The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1907-02-01
WILMINGTON CHAMBER OF COM
MERGE AND NEWS AND
OBSERVER.

I o boss the chambers of commerce o
the different cities of the state.
1t publishes nearly a column editOria
Of criticism and censure Of chamber:
of commerce of Winston-Saiem and OF
! Wilmington for the resolutions adortei
by them on the question OF railroad
Legislation. Hear how it lectures the
chamber Of commerce of this city for
daring to adopt resolutions expressive
of it's members views on the subject.
In the opening paragraphs 1T hints
at the action of the two chambers being
from political motives and tries to
raise class ~antagonism. 1t says:
The action of a chamber of COM
merce when it passes political resolu-
tons is apt to be less representative
than its membership.
The ideal chamber OF
Judged by the names upon its rolls. is
very apt to express the character Of
the better class of the business inter
ests of the community. The men who
Omp it are in nearly every instance,
as Mr.. Thorn would say. earnestly
and patriotically striving to advance
the interests and the welfare" Of their
respective cities. When they under
take to balk legislation which the
people de1nand the "earDestness' OF
their pariOtisnl is not above the Sus-
picion Of suggestion from some less pa
triOtic source
After making reference to the action
of the Winston Salem chamber OF COM
merce and Legislator Buxton's reply
thereto, it proceeds to turn it's guns on
the Wilmington organization and thus
berates it for it's action, again sneal.ins
in the covert charge of class" which
it seems afraid to make openly:
Now, the Wilmington chamber Of
makes a like request OF Mr..
Morton to that which the WinstOn-Sa-
lem organization made of Mr.. Buxton.
Mr.. Morton will likely find himself in
like case with that gentleman. Mr..
Morton was also elected upon the dem
Ocratic platform declaring for re-
duced fares. That was q condition
precedent to the votes which were cast
by democrats for every legislator. For
q chamber OF cOmmerce'-necesSari-
y, It4ou5h, III III evil SS1lSt, a Grass
organizatiOn--to ask the chosen repre-
sentative of the democratic organiza-
ton of the majority of the people to de-
part from the implied contract upon
which he entered into his employment,
is a piece Of presumption which Mr..
Morton will 10 doubt answer in the
same way as Mr.. Buxton answered it in
his case.
Again the editorial attacks the mo-
tives of the men who adopted the reso-
lutions, By embodying in the para
graph reference to certain action OF III
Greensboro chamber of j
evidently intends to create the saspi-
cion that undue inf1uences-passes or
other favors from railways-may have1
the members Of these chambers |
Of commerce to adopt the resolutions.
Effort is made not only to discredit the
but to rbelittle the men who
them. 1t says:
It will not always do, however. toi
chamber Of commerce "resolu-
tons too seriously. AS stated above.
they are not always representative Of
The membership. There IS REQUIRED no
majority. of members to make a quo
rum AMI analysis Of the most unani-
nous resolutions" frequently discloses,
only q basic salt Of special interest.
do not know how many of the
participated either in Will
n1ngton or in Winston, but We call to
nina the case Of the Greensboro cham
'er OF and its resolution in
avor Of the Southern Railway subsidy
fNlCN. on nVaGfira tim ~oC F0,r,l =
cmanated solely from about
leVen gentlemen gathered together
WIN A. "B." or &C" passes in their
ockets, among whom the moving
p1rlts We're the attorneys Of the rail-
DAD IN whose interests the resolutions
TO speak the sentiment Of the
uSlneSs and commercial enterprises CT
he Gate City /
whether they We're truly representa-
or not Goes NOT matter in the Dres-
instance but until he character of
ne meetings which passed them ap- {
ears lt viii not be wise 10 take these f
alue. A"o t
When a public organization takes an -
looking to a special benefit il y
aould be cashed, if at all. at a heavv t
~
AS to there being any politics in the :,
1optlon of the resolutions we will T
'eak only of the action of the VIII ;,
lngton board for we know nothing .,
'out the other. but We take it's HEM 9,
to be more honest and more hon., !.
'aole men than The News and Oh
rVer would have it's readers to BELIEVE
'lltlcs had nothing to do with rhe :
ton OF the Wilmington board and
ie News Observer knew thar fact =.
len 1t made the insinuation 10 the
ntrary. There was no thought of
ilucs at the time of adoption of the -
and there is no hint Of =,
IL IN them. AS to the political COM
exon Of the chamber we supDcso p