1^ § LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. { I Chap.iA^±:. p UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. , f 4 -^ =^~ ?t- '■ ^i i^ , * ^- ^ ^''^ 4^ # t -f- f- -^^^ ■■> ■f y Compliments of SIDNEY D. MAXWELL, Superintendent. edi^atory raxergse5 AT THE OPENING OF THl NEW BUILDING (^JQeiQQati (^f^amber of (^o/T\/r\ere^ mei^cHanTS' exchange JfiNUI.RY 23 and 3D. IBBB COMMERCIAL CnZETTE JOB ROOMS, CINCINNffTI, OHIO. CONTENTS. Officers of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, i Boards of Real Estate Managers, ... 3 Clerical Force, 5 Committees on Dedication, 7 Delegates from Commercial Bodies, . . . .11 Programme of Promenade Concert, ... 14 Programme of Dedicatory Exercises, . . .15 The Builders, 16 Introduction, . , 17 The Promenade Concert, 26 The Dedication, 30 The Prayer, 33 Delivery and Reception of the Keys, . . . 42 The Dedicatory Hymn, 56 The Oration, 59 Welcome by the Mayor, 97 Congratulations: New York, 102 The City of the Lake, 104 The Southwest, .... ... 109 The MississipiM Valley, 114 The Central South, 120 The Old Dominion, 124 contents. Letters of Regret, . . . 128 The Excursion, 184 The BANquET: Toast-master's Greeting 186 I. The Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, 188 II. The Northwest, 190 III. The South, 195 IV. The West, 207 V. New York, 209 VI. Chicago, 210 VII. Baltimore, 214 VIII. St. Louis 220 FDR laaa-ag. president : Thomas Morrison. FIRST vice-president: second vice-president: LowF. ?3MERSf)N. Richard Dymond. DIRECTORS: For One Year. For Two Years. josF.iMi R. Brown, J. Walter FREiiiERG, (i. V. Stevenson, A. II. McLeod, Sam. W. Weidler, William McC allister, Paris C. Brown, John F. IIazen, Charles R. Brent. John N. Wooliscroft. treasurer: secretary: •* William L. Hunt. Paul M. Millikin. Sidney D. Maxwell. ^oax*t» of Jlcrtl dBfttatc l^anat^evo: Thomas Morrison, Chairman. John Kyle, John Carlisle, Henry C. Urner, James M. Glenn. ENGAGED IN THE ERECTION OF THE BUILDING. 1 >; .X 3 - .x 4 . W. \V. I'KAiiODV. I'l-.suieiit. llENKV C. Urnek. a. Hickenloopek, John Carlisle. Seth C. Foster. 18 8 4-85. \V. W. I'KAiiOi.v, President. John Kyle. John C.\ki isle, Henky C". l^RNEK, A. Hickenloopek. 1 885 -SO. Edwin Stevens. President. Ja.mes M. Glenn, Henry C. Urner, John Kyle, John Carlisle. 18S6-8T. A. Hickenloopek. President. John Carlisle, John Kyle, James M. Glenn, Henuy C. Uknek. 1887-88. Levi C. Goodale, President. Henry C. Urner. James M. Glenn. John Carlisle, John Kyle. 1 8 8 8-8 H . Tll(>MA^ MoKKlNON. President. John Kyli:, John Carlisle. Henry C. Urnek. Ja.mes M. Glenn. (•■?) Qllcvxcal govce ClXCINtNATI ChA^MBER OF^ COMN'IERCE. John R. Morton, C/itef Clerk. George S. Bradbury, Asaistanl Clerk and Clerk of the Board of Real Estate Managers. KOUERT J. It. AKCIIIAIiLE, Doorkeeper. William E. Bkadiuky, .Statistical Bookkeeper. Charles W. Talhott, Statistical Bookkeeper, etc. E. S. Fkazer, River Reporter. GUSTAV G. WiSSER, Recorder of Cotton Statistics, etc. ALHIiRT G. BarKINGTON. Reporter of Prices Current, etc. Miss Maguie A. Daly, Phonographic Reporter. James H. Ashman, Railroad Reporter. J. V. Eversman, Stock -yard Reporter. IlAKKV E. Fkazer, .\farket Report Recorder. ( •■. ) (Contntittccs oxx ^cbxcatxon FRBLIMINflP.Y CDMIVLITTEE, Thomas Mokkiso.n. <.'/i■ nni u . William L. Hunt, Gkokcic !>. Kkhi-kk, John Cioirrz, Ji Edwin Stevens, C. M. \'an Ci-eei. A. C. Horton. JoSI.IMI K. P.KOWN, COMMITTEE DN PRDCESSIDN. C. M. IIoLLOWAV, Grand Mars//a/. H. W. Wasson, Akchek Dkown, \\'ii.i.iam J:. Miller, W. 11. DOANE, U. X. RvAN, Petek R. r.UDlJ, Paul M. Millikix. N\'. W. Smith, James D. Pakkek, Michael Ryan, Sam. W. Wi-.iDLi.it, John Hatck. COMMITTEE DN EECDRATinNS, Chaules I'l.ElscilMANN', C liai r>na II . CHAKi.ES II. Davis, K. O. Kshelhy, T. K. Mr.\A>L\i< J. AVaLTER l'"REIliER('., SaMIEL BaII.E^, Jr. J. X. WOOLISCKI Jri.ius IlALKE. Jr. COMMITTEE DN PRINTINO, ;-:aki, W. SriMsoN, C/niirwaii. William Mc.Vli'IN, John .\. Townllv. 1> \kis f. Ukou n K. C. (iosHORN. Charles V,. Mlurav. (.uarlls K. T.ri Iames K. Morrison-, COMMITTEE ON HANgUET, . I.. C. Weir, Chairman. Henry C. Urner. It. II. (;ali-.reatii. IIarlev T. I']<< Stewari" Shillito, Herman (Joeiter, .\. <;. Clark, W. A. CoODMAN, J. O. SciIMlDLAlM', WALTER J. Mm : i _t I . t r 1 L U [ ; . . U LVi M [ L 'TE E, Thomas Mokkison. 67a, firi)i,iii. Low... Kmi..ks,,n. Thomas T. Gail. A. J. Mlllanl. Kl< IL\KI. DV.MOM.. !-.. 11. .VrsTEKi.ri/. WaKKEN ItAWSON. jAMKs M. Glkn-n. Koio.KT !!. Jones. John r. Gale. JnllV tAKLISLK. A. 11. IloN^HKLL, (M-.OKfil-; KL-.STI.S. It.iKLK-r A. Dykins IIakkv !.. I.Au-.. W. l". Thoknl. LlTin.R I'AUKKK. K. M. liisiior. lAML^ \. (;aMI1LE. I.KVI C. (ioOI.ALK. C IIAKLLS IIOFKK, 11. 11. Mlvlk, C. f. Waite. F. .\. Laii.i lv. James K. .Moonev. J. N. K.NNKV. \V. \V. Johnson. William Shaekek. Adollii WoOi,, I'.liW. I,. 11 tINsllKIMl' .K. El.WAK,. i;. MOOKE. Mai I rii'W Aud\ . William 11. Davis. Sol. 1'. KiXEoN, Set[i L\ Im)STEk, I-HANK .\ ItENO. K. V. C in.Kio. NiCTKJLAS CUKTIS, AkTHLK I.. KOGC. J. M. KlKILEV. L. p.. IIAKKISON, T. W. ZiMMEK.MAN. 1.. O. Maddi X. A. D. r.lLLOCK, J. M. Johnston, WaLILK 11. I-IELb. K. II. I'ENDLKTON, John K. 1!ell. William 11. Gili-in. AnE Mevek. Kkank .\lter. J. J. McDowell, A. 11. I'AI-E, J. F. r,LACKl!LKN. lloKACE R. Dlnbak. I'. A. Wkight. llENKV .MlHI.HAI SEl (. D. C. .SlIEAKS, Be.njamix 11. Cox. W. 11. T.IKAI.I.. J. J. IIOOKEK, J. M. W. Nekf, M. M. White. JAMES n. Wilson. \V. .\isriN GooDM.i ,N. W. J. I.iriMNCOI ,, CiiKis Kinsinoek, S. 1". Covington, jA(OU nUKNET, JU. I'". G. riLLIUGE, \V. I'. Andehson, M. llALSTEAI). William (i. Mokkis, U. S. Cunningham. Geokoe IIakek. t IIAKLLS 11. BlSHOf. JoirN Gki liii. M. S. FOKULS, Thomas A. Wrenn, Adam Gkav, Kdvvakd N. Roth. jLLii s I-Keuif-kc;. Gen. J. 11. 1!at..,>. (;,A\ III GlIlSON. 1! iKANk Davis. I'l TI-.K KlDOLLII Nl LL. K. S. IJatls, llENKV llAAlKE. JAMLS KnLV, A. i;. r.lUKHAKIH, rmi). SiANWooi). JVLIIS l)l-..\Ttl<, (;eoi«-,e \. Stonl, II. 1! MOKEHEAI.. W. W. Tavlok, Al.UEKI I.OIM.K. • Mil ION A. .MiRae. j. A. SCAKLEI T. loiiN Dlnhoi.tlk. Uai.ih Pl ieks. J.Ei- K. Keck, Chalman Johnson, .\ C i; \KNEY. JleUrtittcs |tri?6^cnt FRDM OTHER CaMMERCIAL DRGANIZATIDNS, of Commerce, Baltimore Corn and Flour Exchantj^e, Huffaln Merchants' Exchanjje. Board of I'rade, Charleston, W. \' Chamber of C( Chicago Bi J. G. Ogiesu^ , Hon. R. B. Hlllock. J. J. Spamiing, R. D. Spalding, S. F. Woodson, T. B. Pa INK. William -S. Vol no. H. F. Tlknek, E. B. Owens, John C. Legg, C. W. Slagle. S. S. GfTIIRIE, GusTAv I'leisciiman: John A. Sevmouk. George Davis, Neil Robinson. ( B. E. Got LDING, ( J. T. Hill. ^ E. Nelson Blaki, Ernest A. Hamill, (tEokge O. Rumsey, George F. Stone, George M. Mow. Board of Trade, Cleveland, Ohi ( Hon. George W. Gardner. I M. B. Cl.ARK. , Clinton D. Firestone. Cohunbus (Ohio) Board of Trade, - Emilus O. Randall, *- Charles G. Lord. Duluth Chamber of Commerce, - - S. A. Thompson. , William Scott, Pn-s'i, Indianapolis Board of Trade, - - -^ Geo. G. Tanner, K/rt'-ZV^.s-'/. ^ D. P. Erwin. , jM. L. Ross, PresU, Knoxville Chamber of Conniierce, - -^ TION. J. C. Luttrell. *^ Major E. C. Camp. [ J. E. Keller, Pt-cs't, Chamber of Commerce, Lexington, Ky. -> ( A. J. Camphell, Srr'y. , Wm. Cornwall, Jr., I'iusU, I^onisville Pxiard of Trade, " " " ! Tiios. >L Sherlev, ]'.- Prcs't, ^ TlLiLS Barkiiousk, V.-Pfcs'l. , E. A. Keeling, Scc'Vi Menipliis Merchants' Exchange, - •' Harry E. Coj'FIN, *- C. L. FiCKLEN. Capt. C. B. Russell. I John C. Rogers L. I>. Crisp. John Iohnston, J, .Milwankei rchants" JCxehange, .\ashville, Ti (VI) 1 1 A. ASML :th, I \V . R . M cLak EN. lo, I.N C. Reno ( 1 Cii lAR LKS NeL SON, Gi ;ORGE S. Ki NNE^ I .loi UN X. Sper RV. .i-:(;ati:s i-reskn" , S. S. GuTiiKlE, Ftrr-rns'/. .nil H.vinl ..r Trulr - . . ^ lUifValo, N. V. ^ I.oiiisvillc.Ky. , isr. w. stonk, ^•|lrk Colldn Exchansf, - - ' S. T. TIuiiiiAun, J i<.. ^ P.. S. Cl.AKK. Euct.TD Maktin, /'r,s-/. , Jiuct.in Maktin, P/;s-/, { Max AIkvek, I/V,-/V, s7. ^ Petek P>()\kr. f C. C. Mii.es, /'n-.s7, Pcoi-ia P.o;ir.l of Tra.k', ... J ( A. 11. lUoc. SWf. ( E. I,. ROf.EKS, C.i.nimTcial Kxcliantff of Philad<.'l|ihi:i. - ( J. C. Klaudek. Pitts)nir^li Grain and Flour Kxrlia nyc, C. F. lIouNixt;. Portla.ul (On-.) Hoard ,.f Trade. - Ciiaki.es II. Pod,.. Providence Board of Trade, - - T. Fked. Bkown. R. W. POWEUS, Ricliniond (\'a.) Cliamber ol Commerce, ' M. J. Dimmock, ^ R. P.. Lee. St. I-ouis Merchants' Exchansfe, - - Alex. Euston. Savannah Board of Trade, - - - Isaac J. Haas. Springlicld (Ohio) Board of Trade, - Hon. A. S. BusiiMEi.i., Terre Ilante Merchants' Exchange, - Cai'T. A. C. Ford). Toledo Produce Exchange, Wicliita (Kansas) I!, JW. H. Bellman, ^ ^V. II. Morehouse, ^ J. F. Zahm. , Hon. G. W. Clement, •' Col. Geoi<(;e I,. Roise, ^ Hon. M. M. Mi kdoc k. I^ritmcurtbc ©ouccvt* 8 TO II O'CLOCK. CINCINNATI GRAND DRCpES'I'RA Michael Brand, Conductor. Herman Bellstedt, Jr Henry Sievers, Carl Schuett, w. kohlman, Cornel Soloist Cornet Soloist Clarionet Soloist rombone Soloist PRDGRRMME. March — Inaugural . . Overture — Zanipa Concert AV'altz — Casrliostrd CoRNFT Soi.o — PolUa ilf Conct-rl Herman Bellstepi . | Sklections — Aniiirit:i .... Overture— Martha .... Passing Regiment .... Clarionet Sold — Roluniian (iirl Caki. Schuett. SeI-ECTIO.ns — Krminic- .... Gavottf — Pearl of I'cKin Cori^iet Duet .... Messrs. r.KM.sTKDT a \Vai.T7. — Lile lei us Chcrisli Amaryllis— .\ir, Kin^ I^ouis XIII. TKOMnoNE Soio— Hnuianze \V. KOHI.M/ Selections — \'ic<;- Admiral Finale — Adieu \ Svendsen Herald S/rmisf Bellstedt Czibulka Floto-v Coverly Tioelim 'Jtifobovski Kcrher llaitmaii Ghys Snrl/xe .Uil/oecier Pa rlom W K 1 ) N K ^s 1 ) .-\ \ , J ^ X LJ ^ K ^ ••'.(), 1 iS K O 10 O'CLOCK A. M. Procession of Members hon' th^' >Vd Fxchanyeto the New Burld^ng 10 TO II O'CLOCK. Music by the Orchestra. 11 O'CLOCK A M. Call to Ordei, . . - President Thomas MORRISON -"rayer by the Rev B. W Chidlaw, D D. Address of Henry C Urner, oq Delivering to the Board of Direc- tors the Keys of the Nevy Building, or] behalf cf the Board of Real Estate Manaqers. Reception uf tlie Property and Response, by Thomas i\/l0RRiS0N, President of the Chamber of Commerce Dedicatory Hymq. composed by Sidney D. Maxwell Air— ^•0\d Hundred." Orctiestka .\ni> Aidientk. Oratio'i, - Geq. Edv^/ard F, Noyes. ::i;S!C. Address oj Welcome to Representa- 1 ^^ ,^q^ Smith, Jr., Mayor, tives of other Commercial Bodies, J MUSIC. Addresses by Visiting Delegates. MUSIC. Adiournment. tl5) I ^hc ^^ttl^c^*$♦ ARCHITECTS. II. H. Rmi.\KDSON, Architect, lirookline, Mu.ss. -SiiKi'i.F.v, Rlta.\ vt COOLIDCE, Architects, Boston, successors to Mr. II. II. Richardson, continucil the work after his death. D. C. IIAI.E, Superintendent of Construction, representing Shepley. liutan .V Coolidge. A. (). Ei./.XKK. representiiiij Shepley, Rutan \- Coolid^e, superintei\(U(l tin- construction of the Foundations. CONTRACTORS. General Contractors Nokckoss Hros., Worcester, Mass. K^xcavations and Fouiulations . . . Patrick Murray, Cincinnati. Electric I-ight Plant The Brush Electric Co., Cleveland. Gas and Electric I-i.a:ht Fixtures. Donn, Weknek ^t Co., Cincinnati. Chairs G. IIensiiaw A: Sons, Cincinnati. Cariiets, Rugs, Curtains, X'c The John Shii.i.ito Co.. Cincinnati. Stained Glass ^'oLI.^ll■;R iV: Tomoor, Cincinnati. Dec( ^ Robert Mitchri.i, Firni / Cincinnati. IT„ite,l Stites M-,n rhnl.- *'^"''- ClTLER M AN>- 1 ACTU U I X(; C( L'niied states Ai.ui ^^nulc ^ RoclK"^ter X \ PRINCIPAL SUBCONTRACTORS UNDER NORCROSS BROS. Pluinliin>;- and Gas-titting- J.G. MiKDoCK \- Co., Cincinnati. Plastering- Eawrence Gkace, Cincinnati. Carving (Stone and Wood) Evans it Tombs, Boston, Mass. Floor Tiling Eureka Foundry Co., Cincinnati. Boilers McIlvaix it Si-iegei., Cincinnati. F'urnaces Murphy Iron Works, Detroit. Mic Pumps The Laidlaw & Dunn Co., Cincinna Elevators Hale Elevator Co., Chicago, 111. Steam-heating and Ventilation.. F. Tudok, Boston, Mass. Speaking-tubes and Fllcctric Bells A. Becker, Cincinnati. Sidewalks. 