Omaha daily bee., 1900-01-28

The newly elected president of the Com
mercial club of Omaha, Euclid Martin, was
installed a week ago. Mr.. Martin had been
chairman of the executive committee during
the year preceding and was chosen in pur-
suance of the general plan of the club to
promote the chairman of that committee to
the presidency.
Mr.. Martin has been prominent in com
mercial circles in Omaha ever since his ad-
vent in this community, seventeen years
ago. He came to Omaha from Illinois in
1882, opening up a branch implement house
for the Parlin & Orendorf company. AL
though other implement Establishments
were already here, this was the first branch
implement house opened at this point, and
from the beginning Mr.. Martin has been
the sole manager of the business.
When the Commercial club was organized
he was one of the charter members and
has served on the executive committee al
most continuously during its existence. Once
before he was made chairman of the eX-
ecutive committee, but declined to stand
for the presidency at the end of that term.
Speaking of the work of the Commercial
club and its prospects,, Mr.. Martin expresses
his views as follows:
"What are the principal things the Com
mercial club has done for which it should
be given credit? In my opinion of first i'm
~portance is the matter of fire protection
which it took up at the time Chief Redel
was brought here. A joint committee was
appointed of members of the Commercial
club and the city council, which held night
sessions and examined witnesses, investi-
eating into the capacity of the water plant
and the efficiency of the fire department.
Out of this grew the enlargement of the
pnaipS yp1untarilv on tho mart of the water
works, and the retention of Chief Rede!l
and a general overhauling of the fire depart
ment. This was followed by a consequent
reduction of fire insurance, which was, |
think, in the neighborhood of 40 per cent,
raising a tremendous burden from the bust
ness community and saving an immense
amount of money to this city.
Achieve mcnts of the Club.
The club has taken up a great many
things. 1t was a potent element in the
launching of the Transmississippi EXPOSE
ton and providing Entertainment features
and taking care of the numerous conven-
lions held in conjunction with it. Even
before that it had taken an active part in
securing the location of the State fair at
Omaha, and was the nucleus out of which
grew the Ak-Sar-Ben organization, whose
good work is recognized on every hand.
ut has also done a great deal to get ia
Norable action by the railroads with refer
ence to freight rates, although it has failed
in many instances in accomplishing what
people thought it ought to have accom-
plished. But it has done a great deal in
that direction for which it should have
credit.
What are the problems before us this
year? One matter came up at our last
meeting which l think will lead to some
thing of no little Importance. The PROPOSE
ton was presented for our club to join with
the Commercial club of South Omaha in try
ing to secure an improvement of the main
artery of between the two cities.
1t was stated that South Omaha people felt
better toward Omaha than they had and a
joint committee was appointed to take such
action as seemed advisable. l believe that
out of this will grow a much closer union
between these two cities, and should the
question of annexation be brought up the
Commercial club would doubtless be a NOV
ing spirit-in fact, l believe the club will
devote itself largely during the present year
to such measures as will tend to make
Omaha produce a good showing in the i'm
pending census, but of course only in a