Waterbury Democrat., 1901-01-24
EXHAUSTIVE REPORT.
2Sz r-e sstA s Read by President Guernsey at Busi- ness Mems Meeting To-day.


 ness Mems Meeting To-day.
 New Haven, Conn, Jan 24. 1901. Gentlemen of the State Business Mems
 Association of Connecticut:
 In presenting to you my annual re-. port of the doings of the association, and outlining the work that is in hand and that may be undertaken In the near future, I feel sense of the importance and responsibility of the position to which was elected year ago. t@
 Coming as you do from the large cities of our state, you represent the business integrity, commercial v1taH-- ty, not alone of the individual assOcia- tions from which you come, but of our entire business fabric of the state. For there is none of your cities that Is not |, business center for q large outlying section, and the various country towns which are tributaries to your cities, make up q large proportion not alone in area but in population or the state In this way you are brought into contact with the country purchas- CT. the country merchant, the city pur- chaser and the metropolitan seller, ana you form the connecting link, an all important link, in our industrial sys- tem.
 It has been but two years since this organization was formed, and yet It has grown to proportions exceeded py no other organization of its kind when the size of the state is considered. It was the belief of those. l think, Who were, instrumental ill it's formation, that there was q field for such an organization. and that although 1t might be years in growing. it would eventually fill q position of trust. dlg- nity and power. To achieve this we require the united efforts of those who have it's interests at heart and may need years of hard, arduous and some times apparently thankless work That it can be done, the success so far jus tities us in believing.
 The formative period of any. organl- zation is always accompanied by ques- tioning doubts, but the difficulty to foresee clearly. and by the lack of precedence and experience that the years alone give. So it has been with this organization and only by the ear nest effort the careful consideration of plans and the weighing of conse- quences can We bring it eventually 10 the standard that we have set for 1t.
 There are always some in an organ- iZation who. unless some great matter is accomplished. unless some pet scheme or individual opinion is adopt ed and carried forward, are inclined to doubt the Success and the good of the organization itself.
 Experience of all organizations has shown that success comes only after defeat, only after times of trying doubt and temporarily unsuccessful eff fort It therefore behooves every or ganization to bear in mind that the state association is working for the best interests Of all, and even if the results are not what we would like to have them that the most good has been accomplished that was possible under the circumstances. Even though some individual matter has failed of successful results, the mere fact that all association of this kind exists, and that several times in a year an oppor- tunity is given to the members of the local organizations to confer with each other. to compare views and to detail experiences. is of itself sufficient rea- son for it's existence.
 At our last annual meeting there were present delegates from the local organizations in Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Norwalk, Waterbury and Danbury. The newly formed organi- zation of Ansonia. Derby. Shelton and Seymour was admitted to membership and it's representatives took part ill the meeting. The Meriden association was also admitted. Owing to unavoid- able circumstances, the delegates from the New London association were not present. but the association was and is now in hearty sympathy with the state work. In February the annual banquet of the New Haven organiZa- tion was held and was. as usual, one of the social functions of the city. In March a large and very successful banquet was given by the Hartford association, which was undoubtedly one of the most elaborate of it's kind ever held in Connecticut. And in the same month q very successful ban quet was held by the New London as sociation. Early in September the Meriden association held an outing at Lake Compounce. which was we'll at tended. During the year the Bridge port association had q number of gath eringS, at which hundreds of Bridge port business men Were present. This association held very large outing at Savin Rock ill August. and the good fellowship existing between the local associations was never better shown than by the act of the New Haven or- sanizauon in sending large delega- tion to greet the visitors at the Rock. The Bridgeport association also took q prominent and active part Ill the re- cent. centennial celebration in that city. Last winter the Waterbury as sociation held its annual banquet. and the affair gathered together tho best business element of the city. The other associations ill the state, as well as those already mentioned. have held many gatherings. either of business or of pleasure, during the past year.
 The first effort toward state cut ing was that made last summer. when