The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-02-04
THE NATIONAL
BUSINESSLEAGUE
lis Representatives at Work With
National Lawmakers.
IMPORTANT RECOMMENDATIONS
They Urge the Establishment Of a Depart
ment Of Commerce and Industry, with
a Cabinet Office, and the APP
pointment Of a Tariff
Commission.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4-Last week there
was formed in Chicago as a result Of the
efforts Of a number Of that city's most
prominent business men, the National
Business league. The plan of the organ
ization oo%ntemplates in scope a vast
League, whose influence will be powerful
If success attends the movements. 1t Is
intended to organize branches in all the
larger commercial and industrial centers
to corporate with the main body of the
league, whose headquarters at present are
in Chicago. The object of the league is to
learn what federal legislation will best
aid the interests of the country at large
and then to use the influence Of the league
to bring to bring to the attention of con.
gress measures in line with business
prosperity and urge their passage in the
interest Of commerce and industry.
The league is to be thoroughly non-par-
tisan and non-political. The officers, oiti-
zens Of Chicago, are as follows: President,
Fred w. Peck vice president, Erskine NJ.
Phelps; treasurer, Elbridge G. Keith
secretary, Clifford A. Gilbert; attorney,
John w. Ella
Ferdinand w. Peck, the president. and
John w. Ella, the general attorney of the
National Business league, arrived here
yesterday to start the work of the league
at Washington. The subject of the tari4
bill now being prepared by the house ways
and means committee was first taken up.
Messrs. Peck and Ella had extended inter
views with several members of the COM
mittee, including Chairman Dingley, Mr..
A. w. Hopkins and General Grosvenor,
with rtafnpaWrn fo tho vrr1vIr NON l,F,-Ta,.
by the committee. An arrangement was
made by which the league will furnish
the committees with statements of facts
and statistics from time TO time, and with
its views as to questions arising in the
making up of the schedules.
Several points upon which considerable
work is to be done and problems to be
solved in the making Of the tariff sched-
ules were suggested to these representa-
tives Of the lea que by the members of the
COMM ttee, upon which it would be well
for the league to prepare and furnish
st atements.
Mr.. Peck and Mr.. Ella also had an inter
view with Assistant Secretary of the
Treasury Hamlln, and arranged with him
to obtain statistics and statements from
the bureau of statistics bearing upon such
points as they should desire at any time.
They were assured at the treasury depart
ment of their willingness to further the
work. They also discussed with those
with whom they conferred the advisable
ity of having a bill for the appointment of
a tariff commission passed, providing that
expert commissioners be appointed, to
whom all bills contemplating changes in
tariff schedules hereafter should be re-
ferred for investigation and report to con-
gress before action was taken by the latter
body. The object of this Is stated to be to
prevent, after the passage of the tariff bill
now in preparation, the damage to busi-
ness which always follows from general
revision of the tariff. 1t is understood that
Mr.. Peck and Mr.. Ella will recommend to
the league that its influence be brought to
bear In this connection.
They also discussed with Senators FRYE.
Cullom and other members of congress
and officials of the treasury department.
the bill to establish a new department of
the government to be called the depart
ment Of commerce and industry, " and the
appointment of a new cabinet office to
represent this department.. This measure
will be recommended to the executive
committee of the league for favorable
action. 1t is believed that this DEPART
menb would favor general business r
perity, and it is contemplated that a
bureau of statistics would form a part of
this departments work, covering COM
MERGE, foreign and domestic, and the gen
eral industries and labor interests of the
country, from which they hope very much
better statements of results can be OBJ
tanned than from any Of the present de-
partments.
These gentlemen will recommend to the
league action in favor of pa ssing the bills
creating this department. and the tariff
commission at the special session to be
called, that the new cabinet officers NAV
be appointed within the next few months.
They were assured by several members of
congress that neither Of the above meas
ures would delay the passage of the tariff
bill at that session. Members generally
expressed themselves in favor of the bills