The Chamber of Commerce

Description:

9-page letter handwritten in black ink on slightly yellowed paper by Carlos E. Warner, President of the Chamber of Commerce. The letter pages are bound at the top with a narrow red ribbon. The text of the letter has been transcribed as follows: "Paper by Carlos E. Warner Subject: The Chamber of Commerce I am requested by the present mayor of the City, Hon. Wm. C. Maybury to prepare a paper on the subject of the Chamber of Commerce, of which organization I am now President, to be deposited in the City strong box, sealed and opened at the dawn of the 21st Century. One must necessarily be impressed with the gravity of such an undertaking. To write for public reading, when it is known that the hand which pens these lines will long since have passed away; that an entire generation will have come and gone, leaving behind it only its works and history; that all living things at the present writing shall have perished leaving not even a memory behind; that the twentieth century, profiting by the accumulated wisdom [of] experience, progress, inventive genius and scientific skill of the century now closing, shall go on and on with rapid strides, well nigh exploring the mysteries of the infinite and making what seems today to be questions of great importance, but minor ones in future thought and progress, then may one well hesitate and ponder. Who shall read these lines and what hand shall pluck them from the strong box of the City and being then for the public gaze; What changes shall occur; What progress shall be made in the incoming century, in the social, physical, political and religious worlds? One can but speculate upon these great problems and the wildcat conjecture of the present day may fall far from that of the reality in the time to come. Regarding the Chamber of Commerce I am requested to write something which if not useful, may be interesting to the people of a hundred years hence. The movement for the organization of a Chamber of Commerce in Detroit had had its inception in September 1891. Wm. H. Beasly then Editor of the Detroit Journal devoted much of his time and energy to it and, in connection with Mr. Alexander A Bonstelle its first secretary, may be regarded as the founder of the association. The first meeting of the association was held at Philharmonic Hall, corner of Lafayette Ave. and Shelby St. on January 5, 1892. Hon. Thomas W. Palmer, ex Senator and ex U.S. Minister to Spain, under President Benjamin Harrison presided at the meeting at which a constitution prepared by Hon. Don M. Dickinson, U.S. Postmaster General under President Cleveland, and Hon. Alfred Russel [Russell], both of whom are now leading lawyers in this City, was adopted and the first officers of the association chosen. The officers consisted of Hon. George H. Barbour, President, Hon. Rufus W. Gillett, 1st Vice president, Hon. Hazen S. Pingree (now Governor of the State), 2nd Vice president, Alexander A. Bonstelle, Secretary, and M. W. O'Brien, Treasurer. The present organization, known as 'The Detroit Chamber of Commerce and Convention League,' is the successor of this primary organization. It has for its object, the advancement of the public interests of the City; the development of all legitimate enterprises tending to increase its prosperity; uniting of the energies and influence of its citizens upon all subjects affecting its welfare; the diffusion of information concerning manufactures, trade and business and the cultivation of friendly relations and the promotion of equitable principles among the businessmen of the City. Its officers and directors at the present time are as follows: President, Carlos E. Warner, the writer of these lines, a lawyer by profession and head of the law firm of Warner, Codd and Warner. 1st Vice President, William J. Chittenden, proprietor of the Russel House. 2nd Vice President, Frederick G. Smith, manager of the Wolverine Manufacturing Company. Treasurer, A. F. Wolfschlager, general passenger and ticket agent of the Wabash Railway. Secretary, Mr. J. F. Walsh. Directors, Messrs. A. E. F. White, John Walker, George M. Black, Joseph, S. Hall, John C. Hutchins, Fred C. Postal, Wm. Livingstone, Jr., Dewitt C. Delamater, James H. Swait, Abram P. Sherrill, Augustus A. Schantz, Orrin R. Baldwin, Wm. A. P----, Clarence M. Hayes, Walter E. Campbell, Homer Warren, A. F. Wolfshlager, Wm. A. C. Miller, and Thomas Craig. The organization is of a quasi-public character and unofficially represents the commercial and industrial interests of the City. It is of a voluntary character and while supported by dues from its members yet is entirely dependent upon their voluntary contributions. The officers and directors hold monthly meetings at which matters affecting the public interests of the City are brought up and discussed and such action taken as may be deemed proper to advance the interests and promote the general welfare of the City. It is only effective by reason of this influence which such a representative body of men is assumed to possess. Its opinion is brought to bear upon questions vitally affecting public interests. One of the questions which have agitated the public of the City in the later years of the nineteenth century is the municipal ownership of public utilities like street railways, another the question of corporate properties and franchises including not only their physical properties but their so called intangible values. Another the problem of municipal government and corruption in municipal affairs. The Spanish War so called now lately ended by the [ceding?] to the United States of Spanish interests in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippine Islands, has emphasized the necessity of an interoceanic canal or waterway between the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the construction of the so called Nicaragua or some other isthmian canal, has lately received the encouragement and endorsement not only of our organization but of other chambers of commerce throughout our country. These questions, and others of like import, are demanding at the present time the best thought of statesmen and economists and their solution will require the best judgment of the incoming twentieth century. In so far as the financial results of the organization in advancing the physical aspects of the City are concerned reference may be had to the twelve (12) story Chamber of Commerce building at the corner of Griswold and State Streets. This building is modern in construction, much of it brick and steel, and strictly fire proof and stands as a graceful monument to the enterprise of the association. The major part of the land upon which the building was erected was bought from Seymour Finney, lately deceased, who during his life was prominent in the social political and religious history of the city and who was one of its pioneers. The land was bought and the building was constructed with the aid of bonuses contributed by the citizens of the City and the adjacent landowners. As the representative head of the organization I trust that I may be permitted to express the hope that its influence has not been entirely lacking in the growth development and prosperity of the City in its [?] and physical aspects and that the citizens who, at the dawn of the twenty first century, shall occupy its century, inhabit its houses, walk its streets and be entrusted with its affairs may be richer and better for this work which it has accomplished and this influence which it has exerted. In the name and behalf of the organization I greet the citizens of Detroit at the beginning of the twenty first century and though long since departed from you, I present this evidence of an existing and more or less potent vitality, who is much interested in the future growth and prosperity of this beautiful City and in making and continuing it a City of which future generations may still be proud. Carlos Edgar Warner Attorney at Law, Ex President of the Board of Education and now President of the Chamber of Commerce and Convention League - aged 53 years. Detroit, Mich. December 31st A.D. 1900."

Date Issued:

1900-01-01T00:00:00Z

Data Provider:

Detroit Historical Society

Collection:

Detroit Anniversaries

Subject Topic:

Chamber of Commerce and 1901 Time Capsule

Subject Name:

Warner, Carlos E.

Rights:

No Copyright - United States

URL:

http://detroithistorical.pastperfectonline.com/archive/118C454F-9A84-4A4D-B3A2-397899182578