Evening journal., 1900-05-15
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE
Board Of Trade Criticised
tor of the EYening journal.

Editor OF the Evening Journal
Sir: / attended a special meeting OF
the Board OF Trade by some of its pro-
gressiye members invitation to hear
the discussion on resembling the resolu-
tion at previous meeting of the board.
From the tenor of the discussion l was
favorably inclined towards resembling
the resolution passed at the last meet
ing namely, that the Philadelphia Com
mercial Museum was engaging in an
enterprise in competition with the
mercantile agencies OF the country.
The Philadelphia Commercial Mu
scum was represented by c. II. Green, a
very gentlemanly man, who explained,
by request Of Harry Emmons, the full
text OF the duties and obligations Of the
museum, which, in my opinion, was a
concise. truthful statement Of facts, in
favor of the government granting it the
appropriation Of s20O,000 to carry out
the good work of gathering the worlds
samples in the interest of the American
manufacturers, so they could compete
in furnishing like material in compeu-
tion, either in our home or foreign
trade.
All business which is trade requires
money TO develop it. 1t cannot be
done on wind.
II. E. Jepson, Of Newark, N. j., a rep-
resentative of Dun & Co., produced
the blank referred to by a previous
speaker, MIR. Brooks, that a blank he
had received contained the information
that the rating Of fifty for
eign houses would be FUR
nished to subscribers which he, Jepson
construed as meaning that the museum
d
agencies. In my hearing Mr.. Green
refuted this statement.
knew firm in this city who wined
and dined one of the solicitors of a
commercial agency, who, on the
strength of it and a few dollars, went
home and gave them good rating on
which they purchased $4,000 worth Of
goods, and, as fast as they received
them, sent them to an auction house in
Baltimore and sold them. Then they
pocketed the money and compromised
at 13c. on the dollar.
This Philadelphia Commercial Muse
nm, in my opinion, is one of the best
institutions OF its kind that ever was
organized in the interest OF state
and country. 1t is a reality. 1t is tan
gible. 1t shows the material gathered
from the worlds markets, giving all
men an equal chance in competition
with each other, which is in conformity
with our constitution and in the inter
est Of republican form of government
for the masses and not for the classes.
These commercial agencies boasted
that they had spent half a million dol
lars in getting the standing Of Euro
pean houses. This, in my opinion, is
worthless in comparison to the Phila-
delphia Commercial Museum. The for
mer gives you a printed book for $40.
The latter gives you a special history
OF facts concerning the object TO be OBJ
tanned with the substantial material
before you to look at. The first i'm
aginary; the latter is the essence of
reality.
Howard T. Wallace, president OF the
Diamond State Steel company, said his
company had profited by the museum
and he believed it owed to it the devel-
opment of its foreign trade. IL had re-
ceived no better assistance than that OF
the museum. Does anybody want any
better authority than that right here at
home-a man building one OF the larg-
est plants in our city?
Would it not be much better for the
Board of Trade to try and bring trade
" Jul AlN9 anu tDuuttg y lliulA " NAAc- II
away in the interest of commercial
agencies? Why not use the waters OF
the Delaware river as they pass by
our city front and give us commercial
business by building two piers out to
the channel six hundred feet wide and
thirty feet deep when finished, which
will bring trade and make money.
The government Is engaged at pres
ent in spending $4,000 in taking up a
jetty ON the north side Of the mouth OF
the Christiana, which, after fiftee1
years trial, is found to be no good, anC
is putting it down on the south side
which is no better. Why not build two
piers. 500 feet long and 150 feet wide
which would have started commercial
business?
ID LEMON