4Chas. Kuhl Artificial Stone Co., \ Cincinnati. ,, , , , (Tames McDonougii,> f^- ■ Marble-work IJose,-.. Foster ) C.ncn.na (Ki) INTRODUCTION. It appears from the newspapers of the time that a commercial organization, with which mer- chants of Cincinnati were connected, existed prior to the present organization ; bnt it seems either to have ceased to exist, or to have been nneqnal to meeting the wants of the time; for the desira- bleness of organizing a " Board of Trade '' was agitated in the Yonng ]Men's ^Mercantile Library Association, which had been fonnded abont fonr years before, as early as May 2, 1839, and a com- mittee was appointed at that time to procnre sig- natnres to a call for a public meeting to promote this end. This committee not having accom- pRslied the purpose of the resolution, the subject was again considered on the ist of October fol- lowing, and on motion of Mr. James F. Torrence the following resolution was adopted : 18 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. ''^ Resolved^ That the chair appoint a committee of three, whose duty it shall be to procure signa- tures to a call for a pviblic meeting, to be held in this hall, on the 15th instant, for the purpose of establishing a Board of Trade in this city." The chair appointed on this committee Messrs. James F. Torrence, C. Dufifield, and M. R. Taylor. How faithfully they appear to have discharged their duty is evidenced in the following call for a public meeting, which appeared in the Cincinnati Daily Gazette on the 14th of October, 1839, fifty years preceding the occupation of the building, the dedicatory exercises of which are perpetuated in this volume : " We, the undersigned, feeling the want of a Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade in this city, and believing it would be of great advan- tage, recommend a meeting of the merchants, on the 15th of this month, at the hall of the Young- Men's Mercantile Library Association [kindh- ten- dered for this purpose], to take into consideration CIN'CINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 19 such measures as may be uecessary to carry it into effect. Signed : Kilgour, Taylor & Co., Gazzani & Rutlel", C. & L. Fletcher, Thomas J. Adams, R. Buchanan, John Young, Thos. Newell, James Reynolds, Chas. Fisher, Allen & Co., J. & S. H. Goodin, Green & Woodward, David Loring, Miller & Farrar, S. Fosdick & Co., Geo. H. Hart- well, Peter Neff, J. H. Groesbeck, Burrows & Hall, Jos. S. Bates & Co., Samuel Trevor, G. W. Messick, J. A. Simpson, Charles Foster, S. E. Pleasants, Avery & Athearn, William Goodman, Caleb Bates, J. York, Samuel B. Findley, John M. Rowan, Glascoe & Harrison, Wm. Disney & Son, Wm. Parry,' C. Sontag & Co., E. Poor & Co., J. G. Smith & Co., Henry Miller, Irwin & Whiteman, Strader & Gorman, Henry Rockey, E. Lawrence & Co., L. Worthington, J. R. Baldridge, John Bailey & Co., J. P. Irwin, Corwin, Foot & Co., R. W. Lee, Hartshorne & Co., John Pullan, S. B. Hunt, N. W. Thomas & Co., Josiah Lawrence, John D. Jones, H. A. Amelung, J. & J. Graham, 20 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. Trimble & Woodrow, George Carlisle, J. R. Coram & Co., U. P. James, Win. R. Foster, Phillips & Heaton, Kellogg, Kennett & Co., Joel Green, Huiinewell & G. H. Hill, Foot & Bowler, Wm. Irwin, G. Luckey & Co., Shillito & Pullan, John Reeves & Co., Jones & xA.rmstrong, Richard Bates, George Conklin, J. D. Walbridge, N. P. Iglehart, J. Smith." The meeting was held according to appoint- ment, R. Bnchanan occnpying the chair. On motion of INI. R. Taylor, the chairman appointed the following Committee on Organization : M. R. Taylor, John Yonng, George H. Hartwell, R. G. Mitchell, and i\I. Ranne)'. The committee thus appointed reported the following, which was adopted : " ir/icrcas. The great and constanth- increasing importance of the commerce of this cit\", in the opinion of this meeting, requires the organization of a Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade, for the purpose of establishing uniform regulations CINCIXXATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. and unison of action in the promotion of its mer- cantile interests ; therefore, " Rrs(>/:r(-/, That a committee of fifteen persons be selected to draw up a code of regulations for the government of such a bod>', and subject the same to an adjourned meetincr, to be held at this place on Tuesday evening next, the 2 2d of Oc- tober, at seven o'clock." The following gentlemen were then chosen members of the committee authorized by this resolution : Griffin Taylor, Peter Neflf, R. Buchanan, Thomas J. Adams, S. Trevor, George H. Hart- well, R. G. :\Iitchell, John Young, S. B. Findley, N. W. Thomas, John Bailey, James McCandless, Jacob Strader, L. Whiteman, and S. O. Butler. On the 2 2d day of October, 1839, the first constitution w^as adopted, and a committee w^as appointed to obtain subscribers thereto, and at a meeting held on the 29th of the same month the committee reported one hundred and ninety- nine names having been obtained, whereu])on the 22 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. following officers were elected to serve until the regnlar election in January following : Griffin Taylor, President; R. G. Mitchell, Peter Neif, S. B. Findley, John Reeves, Thos. J. Adams, and Jacob Strader, Vice-presidents ; Henry Rockey, Secretary ; and B. W. Hewson, Treasurer. The Young Men's Mercantile Library Associa- tion, in the rooms of which these meetings were held, was the institution around which the new organization in its early history largely revolved. At the first regular annual meeting of the Cham- ber of Commerce, held January 14, 1840, the committee appointed on the subject recommended the procuring of apartments in the College Build- ing, on the east side of Walnut Street, between Fourth and Fifth streets, in connection with the Library Association, at a rental of three hundred dollars per annum, one third to be paid by the Chamber. This recommendation was adopted, and so the fortunes of the two bodies were thus at once closelv united. This intimate relation con- CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 23 tinned, the Chamber of Commerce paying a share of the rent for the rooms jointly occnpied nntil the building was destroyed by fire in the winter of 1844-45. After the erection of the new College Building on Walnut Street, the Young Men's Mercantile , Library Association, having secured a perpetual lease without rent of the front rooms on the second floor, now occupied by the association, in consideration of $10,000 raised and paid by it to the College Trustees, removed to the new edifice from the temporary quarters on the east side of Sycamore Street above Fourth, where it had found accommodations after the fire, and to which it had taken also the young Chamber of Commerce. In recognition of the liberalit>- of the merchants of the city in helping to raise the money that had thus secured the Library Association permanent and capacious rooms, the Chamber of Commerce was granted the use of the north half of the rooms on Walnut Street for five vears, at the nominal 24 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. rental of one dollar per annum. The Library Association was thus, it will be seen, the patron of the new commercial organization in the early years of its existence, a relation which shoiild always be held in grateful remembrance by the membership of this body, which has now become so conspiciious among the commercial organiza- tions of this country and of the world. The first meeting of the Chamber of Commerce in the new College Building was held July 23, 1846. Eventually the growing demands of the Library Association made it necessary for it to have the whole room, so that on the 7th of July, 1 85 1, the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce and Merchants' Exchange, under which title the body was then known in its charter, which had been procured IMarch 23, 1850, removed to the large room on the same floor, in the east half of the building, where it remained until the structure was partially burned, C)ctober 20, 1869. The Chamber of Commerce then removed to Hopkins Hall, on the southwest corner of Fourth and Ehn streets, remaining^ there, however, only until December 27, 1869, when it took up its quarters in Smith & Nixon's Hall, on the north side of Fourth Street, between Alain and Walnut streets. On the 23d day of November, 1881, the bodv removed to the rear room on the second floor of Pike's Opera-house Building, on the south side of Fourth Street, between Walnut and Vine, continuing there until ready to enter upon the occupancv of its own edifice. The last session was held in the old hall on Tuesday, January 29, 1889". 26 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. THE PROMENADE CONCERT. In the evening of Tuesday, January 29, 1889, the new building was opened to the members of the Chamber of Commerce, their families, and invited guests. Invitations had been issued in the follow- ing language : " The Cincinnati Chamber of Com- merce invites yourself and ladies to attend a Promenade Concert in its New Building, Tuesday evening, January 29, 1889, from eight until eleven o'clock. Present this card at the door." Every thing was complete for the event. The great floor with its broad expanse had been cleared of every obstacle. The handsome bulletin-boards, which on the following morning at ten o'clock were to begin proclaiming their messages of values and movements, skirted the hall, and rather, because of their suggestiveness, gave increased interest to the occasion. The telegraph- CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. wires which had been connected with the various parts of the room, and which thereafter were to be the great channels of correspondence with the markets of the world, had been temporarily hidden beneath the floor. Plants and flowers adorned the hall and its approaches. Electric and gas- lights illnminated every room in the house, all parts of which were thrown open. The great ceiling, with its colored glass charmingly revealed bv the electric lights from above, seemed like a broad canopy resplendent in color and light. Calciimi-lights illnminated the exterior, so that the imposing structure, with its majestic outlines and its exquisite details alike revealed, stood out against the curtain of the night in such perfec- tion and grandeur that multitudes thronged the adjacent streets, throughout the entire evening, admiring the novel spectacle. At eight o'clock the doors were thrown open to those holding tickets of admission, large numbers having collected about the entrance prior to the 28 • DEDICATORY EXERCISES. arrival of the hour. From that time, for almost two hours, a great processiou of ladies and gentlemen urged itself along the approaches to the main hall and upper rooms, x^t times the throng was so great that the doors were closed to allow of the comfortable distribution of those within. The officers of the Chamber of Commerce with their wives, and the committee having the arrange- ments for the evening in charge, as far as possi- ble, welcomed the guests ; the Cincinnati Grand Orchestra, on a raised platform half hidden by a profusion of tropical plants, rendered beautiful music ; while thousands came and went, admiring, complimenting, congratulating, and patiently bear- ing the discomforts of thronged apartments until the hour of eleven o'clock arrived, which marked the conclusion of the event. It was a proud evening for the members of the Chamber of Commerce, and specially grateful to the members of the successive Boards of Real Estate Managers, of whose devotion, intelligence, CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 29 and taste the completed structure spoke so im- pressively ; but it was pre-eminently an occasion in which the mind of all dwelt upon the great architect, Richardson, who had conceived of the edifice, committed it to paper, and then laid down his life content with makino; it his monumental work. 30 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. THE DEDICATION. On Wednesday morning, January 30, 1889, at ten o'clock, the members assembled in the old hall preparatory to taking formal possession of the new edifice. The procession was preceded by the Superintendent of Police, in command of twenty members of his force, and by the First Regiment Band. Then followed the color-bearer and his two assistants, the Grand Marshal, the Chairman of the Executive Committee having in charge the ceremonies, the President, Vice-presidents, Direc- tors, Treasurer, Secretary, and Superintendent of the Chamber of Commerce, the Mayor of the city, the members of the Board of Real Estate Managers, the Executive Committee, the ex-Presidents of the institution who were present, the clerical force, and the members of the association, marching four abreast. The procession thus formed, under the CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 31 direction of the Grand Marshal, aided by his assist- ants, marched east on Fourth Street to Wahmt ; on Wahiut to Fifth ; on Fifth to Race ; on Race to Fourth; and on Fourth to the new edifice on the southwest corner of Fourth and Vine : there having been by actual count 1,874 persons in line. At the vestibule of the new hall the procession was met by the Chairman of the Floor Committee and his associates, and was seated, the delegates from other commercial bodies and the invited guests occupying seats immediately in front of the rostrum. Every chair was occupied, and in the rear many persons were standing, a few occu- pying the visitors' gallery. Occupying the rostrum were the President and those designated to take a formal part in the dedi- catory exercises. The orchestra occupied a raised platform in the northeast corner of the building, the special choir of male voices sitting immediately in its front, the room being tastefully decorated with plants 82 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. and flowers, and the superb hall, with its splendid appointments, brilliant in the sunlight of a bright winter morning. Under such circumstances, the members generally of the Chamber of Commerce caught the first da)-light view of their magnificent home and read in it the realization of the dream of fiftv years. CIN'CINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 33 THE PRAYER. At the conclusion of a potpourri of national airs by the band, Mr. Thomas Morrison, the President of the Chamber of Commerce and :\Ier- chants' Exchange, arose and said : Gentlemen of the Chamber of Commerce and Invited Guests: Yon will please come to order. The time appointed for the dedication of this bnilding has at length arrived. It is fitting and right that the first official act in this Chamber shall be a recog- nition of Almighty God, the giver of all good. We will therefore bow in reverence, while the Rev. Dr. Chidlaw, whom I now introdnce, invokes His blessing. 