The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-05-05

| Business Mems Meeting.
i On Monday evening last there was held !,
the Supervisors Room Of the new Cour
! House one of the largest and most epthusi
astlc meetings OF the Business Mems Associa
ton ever held; the Association itself benl
we'll represented and large number OF clti
Zvns present besides.
The chairman, Il. c. Allen. Esq, stated tn,
object OF the meeting, by saying that one o
! the subjects TO he considered would not prob
ably come up-the gentleman who had beer
cauvassing The matter Of starting distillerl
| in Ottawa had left the city, it seemed, ant
would not be present. The gentleman re
ferred to (Mr. Meyers) had, as stated by
Messrs. Harris, Hull and others, visited Otta
va with tlattering promises and strong en-
dorsemcnls, but his non-appearance now, be
sides several odious reports, left the whole
affair in shape requiring no thought nor
attention now.
| Mr.. Hull telt, however, that the meeting
was not a failure. for it called together a
goodly number of business men; we ought
| TO nave just such Il meeting ut least once q
month. We would like now to have a com
mittee appointed of two or three business
men,, TO 90 to Chicago to see some parties
there who he thought could be Interested
| in this city, (meaning the Rock Island Rail
way Company He referred to Mr.. Frlzellc,
the agent of the company, for a full eXplana
! ton of the subject.
/ Mr.. FriZellc said that he had but a few
words 10 say more than that he had talk
with Mr. Sage, OF the Rock Island company
general freight department, some time since,
and the result Of that conversation was that
/ sir. Sage cyinced an especial interestin Otta
! wa, and, upon the suggestion Of the speaker,
| said he would be pleased to see n committee
/ of citizens and discuss matters that would
J I'm ,p 40 N % - n
had also presented the matter to Mr.. Kim
/ ball and that gentleman bad engaged 10
secure the attendance Of the general officers
of the road including Nesors. Riddle, Cable,
| Chamberlain and himself some time early
next week, If the citizens committee would
then wait upon them. The speaker wanted
to see strong committee appointed one
that would represent the best interests Of
Ottawa.
Before the consideration OF the matter Of
Iappoiuting committee the chairman stated
That he had the names OF several gentlemen
whom he would like 70 see members of the
Association, and thereupon presented the
namcs OF c. L Frlzelle, s. f. King, l. W. ID.
Crane, T.. v johnson (of the Tile Company
I. c. Fullerton and +. f. Bull. These gen
tIcInen were duly elected to membership up
on compliance with the rules. Subsequently
Sherman Leland, II. NJ. Hamilton, Rev. f.
NJ. Gregg, II. \. Coles, IL. 5. Gilbert, Geo.
NJ. Moulton president of the Ottawa Tile
Company, A. T. Griffin and l.. A. Williams
were admitted to membership
In response to Il call, +. +. Bull said he
felt it. was good to be here" and that he
was "gad he was here; such meetings were
especially good if they resulted in some con-
cerled action:n called attention to the mum
Der of interests that are looking for locations;
received a letter himself few days ago from
II watch manufac turing company that wanted
for sufficient reasons to remove their factory
to the west; he had promised the company Il
site Of twenty acres if they would come :;
didn't know what might come OF the matter,
but it showed what proper action on the
part of the citizens might do, when SO many
things are looking for more desirable loca-
lions.
MIR. Johnson, one Of the proprietOrs of the
Ottawa Tile Works, said that he was really
resident of Chicago, but that his business in
tcrcsts las in Ottawa, advised more thor.
ough system of advertising the city; was
frequently asked such questions as Where
is Ottawa" what is it for a manufacturing
point?' De; would DO all in his power to
extend a knowledge of the city.
Mr.. Mcdonald, of St. Louis, an aged man,
representing one OF the trades papers Of that
city, WAS called out. said he was delighted
with the city; beautiful scenery, unsurpassed
aud equal To- that along the Rhine; fine and
substantial buildings; many natural as well
as acquired advantages rarely met with; ii
was pity the city WAS not better known
abroad; those springs alone across the river
should draw visitors for hundreds of miles.
He proposes to write up the town for his pa.
per-not its past history, but the future.
Ought To have a population here OF $4,000.
C. D. Trmble spoke OF Ottawa's natural
advantages and especially the solid founda-
ton for the public buildings and factories.
The cost of building here was much less than
in almost any other place. Freight rates,
too, were as good or better than in any other
town an equal distance from Chicago. He
predicts that in the next decade the Illinois
Valley from Ottawa 10 Joliet will be filed
with factories Of various kinds.
H. ". Hamilton made a stirring speech,
saying that Ottawa was well calculated to re-
ward the energies Of her business men. As
compared with neighboring towns, it had
many superior advantages. Had thought
that the reason it did not grow in the past
was that the men twenty-five years ago who
had the money seemed 10 prefer putting il
out at interest, instead of investing in facto
ries and other substantial Improvements Il
but there is vitality and energy yet in Ottawa
sufficient to bury those distractions to lerl
growth.
J. T. Porter thought the speeches made
here at this time were forerUnners Of good.
The rising generation IS determined to wipe
out the dormant spirit Of twenty five years
ago Referred 10 the coming railroad expo
sition in Chicago, and thought committed
should attend and look after eOmc Of the Wis
itOrs and manufacturers there present, audi
secure, II possible q location of some Of thcirI
factories here; especially referring 10 theI
smaller inventions brought out ini
with railroads.
On motion OF Mr.. Hull the chair appointed
a committee to select q committee TO visit the
Rock Island Railroad officials, in accordance
with the suggestions above. The same com.
mittee, on motion OF Mr.. Trimble. were in.
structeG to report q committee OF three tol
visit the railroad exposition in accordance
with the views of Mr.. Porter expressed
above. After the conference the committee |
the appointment OF Messrs
Trimble, Hamilton, johnson, Frizelle and
Hull TO visit the railroad officials, and Messrs
Porter. Fiske and King to attend the exposi-
ton. To the first named committee the chair.
49, al IL