Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-12
NANY AFTER MEMBERSHIP
Some Comments on the Movement by
Business Men.
IDEA OF GEORGE WASHINGTON
He Believed This District Would
Carry a Large Amount of
Inland Trade.

long focked into the Office OF Mr.. Charles
r. Howe at the American Security AMI
Trust Company like bees entering a busy
hive. The occasion OF this rush was their
desire to become members OF the Shippers
Association. which was launched at a meet
Ing held at 3 o'clock this afternoon. The
meeting was largely attended and enthuss-
astic and the shippers present were evi-
IDENTIFY very much in earnest. Their shib-
boleth was, "A greater Washington"
There has been no commercial movement
here that know of that has stirred bus
ness Washington 10 its circumference ike
the present" said Mr.. Howe To a Star re-
porter. Local shippers are actually falling
over each other to join the movement. and
when 1 say shippers ! mean business men
generally"
Even while he was speaking a group OF
the city's representative merchants and pro-
fessional men entered his Office and request
ed to be given applications for membership
blanks
This movement is the talk of the
town., said one.
we are going to pull together for sue
cess" said another.
Some Comments Made
In the group was Mr. A. E. Randls.
president of the United States Realty
Company. He said he was glad The Even
ing Star was interested In the movement.
Don't you know" he added my ad-
vertisement In The Star brought re-
sponses from South America. Hawaii and
the far-away Philippines. | have been
advertising greater Washington I'm over
800 newspapers, with total circulation
of more than 1U.0oO.uO0 copies. and cover
ing the territory from the Atlantic to tho
Pacific and from Canada to Mexico"
Some OF the communications received
by Mr.. Howe today as follows:
Mr.. A. G.. Clapham, cashier OF the Ma
tional City Bank wrote that the movement
has my heartfelt Endorsement. and it will
give me pleasure to give any assistance 1
can in the encouragement and support Of
this effort to increase the commerce OF
Washington. | very well acquainted
with a number OF the wholesale men in the
various jobbing towns OF Virginia and
North Carolina. and will be glad to do what
l can TO induce them to come 10 our city
1T has been a source of regret to me thG.t
on a number of occasions when asked to
assign a reason for Washington's CONNER
cial inactivity, I could only admit that IL
seemed due to lack Of interest on the part
of our locaI people.
communication from the firm OF p.
Mann G. Co. stated:
1--WE are heartily In favor OF such move
ment. as think that our city Is discrtrni-
mated against in freights going out OF
Washington. and We hope that there Will
be some good come out OF this association
Some of the new names added to the roll
Newbold president of the Merchants
Transfer and Storage Company; EdmonstOu
& Co. the Terminal Storage Company OF
the District OF Columbia. by Edward i.
Olds treasurer: J. II. Small. jr., Heitmuller
& Heider. Arthur z. Randle. l.. G. Orm-
dorT P. Mann & Co. J. W. Rupert & Bro.
and the American Stone Paving and Con-
struction Company.
Washington's Opinion.
Mr.. Howe. in discussing the present mova-
ment that one of the ideas that President
George Washington had in his mind at
the time this city was laid of was that as
II was located at the head of navigation he
firmly believed that very large amount OF
inland trade would be brought into old
Georgetown. and that some would be pick
ed up by various sailing vessels then en-
gagged in coastwise trade. especially with
New York and other seaboard towns.
In fact, line of sailing vessels was car
rying on large trade between George
town and Martinique. West Indies, consist
ing largely of corn, tobacco and -four The
imports were principally moiasses and
sugar. At that time there was a keen RI
valry between Washington. Alexandria.
Baltimore and Philadelphia for the COM
merce from Virginia and Maryland.
The Jobbing houses in Georgetown at
that period carried on a large and ex-
tensIve business with traders located as
far west as st. Louis and the large terri
tory tributary to. the Ohio river. Tho
shipping interests at that time IN the TAR
west were conducted over the G. and -
canal and the Ohio river. the freight
across the mountains being taken to and
fro by portage.
Water Route to Central West.
At that time Georgetown was the only
city on the Atlantic seaboard which pos
sessed the water route to the central
west.
The early development of the trade In
Baltimore which ultimately worked against
the shipping interests in Washington. was
due first to the greater amount of capt.
tai invested In the shipping interests In
and about Baltimore. and secondly to the
large expenditure of money by the state
of Maryland and the various counties
throughout the state in making large ap-
proprlations for the building of the pub
lie roads throughout the various sections
of the commonwealth.
The result was that these means of trans
poration both by land and water, being
SO superior to the conditions then existing
In and about Georgetown, resulted in de-
hecting large amount of the trade tribu-
tary TO Washington to Baltimore.
Mr. Howe said that the conditions were
very different now, as Washington was
entered by several railroads radiating in
all directions, and there was no reason
why the shippers OF Washington should
not have facilities commensurate with. the
H...o hAra