34 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. The Rev. B. W. Chidlaw, D. D., then arose and made the following prayer: Almighty and everlasting God, who dwellest on high, onr Creator, Preserver, and Judge, the God of our life and our hope for eternity, on this day of gladness, with these inspiring surround- ings, we come into Thy presence with adoration, praise, thanksgiving, and supplication. May Thy glory and greatness. Thy goodness and mercy, fill our souls with love, reverence, and humility; and, thus aided by the Holy Spirit, may we worship Thee in the beauty of holiness and in the fear of God. O Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the earth, from everlasting to everlasting. Thou art God. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unmeasurable. All Thy works praise Thee in Creation, Providence, and Redemp- tion, Thou God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. cixcixxATi cha:\iber of co.aimerce. 35 Let all the people praise Thee ; then shall the earth vield her increase, and God, even onr own God, shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him. We render unto Thee, the Lord our God, our hearty and sincere thanks for unnumbered bless- ings, temporal and spiritual, bestowed upon us ; for the exalted rank we occupy in the scale of being. Thou hast made us but little lower than the angels, and given us dominion over the works of Thy hand ; and, as heirs of immortality. Thou hast made it our duty and exalted privilege to glorify thee upon the earth, that we may enjoy Thee forever. Help us, O Lord, to realize all the possibilities of our manhood in this life, and to secure the awards of eternity. As the God of nations, we devoutly thank Thee for our country, with its productive soil, rich min- erals, and wonderful development ; for our origin Thou didst, in thine own good time, sift the nations of Europe to find seed to j^lant in the 36 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. virgin soil of the New World. Our fathers trusted in Thee, and Thou didst deliver them amid the perils, privations, and dangers of colonial times ; Thou didst provide heroes and statesmen, who achieved our independence, and laid broad and deep the foundations of our free government, the best on the face of the earth ; and when armed treason assailed our National life Thou wentest forth with our armies, saved the life of the Nation, and preserved our glorious Union, one and indi- visible, now and forever. As a commonwealth in this great sisterhood of States, with its millions of free, prosperous, and happy people, we gratefully thank Thee, the Giver of every good and perfect gift, for what Thou hast done for us diiring the first century of our State history. Sureh', the Lord has done great things for us, whereof we are glad. The unbroken wil- derness has become a cultivated and fruitful field; happy homes, school -houses, and sanctuaries beautify the landscape, while commercial enter- CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 37 prises, facilities for intercommunication, extensive and varied manufactures indicate industry, thrift, and general prosperity. We would reverently rejoice and offer Thee our humble thanksgivings as we contemplate the history of this goodly and prosperous city of our habitation during its first centur)'. To-day, and within these majestic walls, as we think of its mercantile palaces, its beau- tiful and pleasant homes, its great industries, its schools, its temples of art, of justice and religion, we can but exclaim, What hath God wrought ! and to Him we accord the homage of our hearts, and would consecrate to Him the devotion of our lives. And now, O Lord, who hearest and answerest prayer, grant unto us assembled in this magnifi- cent structure, with its firm foundation, its massive granite walls and beauty of architecture, so perfect with appointments, and complete in all its finish, Thy rich and abiding blessing, and accept our thanks for the organization and history of the 38 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. Chamber of Commerce ; for those wise and enter- prising merchants, men ever to be remembered and honored, who nearly fifty years ago, for the sake of friendship, social intercourse, and to facili- tate commercial transactions, united together and organized on a sure basis this usefiil, honored, and noble association. We thank Thee, our Heavenly Father, ruling in the affairs of men, for the success which attended their wise and faithful efforts, and that their mantle fell on the shoulders of their worthy successors, and for the commanding position, influence, and prosperity now enjoyed. We humbly thank Thee for the conception and the erection of this magnificent and beautiful and permanent house, this day dedicated to the highest interests of commerce and social cultiire. May its pure and elevating influence, its prosperity, increase and continue a rich blessing on generations yet unborn. We praise Thee, O Lord, that in the erection of this massive and imposing building so few CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 39 accidents occurred. With sorrow of heart we deplore the death, in the line of duty, of one of the best mechanics, brave, true, and faithful ; and earnestly implore Thy richest blessinp;s on the stricken hearts mournino- for their dead. We beseech Thee, O God, to continue Thy favors, temporal and spiritual, to us as a Nation, a State, and a City. Riile Thou in the hearts of our rulers, grant unto us just and good men as magistrates and judges, righteous officers of courage and judgment to execute our good and wholesome laws, that immorality, vice, and crime may be suppressed, society protected, and violence cease in the land. We pray that in all our in- dustrial affairs capital and labor may harmonize, and mutual confidence be uninterrupted; that all wage-earners may, for honest labor, receive that which is just and equal, and all lawful enterprises and investments be fully remunerated and pros- pered ; that in all the affairs of life we may bear each others' burdens, and so fulfill the law of 40 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. Christ; that integrity, honesty, jnstice, and charity may ever characterize onr commercial transac- tions and control in all onr business affairs, and thus peace, contentment, and prosperity rest upon the thoughts of our hearts and the work of our hands. iVgain, O Lord, our God and Father, we ear- nestly implore Thy choicest blessings to rest now and ever upon the Cincinnati Chamber of Com- merce, its oflUcers and members, and the invited guests. Let Thy shield ever protect this grand, beautiful, and imposing building from all disaster ; let its towering walls of strength and beauty remain a memorial of the taste, enterprise, and resources of the association, and an inspiration for future generations of young men to emulate the virtues and imitate the example thus set before them. Bless all in Thy Divine presence, and grant unto us all the forgiveness of our sins for His sake, who has taught us when we pray to say : CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 41 "Oiir Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thv name. Tin- kingdom come. Tin- will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give ns this dav onr dailv bread. And fortrive ns our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil : For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen." 42 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. THE DELIVERY AND RECEPTION OF THE KEYS. Mr. Henry C. Urner, to whom the duty had been committed by the Board of Real Estate Managers, of which he had been a member from its organization, after the performance of a piece by the band, arose to formally deliYcr the edifice to its owners, receiving, both for himself, so long and intimately identified with the great work, and for his devoted colleagues, repeated rounds of applause, and the most marked evidence of the approbation and gratitude of the membership. Mr. Urner said : Mr. President and (roillcuicu : Historically and sentimentally the occasion presents many interesting features ; but whatever those features may be, the controlling interest CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 43 iimst, I think, center in the buikhng- which we to-day inaugurate. In speaking to that subject, on behalf of my associates of the Board of Real Estate Alanagers, I find myself so absorbed by the work which I have done with them, and so much under the mental domination of the genius of the great architect who designed the building, and who has departed all too soon from the great and massive triumphs of his art, and before he was permitted to witness in enduring construction the latest offspring of his brain, that I must speak under the severest restrictions; else the time, which must include many interests, would be con- fined to but one. Our Superintendent, Colonel Maxwell, in his last annual report has given an extended and valuable history of the Chamber of Commerce from its foundation, in which he has detailed the successive steps by which it was enabled to secure the lot upon which the building stands, and to proceed with the erection of the building. He 44 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. has given such account as was possible at the time he wrote of the details of construction, and he has also given full credit to the many persons who have actively assisted in making the enter- prise possible. Limited as I am for time, it will not be necessary to more than briefly allude to these details here. As soon as the condition of affairs warranted it, the Board of Real Estate Managers instituted a competition in designs for the proposed building, in which a numberof the most prominent architects of the country participated. From the designs presented the Board, by unanimous vote, selected the one submitted by Mr. H. H. Richardson, of Brookline, Mass., as the most satisfactory, and he was appointed architect of the building. In deciding upon the character of the building, the matter of first necessity was to provide for the utilitarian purposes to which it was to be applied. Principal of these was a proper provision for a great hall for the daily sessions of the association CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 45 and apartments for its other nses. Spaces were also to be provided from which rents could be de- rived. After suitable provision for these purposes had been made in the design, it was the inten- tion to construct a building of enduring materials, which should assure it against the accidents that ofttimes work to the destruction of buildings, and to build in such massive mold that it should resist, as far as possible, the assaults of time itself. Added to these considerations was the desire that in its architectural form and proportions the building should be of noble simplicity in outline, rich in adornment, suitable and serviceable in genuine vital art, clear in its structural expression, and practically representative of the uses and pur- poses of the organization which built it, and that it should stand for all time as a suitable contribution to the architecture of the city from its chief com- mercial organization, whose members had been so largely the cause of the city's prosperity — a pros- perity in which they have abundantly shared. 46 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. This was the problem to which the architect addressed himself with the enthusiasm and com- pelling wall of genius. In conversation he many times said. to me that the designing of this building presented to him more interesting architectural features than had been in an}- work which he had ever undertaken. He had, he said, designed many buildings for public use and for private use, but never had he had such a task before him of joining those uses, and of constructing an edifice which should not only be adapted to both, but which should show by its exterior its chief inner purpose, which was to be, as he expressed it, the home of a great civic organization. How well he carried out these thoughts, and in what noble purpose they have culminated, the building itself will tell more eloquently than can any human tongue long after we who to-day cele- brate its completion by dedicating it to practical use shall have passed away. Mr. Richardson died before the practical work CINCINNATI CHAIMBER OF COMMERCE. 47 of construction was begun. How much the build- ing might have benefited in its muUiplicity of details by his personal supervision of the work it is, of course, impossible to say. Fortunately for us and for art the plans of the building were entirely complete and were ready for use before his death. Messrs. Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge, all of whom had been pupils of Mr. Richardson and in his employ, succeeded to his business, and became his natural successors as architects of the building. These gentlemen have carried out the original design with a loving reverence to their former master, and under their guidance and su- per^'ision the building has been completed. In this connection I am directed by the Board of Real Estate Managers to express its acknowl- edgments for helpful services constantly rendered by Mr. D. C. Hale, who has represented the archi- tects as clerk of the works. Although the demolition of the building which formerly stood upon this site was begun ]\Ia\- 31, 48 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. 