Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-01-24
Hundreds Attend Thirteenth
Annual Meeting Of the
Commercial Assn
VARIETY OF TOPICS
,o,,a ABLY DISCUSSED
Good Roads, Education and
United Effort for Good of
Community are Themes

The thirteenth annual banquet OF the
Ottumwa Commercial association was
held Thursday evening In the armory
with over three hundred men sitting
down to the tables shortly after
o'clock. This banquet Is easily con-
ceded by members Of the association
to have been the best and most highly
successful affair ever given by this or
ganization.
Service hard to surpass followed by
a post prandial program of more than
ordinary interest in which the keynote
was get together made the occasion
one of rare pleasure The variety OF
topics treated in the many toasts
served to bring light on several impor-
tant matters that are being considered
today by the public. The names of the
twenty-one directors who were elected
were announced during the evening as
follows:
Chase Bannister, w. B. Bonnifeld,
w. J. Donelan, j. X. Dysart, r. w.
Funk, M. c. Gilmore, S. P. Hartman,
G. S. Harper, w. r. Harper, ]. H. Nor
rel, w. r. Hall, M. B. Hutchison, J.
X. Mahon, w. Fl. Mynard, D. f. Morey,
Sr, F. A. Nimocks, J. +. Powell, N. f.
Reed, J. 3. Sax, F. A. Tisdale, L. T.
| Crisman. b
,.- Mould Unite Bodies.
A few minutes before nine o'clock
the men were called to order by s. p.
Hartman who turned affairs over to
Merrill G. Gilmore as toastmaster Of
the evening. Mr. Gilmore outlined the
work that has been accomplished by
the commercial association during the
past year. He also proposed rec
| ommendation of the retiring board OF
directors to the newly elected board
which was selected Thursday This
was that the retail merchants assoc-S
| iation and the manufacturers assoc
iation be combined with the CONNER
cial association as bureaus. The idea
in this project is to have better organ
ization by the solid combining and
working together of all of the bodies
in the city dealing and handling indus
trial and commercial problems
J. X. Dysart Gives Talk.
J. X. Dysart was the first speaker on
the regular program and his subject
was Community building" Mr. Dy-
sart's speech was short and snappy and
| right to the point with his arguments.
| He said:
"The crying need Of Ottumwa IS to
"get together" Here we are good
sized city. We have our water power
possibilities. our most excellent farm
lands, our splendid trading facilities
and our great coal fields. What we
need now is greater Ottumwa: we
want chance to work together and in
that way accomplish results. We
should have fixed purpose in our
hearts and minds toward making OF
tumwa greater and better every day.
If the business men of this city all get
together and work as one, with only
one idea in view, then there should be
no trouble whatever in making Ottum-
wa a city Of $4,000 people in ten years.
Let's stand solid; let's get together"
Tells of Good Roads.
Dean A. Marsten Of the Iowa state
agricultural college at Ames was the
next speaker and his topic was the
subject of Good roads," Dean Marsten
is a member of the state highway COM
mission and an authority on good
| roads. This topic being as widely dis
cussed as it is at the present time in
Ottumwa and Wapello county attract.