Evening journal., 1909-12-09
Thursday, December9. 1909
RESOLUTIONS on PROGRESS.

/ r strikes us that the resolutions of the Will
- mington Board of Trade TO be presented
to the National Board of Trade are on the whole
of uncommon merit We fully agree with our
morning neghbor that they are Strong" and
that they cover numerous topics'-all well
done.
The opinion of the Wilmington board on
these matters will have considerable weight
with the national body for strange as it may
seem TO few croakers about Wilmington the
local Board of Trade is one of the leaders in the
national body as regards delegates and pres
tige Anything that would advance the ship
building interests of the city enlists the support
of the board and hence the ship subsidy bill is
approved. The efforts for improved waterways
has thorough commentator. The trolley mail
collection service is favored. An experiment has
been made in this city with the collection of mail
by trolley. and it has proved satisfactory to the
business men we'll as to other citizens. This
service should be continued.
The two most important resolutions OF the
board are those referring 70 the tariff and the
corporation tax. In these resolutions the board
speaks as a body of business men, not swayed
by partisan bias. One resolution declares il to
be the opinion of the board that the practical
making OF the tariff laws should be left to a
non-partisan tariff commission which should af-
.er careful and scientific investigation, send its
recommendations TO Congress for adoption.
Those members of the board who followed the
tariff debates doubtless concluded, as did many
others that the political parties were at skies
and sevens during the making of the tariff that
partisan lines went to pieces, and that therefore
the proper thing TO do is TO take the tariff out
of politics.
We believe that in this matter the Whining
ton Board of Trade expresses the sentiments not
only OF rs own members, but those of the vast
majority OF business men throughout the coun-
try who have no axe 10 grind in tariff legisla-
ton There IS no doubt that the day is not far
distant when some such scheme as that recon-
mended IN these resolutions will become the set
tied policy Of the country. The local board is
simply little ahead of the times that is all. 1t
has looked into the future.
Representating as it does the business men
and corporations the board declares its opposi-
tion to the corporation tax as "ununiform and
UNJUST and II the committee had written a col
umn, It could not have expressed in better form
the serious objection held by many business men
10 this tax. The resolution on the monetary
commission merely commends the efforts of the
commission and does not commit the board to
the central bank or to any other definite scheme
his, we think, wise for the commissioners them
selves admit that public opinions as regards this
matter is in the creative stage-thc educational
campaign is on.
Wilmington for years has had keen inter
est in the work of Mr.. John Barratt in the South
American countries and of course he and his
work received the hearty commendaton of the
board. Mr.. Barratt is a great friend to Will
mington.
Altogether we think the board has reason to
teel satisfied with the resolutions More subjects
might have been touched upon, but the gratifv-
ING thing IS that the Wilmington Board of Trade
IS looking at all these matters from broad
minded point of view worthy of the best senti.
ment OF the business community