1886, under a contract for building the foundations of the new building, it was not until June, 1887, that work was begun thereon by Messrs. Norcross Brothers, to whom had been awarded, under com- petition, a contract for the erection and finishing of the superstructure. During the time between that date and the present — about twenty months — the entire work has been accomplished, and to-day the building stands read}' for occupancy, and com- plete in all its parts, except that some minor details of fixtures and furniture are not in place, although all have been contracted for. In the decorating, furnishing, and finishing ot the building a large number of persons have been engaged. It would, I think, extend my remarks unreasonably were I to attempt to acknowledge their labors in detail, and I must limit myself to a general statement of the appreciation of the Board, and leave their work to praise them, which I believe it will abundantly do. Should any pub- lication of to-day's proceedings be made, the CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 49 names of all the contractors who have been en- gaged in the work should appear in it. The great philosopher of natural selection and evolution tells us that the evolution of the indi- vidual and his environment proceed together. Carrying this principle into the experience of the Chamber of Commerce, ma}- we not conclude that the same influences which have caused the great development and growth of its membership and of its members, and its constant progression in power and influence, from its infancy in the year 1839, when seventy-six firms and indi\-iduals or- ganized the association, until the present time, when it stands among similar institutions of our country third in point of numbers, and second to none in character and influence, have by a natural process of evolution created the noble building which we to-day dedicate, and which fulfills the long-deferred hope for a suitable and permanent home; and may we not yield to a feel- ing that we have been compelled to this consum- 50 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. Illation h\ a power forceful as nature itself, which establishes between man and his surroundings a correspondence which, by a constant action and reaction the one upon the other, operates to the advantage of both. If this be true, although we to-day celebrate the completion of this building, who can say when it was begun? Speculations such as these have pursued and possessed me during my connection with this task. As the workmen laid their courses, and the walls arose in the air, in some imaginative wa}- the great mass of stone and iron seemed gradually to grow into harmony with the principles upon which our organization was founded, and to become their vital exemplar. And finalh', when grace, strength, and fitness crowned the work, in its completed perfectness it seemed less an example than an expression — an expression of the long line of high thoughts and aspirations, of patient and successful endeavors, which extend through the half century of the existence of the association, and which are CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCK. 51 the links in one continuing- chain which binds together the members of the past and the present, and whicli in tlie future shall connect our succes- sors with all who have gone before. And now, Mr. President, with a high .sense of the honor done me in this assignment, on behalf of the Board of Real Estate Managers, with these keys as a token, I surrender to you, and through you to the members of the Chamber of Commerce, our good masters, the house which we have built at their command. President Morrison received the keys from the hand of Mr. Urner, and when the great applause which marked the conclu.sion of the latter's remarks had .siibsided responded in the following words : Mr. Urncr: In the name of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce I accept these keys that unlock and throw open to our members for all time this magnificent temple, which we this dav 52 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. dedicate to the interest of coininerce. and industry. They are the emblems of a completed task well and faithfully performed, and to you and your associates of the Board of Real Estate Managers, as well as to the architects and contractors and their representatives, who have vied with each other in performing" well and thoroughly their parts, I tender the heartfelt thanks of each mem- ber of this association. Gentlemen of the Chamber, in accepting in your name this splendid edifice, which is hence- forth to be your business home, I desire to tender you my most hearty congratiilations. May you use it well and enjoy its advantages. It will do much to give strength and character to our organization. Fifty vears ago the merchants of this city, realizing the necessity of an organized effort for the better promotion of their interests, in meeting assembled, resolved that the great and constantly- increasing importance of the commerce of this CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 53 cit\", in their opinion, reqnired the organization of a Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade, for the purpose of establishing uniform regula- tions and unison of action in the promotion of its mercantile interests. That they were justified in their action, this association of to-da}-, with its 2,230 members and a half century of history, is a li\-ing witness. For fifty years has this Chamber faithfulh- performed its mission: maintaining just rules and regulations; true to ever}- interest of its members and of the cit\' ; ever expanding in influence ; increasing in its powers and usefulness until it has become one of the most influential commercial bodies in the country, justifying the hopes of its founders and the pride and loyalty of its members. For many years in its early history it had a struggling existence, with varying fortunes, and, being a tenant at will, had several times to change its quarters, but at length its members fully awoke to the necessit)- of acquiring a permanent home. 54 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. At last we have the fniition of our hopes and the realization of our dreams, when we stand here for the first time under our own roof, and survey with pride this great house, complete in all its appointments, that we to-day dedicate to the in- terests of trade and commerce. Planted on ever- lasting foundations, its walls chiseled and chased, it will stand in its stately proportions for ages, a monument to your munificence and wisdom. The Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, with its membership — the largest in its history — broadly representative in character, embracing more wealth and culture than ever before, is a power for good, of which every citizen has reason to feel proud. It has given freely of its means, and has ever been forward in promoting every good cause, both at home and abroad. To-day we extend to our guests, delegates from sister organizations from all over this broad land and from beyond the sea, a most fraternal greeting, and bid them a most hearty welcome; and gladly CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, 55 do we accept their congratulations on this occasion of our house-warming. We feel we have here a house expressive of the character, the financial strength, the culture, the faith, hope, and ambition of our people — one worthy of our organization, which will ever suggest to our members exalted purposes, and to whose hospitable portals our friends will find a most cordial welcome. 56 ©EDICATORY EXERCISES. THE DEDICATORY HYMN. President .Morrison's remarks, and the con- sciousness of the members that they were now the possessors of the edifice, again evoked pro- longed applause, which having subsided, the Pres- ident said : Geiitlcuicii : You will find on the programme a dedicatory hymn composed by Colonel Sidney D. Maxwell. It is set to the tune of "Old Hun- dred." The orchestra will lead, while we all stand in singing. The audience thereupon arose, each person having been supplied with a copy of the pro- gramme in which the hymn was printed. The band was assisted by a select chorus of members of the Exchange, while the great assembly united in reverently setting apart the house to the pur- CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 57 poses for which it was erected, in the following words : O God, our Father, now we raise Our hearts to Thee, in grateful praise, For all the mercies from above, Which Thou hast sent us in Thy love. In all this house, help us to see How Thou dost frame our destin)-; And let Thy benediction come. And rest upon this business home. Within these walls of strength and grace, May honor find a dwelling-place ; May justice reign ; ma>- truth abide ; May right prevail and wisdom guide. Hear us, our Father, as we pra)- For blessings on our work to-day ; Bless membership and guest, and be Our help throughout eternit\". 58 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. The singing of the hymn was an impressive event. The air was familiar to alh It was a grand chorus of two thousand male voices, siich an one as is heard but once in a lifetime. A melody, made sacred by many generations' use, not only filled the spacious hall and its approaches, but swept in great volume to the crowded thor- oughfares below, and the passing throng paused to listen, and the windows of the adjacent build- ings were suddenly peopled with interested hear- ers, as the business men of a great city solemnly recognized God in his dealings with men, and invoked his blessing on the work of their hands and on themselves. t CINXIXXATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 59 THE ORATION. President Alorrison then introduced the orator of the day in the following words : " I have now the honor of introducing to you the orator of this occasion, well and personally known to our members and to those from abroad by reputation. I have simply to mention the name of General Edward F. Noyes." Governor Noyes enjoyed a most cordial recep- tion and spoke as follows : Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Chamber of Commerce : We arc assembled to formally dedicate to the uses for which it was intended this magnificent Palace of Industry — this Temple of Trade and Commerce— to be devoted henceforth to the busi- ness interests of Cincinnati. We rejoice in a 1 I 60 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. building ample in its proportions, massive in its structure, perfect in its adaptation, beautiful and grand in architecture — at once a monument to^ its patrons and builders, and a pride to all our citizens. May the hand of time be tenderly laid upon it, and the fingers of the years touch it gently; may no earthquake shatter its walls ; may no violence assail it ; may it be spared the consuming fires ; and may it remain a joy and a blessing to the generations whose busy feet will pass in and out its portals long after we who are here to-day shall have been called to rest with the fathers. This would seem to be an appropriate occa- sion for recalling, without unnecessary and tedious detail, the history of the organization to which we owe this imposing edifice; the progress of the city which has made it possible ; the development of the State ; and the marvelous growth and pros- perit>" of trade and commerce in our countr)-. Less than fifty years ago the Cincinnati Cham- CINCINNATI CHA.MBER OF COM^MERCE". 61 ber of Commerce was but a name ; it was com- posed of but a small number of merchants, whose trade was local, having little communication with the outside world for lack of facilities, having no home of its own, but depending upon the hos- pitality of the Young Men's Mercantile Library Association for a room in which to meet, with no resources from which to pay its meager ex- penses of three thousand dollars per year except what was furnished by the liberalit}- of a few of the more fortunate citizens ; with no market reports, and no means of obtaining them ; with only horse-power for the mails and for the inland trade : it was little more than a social club, which met from time to time to talk over the small affairs of a small Western city. It then gave little promise of its present proportions, usefulness, and prosperity, with a membership of twenty- three hundred, with receipts from annual dues and otherwise of over sixt}' thousand dollars per vear, and with e\-er\- facilitv for the transaction 62 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. of its business, all of which culminates and finds expression in the event we celebrate to-dav. The Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce em- bodies the business capacity of the city — not only of its merchants, but of its manufacturers and capitalists ; in it is to be found the concen- trated energy and activity of our citizens — the associated intelligence, public spirit, and liber- ality of our people ; from it every worthy enter- prise receives encouragement and an impulse which promises success ; while ever^• appalling calamity, in whatever part of the country, whether by flood or fire, by earthquake or pestilence, is responded to with generosity and alacrity ; it rec- ognizes the progress of the city as the reward of its efforts, and the measure of its own pros- perity ; it is interested, and ought to be influ- ential, regarding all legislation affecting the citv, and especially in keeping taxation at such a limit as will attract manufacturing enterprises, instead of repelling and driving them away. [Applause.] CINCINNATI ,CHA:^IBER OF COMMERCE. 