Omaha daily bee., 1896-04-28
HOME AFFAIRS
Merchants and Manufacturing Association
Annual Meeting.
REVIEW OF THE EVENTS OF THE YEAR
President OdcIrs Address on the
Subject of the Success and Fail
urcs of various Enterprises I'M
dcrtnLcn by business Men.

Thd Merchants and Manufacturing as
sociation held its annual meeting last even
ing in the office Of Stune & Dawson, and
during the evening transacted business and
submitted reports showing that 1t was de-
cidedly alive and had been working for the
upbuiding Of Council Bluffs in an energetic
and successful manner.
There were not so many Of the members
present as was expected but the workers
who have borne the burden all through the
year were all there. The time was nsume
largely in reading the reports of the officers
and committees giving accounts of the years
work.
President e. II. Odell called the meeting to
order and read his annual address, which was
as follows:
Your worthy secretary has prepared an
exhaustive and elaborate report of the W rk
performed and objects attained by this as
gociation during the past year, which he
will submit at this time for your considera-
ton. Therefore, 1t is not incumbent upon
me to say anything regarding the years
accomplishments of this association. | VIII,
however say a word relative to the failures
Of the association. Sometimes in the course
OF years work failures out-number the
successes. Happily, on this occasion. the
credit column is in favor of success.
III all lIe WOTh We SO tilHNSlastlCdlIy
began year ago, and so courageously car
ried forward, we met signal defeat in but
two important undertakings. The f:st in
stance, after success had been lowering over
our association for two months or more
and just about to settle down upon our
barner. the city of Peoria, H., threw out
an alluring bait and succeeded In bagging
our bird. The committee worked hard and
IL the property owners in this city had
responded to the earnest solicitation to pro-
TO niIn r fnr hn nf
the Telegraphers' union, and bonus suf-
fc.ent to pay the expenses Of removing
their plant from Vinton to Council Bluffs.
we would now have had very desirable
acquisition to our city. This teaches us an
important lesson: To obtain what other
cities are getting, we must be liberal, at
least, and If necessary, go them one bet
ter
1T would take many pages in our secre-
tarys report to give an Intelligent and ade-
quate idea of the amount of work he and
other members Of the committee did in their
endeavor to obtain the passage of the manu-
facturers' bill through the last legislature
Perhaps no other city in the state was as
much interested in that bill as was Cornell
Bluffs. The passage of that measure meant
a great deal to this city. 1t meant the res
toration of the brewing Industry. 1t would
have built a MynSer Spring diStillery and
established winery in Council Bluffs equal
in capacity to any in the United States
Our secretary spent most of his time last
winter in Des Moines wOrkEg for the pas
sage of that bill but it was lost, and Peoria
again was the fortunate recipient of favors
bestowed, for will not the corn and wheat
of Iowa be shipped to the distieries of that
enterprlo,ng. city, and the product thereof
be shipped back again to be consumed by
members of the legislature who voted that
way? What lovely Jewel is consistency
and what beautiful polish our legislature
| added to its luster when it voted on that
hn Tn hty trhf fAh
ever, was close and so the Merchants and
Manufacturers association of this city may
take courage In two years more there may
be fewer idiots elected who will vote for
the interests of Peoria, H., instead of Coun-
Gil Bluffs la. Let us hope SO, at least, and
work to that end.
The next two years will be very important
years for Council Bluffs and for tn s assoc!a-
ton. The Transmissssirpi exposition in
Omaha in 1898 is now an assured event. and
means much to Council Bluffs If we take ad
vantage o. the opportunity it will afford
This association hes taken an initiative in
| this state in promoting the enterprise, and
r?na its shoulders will fall much of TIE
burden and responsibility OF the Iowa ex-
hibit. That we will have the assistance of
all cod citizens there is no doubt ana
| steps should be taken to increase our mem
bership with earnest workers who will in
terest themselves in building up and promot-
ing every industry within our border or
within sight os US
Nothing is accomplished by inactivity
1t is better to do some things wrong, than
do nothing at all. Other cities are waking
up to tho good times coming; and while we
haven't been quite as sleepy as some of
them, we need a bit of shaking up to get
our eyes fairly cDen.
"In laying aside the duties Of an officer
of your association i do so but to take up
others in the rank and file of its membership.
l thank you cordially for your ass stance
I'm rendering the Office I have held a 1aaS nj
task. and / bespeak for my successor a sue
cessful and prosperous term of Office"
e. F. Test, chairman Of the executive
committee, read lengthy and most care
fully compiled statistical report. In il he
called attention to the great loss sustained
by the state of Iowa through the failure
of the Legislature to enact the warehouse
law, which, according to his estimate had
cost the farmers OF the state sum of
money that exceeded, he had been told !
100000 annually, but he believed that !
$50, 900 900 was nearer the true figure, which !
in the past twenty years would aggregate |
the stupenduous sum of 81 900 0000 600 He |
devoted a good deal of space to urging the |
members OF the association and all other |
citizens of Iowa to use their best endeayors |
to secure the enactment of the law at a |
special session of the legislature which was
almost sure to he called next January In
his report he also took occasion to depre-
cate the disposition of Council Bluffs bust
ness men to drift into legal entanglements
with each other, and pleaded with them in
times OF general distress not to add to it
by pressing for payment of debts that could
not be paid unless ruin was brought upon
the debtor. The report was gotten up in
Mr.. Tests most entertaining manner and
was received with cheers.
Secretary Dawson's report is very vol
luminous, and covers in detail the work done
by the association during the year. with
some recommendations for the future.
After the reports were read and received
the association voted TO have them printed
In pamphlet form to the number Of 5000
for general distribution.
Victor Bender thought that Council Bluffs
should not make any special effort to secure
political and other conventions to be held
in the city this year, but should use all
available influence in helping other cities
secure such meetings after exacting pledges
that they would help us in turn during the
exposition year, when we would well be pre-
nared to care for any number of large gather
lnsI IN connection with the Transmssissippi
exposition.
ohieers for the ensuing year were elected
President Odell declined reelection and the
secretary was instructed to cast the vote of
the association for NJ. #. Rohrer Victor
Bender was elected vice president; secretary,