The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-04-11

ness men. The club has opposed tho
parcels post idea, 1t has opposed the
Aldrich currency bill and the Hepburn
bill in to national legislative bodies
and favored the national tariff commits
sion idea
In state legislation it saved this
city hundreds OF thousands of dollars
by opposing the McGinnis bill for tn 2
establishment of a new sewage sys-
tenn. The plan would have bankrupt
ed the town and have stopped all the
present sewage construction.
And it was largely also, through the
State Federation of Commercial Clubs
that the merchants uniform public ae-
counting bill was passed The Com
mercial Club had the honor and the
initiative to effect the organization OF
the State Federation. so that it in a
very large way. is responsible for the
recent public accounting law.
The State Federation itself is big
feather in the cap of the local organ
ization, for the federation is now 4
powerful agent in the work which is
going on in the state for better roads,
uniform inland waterways and the con-
servation of public and natural re,
sources, as we'll as all other thingi
| which work for the good of the state
and nation.
But the work of the club in a local
way has been more important and
more vital than these other things. It,
ering of insurance rates. And while
the club has done much. the work i:
| by no means all accomplished.
| AS it is now through the efforts Of
the club. the manufacturers and this
other citizens have been enabled to re
| duce their insurance cost to a mini
mum under the present rates estab,
lished for the whole town. But tn;
club is not willing to stop there.
AS everybody knows, within a fea
years the water works franchise ex
pires. and through meetings with thf
water works authorities, the club i.
endeavoring to secure a change in tn;
franchise which, though allowing thu
company to maintain business UNI
crippled, will give to the citizens o
the town service which will let thu
fire insurance rates be lowered.
| This has to do with greater pumping
facilities and the construction Of sec
ond water main to town. and possibl!
such minor things as additional firt
plugs and the like. 1t looks as IL in thi!
case the club is going to accomplish
a great deal. Through its secretary
Mr.. Haas, it has accumulated a grea
fund of information from all over tn
country and Canada which will furnish
data for the club to work on.
The town should know that the Com
mercial Club is endeavoring to safe
guard the interests of the citizens il
this matter.
And so the work Of the club has gon
on quietly in a concerted and definit
effort to permanently better the towr
Permanence has marked the growt
of the town in the past, and this l
the line that the club is trying to d.
velop. +.
The boom town idea has gone it's wa
as suddenly as a boom town is depop
ulated. The facts which the CONNIE!
cial Club have gathered through tn
work of the secretary. have been uti
lied in many ways as an advertisement
to the town.
Richmond has the reputation of
conservative town. If this idea
kept up by the sort of work the Com
mercial Club is doing-that is. OF built
ing permanently--it is one Of its grea
est assets-such conservatism
healthy growth.
| Conservatism in most towns, and l
most cases, is not growth but dry 70
mixed.
Such efforts as those of the Con
mercial Club. coupled with the effor,
of the Young Mems Business Club, al
the true index to the character of tn
business men of town. There. is nj
great difference in Ne aims Of tn
two organizations. and both have the
different methods of working. Ths
is all the better. In many towns tn
commercial interests are engaged
active warfare-here the influence
the outgrowth of cooperation.