The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1920-03-05

growing ever since that time until 1t has
reached such colossal proportions that
we have come to think of 1t as being able
| to stand alone. but it isn't. In proof of
which we can again point to Russia. The
business world Is not able to stand alone
and, while this community is a very small
| integral part of the business world, 1t Is,
| nevertheless, an integral part. Every
community is a miniature world in that
we have these five institutions present.
The necessity of the family in the com.
munity is so evident that it need not
be mentioned but suppose the city coun-
Gil had the authority and made decree
that Oroville should be immune from the
operations of all state and federal laws
or. In other words, removed the state
from this community, can you imagine
any of those other institutions being
present? or, suppose they decreed that
there should be no school. No one would
live here. And so with any one Of these
other institutions. If any of them were
to be eliminated from this community,
not one of the other four could survive.
II these five institutions are essential to
the entire human race, they are more
particularly essential to every commu
nifty.
1t Is the purpose of this organization
to be the nucleus, the esssence, the acme
of these five Institutions in this commu-
nifty. 1t is not its primary purpose to en-
able you merchants and other business
men to make more money. 1t is the pur-
pose of this organization to make these
institutions in this community better in
stitutiOns. Making these institutions bet
ter institutions Will make a better COM
munity. A better community will attract
better and more people to the COM
munity Better and more people in the
community will enable you business men
to make more money We can't help that
and We don't want to-
So now, gentlemen, let's don't forget
that there are other things in life besides
making money. Some of you have been so
busy chasing the almighty dollar that
you may have forgotten some of the
essential things of life. 1 refuse to believe
that this community Is any worse than
any other community similarly situated.
1t is a typical western community and /
hope it will never be anything but
western community where men and
women have the liberty of being natural,
regular men and women. But we must re-
member that the opportunity to be nat
ural, regular men and women also carries
with 1t the danger that there will be in
dividuals who refuse to recognize the
distinction between liberty and licen-
sousness. These individuals constitute
an element which requires judicious and
diplomatic consideration. This element Is
to be found in every. community and Is
made up of individuals who often are
most admirable citizens but for some
particular reason they divert the purposes
of that element from constructive to
destructive influence. But with an organ-
zation of this kind in community, made
up of men with a determination to pre-
the influence of this element will be as
proverbial water on the proverbal ducks
back With an organization of this kind,
made up of men with a determination to
preserve the best interests of the COM
munity, the best interests of the COM
munity will be preserved and the COM
munity will be better community, and
with better community, no power on
earth can keep 1t from being bigger
community. We are trying to organize
this Commercial club on the basis that it
is going to be a benefit, not only to the
town but to every individual In the com
munity. If we don't Organize with that
purpose in view. the principle of the thing
is wrong and we had better disband.
An organization of this kind requires
to have some of your money in our treas
ury. Now, the question is, are you going
to spend your own money or are you go
ing to let some one else spend it for you?
One of the great criticisms of the Com
mercial club heretofore has been that
four or five men spent the money con-
tributed by all the others. / can conceive
of but one way in which this could be
DONE If you all stay away from these
meetings but four or five, then your
money is surely going to be spent by
four or five But here is one thing want
you to bear in mind and that is that
there will be no considerable amount of
money spent for any one purpose until
that purpose has been brought to the at
tention of the Commercial club and the
expenditure approved by a majority of
those present. Now is the proposition that
you come out and spend your own money
sufficient to induce you to come to these
meetings or shall we still have to dansle
a doughnut under your nose to get you
out?
This is democratic organization No
one man has arbitrary authority. No
committee has arbitrary authority. You
have a perfect right to question any ac-
tion that l may take. / told you al the
beginning that this is your Commercial
club, not mine. If. in the course of events
| make any decision or do any act that
does not meet with the approval of all
of you, you have a perfect right to appeal
to the Commercial club for their decision.
If, in the performance of my duties as
presiding officer / do any act which you
consider is adverse to the best interests
of the Commercial club and you fail to
appeal to the Commercial club for Its de-
cision, then you are not acting In the
best interests of the Commercial club. l
stand ready to promise you thar no act
will be consumated with my consent in
the name of the Commercial club nor any
considerable samount OF money spent
without the approval of the majority Of
the members present at the meeting at
which the matter is presented
Differences of opinion Is what makes
an organization of this kind necessary. If
We were all of the same opinion on every
subject we wouldn't need a Commercial
club because we would all act spontane-
ously and in the right way Criticism is
necessity to the life of any organization.
have been criticized l expect to be
criticized some more and as long as l am
in this position. l don't care q "cuss
what you say about me personally and
you can't hurt my business because
haven't any. But it is the thing / stand
for now. this Commercial club, .hat
I'm jealous of. Criticize all you please,
but it isn't fair to confine your criticism
to your conversation on the street and
then come in here and assume an atti-
tude that will take a twenty mule team
to draw an expression out of you. If
do anything that is not conducive to the
best interests of the Commercial club,
deserve to be criticized and my action
should be reversed. But l can't reverse
an action once taken That would be
exercising arbitrary authority and that
is what we want to keep away from. You