Omaha daily bee., 1903-01-15
COMMERCIAL CLUB IS A co
Enthusiastic Meeting Of Business Men Held
in Council Chamber,
MEMBERSHIP ROLL N|UMER0USLY SIGNED
Committee of Fifteen Appointed to
Formulate a plan for man
Organization to Future
Meeting.
MEMBERSHIP ROLL NUMERoUSLY SIGNED

The meeting last night in the city coun-
I ell chamber to take the preliminary steps
towards the organization of a commercial
club in Council Bluffs was a most enthusl-
astic gathering and was attended by about
200 representative business and professional
men. Victor e. Bender presided and H. w.
Binder acted as secretary.
After more or less oratory. all of which
was in strong endorsement Of the proposed
club. the meeting got down to business by
selecting f. ]. Day of the real estate firm
OF Day & Hess, F. r. Davis Of the Pioneer
Implement company and Joseph W. Smith
Of the firm Of Smith & Bradley as a COM
mittee Of three to designate fifteen men to
form a committee whose duty will be to
formulate a plan for the organization Of the
club.
The committee Of three selected the fol-
lowing: Victor E. Bender, Howard Culver,
Chris Jensen. Lewis Hammer, Finley Burke,
DR.. ". L. Treynor +. II. Hill, Willis Kim
ball, George S. Davis, w. w. LOOMS, C.. w.
Mcdonald, s. T. McAtee, william Moore, L.
c. Bonham. T. D.. Metcalf.
This committee organized by e~lecting Vic
tor E. Bender chairman and Alderman Nc
Donald secretary. 1t will meet Tuesday aft
ernoon at 3 o'clock in the city council
chamber and draft a plan for the organiza-
tion of the club. In the meantime the COM
mittee will write to Sioux CITY, Mason City.
Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and other Iowa
towns for Information as to the plan of or
ganization Of the commercial clubs in thosS
cities.
Urges Action at Once.
III you cannot boost, don't knock" was
the keynote Of most of the speeches. F. J.
Day set the ball rolling by suggesting that
the organization be perfected at this meet
ing while the spirit moved" He pro-
posed that the membership be of three
classes, honorary members at 500 per an
num-, governing members at $50 per annun,
and general members at S25 per annum The
immediate organization OF a commercial
club he contended was necessary, as there
were several matters of Importance to
Council Bluffs which such a body should
take hold Of. AS one instance he cited
the possibility Of the Iowa School for the
Deaf being removed from Council Bluffs
owing to the destructive fire last summer,
Former Alderman Lewis Hammer spoke
enthusiastically in support of the move,
ment and suggested that the club erect a
building which could be used for an as,
sembly hall and for public meetings. He
thought the business men of the city oughl
to be willing to contribute sufficiently tc
erect such a building.
+. W.. Beckman, editor of the Nonpareil
outlined the plan on which the Commercial
club of Sioux City is conducted and sug.
gested that the principal need Of such al
organization was a secretary who would b,
fully qualified to act as such.
Attorney Finley Burke followed Mr.
Beckman and spoke at length urging thal
the organization be such that every man il
the city engaged in business, whether on
large or a small scale, could become a mem.
Der and have an interest in its working.
Alderman Mcdonald spoke on the need o
such an organization and promised hi
hearty support. as did F. H. Hill and Pres
ident Hart OF the First National bank. Mr.
Hart took the occasion to suggest that tn,
organization of such a club would result
undoubtedly in the bringing Of manufactur
ing plants and other industries to the cit,
and that in a few years there was nothing
to prevent Council BLUFFS from having
population Of from 40, 900 to so, 900.
Has Railroad Facilities.
Colonel Davenport OF the Burlington toll,
Of the city's railroad facilities and how
with a little effort on the part of the bust
ness men or an organization such as
commercitl club, the city could be mad
one of, II not the greatest, distributing
points in the west.
DR.. Don Macrae. jr., addressed the meet
ing on what he termed THE Lack OF Mu
nicipal Patriotism" He said he was heart
lily in favor of a commercial club and woul
give II his ardent support, but the clu'
would never amount to anything, he con
ton1nA b, a.. -a.I " -
educated to boost and not knock. Council
Bluffs, he asserted, had heretofore bee.
without an identity, and II was high tin.
things had changed. 1t had been a town @
knockers and many of the citizens pre-
terred to ride across the river rather tina
deal with the business houses OF their ow
city.
The following signed the membershi
roll: r. II. Bloomer, president Combina
tion Fence works; c.. W. Mcdonald, man
ager Sandwich Manufacturing company
Ernest f. Hart, president First Nations
bank; Stewart Bros. company; w. H. Kim
ball, Kimball Elevator works. Pioneer I'm
plement company; William Moore, Perego
& Moore; Culver 4 Woodbury.; Metcalf
Metcalfi f. H.. Hill, Empkio -Shugart com
pany; Jensen Bros. Oscar Younkermar
Younkerman Seed company; William Sled
entopf, Maloney Cigar company; C. c
Ou7en. Shugart & OuTen Seed company; 4
b. Beall, manager New theater; H.. +
Grail, Peterson-Grahl company: ]. "
Smith, Smith & Bradley; F. r. Davis, Pic
neer Implement company; c.. H. Bradle!
Smith & Bradley; Charles Swaine, Swain
& Mauer; w. T.. Stephan, Stephan Bros.
F. J. Day, Day & Hess; S. II. Foster, Coun
Gil Bluns Paint, oil & Glass company; o,
McManus, county superintendent OF schools
NJ. Wollman. Louis II. Petersen, Peter Jeu
sen, J. II. Carmody, n. d.. Peterson, c. /
Arbuckle, ID. w. Bushnell, George H. JACK
sen, Colonel W. J. Davenport, dlyisio
freight and passenger agent Of the BuI
lington; J. F. Wilcox, J. e. Hollenbecl
Hollenbeck Bros. W.. W. Windsor, ]. C. Z
Haven, c. c. Clifton. II. F. Knudson, Rol
ert Burt, jr., F. c. Lougee. o. W Graham
George S. Davis, ]. Zoller, S. T. McAte
Ray w. Bixby, Bixby & Son; NJ. F. Rohre
W. L. Beattie. Chris Straub, F. J. Ain.
worth, +. W. Reckman, c. W. CokCr, Rol
ert L. oHanlOy. Harvey DeLong. L. Zu
muehlin, jr, T. S. Davis, w. J. Leveret
J. b. Long. A. Fellentreter, Thomas
Oasady Emmett FINLEY. Finley Burke, Jol
NJ. Calvin, c. NJ. Harl, Fremont BenjOmi
S. b. Snyder. DR.. Don Macrae. pr, DR.. ".
TTeynor, Dr.. J, H. Cleayer, DR.. +. '
Houghton, Alderman NJ. II. FINLEY, Aide
man John Olson, Alderman f. II. LOug'
Alderman c. II. Huber. Alderman lsra
Lovett, Victor e. Bender, manager n,