Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-06-28

w. s. Culbertson, w. X. Marshall,
VIM. Dawson, w. P. Murray,
E. F. Drake, D. R. Noyes,
E. NJ. Deane, A. Oppenheim,
W. B. Dean, 81. L. Pilkington,
D. Day, L. w. Rundlett,
F. Driscoll, j. Fl. Reaney,
A. s. Elfelt j. B. Sanborn,
G. E. Flandrau, G. D. Strong,
C. Gotzian, w. A. Somers,
Fl. P. Hall, JAS. Smith, Jr.,
E. j. Hodgson, c. B. Thurston,
D. w. Ingersoll, II. P. Upham,
VIM. Lindeke, j. Willius,
VIM Lee, A. h. Winslow.
Gen. John B. Sanborn, president of tho
chamber, presented his annual address, which
was ordered to be published. 1t was as fol-
lows:
Gentleman of the St. Paul Chamber of Com
merce: In the first years CT the existence of
this organization it was the custom of the
officers of the board of directors at the ter
mination of their--each year to make
formal report of operations and actions of the
board during their terms of office.
In the latter years this custom has grown
into disuse, for the reason, no doubt, that it's
necessity has been superseded by the full pub
LEGATION in the daily papers of its proceedings
and by report made during the year by the
board of directors showing the business con-
dltion aad progress of manufactures and
commerce in our city, and l would not now
occupy one moment of your time were it not
for the fact that We are about to make a new
departure-assume larger and more impor-
tant powers, and enter upon broader field of
duty and usefulness.
This organization had it's origin, like
most if not all organizations of the kind, in
the business necessities of st.
Paul, which developed Immediately
after the termination of the late war, while
trade and manufacturers were settling to their
normal conditions, in times of peace, and our
present gigantic railroad system was just
commencing to supercede, or, to say the least,
to lend its powerful auxiliary aid to the old
necessary transportation by day trains, horse
and mule trains and river navigation. The
far-seeing business men of that day saw clearly
that it was crisis in our commercial and
manufacturing affairs, and that constant
vigilance and united, concentrated effort was
wanted to continue in St. Paul the same pre-
eminence and control that she had held under
the old order of things.
So on the 18th day of January, A. D., 1867,
Capt. r. Blake, Horace Thompson, A. H.
Cathcart, G.. D. Strong, D. w. Ingersol and
| Gen. Hewett signed and filed the original arti-
cles of incorporation, from which were de-
| rived all the powers of this body, and on the
2Sth day of the same month the first meeting
of members was held at the Office of j. g.
Udilh " w. NJ Iildt ulCCClIlS GuC UOdIu
was organized as follows:
President-J G. Burbank
Vice President-Horace Thompson.
Second Vice-President-Henry M. Rice:
Secretary. D. Ladder.
Treasurer-Wm. Dawson.
Directors-John S. Averill, VIM. L. Banning,
G. L. Becker, R. Blululey, H. L. Carver, VIM.
Dawson, F. r. Delano, E. F. Drake, D. W.
Ingersoll, VIM. Lee, R. N. McLaren, Charles
Nichols, George L. Otis, H. M. Rice, G. H.
Schumacher, II. H. Sibley, c. D. Strong, H.
Thompson, j. A. Wheelock.
Fortunate for us our city and State so many
OF the public spirited gentlemen, who were
corporators and who composed the first board
of directors still remain and are among us.
But some have fallen asleep, Burbank, Schur-
meissr, Hewett and Thompson no longer take
part in our counsels, nor participate in human
affairs. But to us as questions arise their
voice is still heard and their influence is still
felt 1t is no disparagement to the living to
say that these deaths furnish additional con-
firmation of the idea that whenever death en-
tiers he calls the BEST
To convey to you some idea of the
intelligent zeal with which this first
board entered upon its labors l will,
with your permission, read two or three.
pages of the first reports of its officers. l
read from pages Z, s and 20 of the report of
1857:
Here the speaker read all that was contained
in the report of the president, j. G. Burbank.
From this, in connection with what has re-
Gently occurred at some of our business meet
ings, it also appears how prone men are to
ascribe to those who lay the last stone or give
the finishing stroke to an edifice, the glory Of
the full construction. The laborers who,
amidst doubts and obstacles, laid the founda-
tions and reared the walls and built them in
1lopp in and OlnOm lost airhf IF
in the undimmed rays of the sun of completed
victory that fall upon the head of him who
performs the last act required to consummate
what all have labored to attain.
How much good this organization has &C
complshed, how much evil averted it is inn
possible to record in this brief review. When
we consider that the board for many years has
been composed of forty two men, all of whom
have been deeply interested in the welfare of
the city, and that quorum of them have met
every Monday morning, or once a week for
fourteen years, and carefully considered and
discussed all public questions and expressed
an opinion concerning them which has gener-
ally been adopted by the public, we can but
conclude that great good has been accom-
plished and great evil averted.
Many questions considered and acted upon
have been of gravest import. By what steps
and course shall the city be made the great
railroad center of the State? By what means
and influences shall we induce and secure the
improvement In the navigation of the Missis-
sippi river SO that st. Paul shall be the head
and center of vast system of inland water
communication and commerce carried on by
this means and extending to all lands? How
shall the management of the financial affairs
of the city, county and State be inspected, so
as to give the greatest security to persons and
property with the least expense to the people,
and taxation be made less onerous? By what
system of drainage and sewerage and water
supply will the health and convenience of our
people be best secured? Where and how shall
school houses, market houses and other public
buildings be built to meet the ever increasing
demands of the public, and not ever burden
the property holders with taxation? When
and at what cost shall streets be graded. roads
built and improved, and costly bridges be con-
srructed? All these, and thousand questions
of minor import, have engaged the attention
Of the various Boards OF this organization in
their weekly meetings for fourteen years.
The sequel already shows that upon many, if
not most of these questions, the Board has
acted wisely. The future alone must deter
mine whether upon any Its action has been
erroneous.
may be pardoned for alluding briefly to
some OF the changes that have taken place
during these fourteen years that the board
~ oh 1HOrl Ar-A 49, I'll