The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-02-12
TWo-MINUTE TALK FEATURE

TWO.M1NUTE TALK FEATURE
Prominent Business Men in Short
Addresses y. P. Hardy is
Principal Speaker
One hundred business men celebrat.
ed the close of the most successful
club year in. the history of the Bis.
marck Commercial club at the annual
dinner of the organization which was
held last evening at the Grand Pacific.
Optimism for the future characterized
series of two-minute talks from bus.
iness and professional men. The club
Is out of debt with q balance in the
treasury and an organization that
promises even greater achievements
for the future. There was nothing
but praise for the efficient services
Of H. P. Goddard, president; William
F.. .Lahr, treasurer; George N. Kenit-
son, secretary and the board of direc-
tors.
Secretary Hardy of the Fargo Com.
mercial club, brought message from
the Gate City, full of excellent advice
and a promise Of hearty cooperation
in all enterprises that had for their
object the welfare Of the city.
Mr.. Hardy said in part:
In Commercial club work our first
effort should be to get better ac.
quaintance established among our bus
mess men; this can be done thru the
organization Of groups, such as manu-
facturers associations, retail dealers
associations, real estate exchange. etc.
Business men who associate them
selves with trade organizations, not
only broaden their vision in their, bus
mess or profession, not only become
better competitors with their next
door neighbor, but inevitably acquire
the broad civic vision that makes
them good commercial club members.
+ :Having secured a. competent men,
bership, an appeal for funds follows
as natural sequence. A thing that
costs nothing is liable to become inef.
fective from the fact that It. Is not
used. The more costly the machinery,
the more it's owners strive to make it
produce Similarly, the more money q
business man puts into his commercial
organizations the more Jobs he is like
ly to find for it to do.' *
Secretary Keniston's report outlin.
ed briefly the major accomplishments
of the year. He stated that the war
had imposed general change in the
objects. His report follows in part.
This has been indeed an unusual
year in the activities of civic and
commercial organization. "
"A daily report of the secretary's
experiences would be daily report of
contact with, the elements in which
not one proposition in fifty is ever
brought to the attention of even the
directors of the club. In normal
times, an important part of the work
OF this organization Is that of shock
absorber, standing between the SOL
diers of fortune, the professional prof
iteer, the strong armed advertising
fakir. the questionable stock subscrip-
tion man and a horde of free lances
who fatten on the credulity and bust
ness spirit Of rural and urban com.
munities alike.
",rhe war has only increased the in
ducements to enter this field of broad
quasi patriotic declarations. The ex-
ecutive committee has stood unwaver.
iugly for the policy Of protecting the
city, the county and indeed the entire
Slope territory from the promoter
who seeks to make prey Of the sue
cessful, publis spirited and the pa
triotic. Forty-one of such appeals
have been denied q permit to solicit
in the city of Bismarck during the
past year l am frank to say that
most Of them are absolute fakes. and
only few have even a slight modi-
cum of merit. 1t is not too much to
say judging from the experience Of
other cities in our own state, that we
have saved the city OF Bismarck many
times the cost OF operating the Com.
mercial club in this particular alone,
during the past year.
"'The policy of the board, however,
has been to confine subscriptions
strictly to the demands Of the federal
government, and we are proud to say
that because of our strict enforcement
Of this rule our city and our county
have risen to their duty as to an op.
portunity. and every drive has carried
the result over the top well beyond
the apportionment.
Bismarck business and profession.
al men, the very busiest and best of
them have as cheerfully responded to
the war in this service of our country
as has ever q young recruit to his en-.
listment to bear arms. The result has
not only been. gratifying In financial
way, but it has promoted solidarity
and cooperation in city spirit. Presi-
dent Goddard has put 1t, We are be.
ing purged! We are being emo 3led!
We are coming to see the brotherhood
of man in the brotherhood Of the
race fa
Federal Matters. Il
"The club has taken q live interest
in the promotion of the Bismarck In.
dian school. The club has also taken
an active interest in an act before con.
gress, providing for the purchase by
the federal treasurer of $200,000,000
worth of federal farm loan bank
bonds. s
Much ought to be said of the ef-
f1ciency shown by the Commercial
club administration Of last year which
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