The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-04-02
Is Already Signed by Many
Prominent and Influential
Gentlemen. 8.s.
.MAss.MEETlNG 10 BE D. .tl
HELD VERY SHORT lXiI
Club Will be Modelled After th4l
Famous Baltimore Orgal,iza-s
ton, That Has Proven So.
Potetltia a Factor in the .,
Business Life Of
That City.

3ig 3ig ~
Plans, already far advanced. will re-s, :
suit In the organization In Richmond, 4
shortly OF the Merchants Club. bod
that Will bo composed OF all the promi-IS
nent business men 5of lie city. and that
Will iii In the local world OF fairs MI
place ut the present time distinctly u,l-,gs
occupied. 4 ss 5 y @ 8 ssg HI ~
1T is proposed that the Glib shalt be- \
I social organization exodus iyel y. "a ~ y #
[ this respect 1t Will be adically dl fferersi
from h the Chamber OF Commerce {&a nd
from the new mess Mems I,eag q te 9. 4
that rs now pro- oJected.s8 ~ hesat two orgarli-:
cations are strictly business bodies .s
formed for the purpose OF building Y 4lil,;
and developing Rchmond: ~ @the#ulttmate;E
object Of tile Merchants Club is the
same but Its methods arc to be wholly
different. Its functions will begfnfand.
end with the social feature. What the
lNestmoreland and the CommonWea ltll45
are to society in Richmond, the Mer-S
chants Club, among Its: me m. n.
hership the most wealthy and nflueii-'s5
btials men of 4 the city, will be: I: to-. tlles8
business world knf. elchn oEd .:, It Will be-
a place wheresall the convenience q q 4
| modern IA hlonahle club house q re- pro-
svided without the fast and exclusiy
social lines that 70 drawn In thu socie
clubs. II n thls,naw Glib {everySrespectable ble#
business tlnn--ba nkers 81 broker. y ri awe
physician, 5lncrcllant--Ntlll MI be Omitted as
| and welcomed 4 a. sort Of home e crcle Ot I
business. where the IN EN- WHO have almost
daily transactions with each other may
gather socially, eat read lounge, ia is. \
and do as they please. n @
Petitions Being Circulated ].
"A petition no w being circulated In tbs !
Interests OF the new movement contains Z
the. ma mes OF over two hundred prominent.
business meh. who arc prepared to ell
ter rtiy%tnto the enterprise. Others .
will be added. Among tho first slgners
were Mr.John L. Williams, Mr.. John F..
| Branch. Mr.. Joseph Bryan. Mr.! Oliver y,
| Sands and many others. The entire bus I
| iness ccxlmunity will be canvassed and u
| before very, long some definite step will
| he taken
The proposed club is not the enterprise
| OF tho American National Bank, as MAS ]:
! at first supposed. The bank Is interested ~
| II, il however. and the banks preslttant.E
Mr.. Sands Is one OF the leading spirits
! In the InSyement. 1t was Intended at
( first to make. tina homo Of the club the I
entire ninth story Of the great new build,
! inc. nov: being completed for the An1eri-a
I ran Bank at Tenth and Main Streets.
! This is probably how the erroneous I'm ri
| preston that the bank was running tllat
| Whole business gained currency. since /
|
i ever itghas bceng discovered that 1T Will
| be impracticable to use the place tirs {
| decided upon 1T is regarded now as
likely that tho club Will go one BLOCK
| above and establish itself In the skS'-SS
scraperlof tho Mutual Assurance Society
| at Ninth and Main. s4s Il II, s5
! Such place us Is finally seclred,
| wherever It Is. will be fitted mp thor-
! ourhly for tie purposes OF tho club.
There will he. a reading room, very likely 4
with Il suitable ibrarY and full comple-
| ment OF current magazines ana papers
provision for down towll mea Is and for
! nnl dinners, whsero these are desired
parlors. etc: IN fact, all tho conyelllenccs
OF tho modern CLUBHOUSE here wv
may nlset and discuss matters; %hcre
boards may. assemble if hey wish. ald
other gatherings may be held,
| All of tfifs will AXE money, hllt nc
| character OF the names already on tl.e
petition is almost guarantee that ing
| siin OF tho proposition VIII DO lreau'lS 4
| met. When q suncen tnumbci. of names'
i have been secured--and this Will ba very
| soor---a mass meeting Will be called aud
/ tbe matter Will be thoroughly discussed.
| An organization. will be eieGted ana
officers Will be elected, Tho name MI ba
1 tie Merchants club or the sBllslneSH
| Mcn's club. moro likely the formcr. lhs
! club will have n charter.
Great Factor in Business.
! The model Of the Richmond body Will
| ba the famous Merchants club OF haiti :
| more. which is known to many OF tho
business men here. The Baltimore rlul,
| Was organized mary years ago, ana ls
n flourlshng institution that - proving
| n potential factor In the business IRE OF
| tlio great city, II has everything that&
| is suggested above, The membership -
made up nf all of the business men.
without reference to social standing or
religious nrllnators In this place tho
| business men Of Baltimore gather and Z
become known TO eaell other, talk over
matters in general. and interchange IDEAS 4
that frequently result in new and bere-
| fcial plans Of work, Tho result has been
that nothing In all Of Baltimore mas
eyerted so powerful aninfluenee IN plll,d
| ing Nlip the place and developing the
buslress Interests as tho Merchants
Club. 1t is an integra part OF the BUST
| ness life. With which the city could MOI
| well afford to dispense,
| II is proposed 10 make The Itshnlahl q
| club lust this AIr, Sands has consn nlfei
some of tho most prominent Of the d
rertors OF the Baltimore club aud gotten
from them the inner workings of the
| system, When the work of Organization
* begun here II VIII be pnodelsd afsf
1 -, ~ ,lr..