIG WAY
Financial Plan Arranged for Building Warrior Highway Whirlwind Campaign to Be Made Auditorium Bonds Brown Makes Fine Report Reunion to the
 Chamber of Commerce

A new era has dawnetl in Birming- ham. There's nothing the matter with. this city
 But it took the reunion to get all the people together and convince them that they could do big things in a big way.
 That was the burden of the addresses at the monthly meeting of the Cham Der of Commerce last night and that was the keynote which echoed and re- echoed throughout the evening.
 What is believed to be the last se rious obstacle in the way of the inn mediate construction of the Warrior river highway was removed when the committee, through Chairman Sibley. reported that financial arrangements had been made whereby the county warrants could be used for any length of time at reasonable interest rate for the work.
 That the citizens of the city and the suburbs are almost unit on the mat ter of the auditorium bond issue was the report of Chairman Milner, who lOlu Ol llle pldA6 pCiHS biouC AOl O whirlwind campaign in favor of this bond issue to begin at once.
 The meeting became extremely en- thusiastic when R. A. Brown, chair man of the executive committee of
 the reunion, reported that every bill was being paid as presented and that what few remained would be paid without delay. But when he added that within the next few days he would | mail a refund check to each of the contributors his remarks brought forth prolonged applause.
 IN NATURE OF LOVE FEAST The meeting was in the nature of
 love feast. The spirit of cooperation
 engendered by the reulion and the
 success which had attended the ef- forts of Birmingham following several
 months of pessimism, the splendid
 financial report of the reunion com mittees, the apparently assured suc-
 cess of the auditorium bond issue and
 the removal of the chief obstacle in
 the way of the Warrior river highway
 aroused the enthusiasm of the mem berS of the chamber
 The announcement that the Birming ham Railway, Light and Power com pany, in addition to it's other dona- tions for the reunion, had given the committee 2S,400 street car tickets which were used for the transporta- tion of the veterans and the Boy Scouts was another matter which added to the general good feeling.
 FINDS NOTHING THE MATTER President Morris Bush, weak from an illness of several days, reviewed the recent activities of the chamber and in optimistic manner pointed out the work which remained to be con cluded. He declared that by the success of the reunion the old familiar ques- tion, Whats the matter with Bir- mingham?" had been answered. There's nothing the matter with | Birmingham and we have shown it dur | ing the past 30 days" he said 'The principal trouble in the past has been l that we have been inclined to sit down | and talk about what was the matter with this city until that question has been echoed and re-echoed all over this section of the country.
 "Theres nothing the matter with Birmingham when we get busy and go out and work. I have been thoroughly convinced of that since we have been working on the reunion. I have dis covered that when you go to the peo- I pie of Birmingham, tell them what you want them to do and show them that I it is right you need have no doubt about the result. They deliver the goods"
 l President Bush reviewed at length the work leading up to the reunion and the difficulties which first attended the eff | forts of the committees He praised the | Alabama State Fair association for its 1 generosity in giving the use of it's build | ings and grounds for the reunion. anC especially for allowing the reunion te | draft the services of R. A. Brown, pres 1 ident of the association, to serve as gen | eral chairman of the executive commit | tee.
 | Much of the credit for the success O
 the reunion was given by President Busl
 to Chairman Brown and his able assist ants, George A. Blinn, B. B. Burton ant Sol Caheen. The work of w. c. Rad cliffe. who served as general secretar. | of all the reunion committees; w. B Everett as assistant general secretary l of Sam H. Fowlkes, secretary of tn | Business Mems league, and Mrs. John E Reid, who was in charge of the veterans was warmly commended. President Busl also told of the services of the variou committee chairmen and their assistant and pointed out to the members Of tn | chamber the difficult tasks some of then had and the wonderfully successful man ner in which they had handled them.
 FINEST PARADE EVER HELD The parade was declared to have beel the finest ever held at reunion ant practically the only one of its kind whic ever started promptly. The credit fo this showing was given by the presden to Capt. E. J. McCrossin, who served a grand marshal.
 Among the other accomplishments Birmingham during the past month men toned by President Bush were the win ming of the Southern league attendanc
 trophy and the successful tick eradica tion election. Especial stress was lai
 upon the importance and the great goo' expected to result from the recent con ference between the newspaper editor
 and publishers in Birmingham in whicl