The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-05-08
TALK GOSPEL
OF GOOD CHEER
DECKER TELLS OF NATIONAL
PROSPERITY ASSOCIATION.
BECOME AN OPTIMIsT
Secretary Of Billings Chamber Of
Commerce Says Try Elixir Of Boost
ins-st. Louis Men Fastening Re
turn Of Prosperity.

From Thursdays Daily.
ut is a common saying that senti-
ment does not enter into business,
and so little in common exists be-
tween the two that when we wish to
say anything is .eminently practical,
we usually say that it's business
Down in st. Louis, however, just now,
sentiment is entering largely into
business and is being employed to
buoy ur and infuse life into BUSH
ness. And they are finding that 1t
pays. Like at Billings, they are
boosting" The speaker was, Secre-
tary Decker Of the chamber Of, COM
merce.
"The leading bankers, merchants
and manufacturers have organized
themselves into a body they call the
National Prosperity Association Of st.
Louis. The platform Of the organize
ton has only two planks. They are
"A square deal and a square meal for
every man The purposes Of the as
ISOLATION, as announced in a circular
letter, are to keep the dinner pail
full; to keep the pay a going; to
keep the factory busy; to keep the
workmen employed; to keep the pres:
ent wages up. This is embodied in
the circular, and shows how the SO
ciety came to be organized:
Investigated Conditions.
Some Of us have discovered that
our business showed a profit in
April. Our business was not profitable
for three months before April. We
came together informally and com
pared notes. The situation in st. Louis
was better than we had thought. We
asked representatives Of different lines
Of trade to meet with us, and en-
larged the investigation. Much evi.
dence Of restored confidence and re.
turning prosperity was offered. We
felt that this community ought to be
fully informed; that the encourage
ment should be extended beyond st,
Louis. The organization Of the Ma
tional Prosperity Association Of St
Louis followed. The association has
nothing to do with the past. It looks
forward. 1t is not political. It has
a platform. The two planks are, q
square deal and a square meal for ev'
cry man.
Business All Right.
"'There is nothing fundamentally
wrong with the business situation. The
financial clouds have rolled by. The
crop prospects-basis of all things fol
all of us-are exceptionally good. W.
believe we can get back to norma.
conditions quickly, if we will. We dc
not e why we should wait for the
closing months of 1908, or the spring
of 1909. We have passed the low
level. The commercial sun is shining
This is the business May day. The
time for this movement is ripe now
It was not ripe before. The Nationa
Prosperity Association of st. Louis
has definite plans to expedite its pur
poses. To carry out these plans Il
will ask the cooperation of ever,
newspaper, every business, industrial
and labor organization in st. Louis
How to Secure Prosperity.
Concluding, the letter says:
eve are confident that If the bust
ness men Of the United States joil
in the st. Louis movement, prosper
ity will be at full tide before the ent
of the year; that 1909 will be the bes
business year our country has known
Instead of waiting for something t.
turn up, we will turn up something
and do it quick
1.-THE newspapers of the city, witt
characteristic energy and loyalty, en-
tered into the spirit Of the movemen
and gave 1t all possible publicity. Tel
egrams were sent to 100 of the lead
ing business organizations Of tn
north, east, south and west announe
ing the formation Of the new organize
ton and calling attention to the pull
lished accounts in the st. Louis pa
pers of what had been uone. Thou
sands of copies of the associations II
augural address were ordered printed
and these are now being mailed I
every business house in the countr,
First to the wholesale houses, wit
the request that they be put into tn
hands Of the travelling mep. Althoug
the movement was not instituted III
til May /, already inquiries are con
ing in from all quarters and a fore
nf c1orka had m hn nmn1nvod IN ~