St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-07-20

that year as being importers, and the
duties amounted to upwards OF S27, 0OO,-
900, an increase of more than 100 per
cent over those collected the previous
year and nearly four times the duties
collected in 1879. From 1881 onward
the wholesale business of st. Paul has
grown with astonishing rapidity, until
the total reached last year, as reported
by the chamber of commerce. amounted
to 1922. 223, 04S.
Going back in history to 1867 we find
that the merchants and business men
of the city were led to believe
that their interests could be
promoted by united action,
and to secure this they associated them
selves by the formation Of chamber OF
commerce, which was organized on the
10th OF January, 1867, and Incorporated
OH the following day. They held their
first meeting on the 23rd. in lngersoi's
hall, but adjourned until the 18th, when
an organize ton was effected by calling
Capt. Russell Blakeiy to the chair and
eleeIing III. 5. Fairehild secretary. At
that meeting 81 gentlemen were elected
directors, namely: j. T. Averill. &. l..
Becker. J. c. Burbank, Russell Blakely,
j Nj. BOhrer, w. l.. Banning, K. 4.
Drake. William Dawson. f. r. Delano,
w. f. Davidson, ID. w. Ingersoll, Will
lam Lee, R. A. MacLaren, c. w. Nash,
John NicolS, III. M. Rice, c. ID. Strong,
C.. ii. Shurmeier, III. Thompson, S. l..
Vawter and j. A. Wheelock, These
directors me: on the 2Sth and elected
Mr.. Burbank, PRESIDENT; III. M. Rice
and H. Thompson, vice presidents: x.
A. MacLaren, secretary, and William
Dawson, treasurer. They also appointed
L. F. Cherrytree, A. +. McQulllan. j.
r. jerks, E. S. Goodrich, W. s. CoombS,
&. &. Griswold, ID. ID. Merrill, w. X.
Marshall and William J. Smith, board
of arbitration. MeSsrS. Drake, Rice,
Averill, Becker and Blakely were APP
pointed committee to frame code OF
bylaws, and Messrs. Blakely, Rice, In
gersoll, Drake. Nicols, MacLaren ara
Becker, a committee on general busi-
ness.
! From that day to this the st. Paul
chamber of commerce has exercised
powerful and salutary influence on the
city's welfare. for, while the CONNER
cial interests of the community were Its
special care. it has considered and dis
cussed at its meetings all other matters
affecting the city's advancement. Lit
has, perhaps, been a.nenable to the
charge of excessive conservatism at
times, for it seems to have adopted
NtOChCll iuOltOs DC lOu piO
right, then 90 ahead" and it may be
that it occasionally consumed more than
tile necessary time in convincing itself
which course of
Conduct Was Right.
Be that as it may. it cannot be denied
that its organization has been, is now,
and is likely to continue to be grand
thing for st. Paul and for the commerce
of the city.
But trade organization as it was, and
is, its membership embraced great
many persons who were not engaged Ill
trade, its doors being open to all classes
of respectable citizens who wished to
become members. Thus it happened
that its Sympathies as a body were not
always so ZealouSly enlisted iii matters
pertaining to trade as seemed desirable
to those to whom this subject was OF
paramount Importance; therefore, IN
1884, the wholesale dealers formed
separate organization called 1.-The job
bers' Union" The membership of this
is restricted to those who are actively
engaged in wholeSaling or job
bling trade, including manufact-
urers who wholesale their own
products. The latter comprise a
large and influential proportion of the
membership. AS stated in tile organic
law of the union. the object of the aSSo-
citation is to unite the mercantile and
manufacturing elements of the COM
munlty, for the purpose OF advancing
and increasing the. trade and business
of the city of st. Paul, to support such
means as may be deemed best to pro-
mote this end, and to use its
Influence as Body
to protect their rights as citizens and
merchants. The association is otficered
by president, two vice-presidents,
secretary and treasurer. The practice
has been thus far to employ the sccre-
tary OF the chamber of commerce
as secretary of the union, and
this position has been filled by MessrS.
G.. A. McNeale and Alfred S. Tall
madge. The latter holds it at this time.
The other officers of the union at this
time are: G. S. Rogers, president;
Philip Reilly and Cyrus II. Kellogg,
vice presidents, and Joseph McKibbin,
treasurer.
There are standing committees of five
members each, on transportation, legls-
lation. taxation. membership, reception.
advertising. insurance and finance.
The policy of the association has been
to form acquaintance with the mer-
chants of smaller cities who do their
trading in st. Paul, and in order to Ell
feet this. they have had a number of
excursions. in which the majority of the
members participated. The result is
that friendly relations have been built
up between them and dealers through
out the Northwest. by means of which
the trade of St. Paul has been greatly
extended. In short, this association,
within the seven years that it has eX
listed, has done more to promote the
comDercial and manufacturing interests
of this city than any other expedients
that have been used; certainly more
than any other combination of citizens.