63 Through the annual reports of its accomplished Superintendent it is furnished every year with a history of the transactions of the citv, so full, so accurate, so able and reliable, that its members have always before them the data necessarv for intelligent action in all the departments of trade and commerce. I venture the assertion that no commercial body in any cit\- of the world is fa- vored with a report so interesting and so valuable as those which year b>- year are presented to this body by Col. Sidney D. Maxwell. [Applause.] The Chamber of Commerce represents the present prosperity, wealth, and happiness of the city. And what was the condition of Cincinnati fifty years ago? It had a population of about forty-five thousand ; it had few wealthy citizens, and not many who enjoyed a comfortable inde- pendence ; it had no imposing public buildings or costly and elegant private residences ; its streets were mud and its sidewalks plank ; be- vond Central Avenue to the west was a coutinu- 64 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. ous corn-field, interspersed with clnnips of trees ; north of the canal was a cow-pastnre open to all comers ; the hills which snrrounded the city were covered wath primeval and uncared-for for- ests, seamed and disfigured b}' the rain-storms of a thousand years ; the only access to the hill- tops was on foot or horseback, by winding and difficult paths; and when reached they were at- tractive only as hunting-grounds for the sports- man. What prophecy of the fathers could then have foretold, what imagination of dreamers could have pictured, our city as we see it to-day, with a population, including residents of the immediate suburbs who do business here and here earn their daily bread, of not less than five hundred thou- sand souls, and with a trade which involves $270,000,000 of imports and $280,000,000 of ex- ports ! We point with commendable pride to our mag- nificent public buildings : to our Custom-house, CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 65 built bv the General Goveriiiiient in recognition of the vast contribntions made to its resources bv the city of Cincinnati ; to our Music Hall and Exposition Buildings ; to the new Court-house, the Art School, the Aluseum, some day to be- come, we trust, the South Kensington of Amer- ica ; to the City Hall, now in process of erection; to our asylums, homes, and hospitals for chil- dren and for old men and women ; to the Public Library and Armory ; to our costly and attractive hotels and business houses ; to our great manu- facturing establishments ; to this grand structure in which we are gathered ; to the beautiful foun- tain on Fifth Street ; to forty miles of granite and asphalt streets, as fine as can be found in any city of the world ; to the Zoological Garden ; to a hundred palaces within ten miles of the Postoffice, which wealth and culture have pro- vided, and which are largely owned and occu- pied by members of this Chamber ; to the parks and lawns and gardens, and the tasteful homes 66 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. of tens of thousands of prosperous and happy citizens on the heights which encircle the old city, and which are reached no longer on foot or horseback, by wagon or slow-moving omnibus, but b\' swift and smooth-gliding cable-cars, im- pelled by an unseen power, soon to be supple- mented or perhaps superseded when we shall have harnessed the lightnings and taught them at our bidding to do the work of rapid transit. No longer do we send to New Orleans our products on flatboats which could make but two trips a year, as in the first quarter of the century, or on steamboats of insignificant tonnage ; but the forests of pine and of oak which grew on the river's bank have taken on the form of mag- nificent floating palaces, luxurious for travelers and ample for commerce, whose hidden fires propel them up and down the beautiful river, out into the Father of Waters and southward to the Gulf. In 1846 the first railroad leading from Cincin- CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMKRCE. . 07 nati — the Little Miami — was opened for travel, and in connection with the Mad River and Lake Erie, running from Dayton, by way of Springfield, to Sandusky, formed the first through line from the river to the lake. A second line was opened in 1 85 1 — the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Little Miami. Then came in rapid succession the road from Pittsburgh to Cleveland, the Baltimore & Ohio in 1853, the Pennsylvania Railway in 1854, and about the same time, or a little before, the Erie, the Hudson River, and the New York Central. It is difficult for us to realize that fifty years ago not a single railway connected Cincinnati with the rest of the State and country. Now we have twenty-three railroads centering here, and lead- ing with their branches and connections to the remotest parts of the country. Costly bridges, swung mid-air, span the Ohio River, .so beautiful and grand that travelers in the Old World would 2fo hundreds of miles to see them; over these 68 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. the restless railway trains are passing night and dav, and every day in the year, bringing onr city into close communication and intimate social and business relations with our brethren of the South, toward whom the city of Cincinnati has attested its friendliness, and in whose development and prosperity it has expressed its confidence, by building at its own expense a railroad into the very heart of the Southern country at a cost of $20,000,000. To the railroads more than to any other outside agencv do the merchants and business men of Cincinnati owe their wonderful advancement and prosperity. Under the able and friendly manage- ment which now controls them we may hope for more rapid development of our trade and com- merce, for increased activity in all the departments of business, for the accumulation of wealth, and for the healthy and continuous growth of the city. They should be treated with great liberality, and every possible facility should be afforded them CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 69 for the easy and convenient transaction of their bnsiness. Second only to the railroads as an agent of progress is the telegraph. In this day and genera- tion, when Ave can be informed every five minutes of what is taking place in New York or Washing- ton, in New Orleans or San Francisco — wdien the merchant on 'Change has only to look at the black- board to know the fluctuations in prices, the state of the money-market, and the quantity of every kind of merchandise in sight — we are apt to forget that half a century ago we were compelled to wait for tardy mails, carried by post-horses, and which brought us reports too late to be acted upon. Every morning our great metropolitan journals, conducted with ability and enterprise second to that of no other city in the world — I say it ad- visedly — tell us of w^hat is transpiring at the four quarters of the globe, from the overturning of a government or a foreign war to a murder in Whitechapel or the costumes of a fancy ball. 70 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. Every important event in the civilized world may be known in Cincinnati within twenty-fonr honrs of its happening. Through the telephone we may whisper our messages of joy or sorrow and do the errands of daily life without leaving our offices or homes And soon, we are told, modern science and inven tion will record the words and tones of Gladstone as he speaks in the House of Commons, and the notes of Patti as she sings in the Grand Opera- house at Paris, to be sent us by express, and repeated, word and tone and note, for our satisfac- tion and delight, four thousand miles away. But recently has closed the great Cincinnati Centennial Exhibition, organized by the Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Trade, and the Ohio Mechanics' Institute, and conducted upon a gigan- tic scale, the expenses of which were guaranteed and largely paid by the voluntary contributions of our citizens ; in it were gathered the results of the industry, enterprise, and inventive genius which CINCINNATI CHAMKKR OF COMMKRCE. 71 characterize the ' time be required, we could impro- vise one in a week, and arm and equip it in a month; but to build a navy and construct coast - fortifications requires time, skill, and vast sums of money. And we are in a most fortunate condition for prosecuting these important enterprises. While the ingenuity of foreign financiers and the wis- dom of European cabinets and statesmen are being taxed to the uttermost to devise means for raising revenue necessar}' to defray the current expenses of their governments ; while their national debts, now enormous, are constantly increasing; while the prodiictive energies of their populations are being sapped by the withdrawal from peaceful vocations of millions of young men, in the prime of life, to constitute great standing CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 95 armies, rendered necessary by the political situa- tion and by the jealousy and conflicting interests of rulers — we are at peace among- ourselves and with all the world, ha\'e only a small and rapidh-- decreasing debt, while our only financial em- barrassment is to know how to dispose of the constantly - accumulating surplus in the public treasury- . And now, gentlemen of the Chamber of Com- merce, proud of the past achievements of our countr\-, rejoicing in its present happiness and prosperit}-, confident of the future — we see the bow of promise spanning the broad continent for us, and under its glory-tinted arch the unnum- bered millions of our own descendants, re-enforced b)- other millions who shall come to us from beyond the sea — all vying with each other in prosecuting the arts of peace, developing the resources, multiplying the wealth, increasing the knowledge, and exalting the virtue of the Nation, while the)- labor to extend the blessings of Chris- 96 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. tian civilization to the dark and benighted regions of the world. So shall we bnild np and perpet- nate the grandest, richest, happiest, and most powerful government on earth, consecrated to religious freedom and to personal and political liberty forever. [Great applause.] CIXCIXXATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 97 WELCOME BY THE MAYOR. At the conclusion of the oration of General Noyes the band played "America," after which President Morrison introduced his Honor, Amor Smith, Jr., ^layor of Cincinnati, who was received with applause, and said : . Mr. President : The welcome to our guests to-day in its affec- tion is as immeasurable as is unlimited the merit of the cause to which this splendid edifice is dedi- cated. All Cincinnatians at this time join in a feeling of conscious pride to know that in this moment of her exultation our city is honored by the presence of trusted delegates from near and afar, who herald the well-wishes of the great com- mercial centers of our country, and come laden with kind greetings and wealth of congratula- 98 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. tions at our happiness, rejoicing in our prosperity, uniting in our cheers of success, until from out this hall there reverberates throughout the land in one blessed unity the joyous tidings that another triumph of the industry of man has been achieved; that peace has won another victory ; and that the commerce of the nineteenth century has founded another monument through which shall be read the marvelous tales of the wealth of our Nation, the handicraft of its workmen, and the magnifi- cence of its architecture. The marts of commerce dot the ebbs and flows of civilization in the world's historv, and teach us nations' weals and woes, and mark their peoples' virtues or their vice. Decay is but the semblance of viciousness, and prosperity the likeness of excellence and perfection. As we turn back over the pages of history and read the stories of the glories of the past, and map the marts which tell of nations that are but mockeries of their former greatness, then we know the dead past can not give up its dead — they can lia\'e no CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 99 representative here. The present with its divine endowments, its wealth of wonderments — the present that walks with the li\int;', and breathes the glories of art, science, and literatnre — its representatives are with us now, and typify, by the chambers of commerce and boards of trade thev come from, the excellence, perfection, and prosperity of a virtuous and happy nation. I welcome these distinguished guests to Cin- cinnati in the name of my fellow-citizens whose institutions vary only as the attachment of their authors found inclination to build ; yet all builded in the full light of the advanced culture, refine- ment, and enlightenment in which they live. Literature abides with