The Washington herald., 1908-01-21

The conveuIng Of the National Board
Of Trade in Washington to-day IS an
event Of national importance. Composed
Of some sixty OF the leading chambers
Of commerce. boards Of trade. and other
commercial bodies, tho National Board
OF Trade comes right from the heart OF
the business world, and is supposed 70
represent its views on the great subjects
Of the day. It's mission Is 10 lead the
advanced commercial thought Of the
country. and 90 blaze the way for need
ed legislation. Usually the whole gamut
OF pending propositions as 20 what Con
gres ought TO do IS run In the discussions.
and this has become SD extensive that
the colucil Of the organization has been
forced to consider q way Of limiting
these discussions 20 matters affecting
trade IN the United States. i is OK
pected that this viii serve 90 allow more
extended discussions on the real cues
tions which it has 20 consider.
The National Board OF Trade was or
ganized in 1865, though il had q rather
nebul1us existence for several years be-
fore. It's immediate reason fog coming
into being was TO prevent the Mississippi.
River from falling into the hands of
private individuals When the question
Cf opening up the mouth OF tAs Father
Of Waters below New Orleans came up.
it was seriously proposed that this work
should he left 90 private enterprise. and
that the corporation doing ID should have
the privilege OF charging toll on all craft
passing through the opened channel.
Thus would the great river, within
whose watershed boundaries there is
more commerce than there Is 30 the ter
ritoTy drained by any other river i7 the
world, have become subject 20 the trih-
ute-taBers Of commerce. The National
Board of Trade came into existence with
The brief iu favor OF free alG untram-
ueled commerce on the Mississippi. So
thoroughly did the organization do ity
work that the pending bili WIS driven
10 cover. Congress authorized the open
ing Of the rivers mouth az government
expense, and from that day ou the Mis-
sissippi has been as free from the t1l'-
laker as its waters are free TO move OH
ward to the sea.
This distinct success I'm its mission
and service 10 the country brought the
National Board Of Trade into prominence.
Though to a certain degree a seIf-c0n-
stituted organization for the promotion
OF whatever legislation it believes to be
the best fo- the interests of The people.
it has managed that its suggestions and
recommendations reach Congress I'm ii
way that make It's influence felt II is
said that Gen. Grant when President.
put great faith in the board as an index
OF the best thought Of The country, and
that when he was in doubt as 10 any
legislative matter he consulted the
officials Of the National Board of Trade
And John Sherman is said 70 have de
clared that the advice of this orgauiza-
tion helped him greatly during tho trying
financial times when he was Secretary OF
the Treasury. These were the golden
years of the organization. so far as in
iluence in the affairs of the government
goes. The history of legislation in the
'79s cannot be written without many
references to the work Of the National
Board of Trade. It was sort of John
the Baptist heraIding the coming OF
wholesome legislation,
After the '70's came a period Of decline
TO wane ard with it came "a falling off
In the number of business orgauizatio
which were banded together 70 give it
being. One By one, they fell away, until
there were only Fifteen of them left.
Annual meetings were held, but the ad-
vice OF the organization was not needed
so well as in previous years. Then came
gradual return to influence again and
with it came y growing membership of
constituent organizations until to-day
there are some sixty Of the most pTCfTes-
sive business bodies of the country en-
braced in its membership. Each Of these
constituent organizations IS entitled to
several representatives, as delegates TO
the annual meetings of the organization
These who wish 20 do so consider some
matter Of pressing interest and lay it be-
fore the annual meeting. which in turn
takes it up and acts on it. Usually mat
ter5 are unanimously passed upon, but
sometimes there are majority and minor
ity reports from the committees consider
ing them. and a prolonged debate may
follow But on the whole. it ir more
than probable that nowhere else ,dn be
found a body Of such diverse member