The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-10-28

they realized more and more a need of representation in national affairs and fiji answer to this need the United States Chamber of Commerce sprang into ex- istence. For one chamber or two or three local chambers of commerce to petition Congress for or against some legislation it might have but little ef- feet. but when these chambers of com merce, through their national chamber, seek to regulate the legislative affairs and other big governmental matters of the country, they speak with a voice that carries weight. In all such mat ters, every local chamber has a vote and the national chamber as a whole acts only after majority of it's membership has so instructed it. In this way it has been instrumental in fashioning the tariff and trust legislation, the federal bank act the question of the annual budget and in the immediate future no doubt will take big part in the estab- lfshment of an American merchant ma rine.
 "One of the things we are helping to do is to reorganiZe the department of commerce. We want it to be to the business p1an what the department of agriculture is to the farmer. It has not been so in the past largely due to the lack of interest of the average business man. But change is fast coming about A part of 1t is the recent appointment of a corps of commercial attaches. two of whom have accompanied us on this trip This corps of able men will go to foreign countries as part of the American embassy and will be the watch men, the scouts on the frontier for the business man back home"
 Leon c. Simon. president of the Asso- citation of Commerce, New Orleans, and director of the United States Chamber remarked upon the impression Birming- ham had made upon him, especially as teing an i6eal place to live as we'll as in which to make money. He laid par ticular emphasis on the need of insti- tutions to educate men to business as they are educated to other professions.
 Cowardice COngressman's Sin
 'Thc sin of a congressman is not venal- ity," declared James T. McCleary, secre- | tary of the American Iron and Steel In | stitute, and former congressman from | Minnesota. Tn many years in Congress myself serving with more than a thou.
 sand different men, I knew of but only a couple whom it would have been safe to approach with a sinister proposition | to be put through Congress in sinister way. Their sin is not venality: 1t is
 oowardice. And that cowardice is large | ly your fault. Congressmen like to dc | things in accordance with the expressed | sentiment of their constituents and if you | leave the men who think with theii ! lungs to inform your congressman of the sentiments of their constituency, it is youI own fault that their action may not al. | ways be best in your estimation Yor | American business men must wake uI and let the country hear from you and ] there is no better way for you to dC | ir than through this wonderful organ ization you have perfected, the Nationa | Chamber of Commerce.
 Right Is might" declared MT. Me | Cleary as he closed, and to illustrate tn, point of how cooperation will help tt
 make right might he pointed out how tht | Cleveland baseball team once lost thu remnant through the lack of team worl md how Boston this year won the world.