HARDWOOD RECORD 



19 



Fifth Annual HardWood Manufacturers' Association. 



On Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 29 and 



30, Memphis, Teiin., nas tin- Mctfa of tin 1 

 hardwood manufacturers of the country. 



It was the jasion of the fifth annual 



meeting of the Hardwood Manufacturers' 

 Association of the United States. 

 OPENING SESSION. 



The convention was called to order in 

 the assembly room of the Gayoso Hotel at 

 II a. in. on Jan. 29, with practically every 

 s.at in the room occupied by delegates, 

 President William Wilms of 

 Chicago occupying the chair, 

 and Lewis Doster acting us sec- 

 retary, in point of numbers 

 the meeting was by far the 

 largest ever hold l>y the asso 

 ciation. 



In calling the meeting to 

 order President Wilms said: 

 "Gentlemen, before I get into 

 our regular session, I take 

 pleasure in introducing to you 

 Mr. George D. Burgess, presi- 

 dent of the Memphis Lumber- 

 men's Club. 



.Mr. Burgess was greeted with 

 applause, and said : 



i Gentlemen — As the mayor of 

 Memphis was unavoidably de 

 tained, he lias delegated his first 



assistant windjammer to g 1 



you this morning. Now. in every 

 community they have their silver- 

 tongued, orator, but Memphis ex- 

 cels not only in the quality and 

 quantity of its lumber hut also in 

 oratory. It gives me great pleas- 

 ure to Introduce this gentleman, 

 and he might better he termed 

 the golden-tongued orator than 

 the silver-tongued orator. Gentle- 

 men, 1 introduce the represents 

 five of the mayor. Colonel "Jack" 



Appersoll. 



Mr. Appersiiii then spoke as 



follows : 



Address of Welcome. 



Mr. President and Gentlemen 

 My good friend Burgess has al- 

 most taken my breath away. It 

 reminds me somewhat of the 

 story of a fellow visiting New 

 York, who went to Delmonico's 



for breakfast, lie was very 1 1 



of beefsteak and onions, and he 



oid.-r. -it t fsteak and onions. 



with the onions nice and crisp. 

 The waiter handed him a bill Cor 

 ST.. lie said: "In Memphis we 



get that for •". nts." "Well," 



the waiter said. "that's our 

 price." The man paid the bill 

 and went down the street and 

 met ;i friend. He said. "Where 

 are you going?" "Going to break- 

 fast." "Where are you going 

 to breakfast?" "At Delmonico's.' 

 "Well, how do you like beefsteak and onions 

 "Why." he said, "that is my favorite dish." 



"Well, I eau reeoiiiinend I fsieak and onions at 



Delmonico's; the finest you ever ate." "No. 1 

 don't want beefsteak and onions this morning. 

 I don't like the odor of onions on my breath. 1 

 am going to meet a young lady this morning." 



Tl ther replied: "Don't be' bothered ;d 1 



that. When the waiter brings you the hill it 

 will take your breath away." 1 1. a lighter. | 



On this occasion the mayor has kindly asked 

 me to represent him. He didn't ask me' on ae 

 count of any personal qualities, but probably he 

 cause he knew that I, as a son of the state of 

 Tennessee and a volunteer, always volunteer on 

 every occasion. 1 was told once 1 I' a fellow 

 sluing in the congregation when the preacher 

 was speaking in regard to the sheep and the 



goals. -Ale. said: "Now. brethren, won't you 

 come ll|i and join this thick 7 Come up, now." 

 lie siivs. "Who is going to he the goat V Don't 

 he the goal." He said: "Parson, if nobody 



else Will he Hie goal 1 Will." So tile minor. 



in looking over bis flock could find no firsts or 



sec Is, and lie sent Hie common. [Laughter.J 



1 know not what to say about your organiza 

 lion. They tell me that Memphis is the largest 

 hardwood lumber market in tne world. I kuo,\ 

 vfvy little about hardwood, yet it strikes me 



that the lumber n are the pioneers of civilizn 



tinn. They blazed the pathways through I he 

 forests: they have made it possible for us to 

 live in frame houses, as most of us do. Yon 

 manufacture the cradle that rocks us in infamy, 

 ven manufacture the sideboard thai holds the 

 elixir of liie; and when life is ..vet, you make 



JOHN B RANSOM, NASI I VI 1.1.1'.. TENN. PRESIDENT-ELECT 



the coffins in which we are consigned Lo the 



grave. 



