The morning call., 1894-01-07
FOR THEIR NAME.
The Mercantile Library
Fight.
The Election Will Be Fought on the
Issue of Merging With the
riechanics' Institute.

At the annual election of the Mercantile
Library Association one week from to-
morrow there will be a fair and square
contest over the proposition. "Shall we
consolidate with the Mechanics Insti-
tute?'
If the decision shall be in the affirma-
tive there will be an end of the present
disagreement. Ii the proposition shall be
negatived then two other attempts will be
made to get out from under the load of
debt and fixed charges which threaten to
break down and bury the association,
Henry Payot, chairman of the nominal
ing committee. when questioned yesterday
by CALL reporter, very freely outlined
the campaign of the radical wing of the
association as opposed TO the conserva-
tives. OF, as Mr.. Payot styled them, the
"sentmenta lists"
1--WE shall nominate a set of officers"
said he, ''on the platform of consolidation
with the Mechanics Institute. This is
our slogan. We have no means of sound
ing the views of all of the members, or
even a majority, but we will let the cleo
ton decide. The list of names Is not yet
complete, but will be by Monday evening,
and IL will be present ed to The directors at
the adjourned meeting on Tuesday night.
1--WE have decided to present DR.. c. Il.
Deane as president. Some of our friends
have said, why not take more popular
man?' We want an aggressive man, who
does not court popularity, and DR.. Deane
just fills the bill. The trouble with the
Mercantile Library is that it has always
been run on sentiment. We will try to
run il on a comm0n-SenSe-dOllar and
cents-baSis. This sentimental manage
ment succeeded in reducing our member
ship from 2l39 IN 1876 to SIG in the wear
Tn in h0
1892. BY establishing the whist club we
increased the mem bership last year TO Sl5,
This same sentimentalism prevailed
when we started to build a new home for
ourselves. We were offered a lot at Gearv
and Mason STREETS, a fine location. for $50
600, but we paid $4,000 for the same size
lot, because 1t was on fashionable avenue.
So nice, you know, TO be in a heightened
neighbOrhood, even If it lost US tWo-thirds
of our membership. Then, too, we were
promised four-sIOry building to cost $685.
600. and we got three-story structure at
a cost OF sos, 000
"You hear from the sentimalists: It's a
pity to give up the fre reading-room
Ii we consolidate with the Mechanics we
will not give it up. There will simply be
rlcn institute owning two libraries
one downtown on Post street and one up
town on Van Ness avenue. For the pres
ent, and perhaps for ten years, the Van
1N0oo dNonuo AuIdIy NOulu Oo eho VI auCu'
In years to come Post street Will be the
branch.
Yes, we would lose our name; but is
the word Mercantile so dear to the senti-
mentalists that they cannot suffer the
pain of parting with it forever? Will tbs
reading-room be less attractive, or the
books less instructive. or the whist
tournaments less entertaining or exciting
under the name of the Mechanics Insti-
tute?
"Plainly put, the proposition is this
We offer to the Mechanics Institute
$4,000 worth of property, which it is
amply able to buy ans sake care Of. at fifty