Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1908-03-23
light ON SUBJECT
{. {. finch TELLS OF CHAMBER
OF commerce work.
tie Throws Light Upon Numerous
Actions Concerning Which the
public Was Largely MiSinfOrmed
r1uCh Good to Aberdeen and Grsvx
HarbOr by Advertising Received
Editor Herald

Editor Herald
The too common practice of pick
| ing up vague street rumOrs. starting
from no one knows where. relative to
matters of public, semi-public or even
entirely private import, then adding
surmise and speculation thereto and
shouting conclusions thus reached tn
the world as facts, is productive in
many instances of injustice and
wrong Impressions difficult of cor
rectiOn.
Statements are made, sometimes
thoughtlessly, at other times with
malicious purpose. relative to the
acts OF public bodies or organizations
and to the conduct of individuals
composing them, which, if taken Sc
r1ously, as they are bound to be by
many unreasoning listeners, place
those at whom they are aimed in a
false light before the community.
Right meaning men should think
much and know well the facts, be-
fore giving voice or countenance to
statements the effect of which is to
dlscredlt any person or organization,
AS the unholy flea spreads plague
| throughout the land and the unloved
mosquito scatters fever, so verify
doth the knocker and the scandal
monger by activity and persistency
lnoculate a percentage of better men
with the disease which is an inherent
part OF him; and so it comes to pass
| that honest men sometimes become
honest believers in false ideas born
OF dishonest parentage, and, with
good intentions, circulate them to the
damage OF men worthy of better
treatment.
case in point is at hand, in the
attention which the administration
OF the local chamber of commerce has
been receiving for sometime past,
from certain sources. Because en-
tirely false rumors to that effect have
been allowed to circulate unchalleng-
ed, ideas have become current and
nave grown to be believed by many.
that,
| l. The famous legislative banquet
was paid for by the chamber of COM
merce.
2. The banquet to the Tacoma
Business Mems association was also
paid for by the chamber of commerce.
). The president of the chamber
OF commerce enjoyed three months
J"AiNN' I'll ouSiio tllc East ana
South and to the jamestown eXposi-
tlon, at the expense of the chamber.
a. An excessive salary was paid
to the secretary of the chamber, un-
necessarily. and without proper au-
thOrization.
5. No results worth mentioning
have come from all of the work and
expenditure of the past eighteen
months.
Now, how utterly absurd are all
or these rumOrs and assertions, and
how wrong it is that men should lend
currency to them without first ac-
quainting themselves with the facts.
particularly when the truth is so
easily gotten at. All of the records
of the chamber of commerce are open
to its members without question and
as matter of course, and no reputa-
BILE person who is not member
would be denied the fullest access to
/ them. These records show the fol-
lowing things to be facts, and that
they are true is known by every per-
son having direct knowledge of them,
viz, that,
l. The Legislative banquet was in
no sense, directly or indirectly
charge upon the chamber of COM
merce, but was paid for by people of
both Aberdeen and Hoquiam, many
of whom were not even members of
the chamber. partly by paying fancy
prices for seats at the banquet and
the balance through subscription to
the special fund made up in both
towns to be used in the interest OF
county division.
2. The banquet rendered the Ia
coma Business Mems association did
not cost the chamber dollar. but
was paid entirely by subscription of
Aberdeen men who attended the ban
quet, with the exception of deficit
of SIS which was paid out of my own
pocket
3. The trip made through the
East and South was mainly in con-
nectiOn with business deals of nv
own In which the chamber of COM
merce had absolutely no interest. al
though number of people in several
sections or the country who had been
in correspondence with the chamber
OF commerce relative to transferring
their interests to this point, were vis-
lted and their plants examined with
a view of getting personal knowledge
as to their practicability here and
their desirability to the town. In
this way some money was expended
for travelling expenses, etc, directly
in the interest Of the chamber of
ommerce-something over $50
but it was my own money and no bill
has ever been rendered to the cham
Der for any part of it, nor have 1
received the slightest reimburse-
ment or remuneration for either time
or money expended on this trip, from
any source-"Finch he paid the