The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-05-25
THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
PHILADELPHIA MUSEUMS RE- ENDORSED
ATT MEETING YESTERDAY.
Report Of Committee Recommend
ing That Endorsement of Bill APP
propriating $780, 900 to The Museums
be not Reconsidered Adopted oy
Large M~ajority-An Interesting DIS
cussion Developed Important Facts.

cussion Developed Important Facts.
The Wilmington chamber of COM
merce at a special meeting held yester-
day afternoon reiterated its endorse
ment of the Philadelphia Commercial
Museum and the bill which is now
pending in congress providing for the
appropriation of 100000 to be used in
the Improvement of the institution and
broadening the scope of its usefulness.
The meeting yesterday was very large
ly attended numbering some % or
more Of the most enterprising business
men of the city and the endorsement
was almost unanimous there having
been only two or three noes" voted
Captain Thomas d. Meares as first
vice president presided and Colonel
John L.. Cantwell as secretary was at
his post.
IT will be remembered that at a
meeting of the chamber OF commerce
several weeks g a resolution was
nassed endorsing the bill n that at
q subseouent meeting a motion TO with
draw the endorsement was made. AL
that time a. committee OF three con-
sisting of Mr.. w z. Worth, Coroner
w. A. Johnson and Mr.. Hugh Machae
was appointed TO investigate the
charges made against the museums
and in opposition to the pending bill
nv r. G.. Dunn & Cos. mercantile
agency and examine into the merits or
dement's of the Museums and report
to the chamber with
as to whether or not in their OPINION
the chambers previous endorsement
~-l ~ W
THE COMMITTEES REPORT.
The reading of the report OF ne COM
mittee was of couse one of the hrst
features OF the meeting. 1t was as
May Dist, 1900.
MIR. NJ. w. jacob, president, VIII
mington, N c.:
Dear Sir:-In the matter of H. r.
hill No. SS7 and senate bill NC. AZ
covering an appropriation OF szoV'ooo
to the Philadelphia Museum.
your committee respectfully. report
that after nature and careful conslo,
Grafton of all the evidence SUBMITTED
to us by Messrs r. G. Dun q GO. anu
the Philadelphia Commercial Museum,
we are convinced that the Museum is an
institution of merit, deserving OF our
suppor in their effor to further IN
terests of the manufacturers eX-
porters of the United States, IN deVei-
oping our foreign trade that the Mu-
seum is conducted for that purpose
on1v and not for private gain; that 1t
IS national in character, doing an ex-
cellent work.
"We recommend that the action al
ready taken by the chamber in TINS
matter stand, and that a copy OF this
report be forwarded to our representa-
tives at Washington.
"Respectfully submitted,
'FWIM. E. WORTH,
OWN. a. JOHNSON,
HUGH MACRAE.
Committee"
The reading of the report was fol-
lowed by a general discussion in which
Mr.. Hugh MacRae, Mr.. w. E.. worth
n Mr.. G. J. Boney were the prlnlcl-
pal participants in support OF the re-
port and Mr.. j. Allen Taylor and Mr..
D.. l.. Gore in opposition, a motion TO
adopt the report having been previous
ly made by Mr.. Boney and duly sec
onded.
In speaking of his connection with
the work of commonttee and endorse
ment of the bill Mr.. MacRae said that
he was convinced that the sole aim OF
the Museum was to increase the field
of the United States for export trade
and incidentally to do all they IAN to
facilitate the business OF exporters
the country over. He called attention
10 a IISdllS ny lie SOlilhiCANloi -"o
seums on the cotton export business
of the world and especially to a sum-
mary of the same which showed that
in 1899 the worlds exports of cotton
goods amounted to s50O,65S 412 and
that the share Of the United States
was only s2S, $50, 914. And yet, in the
language of the pamphlet note we
grow the worlds cotton"
MI. MacRae also quoted Joshua l..
Bailey & Co, their Philadelphia brok-
ers as saying that in their opinion
1.-The manufacture Of cotton will not
be overdone until the United States
manufactures all the cotton they raise
and can get no more" The advantage
of the growth in the matter of acces-
stability to the great Chinese and other
eastern markets in their opinion gives
this country the decided advantage
over England and the manufacturers
and exporters of Europe. The matter
of these manufacturers and possible
markets were sited for the reason that
the extention of exports of this char
acter are an especial care on the part
of the Museum. Mr.. MacRae also
read a letter from Joshua L. Bailey &
Co. which will be of interest in this
connection. 1t was written in answer
to enquiry and as Mr.. MacRae stated
from an impartial view point for the
reason that they are in no way o n
nected with the Museum. The letter
in part is as follows:
1.-The opposition that u and Brad
street have raised to this bill is on &C
count of the act that the Museums
declined to use their organizations for
any information which they desired TO
have on file with regard to the respon-
sibflities of foreign firms who write TO
them for the names of manufacturers,
&C., from whom they could buy Amer
dcan products. The Commercial NM
seums have made it their rule from the
outstart that in sending names TO
manufacturers and agents in this coun-
try Of foreign customers they first find
out whether the foreigner inquiring Tor
goods is a reputable man, but as to the
details Of his financial standing they
do not attempt to go into it. They do
this business entirely without charge
and Without profit Of any kind; in fact
1t is done at a loss, and it is only done
in order hat merchants and manufac-
turers OF this country may be protec-
ted from starting an improbable and
useless correspondence with irrespon-
sfble parties. This protection is no