us and among us ; Science has its devotees ; Art, that plies its cunning with dexterous skill, makes masters here whose philoso- phv is as boundless as the institutions they have given us are limitless in their good. Churches and ministers, public schools and teachers, colleges and faculties, our jniblic and 100 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. private benevolences, our manufactories and workingmen, our public buildings, our mercan- tile houses and our homes, all stand to attest a successful people who appreciate the great honor you have conferred upon them in your coming, I bid you welcome to Cincinnati's Music Hall, her University, her Art Museum, her Art School, her Davidson Fountain, her College of Music, and trust the names of the sainted dead and noble living that are ineffaceabl'e in association with their generous gifts may go with you to your homes, and become synonyms of probity and philanthropy to be held sacred forever. I welcome you, gentlemen, graciously and heartily to this presence of Cincinnati merchants, whose walk of life in all its vicissitudes can be in many phases but the counterpart of your own: we come upon the floor a stripling, with timid air, awed by the presence and mien of the confident man of affairs; we wear his shadow as a guide, and look beyond without a hope of ever reaching CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 101 the gray -haired sage whose sagacious judgment startles our incredulity and baffles all our endeav- ors; yet, withal, we banter time and make the shadow; we see the stripling come and the sage depart; we buffet the current and stem the tide; and in the battle of life we find ourselves grateful for this school of experience, the teachings of the sage, and the associations of our fellow -members. I welcome you to the high standard attained by the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce in the commercial world, and to this beautiful build- ing, which is emblematical of the membership's energy, fidelity, and integrity. Delegates of the Chambers of Commerce and Boards of Trade of the United States, the freedom of the city is tendered you. I bid you a hearty welcome. [Applause.] 102 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. CONGRATULATIONS. NEW YORK The ^Ia\'or having conchided, President ^lor- rison said: Gciitlcmoi: We now desire to have the pleasure of hearing from our visiting delegates from sister organizations. It is to be regretted time will not permit us to hear from each delegation; but we shall endeavor to so arrange that each section of the country shall have an opportunity to be heard from. First in order is New York, the Empire State, and her chief city, the financial and com- mercial metropolis of the country, and our chief seaport, the gateway of Europe, magnificent in all her undertakings, solid as the rock on which her foundations are laid. I have the pleasure of introducing Mr. S. T. Hubbard, Jr., of New York. CIXCIXXATI CHAMBKR OF COMMERCE. 108 ]Mr. Hubbard received a cordial ,u,reetiii<2,', and said : Mr. Prcsidiiil and Cciillotuii of Ihc C/ianihcr of ConiDicrcc : On l^ehalf of the New York Cotton Exchanoe, I have the honor to present tlieir sin- cere conoratnlations on this auspicious occasion. As I have sat here listeuiui>; to the eloquent re- marks of the o-entlenien who have preceded uie, my thoucrhts have run back to the formation of the Chamber, and in it we recognize the indomitable pluck of the men who rose above the wrecks of the panic of i' \ou some of your ])osscssions — such as \our Art Museum, your magnificent Springer donation, and your Public Library. A monarch can found a Tiberias, an Alexandria, or a Ctesarea, and with the support of his kingdo:n can turn travel and commerce in 108 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. that direction; but in a country like ours each city or town must depend upon its location and natural advantages to draw to itself enterprising business men. [Cheers.] There is a " survival of the fittest " in the career of cities as well as of individuals, and every city can be great just in proportion as it has a great country tributary and contributory to it. Sitting in her unrivaled posi- tion in our country, New York must be the great seaport of our Nation, and other points have nat- ural positions of strength that can not be wrested from them if their people are alive to their oppor- tunity. Your city, on one of the great rivers o 1 the continent, surrounded by a rich, fertile country on every side, must be one of the great cities of the Nation If your merchants and business men are alive to yo\ir best interests. And this temple of trade to-day dedicated by you is one of the signs of your growth and advance in business, an indication of your increasing needs. Beautiful without, elegant within, one more architectural CIN'CINXATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 109 monument to the skill of him who designed it and the taste of you who built it. "Slay its beauty of structure be never marred b>- human selfishness or cruel injustice upon this floor. [Applause.] THE SOUTHWEST President ^Morrison then said: "The South- west, the counterpart of the Northwest in every thing that goes to make her people prosperous and happy — her countless herds, her boimdless prairies, her magnificent cities, the rapidity of her development — is the wonder of the world. I have pleasure in introducing the Hon. George W. Clement, of Wichita, Kansas." Mr. Clement responded as follows: Mr. President : I think myself most fortunate to be here this day and to have the opportunity to speak a word for the Southwest. I am aware that if I go into all the details and fully present my subject, I would have a larger job on hand than 110 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. you would care to have uie complete at this time. I desire, however, first in my remarks to tender the thanks of the Board — the organization which I represent — for the kindly consideration of this Chamber that prompted them to send an invi- tation to a body so youno^ and so remote to be present on this auspicious and most important occasion in the history of this great citv. Mr. (t. L. Rouse, the gentleman with me here, and I represent probably the youngest financial organization represented here to-day — perhaps the youngest city, and nearly the youngest State. Kansas celebrated her twent\' - eighth birthda\' yesterday, I believe. [Applause.] Twenty-eight years ago she came into the Union with a popu- lation of less than 200,000 people. To-day she has more than 1,600,000 live, energetic, pushing, vigorous people [applause], a very large proportion of whom came from this grand old State of Ohio. [Applause.] I am proud, gentlemen, to-da\- to sav that twcutv-eight of the best vears of m\- life CIXCIXXATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. Ill were spent upon yonder lake -shore adjoining the beautiful city sitting so majestically by the side of the lake. I started, I believe, from the same rock\- State as the eloquent gentlemen [Oeneral Noyes] who has so magnificently addressed you to day — a gen- tleman who so ably represented this (Tovernment at the Court of France. *Xot only did he do honor to himself and his Nation abroad, but he stood here to-day on one leg, having left the other before Atlanta in celebrating the Fourth of July there years ago [laughter and applause], when there was a little difficulty between the North and the South. Mr. President, allow me to express to you and to the gentlemen here the appreciation in which we hold this city of Cincinnati. Situated as we are, eight hundred and fifty miles from you to the southwest, we (Wichita) hold the key of the great Southwest. It is a magnificent countr\-, our Southwest. It is a couutrv the future of which is 112 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. scarcely within the reach of man's comprehension. [Applause.] It is impossible to estimate the posi- tion th^t Wichita may reach in the great South- west of the future. [Applause.] It has been truly said to-day that the growth and greatness of a city depend on the tributary and contributory country about it. That being true, the territory which surrounds the beautiful city of Wichita [laughter and applause] makes it the great city and metropolis of the Southwest. In less than two years, gentlemen, you will write on yonder blackboard of quotations Wichita. In less than ten years you will place at the head of the list Wichita, and it will then read Wichita, Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati [laughter], instead of, as I see it now, "Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati," Yes, we mean it, and we have the tools to do it with, too. [Applause.] All through that great territory, "the corn -belt," the hogs are scrambling to reach the borders of civilization — Wichita [applause] — to offer up their lives as a sacrifice CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 113 to the great commercial industries already estab- lished there. [Laughter.] With }-our possibilities you are creating an amount of force and energy, an accumulation of capital here, that can not possibly find room for action in the future. There will be a surplus. It must go somewhere. We invite you to Wichita [applause and laughter], and there you will find room in the vast sweep of prairie of which Wichita is the center for your energies and accumulations of capital. [Applause.] This is a magnificent building which we are in to-day. It will resist the action of time. For your invitation to be here to-day we thank you cordially. The city of Washington is called the "City of ^lagnificent Distances"; Cincinnati is the city of magnificent acts. [Applause.] Such has been your history. You ha\'e reached that degree of supremacy in the financial world to-day which will permit you to be, as you are, magnanimous. [Ap])lause.] No spirit of jealousy need ever 114 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. pervade yoiir mind. [Laughter.] No city in the land can wrest from you the hold you now have on the financial interests of this vast territory round about here — a territory to which you alone hold the keys. I thank you, gentlemen, for your kindness and appreciation, and we want you all to come out and see our broad prairies; to witness the degree of energy we have acquired from this State; and it will give us pleasure to treat >-ou as generously and courteously as you have treated us. [Applause.] THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY President Morrison then said: "The Mississippi Valley, rich and luxuriant beyond compare; the wealth of its soil inexhaustible; its people among the bravest, who have conquered the effects of war and pestilence, and are to-day in the forefront of prosperity and progress. I have the pleasure of introducing Mr. E. A. Keeling, of :\Iemphis." CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 115 When the applause with which Mr. Keeling was greeted had subsided he spoke as follows: J/r. President and Gentlemen: To be called upon to address such a large and representative- assemblage is an honor which I duly appreciate^ and while I do not expect to entertain you with any brilliant remarks, I will at least endeavor to make some response to your kind invitation. I see before me gentlemen representing every line of trade and avenue of business, which is an evi- dence of your progressiveness, of your enterprise ; that you have a correct sense of the value and importance of co-operation; and is to my mind a solution of why Cincinnati has taken her place as one of the great trade -centers of this country. The occasion of this celebration must be a matter of pride to the merchants of this city, and this magnificent structure, so long as it rests upon its foundation, will be a monument commemorating their thrift and successful efforts in promoting the commerce of the Oueen Citv of the West. 116 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. The past history of the world abounds in instances of the struggle of commerce to estab- lish conditions of security and to open up commu- nication with distant countries. From the time Abraham paid four hundred shekels of silver for the field of Ephron down to the present time the tendency of commerce has been to connect trade- centers, to invade and develop new territory, to furnish modes of transportation through the same, to promote and encourage new industries, and to increase the production and distribution of commodities. That little could be accomplished by individual effort needs no argument from me, but by the organization and consolidation of busi- ness energy and brains commercial exchanges have been established throughout the world, upon whom have devolved the great work to which I have just referred. The Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce was organized for the purposes named. That it has achieved all that was expected of it is attested bv the magnitude of business transacted, CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 117 and the present standing of your city as a trade, railroad, and manufacturing center. Now that so much has been accomplished, and your claim for commercial supremacy has been so firmly established, what necessity is there for con- tinuing this institution ? Simply that you may retain and protect that for