Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-22
OPPOSITION TO MERGER.
Straw Vote of Chamber and Board
Is Misleading.

To the Editor Of The Star:
Your editorial in Wednesdays Star is
so directly to the point and expresses
so forcibly my objections to a merger
Of the Board of Trade with the Cham
Der of Commerce that 1 wish to thank
you. You are entirely right as to the
inadequacy of the straw vote now be-
ing taken; it is misleading in its re-
suits and will probably cause misunder-
standings and heart burnings should this
question come to an issue before the
bodies named. For instance, I cast
vote on the negative side: 1 could just as
well have voted yes" and still have been
free to oppose amalgamation except on
terms to be dictated by me. and 1 find,
upon inquiry, numbers Of members OF
the chamber who voted yes" express
ing themselves as being favorable to the
merger If it means the absorption Of the
Board of Trade by the Chamber of Com
merce on terms to be named by the
chamber; again l find board members
of demanding that the merger shall be
consummated only upon assurances being
given that the Board of Trade shall re-
main intact as 1t Is now organized and
that the dues shall not be raised; even
the directors have mental reservations as
to the terms Of such a merger: then
where does the overwhelming affirmative
vote express the sentiment of the bodies?
Only to the extent that the voters be-
lieve that the merger would prevent du-
plication of effort and possibly would
create a body so entirely representatlv OF
all interests of the city that Congress
would listen to its voice with more con-
sideration than If the same project were
advocated by the two bodies. To my
mind the duplication of effort is often
caused by dominating influence of GER
foiv nd inf al MOI no
who belong to both organizations, and 1t
is not to be expected that it will be
otherwise until the two organizations are
directed and managed by distinctly sep
arate management
Believing that every citizen should take
some part in civic duties and lend his
aid. both morally and financially. to the
furtherance Of the best interests of the
or any hope Of direct personal gain, and
recognizing that the Board Of Trade has
been successfully caring for the civic
betterment and city Identification for
number of years. l determined to assist
with my mite of membership the newly
started Chamber Of Commerce. believing
at the time that its efforts were to be
devoted almost exclusively to the up
building Of the manufacturing and COM
mercial interests of the city. the In
creasing of opportunities for home en-
ployment of our sons, the increasing OF
capital, the enlargement of the spending
mowers Of our citizens and the creation
of greater, buster Washington, while Its
sister organization was building up beau
tiful Washington.
/ have consistently and persistently op-
posed the injection of political and un-
related civic questions; / have deplored
the time given by the chamber to sundry
questions that should be cared for by our
medical societies or by our Bar Associa-
ton; 1 have always opposed, and shall
continue to do so. the amalgamation of
the two organizations for reasons so ad
mirably portrayed in your editorial, and
because I believe that the chamber should
devote its time and energy to such Ques-
tions as will produce the best and quick
est results in creating, extending and pro-
tecting the business interests Of the city;
again, believe a merger means simply
temporary remedy of the evil OF duplicate
effort as it now exists: 1t Is well under
stood that a certain coterie of non-com-
mercial members of the Board of Trade
would eventually organize a new civic
committee to go before Congress when
necessary to voice their opinions to
certain pending legislation. and 1t will be
the same question over again, committees
from the new merged body and a COM
mittee from the Civic League possibly
opposing each other. Then. should the
efforts of the merged body become
more decidedly in favor Of civic work to
the neglect of the commercial side, we
will see a new offshoot Of business men
organizing to carry out ideas looking to
of the good of the whole city; thus we
will have three bodies instead of the two
at present or Of the one hoped for by the
merger enthusiasts 1 hope the merger
will be defeated, but will be glad II the
agitation will arouse the members Of the
Chamber OF Commerce to the fact that
they have allowed sundry and divers
questions of no relation to the welfare of
the commercial interests to so monopolize
the time and energies Of the chamber as
to almost entirely overshadow the pur-
poses for which the chamber came into
being; and hope further that some plan
may be devised as the outcome of this
agitation that will divide the membership
of the two bodies into separate and dis
tinct organizations wherever the work
threatens to overlap, and that the cham
Der will be content to give its time to
commercial problems and only take up
legislative or civic questions when they
| bear directly upon the business COM
| munity. Under such circumstances the
Board of Trade should be willing to I'M