Now, gentlemen, on behalf of the great cltj 



of Memphis mid when I say "great city of 

 Memphis" 1 say it advisedly, because it is a 



meal eily: it is a growing eily; tiler.- is no 



question about that the mayor wished me to 



impress upon you the faet thai had you I n 



here a few months ago all our thoroughfares 

 would have been streets and alleys. Today thej 

 :ii.- avenues and boulevards. We have changed 

 it for your benefit. I can't say that the mock- 

 ing-bird sings a welcoihe to you. because the 

 mocking-bird is not singing at this time of tin- 

 year. I can't say thm the beautiful magnolia 



is waving a wele. ime lo you and Ihat the Mowers 

 are emitting a fragrant welcome i<» you, bui I 

 say thai we welcome you. There is nothing in 



the phrase "southern hospitality." Memphis 

 does uoi extend to you southern hospitality; 



il gives to you Memphis hospitality. L Applause. I 

 I hm is distinctive in itself. 



The mayor said to me that some of you gentle 

 men might have that unquenchable thirst, and 

 that lie has provided the river with a full stage 

 of water on this occasion. We sometimes cry 

 "Fourteen feet of water from the mouth of the 

 Chicago river to the gulf." We have got It 

 v. ha lever Memphis wants she gets We have 

 plenty of water. The mayor didn't mention a 

 word in regard to tin- tire department or the 

 police department, hut he assured me that as 

 long as each and every one of you behave your 

 selves you will have no trouble with cither one 

 of tin se departments. 



In conclusion, gentlemen, allow me to say 

 i ha i the city of Memphis wel 

 comes yon ; thai our lntclist ring 

 is always on the outside Of our 

 door: our hearts, our homes and 

 our hands are always out for 

 you. | Apple use. | 



President Wilms : Mr. Apper- 

 son. I thank you for the hearty 

 welcome which you have extended 

 to us. Individually we may be 

 strangers within your gates, but 

 as a elass of business men we 

 are well known to this commun- 

 ity, and I have no reason to 

 doubt that every member of our 

 assoeiatiou will behave himself in 

 such a fashion that the mayor 

 will not be compelled 1o call on 

 the lire department or the police 

 department. Should anything ol 

 that nature occur and a membei 

 of our association be so found 

 lacking, he can be readily recog 

 niy.cd by the label which we have 



given him. You have m i I 



the beauty of your city and Mem 

 phis hospitality; you have men 

 I iom-il the close connection thai 

 this i ilv has had for years with 

 the trade, and that is the reason 

 we came here. A good many of 

 our members have business con- 

 nections with your citizens. We 

 felt that by coming to Memphis 

 to hold our convention that we 

 might bring about a better per- 

 sonal understanding ami meet 

 the lumbermen outside of your 

 town as well as those within 

 your gales. I thank you for ex- 



tending this welct lo us. 



Mr. Burgess: Gentlemen, it af- 

 fords me great pleasure to ex 

 tend to you, in behalf of the 

 Memphis Lumbermen's Club, the 

 right hand of fellowship. The 

 mayor's representative lias for- 

 gotten to tell you thai the mayor 

 authorized me to say that the 

 keys had been thrown into the 

 river thirty-eight feet of water. 

 Therefore, you need mil fear the 

 p., lo.- department. If you do, 

 siint.lv ring up Colonel Apperson 

 lie knows the chief of police 

 I also wish to extend to yen the 



n loin of our mills and offices. 



We think it very proper that this 

 organization should be holding a 

 meeting in Memphis, as Memphis 

 is without doubt the largest hard 



w I center in the United Stati 



We jot) more hardwood lumber 

 b.-ie "than in any other point in 

 this country. We are glad to 

 have ion willi us. The Memphis 

 Lumbermen's Club has arranged 

 an entertainment for your organ- 

 izaiiou and your friends tonight 

 at s :::u. in i in- banquet room of 

 this hotel. The proper cn-den 

 Hals have been furnished to your 

 secretary, and if you have not received them 1 

 would ,-isk you to call upon Mr. Hosier for them. 

 President Wilms: Mr. Burgess, in accepting 

 your Invitation to this entertainment ton 

 speaking in behalf of the association, we feel 

 higblj Battered and we shall be pleased to be 

 iherc'and attend with a full house. [Applause I 



I now a e the op.-ning of our fifth an- 



nii-l convention, and i take pleasure in submit 

 ting i-i you the few remarks which I have for- 

 i ii ,i i ed for I his occasion. 



President's Address. 



Gentlemen and Members of the Hardwood 

 Manufacturers' Association of the United states 



\o better meeting place than Memphis could 



have I ii selected for this fifth annual meeting 



ct the Hardwood Manufacturers' Association of 