which you have labored so long and earnestly. Rival cities are around you, watching with jealous eyes, ready to take any fair advantage to grasp from you the trade of your city. Your Chamber of Commerce stands as a faithful sentinel, watchful and alert, protecting your interests, and ready to avenge any invasion or usurpation of yoiir rights. For this reason it commands your co-operation, and as a matter of self- protection makes it your duty as well as pleasure to sustain and perpetuate its institutions. I congratulate you on its successes, and picture for it grander results and more brilliant achievements for the future. Now that I have conirratulated vou on its sue- 118 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. cesses, I desire, in a few brief words, to give you warning, and to tell you of a city that is destined to become a formidable competitor for at least a portion of your trade. On the extreme western borders of Tennessee there stands a city rich in resources and promises for future greatness. From its confines, reaching out like spokes from the hub of a wheel, there are ten completed lines of railways traversing the finest mineral and agri- cultural country on this continent. A large part of the products of the grain - fields and packing- houses of the Northwest pass through her gates and pay tribute to the enterprise of her merchants. Alabama, Tennessee, and Arkansas empty into her lap the wealth of their coal- and iron -fields. At her very doors are inexhaustible forests of timber in every variety, while seven hundred thousand bales of cotton help annually to increase her trade and add to her commercial greatness. At her feet flows the great "Father of Waters," on whose bosom floats millions of dollars' worth of CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 119 supplies sent out from her warehouses to feed and clothe the multitude of people who inhabit the Lower Mississippi Valley. New industries are being started and old ones are constantly enlarging their capacities, and yet there is room for more. Her destiny is in the hands of business men awake to the necessities of the day and alive to the reqiiirements and needs that go to make up a great city: full of public spirit, always ready to welcome new capital, brains, and energy, and willing to share with them the results and rewards of their labors. Such is the city of Memphis, and through me, their humble representative, they extend to you a hearty invitation to visit them and see the li^•est cit\- in the great South. I thank 3'ou, gentlemen, for your attention. [Applause.] 120 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. THE CENTRAL SOUTH President Morrison then annonnced the follow- ing sentiment: "The Central South, representa- tive cities of which are Chattanooga, Atlanta, Birmingham, and Augusta: their great factories rivaling and vying with those of the North; her cotton-clad fields and her rich minerals hastening a development in prosperity and wealth that is most gratifying to their friends everywhere. I have the pleasure of introducing Ex -Governor R. B. Bullock, of Georgia." Governor Bullock enjoyed a most cordial re- ception, and responded in the following words: Afr. President: I hesitate to intrude on the orderly digestion of the rich intellectual treat we have had this morning ; I hesitate still more to intrude on the digestion which should follow this well-known lunch-hour of our Cincinnati friends; but I am encouraged by the diffidence of my CIXCIXXATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 121 friends from the Northwest and the Sonthwest, who have just addressed you, to at least acknowl- edge the courtesy of this occasion. Occasion- ally when we wish to do a special honor to our friends in Chicago we refer to that magnificent city as "the Atlanta of the North.'' [Laughter and applause.] Hereafter we shall adopt the name of our friend from the Southwest, and we will be ''the Wichita of the South." [Laughter and applause.] It was my privilege and pleasure to visit your city twenty years ago with a delegation of our friends from the South to aid my venerable friend, Governor Bishop, then mayor of your city, in per- suading your people that it was wise to vote ten million dollars to build a railroad to Chattanooga. I have never regretted my part on that occasion, and never forgotten the hospitality extended to us by your people. It is needless to speak of the progress of Cincinnati from that time to this. You have spoken in the erection of this mag- 122 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. nificent stnicture in louder words and a more permanent way than any mere words of eloquence could do. In referring to us, Mr. President, as a section of our common country I desire to say, and I think I express the unanimous opinion of all our people, that we are a part — a subordinate integral part, if you choose — of this great Government of the people by the people and for the people. [Cheers.] And if in any future events it should be the duty of any American to follow that beau- tiful emblem of national sovereignty [pointing to an American flag on the platform, which had been carried in the procession], we will stand with you shoulder to shoulder, and march, touching elbows, where duty calls. [Loud and long cheers.] I will not detain you at this unfortunate hour of the day by giving you statistical information. It will be sufiBcient to say that the South — and I refer to all the country between the Potomac and the Rio 'Grande — has doubled in almost every element of CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 123 business since the certain event to which I will not refer. We have more than doubled our railwa\- mile- age; we have more than doubled the quantity and the value of our manufactures; we have more than doubled the quantity and the value of our chief staple, cotton; and we have more than doubled our mechanical industries for the manipulation of the cotton -crop. There are more than twice the number of looms, more than twice the number of spindles, running in that section now than at the other date which I have not referred to. [Laughter and applause.] That this has been accomplished you all know, and if there be in it au)' lesson to the statesman, I submit to this jury of business men that that lesson is that we should be encour- aged and not retarded by any adverse legislation. [Applause.] There is not a word that I can add to what has already been said by the other gentlemen in the way of thanks to this Chamber and to this city — 124 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. not only for the wealth of its generous hospitality, but for the orderly manner in which it has been presented — and our only regret is that our stay can not be longer. Your committeemen have fairly hovered over us, and we are grateful. Gentlemen, I thank you for the courtesy of your attention. [Great applause.] THE OLD DOMINION The last speech of the day was delivered by Mr. R. W. Powers, of Richmond, Va., who was presented by President ^Morrison in the following words: "The Virginias, dear to us since the early days of the Northwest Territory. We have just become attached to them by new ties. The great bridge, just completed, that spans the Ohio and the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad complete the chain that binds and makes our interests one and inseparable. I have the pleasure of introducing to you Mr. R. W. Powers, of Richmond, Virginia." CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 125 Mr. Powers was received with applause, and said : J/r. President and Gcntlcnicu : I think it is due myself to say that I did not expect to be here. The President of our Chamber was detained by a severe affliction, which occurred only a few mo- ments before the time he was to have taken the train. Nor did I know that I would be expected to have one word to say on this auspicious occa- sion until I entered this hall. But as I look upon this magnificent building which you have erected, and look out upon the prosperity of your city as manifested in her trade, her manufactures, her palatial residences, and her public buildings, and see before me this vast audience of cultured busi- ness men, and when I remember that )-ou are a child of Old \'irginia, I am proud of you. [Ap- plause.] I have listened with profound pleasure to the w^onderful development of your material wealth, as stated in the able address of vour orator. I 126 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. gather from this address that your State has a population of one hundred persons to the square mile. Soon you, too, will have to emigrate, and I am here to-day to invite you, instead of going to the Southwest, as suggested by the gentleman from Wichita, to come back to the old "mother.'^ [Applause.] She will give you a hearty welcome. She has lands for sale from the Chesapeake Bay to the Blue Ridge IMountains, teeming with slate, granite, coal, and iron, only lacking capital to be developed. She can offer you the most genial climate ; her soil is susceptible of the highest improvement, only a little worn; her tobacco is sought after all over the world; and her people — well, I will not speak of them: they are known to many of you by ties of kindred. What we want is more capital to develop our mineral wealth. We have the push and energy^ but we lack the capital. We are no longer the lazy Southrons you have heard of; we are push- ing ahead. Railroads are being built throughout CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 127 our State, and towns and villages are springing: np along their lines. Factories, which heretofore have been limited to the "East" and the "West," are found in every section of \'irginia, sending forth their products to every country on the globe. Our public schools and institutions of learning will compare favorably with the best in the coun- try; and liberal appropriations have been made by the State for their support. Thus you see that we are abreast with the times. I congratulate you upon your magnificent building, upon your liberal hospitality and your beautiful city. [Applause.] Ur. Paul M. Millikin, Secretary of the Cin- cinnati Chamber of Commerce, then announced the letters and telegrams of regret, after which the President declared the session adjourned, the hour being nigh two o'clock. 128 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. LETTERS OF RECxRET. From the President of the United States: EXECLTIVE MANSION. Washington, January 25, 1889.^ The President directs me to express his thanks for the courtesy of the invitation, conveyed in yonr letter of recent date, to be present at the opening of the Chamber of Commerce new build- ing on the 29th instant, and to say that he regrets that his official duties will prevent his leaving Washington at the time named. Very respectfully, 1). S. LAMONT. From Fx- President Hayes: SPIEGEL GROVE. } Fremont. O., Janlary 28, iSSg.*" The whole people of Cincinnati are to be con- gratulated on the completion of the new home CI^XINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMKRCE. 129 of her biisiuess meu. It will command the ad- miration of all who see it. Cincinnati has a long list of objects of interest and attraction and notable structures; but this new and admirable monument to the great promoter of modern civ- ilization — this monument to commerce — must always stand, if not at the head, at least very high in the catalogue. With extreme regret I am compelled to deny myself the pleasure of being present at the dedi- cation of the building. Ver}' respectfully, RUTHERFORD B. HAYES. From tlic Presidcui-dcci of tJic U)iitcd States: A correspondence extending through a con- siderable period was conducted with Benjamin Harrison, President - elect of the United vStates, in the early part of which he says: "I woiild be glad to show my interest in the event which is to be celebrated; but I can not now be sure that 130 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. it will be possible for me to leave home at the time indicated. If you will allow me, therefore, I will withhold present decision ; and if when the time arrives I should find it possible to spend a few hours with }'ou, it will give me pleasure to do so." Matters finally transpired at Indianapolis unfavorable to the visit, and he wrote at the last moment, "It will be impossible for me to leave home." From the J'icc-Prcsidcnt-clcct : 85 FIFTH AVENUE, i New York, January 25, 1889.' I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the courteous invitation of the Cincinnati Cham- ber of Commerce and Merchants' Exchange to be present at the dedication of their new building on the 30th instant, and extremely regret that pressing engagements will deprive me of that pleasure. Very truly yours, LEVI p. MORTON. CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 131 From the Speaker of the House of Representatives. SPEAKER'S ROOM, HorsE OF Representatives, Washington, D. C, January 27, 18 Your favor of January loth, inviting me to be present at the opening of the new building of the Chamber of Commerce and Merchants' Exchange of Cincinnati on the 29th of the present month, was duly received, and I have delayed my an- swer in the hope that the cou-dition of the public business here would enable me to accept. I find, however, that my official duties will require my constant presence in the House, and I am com- pelled, therefore, to deny myself the pleasure of attending your celebration. Sincerely hoping that the occasion may be a pleasant one, and that the future of your com- mercial organization may be as successful as the past, I am very truly yours, J. G. CARLISLE. 