The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1909-01-08
Would Turn to New Railroads.

]
views the freight rate question and
touches the present situation presents
some interesting and important fig
ures on Norfolk's past development
and business future and enters upon
a discussion of the possibility of Nor
ioIk securing three new lines of rail
road through this section
The letter, of unusual moment lust
now in view of the annual meeting
of the Commercial club next Friday
evening, and in a way a report to that
body, is as follows:
To the Members of the Norfolk Com
mercial Club: At the time | had the
honor of accepting the presidency of
! the Norfolk Commercial club | hest
tated to do it because, first | believed
the directors were not fully in har-
mony with the resolution passed at
the annual meeting of the stockhold-
ers, and also because | did not eX-
pect to be in Norfolk for more than
half of the year of 1908. | frankly eX-
! planned my position to the members of
the board, and took pains to read to
| them typewriter statement of my
! position ON the freight rate question.
which had been made the main ques-
ton for us to consider at your annual
meeting. Upon receiving from each
individual member of the board the
promise of his support on this ques-
ton, | finally accepted the office.
Rate Conference.
We at once got busy and formulated
a letter to Mr.. Pierce. general freight
agent of the NJ. & O. road at st. Paul
asking what we considered we were
entitled to in the matter of better
freight rates to Norfolk. Our railroad
committee, as We called it, was EN-
powered by the board to employ an
attorney. And accordingly it en-
ployed H. c. Bronze, esq, of Omaha,
agreeing to pay him 81 900 and travel
ing expenses to conduct our case
through both the federal and state rail
road commissions and through any
other court in which our rights were
to be adjudicated. We paid Mr.
Bronze $3.50 as a retaining foe and
Messrs. Sprecher and Bullock of the
railroad committee, together with Mr.
Bronze, had a conference with the
state railroad commission at Lincoln,
aud later on the same parties, to-
gether with myself, met Mr. Pierce by
appointment, at his office in Omaha,
and then at his suggestion went
to the Northwestern office, where
we met General Freight Agents
Miller of the Northwestern and Lane
of the Union Pacific. Our matters
were handled very efficiently by
Mlessrs. SpreCher and Bullock. Mr.. |
Bronze being present at that time for
legal backing and to get in touch with
the situation, and we all felt good
progress was made, At this juncture
the railroad employees in Norfolk be- .
came FESTIVE, under the mistaken idea /.
that NOrfolk's interests are not their I.
interests; protested to us that some of /.
them were not employed regularly, .
others on half time, and that if we
would cease the agitation of the
freight rate question until business .
picked up in the fall they would be
greatly pleased. We were of course. .
not only willing but anxious not to
hazard their income in any way. and .
after threshing their matters out very
thoroughly before our board of direc-
tors, and at a special meeting of the .
members of the club, ii was decided TO
II
tain date, which | think was Septem-
Der /, 1908.
Positive Results.
July |, | left Norfolk for a visit to
the Pacific coast and upon l.. A. Rothe
deyolyed the management of your
club. Under ROthe'S management your
interests were efficiently taken care Of
and he is entitled to a special credit in
pulling off our first chautauqua meet
ing, which | understand brought a
number of people to Nor
folk and was on the whole a success
in every way, particularly for first
meeting The people of Norfolk re-
ceived the efforts of your board APP
with much appreciation more
than doubling the membership of the
club, there being no less than seven
teen business houses carrying ten
shares each July |, 1908, The OXnard
hotel gave us a banquet of forty
plates, which was a very enjoyable
affair and without precedent. Also re-
tlecting this situation, the Young
Mems auxiliary Of the Norfolk Com
mercial club was instituted, gaining a
of about fifty, four-fifths
Of whom were young men who had not
before been members of our club and
would not now have become
so except for the opportunity of CO.
operating, partly by themselves as a
permanent committee of this club
with power TO chose their own chair
man and clerk, one Of whom attended
the weekly meetings of our board to
report TO and keep in touch with it
Also perhaps one of the best proofs