Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-15


tative excursions into the field of civic
development were being made. But
basically the chamber of commerce
was a trade body with a rather limited
and special interest type Of member
ship.
Number Now Close TO 5000.
That was 60 years ago, and today
there are close to 5000 chambers of
commerce or similar commercial organ
izations in the United States OF these,
more than SO per cent are active and
well financed, with full-time men in
charge and with regularly functioning
committees. In this spread of the
chamber of commerce movement we
have a graphic index Of the extent to
which American men have applied the
cooperative principle in their dealings
with one another and in their COM
munity relations
One is impressed by the great tnfiu-
ence which chambers of commerce have
exerted almost from the beginning, not
only upon the business interests of
individual communities, but upon public
affairs and policies as well. Even in
the economic battles that preceded our
struggle for political independence the
chamber OF commerce principle, as en-
bodied IN the then existing organizations
emphatic part. For although. as have
indicated, the popular spread of the
chamber of commerce movement did
not start until about 1870, chambers of
commerce had been fourishing in the
larger cities long prior to that time
one, indeed, for as much as q century.
The distinction Of being the first
chamber OF commerce In America is
held by the Chamber Of Commerce of
the State of New York, which was
founded in 1853 in New York City. It
came into being at time when resent
ment against the British crown was
beginning slowly to be translated into
terms Of patriotism for the as yet I'M
identified new Nation that was coming
into being in America. 1t vigorously
opposed the stamp act, the tax on tea
and other taxes regarded as burdensome
and iniquitous by the colonists, and al
though 1t was later to remain loyal to
the crown during the Revolutionary
War, by its early opposition to the
repressive trade measures of the home
government it did much to strengthen
the spirit Of resistance among the
Colonial tradesmen.
Due to its loyalty to the crown the
New York Chamber Jared better than
similar organizations attempted in Bos-
ton. So outspoken had been the Boston
merchants in their opposition to the
British laws Of trade and navigation
that the British government adopted
raolcal measures, quartered troops In
the very rooms where the Boston mer-
chants had been meeting and summoned
many merchants before the Admiralty
Court and compelled them to pay ruin
Gus fines. Again the early chamber of
corNnerce was making its influence felt!
Merchants Organise Again.
After the turn of the new century the
Boston merchants again organized, and
Following the peace of 1915, the New
England Society for the Promotion of
Manufactures and Mechanic Arts was
formed. This organization continued
Tor many years-in fact, it retained its
corporate existence as late as 1859. How
ever. in 1885 the merchants and traders
OF Boston met for the purpose Of form
ing chamber of commerce. It's orig
inal membership consisted of 254. This
organization early became active in an
effort TO establish uniformity in mer-
camille usages. Like many modern
chambers OF commerce, however, after
a few years 1t found interest waning,
and one cannot help smiling at read
ing the record of a vote taken in 1912.
It was voted:
4lok q uucCIuiS OI btle presidents
and directors be called for the purpose
Of taking measures, If any can be de-
Vised. to tnfuse more vigor into the
operations Of this association, that 1t
may be more useful to the mercantile
community, and II In the opinion of the
omcerS no such measure can be taken
then to consider the expediency of dis
solving the association
From q good many years. experience
with chamber of commerce affairs I
know that many who are members of
chambers of commerce and who have
fought the battles of those organiza-
lions through many a respondent COM
mittee meeting, will read those words
with reminiscent smile. In scanning
the yellowed records of those early
chambers of commerce 1t is interesting
to find how similar were their problems
TO ours.
1t develops a feeling of kinship with
the past TO discover in the pages Of
faded minutes that they not only
quarreled violently over policies, but
that members frequently resigned in
large numbers because they did not ap-
prove of some action of the board of
directorsi Committees, too. had habit
Of neglecting to function, then as now;
and other members were disposed to
complain bitterly of the idlers71even as
they do today. The attitude of the
critic on the street, too, was no whit
different from that Of the spiritual de-
scendant of the present time. Let me
quote some lines that are timeless:
THE criticism Is sometimes made
chamber that its members do nothing
but talk; that they do not act; that
everything Is referred by them to COM
mittees for investigation, and when
these have reported that they content
themselves with passing resolutions.
Why do they not do something's 1t is
said"
Attitude Of Many Citizens.
But for 8 slightly old-faShioned
phrasing, those words might have been
written last week about the attitude Of
many citizens toward their chambers
Of commerce. AS matter of fact, they
were written in 1869 by Hamilton A.
Hill, who at that time was secretary Of
the Boston Board Of Trade!
Those Of us who have toiled in the
vineyard Of our own local chambers
can look back across the years and
salute those earlier members with
feeling of kinship and sympathy. In
spite OF vast economic shifts, our basic
problems and our natures, after all,
change little from century to centuryi
The chronology Of our early chambers
Is bit difficult to Ak. Old records not
infrequently indicate that two o-ganiza-
tons. a chamber of commerce and
board of trade, for instance, were in
existance at the same time. Sometimes
they were merged, sometimes one of
them seems to have suffered lingering
death. Lines of cleavage are not always
clearly defined. In 1888, however,
Philadelphia organized the board of
trade of that city, and in 1884 the
Chamber of Commerce Of New Orleans
was chartered. Five years later saw
the launching Of the Cincinnati
chamber In 1914 the Board Of Trade
of Buffalo was organized. Meantime, a