Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-01-03
That is the Concensus Of Opin.
ion Relative to the Work Of
Commercial Club.
Interviews With Business Men
and Members Concerning
the Work in 1902.
Annual Meeting of the Club to
Be Held in Ten Days, With
Election Of Officers.

ten days. AT this meeting he election
of officers will take place and plans will
be adopted for the conduct of the club
during the year 1902.
The club has tried the experiment of
maintaining a paid secretary at a fair
salary during the past year, and one of
the important questions to come up at
the annual meeting will be in regard to
maintaining such a salaried officer. The
| club, thru its secretary and other Off
GERS, has exerted considerable effort
during the year to promoting the indus
trial welfare of Marshalltown. The re-
suits have not been satisfactory from
the standpoint of new industries se-
cured. On the other hand propositions
from capitalists and from experts in
special lines have been presented, but in
almost every instance the necessary To-
cal assistance was not forthcoming. The
general opinion prevails among the
thinking business men, however, that
cities can not be built in a week ora
year, and that the organization, with
some one who can seek out and give
these propositions his personal atten-
ton, should be continued and the efforts
renewed IN lines the experiences OF the
| cast year nave demonstrated as needful.
| The T.-R. presents today interviews
with a number of the leading business
men, capitalists and members of the
| club, in which they were asked to give
expression to their views as to h fu-
ture and make suggestions as to new
policies to be adopted, as follows:
President A. w. Head, of the Com
mercial Club-'The club ought to secure
q good, live secretary and pay him a
salary. It is time something was done.
| We have too many vacant houses III
Marshalltown at the present time"
F. B. Garvin-'Recently / was at WI
mona, Mimi, where they have a COM
mercial club with a paid secretary, ana
they do not seem to have accomplished
much more than we have. The map OF
M~arshalltown and tributary territory
published by Secretary Sears was a
good thing. We ought to continue the
organization and our efforts along some
line. It won't do to lay down. We've
got to keep pumping the bellows wheth-
err we get any heat or not. What we DO
one year may no bear fruit in that
wear. but 1t may the next. One thing
we have accomplished, and that is, we
have advertised Marshalltown so h
the people of other cities know more
about this city than they did a year ago.
We can't accomplish everything ] n n
year"
A. A. M~oore-Those are hard questions
to answer. The club made some claims
last year thai 1t was going to accom-
plish many things. / rave no criticism
TO make OF the methods or he men In
charge: at the same time the club has
accomplished very little. The expert
ences of the officers are the same as
mine when I "a president of the old
Twenty Club. We found that nine OF
every ten propositions that came along
were fakes. The promoters were not
legitimate manufacturers, but merely
chasers after bonuses. As a usual thing
there is a very large African in every
woodpile In sight and the conservative
business man has to turn him down.
One thing that seems to be lacking in
Marshalltown. is the speculative spirit.
Waterloo seems to be securing new In
dustries. What methods are pursued
there / do not know, but 1t is my belief
that they are established largely with
local capital. While the banks OF Wa
terloo have a safe reserve. the money Is
not boarded as 1t is in the banks Of this
city"
H. j.. Howe-'T have formulated no
new ideas. i nave always been in favor
of a paid secretary, and think that is
necessary to make the club a suc
cess"
A. F. Balch-.T have no new senti-
ments to offer, but am OF the opinion
that the club should continue its work
as 1t has during the past year. I think
the only way to accomplish anything
is thruethe sevices Of a salaried sec
Rotary. II we don't secure anything
one year, we may the next. We must
keep everlastingly at 1t. The seed
sown one year may not ripen until the
succeeding year. The club now has
several things in view, but because they
are not definitely located is no reason
we should quit. We must keep after
them"
C. C. st. Clair-"There is only one
thing to dove must keep everlast-
ingly at 1t. II we do not accomplish
anything there Is nothing lost, and Ii
we do knock a persimmon occasionally
that is something gained"
D. T. Denmead-"It seems that we
have accomplished very little good, al
tho a desperate effort has been made.
Personally I favor aiding and encour-
aging the smaller industries we now
have rather than chasing after uncer-
tainties. Some of our best institutions
today grew from small beginnings"
L.. c.. Abbott-"We can not make
much effort without funds. There is
something lacking here in Marshall
town, whether spirit or enterprise /
don't know. I think Secretary Sears,
of the club, has done remarkably well
during the e If he has done moth
ing else aside from advertising Mar
shalltown, he has done we'll, and he
should be encouraged instead of abused.
One condition here that is to be de-
plored is that those with idle capital
hesitate to take hold of new n
without tying too many strings, to be
pulled at their pleasure"
NEW FIRE ALARM STATIONS.
Eight Additions Made to the Transmit
ter Alarm System.
The eight new wheels for the central