Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-04

hC UdlQutl Hall, III WHICH Tie banquet was
held, presented pleasing appearance Dur
ing the progress of the business sessions of
the convention the hall resembled the quo
tatlon room of a lumber exchange, with
large charts, giving statistics and values,
hanging about the four walls. The room
was entirely transformed last evening. 1t
was made to look like flower and plant
exhibition, so profusely was it decorated
After consideration had been given the
excellent manu Mr.. Louis Dill OF Baltimore,
Md, as POSTMASTER, addressed the assem-
biage. He extended hearty welcome to
the guests and called upon Secretary Shaw
as the first speaker of the occasion. Mr..
Shaw made but a few remarks, explaining
that he would have to beg off" owing to
the fact that he was yet quite weak from
his recent illness.
Secretary Cortelyou's Address.
Secretary Cortelyou was next called upon
He prefaced his remarks with several refer
ences to log rolling. and announced that
he had been for some years familiar with
the business. He said he would have been
at loss to know exactly what to talk about
had he not learned that the association was
Cesirous of learning little about the De-
partment of Commerce and Labor and the
work 1t hopes to do for that division of
commerce represented by the lumber inter-
ests. Mr. Cortelyou stated that, in accept
ing the invitation to address the conven-
ton, he did SO upon the understanding that
he would not be compelled to make an ex-
tended address. iZ1stU
He asked to be excused from dwelling at
any length upon the various features of
the organization of the new department.
He announced that he would give a brief
talk on the progress of the department
the lumber interests and true commercial
ism. Continuing, Secretary Cortelyou said:
The department is doing as well as it can
with rather meager facilities. 1t has tried
to exhibit the true American spirit of maxi
ing the best of a Sifn9fi nd x.,,jla
testing from time to time most vigorously
against inadequate appropriations the de-
partment officials have realized the diff
culties that surround the iegislati estab-
fishing the department and lave been con-
tent to bide their time, feeling sure that
as they make good in the work given them
TO do they should receive fair recognition
from Congress and cordial support from the
interests the department was created to adj
vance" o..,a
The Lumber Interests.
Mr. Cortelyou said that possibly one OF
the best things that can be done for the
lumber interests is to look at these rela-
tons in this comprehensive way. The CEN
trail fact to keep in view, he added is this:
Ihat in spite of the rapid rate at which
the forests have been diminishing for the
last three decades. the national lumber
supply is still In such state to con-
S1tute one o. the several fundamental ele-
ments of our commercial superiority over
competing nations in the worlds markets.
LAUNDERING still ranks fourth among our
great industries, said the Secretary
Z I'VE have as yet decided advantage
over other nations in our coal supply in
our IRON ore resources and in our forests.
more and more, however, does the COM
peutlve capacity of modern nations resolve
Itself, not so much into question of
wages and profits into this very fact of
comparative advantages in natural re-
sources. Hence the problem OF problems
increasingly tends to become, how to con-
serve the existing stores of natural re-
sources in such a way as to supply pres
ent demands without impairing the foun-
dations of our economic position
Transportation Facilities.
Mr.. Corteyou referred to the inadeouacy
of transportation facilities which, he said
has been standing complaint among lum-
bermen in nearly all parts of the country
engendering much friction between trans
portation interests on the one hand and
shippers and receivers of lumber on the
other. Such questions can usually be set
tied rightly only by having light on the
subject, and an impartial inquiry into the
conditions would no doubt go far toward
an improvement. Unsatisfactory CONNER
cial conditions should not be left to remedy
themselves when public inquiry: might ia
cllftate the substitution of better methods.
The administrative agencies of sour govern
ment. he said, at the service of the
people.
"One fact that I am glad has come to
the minds of the lumbermen, not only upon
the Pacific coast but elsewhere is that the
timber supply is not inexhaustible, and, to
use the language OF a writer on this
subject, Instead of the exrtavagant meth
DDS of the past, constant study of economy
in logging and manufac curing methods is
in vogue Improved methods will prolong
the life of your great industry.
The Tr1le Con, n, erc;oi;c,o
I'm these prosperous times we hear much
of the term commercialisfi1.'@ s-said Mr.
Cortelyou. 1T is frequently referred to as
though in itself 1t represented a misguided
national spirit or a tendency Of bur people
to lower their standards There is, I'M
doubtedly. commerciaIism that would
dwarf the national life; that would place
business success above Business honor:
that would contemplate the profits of trade
without the ethics of trade; and that If
followed to large extent would make the
American name a shame and a reproach
among the nations But there is another
commercialism that is founded upon the
fractions to-, OF the fathers; that seeks to Sc
lean traits of thrift and fair dealing; that
weaves into every fabric asa prime essen
tial moral FIBER; that combines the fine
quantities which have made the names of
our really great merchant princes and lead
ers in the business world synonyms of
honor and integrity That Is the CONNER
cialism with which you and l wish to ally
ourselves. for the nation that is devoid Of
that spirit today sits supinely while her
competitors pass on to the goal of COM
merciaI and Industrial supremacy.
1T is so easy to start word or a phrase
on Its rounds that is later to be taken up
written about and preached about; and IL
seems to me this is as good time as any
to place ourselves on record on the right
side of this proposition and have the emil
nent gentlemen who are such ready critics
and -prolihc eontrovertialists understand
that there can be commercial spirit in
great nation SO fine and so true that it be-
comes support for the best tendencies
and best possibilities of the national char
acter; and that we do not intend that this
spirit shall be misrepresented by any
sweeping generalization or by failure to
recognize the fact that among the great
est OF the forces that have made this re-
public what It is today are the men of COM
merce and industry.
Speaker Cannon Covets Canada.
In his address Speaker Cannon referred