Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-27
Retail Merchants
to Form an Association.
ANS AREWELL ADVANCED
to Become an Auxiliary
to Chamber of Commerce.
MEETING HELD LAST EVENING
Form of Constitution Presented.
Addresses by Commissioner
Rudolph and Others.

Long strides toward organizing retail
merchants association were taken at a
meeting held at the Chamber of Com
merce last night. About seventy-five
merchants including some of the most
prominent in the city, gathered to aid in
the perfection of the Retail Merchants
Association of Washington. an auxiliary
of the Chamber of Commerce.
The proposed constitution of the new or
ganization. over which the temporary
eral weeks, was submitted and a num-
Der of the sections were approved. 1t
was decided, however, before its final
adoption to give the members further OPP
portunity to study its various sections.
Adjournment was taken for ten days or
two weeks and Acting President Joseph
Strasburger promised to see that copies
of the proposed constitution were in the
hands of the retailers within the next
| day or two.
Richmond Man Talks.
notwithstanding the fact that no con-
stitution was adopted. the meeting last
night probably did more, it is declared,
| to draw the retailers together than might
have been the case had a constitution
been adopted in a perfunctory manner
after little discussion. William A. Clarke,
jr, secretary of the Richmond. Va, Re-
tailers Association. and of the Virginia
States Retailers Association, gave an
account of the formation Of the Richmond
| association and the good which it had
accomplished for the retailers of. that
city. He said that by a. strong organ1-
zation in which all the merchants stood
together discounts had been abandoned,
a htr a haon h1iShod that
had saved the merchants hundreds of
thousands of dollars and advertising had
been put on a firm basis. Trading
stamps and the like. he said. had been
wiped out
The sentiment of the retailers present
was strongly in favor Of organizing as q
body affiliated with the Chamber of Com
merce. The question was raised when
the first section of the proposed con-
stitution was read, which provides that
merchant must be member of the
Chamber of Commerce to be a member of
the Retailers Association. 1t was de-
| cided that it would be far better to have
| strong, working organization such as
| the Chamber of Commerce back of the
new association. rather than start on
| independent lines.
Wishes the Association Success.
Commissioner Cuno II. Rudolph adj
| dressed the members of the new organ
| ization. and wished them all success
he declared that the interests of the
| retailers were mutual. and that by work.
| ing together they could do a great deal
| for the benefit of all.
lone for all and all for one was the
topic of an address made by President
William F. Guide of the Chamber of
Commerce. who urged the merchants to
stand strongly together at all times.
Mr. GUIDE read a telegram from Thomas
Grant, secretary of the Chamber of Com
MERGE sent from Des MoineS, Iowa, an
nouncing that Washington had won the
next convention OF the United Brother
hood of Carpenters and Joiners, an or
ganization which will bring 300 or 400
delegates to Washington for a month,
and, which will bring thousands of dol
| lars to the business men of the city.
Completes With Eleven Cities.
The telegram said that Washington had
won on the fifth ballot, although eleven
other cities were in the race for the next
convention. Mr.. Grant has been in Des
Moines, where the convention is at pres
ent in session, working for Washington for
| the last ten days. 1t is by such enter
| prise, declared Mr.. Guide, that the Cham
| Der of Commerce brings big conven-
! tions to Washington, and by such work
| that the retail merchants can benefit the
| trade here.
| Mayor PaY of Alexandria also ad-
| dressed the meeting. He told Of the
| organization of a retail merchants as
| ISOLATION in Alexandria year ago. Much
good had already been accomplished by
| the Alexandria body, he said. and it Is
| time for Washington to wake up.
|