The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1917-07-05
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.. +.
GOOD FOR COMMUNITY
Work Primarily is to Educate
The People to Work
In Unison

James Bryce, former British Am
bassador, says: There is no influ-
ence in any community more potent
and powerful for the accomplish
ment of good than that of the bust
ness and professional men unselfish-
ly banded together for the purpose Of
promoting the general welfare of the
entire citizenship"
The work of Chamber of Com
merce primarily is to educate the
people to work in unison and coop
crate in bringing about those things
which have to do with the civic and
commercial activities Of commun-
ity. 1t is great thing to be a part
of those working forces that go to
make up the driving life of a COM
munity.
1t is no small accomplishment to
know your town and to be in touch
with those influences that are I'M
selfishly working for the betterment
of the town as well as the state in
which you live. To participate in the
deliberations of earnest, public
spirited men, and to work with such
men for the betterment Of mankind
is the greatest work in the world.
Chamber of Commerce work is not
only hard, but often times discourag-
ing because of the lack of apprecia-
ton by the people as a whole, and
their inclinations to look with sus-
picion upon those men, without the
least desire of personal gain or
reward, are doing their bit in public
affairs.
The various activities seem to pile
one upon the other with lightning
like rapidity. Some state or nation
al question is before the people, and
all your energies are bent towards
the moulding of public opinion and
the voicing Of the same in messages
to your state and national legisla-
lures. Next you are called upon to
get behind some work of charity. At
the present time every Chamber of
Commerce in this broad land is as
sisting in raising the funds necessary
to finance the Red Cross and the
Army Y. M. C. A. in their work in
this great world war. Then along
comes a promoter with some factory
proposition that he says is just the
thing to put your town on the map
and on the road to prosperity. Then
perhaps along comes a poor deluded
mortal who wants you to advance
him money to set him up in business,
and he can't understand why the
Chamber of Commerce was not Or
ganized for the express purpose of
setting up men in business.
And, as has been said one jumps
from the sublime to the ridiculous
and in the next moment from the ri
diculous to the sublime. The most
unsatisfactory thing about it is the
inability to get the Chamber placed
rightly in the community. Perhaps
three-fourths of the people who live
| in the community who believe they
are factors in it's life have no more
conception of Chamber of Commerce
work than they have of the transit of
Venus.
Chambers of Commerce exist in
every city and nearly every town in
the United States. 1t is a well known
fact that in most of these places
they are supported and maintained
by small per cent of the total bust
ness population, and in many places
the rank and file of the people con-
slider such organizations as negligible
quantities and often actually dis
count their effect for good in the
community. 1t has been truthfully
said that such organizations exist be-
cause few in the community do the
,, thinking and planning and the many
live on the public interest of the few.
In other words, Chambers of Com
merce represent the dominating pro-
gressive sentiments of the commun-
ity as expressed by its public-spirit-
ed citizens who support constructive
movements. Chambers of Commerce
exist because they are community
necessity representing the coopera-
rtive loyalty, enthusiasm, and Great
i've energy of its progressive citi-
zens.