132 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. From the Secretary of the Treasury: TREASURY DEPARTMENT,^ Washington, Janiary 12, 1889. ' I desire to acknowledge the receipt through you of the kind invitation of the Chamber of Com- merce and Merchants' Exchange of Cincinnati to be present on the occasion of the opening of the new building. I regret very much that engagements previ- ously entered into will prevent me from accepting your invitation. Respectfully yours, CHARLES S. FAIRCHILD. From the Comptroller of the Currency: TREASURY DEPARTMENT, \ Office of Comptroller of the Currency. >- Washington, D. C, January 26, 1889. ) Mr. W. L. Trenholm presents his compliments to the officers and members of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, and expresses his great CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 133 regret that engagements of an imperative char- acter prevent his acceptance of the invitation with which he has been honored by the Chamber. From the Goi'crnor of Ohio: CoiA MBus, O., January 29, 1889. I find myself at the last moment nnable to go to Cincinnati. Be assured of my regret. J. B. FORAKER. From Senator Shermaii: SENATE CHAMBER, ) Washington, January 28, 1889 > I have the honor to acknowledge the invi- tation of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce and Merchants' Exchange to attend the dedication of its new building on the 30th instant. I had alwa}'s hoped that when this important ceremony should take place I would be able to attend and participate in it. Not only as a citizen of Ohio, but as an honorary member of that body, I have felt the deepest interest in the erection of 134 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. the building now completed, and no slight cause would keep me away ; but the press of business in the Senate, some of which is intrusted to my charge, has compelled me to decline all invitations of every kind that would take me away from this city during the present session. It is not material what will be said or done, or who shall witness the dedication ; the work is complete, and you have now a magnificent tem- ple, worthy of the great business to be conducted within its walls and of the city of Cincinnati, the pride not only of the citizens of Ohio, but of the great region whose commerce and trade it will be your privilege to conduct. I feel sure that this will be done by you and your successors with energy and with honorable fidelity to all business engagements made, and so as to promote the interests not only of your city, but of all who come within the reach of its influence. Very respectfully yours, JOHN SHERMAN. CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 135 From Senator Payne : Washington-, D. C, January 28, 1889. I sincerely regret my inability to accept yonr courteous invitation for 29tli and 3otli instant. H. B. PAYNE. From Senator Beek : UNITED STATES SENATE, ^ Washington, D. C, January 12. 1S89.' Your kind invitation of January 9th to Senator Beck to be present at the opening of the new building erected by your Chamber of Commerce came this morning. I regret to inform you that the Senator is too unwell to be in his seat in the Senate, and is now traveling in the South. If he were well, no doubt it would give him pleasure to accept your invitation. I will forward your letter to him to-day, as I know he will not be able to accept. Yours sincerely, W. R. CLAY, Secretary. 136 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. Fro}n Senator Blackburn : SENATE CHAMBER, > Washixgton, D. C. January 13. 1889.' Your letter of the 9th has been received. I should be most happy to accept your kind invi- tation for the 29th and 30th, but very much fear that the engagements imposed by public duties here may make it impossible for me to be with you. Should this prove to be true, I beg you to accept and to express to your Chamber the very sincere regrets that it will occasion me. \'ery truh* yours, J. C. S. BLACKBURN. From the Goi'ernor of J Irginia : COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA.! Governor's Office. V Richmond, Va., January 21, 1889, 1 I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of an invitation to attend the opening ceremonies of your new biiildiug. I am much obliged for [NCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 137 the ven- kind and cordial expressions contained in yonr letter of the i6th. My dnties are so constant and pressing here that I am afraid it will not be possible for me to meet yonr members upon that interesting occasion. Yours very truly, FITZHUGH LEE. From Minister Pendleton: Berlin. Janvarv 29, 1889. Congratulate Cincinnati on the dedication of the new Chamber of Commerce, and wish the association renewed prosperity. GEORGE H. PENDLETON. From the Chief Signal Offieer: ' SIGNAL OFFICE. WAR DEPARTMENT.^ Washington. J.\Nr.\RV 26. 1889. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of notification that the new Chamber of Commerce and Merchants' Exchange building 138 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. will be opened on the 29tli and 30th of January, 1889, with appropriate ceremonies. It would give me gratification if it was possible for me to be in Cincinnati on so important and auspicious an occasion, but unfortunately my official duties and certain public engagements preclude the possi- bility of my attending. Expressing to you my thanks for the courtesy you have extended to me, I am, very respectfully, Your obedient servant, A. W. GREELY, Chief Signal Officer. From our Reprcscntath'cs hi Congress: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.^ Washington, January 28, 1889. ' We are deprived of a great pleasure in not being with our fellow -members of the Chamber of Commerce on the occasion of moving into the new home. This is the short session of Congress, and we are compelled to work under high pressure to get CINXIXNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 139 through with that part of the public busiuess which cau uot be postponed without great detri- ment to the public service. We refer to appro- priation bills and the like. We are sure that the house-warming will be a success. Our merchants and manufacturers make a success of every thing they undertake. They recognized in the beginning, and have since walked in the faith, that integrity, intelligence, and industry in trade and commerce lie at the base of all worthy and permanent success. An adherence to this bed - rock business rule has given to Cincinnati merchants and manufac- turers an enviable reputation throughout the country. We wish in the interest of good government, municipal, state, and national, that our people would come to understand that integrity, intel- ligence, industry, and manly courage are as in- dispensable to honorable and permanent success in politics as in business — that in each case the 140 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. citizen should produce a sample, and see to it that the goods came up to the sample. Success to the trade and commerce of our loved city; and let us hope that as commerce has during the centuries past blazed the way for advancing and progressive civilization, it may, while enjoying the fruits of victories won, move forward to still grander achievements in the interest of mankind. With great respect, we are Your obedient servants, BEN. BUTTERWORTH, CHAS. E. BROWN. /^row Mr. A. J. Drcxcl : Philadelphia, January 24, 1889. I have received the kind invitation to attend the opening of the new building of the Chamber of Commerce on the 29th and 30th of January. I regret very much that my engagements prevent my accepting it. I appreciate very fully the honor vou have done me in asking me to be CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 141 present at the ceremonies, and thank yon very much for extending the invitation to me. Wishing all prosperity to the Chamber of Com- merce and Merchants' Exchange, I remain Faithfully yours, A. J. DREXEL. From Mr. Cyrus W. Field: New York, January 28, 1889. Mr. Cyrus W. Field regrets that a previous engagement deprives him of the pleasure of accepting the polite invitation of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce for the 29th and 30th instant. From the Librarian of Congress : LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, } Washington, D. C, January 20, 1889. *• Thanks for the very courteous invitation to be present at the dedication of the new build- ing of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce. 142 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. I ven- greatly regret that pressing official duties here will prevent me from joining in the celebra- tion of so ver\' interesting an occasion. Very respectfully, A. R. SPOFFORD, Librarian of Congress. From the President of the National Board of Trade : Philadelphia, January 26, 1889. I have been honored by your invitation to attend the dedication services at your new build- ing, and I sincerely regret that my age and the uncertainties of the season forbid me to leave home. But I shall bear the day of your celebration in remembrance, and will try to realize the pro- ceedings in which you will be engaged. I am sure that I shall be inspired by them with new energies for co-operating with you and the great brotherhood of merchants in our expand- ing country for the promotion of the welfare and CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 143 prosperity of our fellow-citizens in the diversified interests to which they are devoted. I remember with peculiar pleasure my first ac- quaintance with your business men, which began in the year 1865, and the associations which I have had with them ; and the additions that years have since made, with the original members of the Board, who dwell in your queen-like city — all friends to be cherished while life shall last. Among the delightful memories is the first annual meeting of our National Board of Trade, and the records of that meeting may be read to-day as a part of our national history and of the important financial and economic problems which our civil war left for solution. Then and there the men of business from North and South, East and West, met together in friendly confer- ence, after years of estrangement and separation, and consummated a plan begun at Detroit in 1865, carried forward at Boston and Philadelphia in the earlv part of 1868, and perfectly organized, 144 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. and put upon that grand pathway which it has since trodden, in Cincinnati at that ever memo- rable meeting. Words fail me to express my hopes of its future usefulness; but if all the chambers of com- merce, exchanges, and boards of trade that are now so numerously established in our land will be as true to it as has been your association, it will continue to be a great and beneficial power, useful for the development of sound principles and wholesome practices. What you are about to do, after many years of experience, will be a great example for imitation. A permanent and beautiful building such as you have just completed is a bond of union and strength, and as you daily tread its halls you will fully realize that, as man looks upon man, good deeds are inspired, and the cravings of the divine nature within us are more and more satisfied. Therefore I cheer you onward, and trust that I may often be permitted to see my dear friends CIN'CINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 145 of Cincinnati at the annual gatherings of onr National Board and in the happy private circles where we have linked our hands and hearts to- gether. Respectfully and sincerely your brother merchant, ?'RED. FRALEY. From Senator Kcnna: Chaklestown, W. \'a., January 15, 1S89, Senator Kenna directs me to say that he appre- ciates your kind invitation, but finds it will be impossible for him to be present on the interest- ing occasion )'ou mention. Truly yours, J. A. HUTCHISON, Scc'y. From Senator Faulkner: Washington, D. C , January 14, 1889. Your favor of the 9th received. I regret very' much m}' inability to comply with your polite request, but I have engagements. at that time that will prevent me from doing so. Very truly yours, CHAS. J. FAULKNER. 146 DEDICATORY EXERCISKS. From Iix-Soiator Thurniaii: Col-UMHUS, ().. JaNL ARY 28, 1889. Juclg'e Thunnan instructs me to acknowledoe the receipt of your kind invitation to attend the opening exercises of the new Chamber of Com- merce, and to most sincerely thank you for the same. It would give him much pleasure to be with you at that time, but his engagements are such it will be iitterly impossible for him to be present. Thanking you again, I remain, Very respectful!)-, N. P. X\E. From t/ir Commandaiif of tJic Ohio Soldiers and Sailors' Nome: SaNDI SKY, O., JaXI ARY 26, IS89. Please accept my thanks for invitation to the ceremonies celebrating the opening of the new Chamber of Commerce and Merchants' Exchange. The congress of business men, so important a factor in the growth of Cincinnati, will have a CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 141 worthy home in the new bnilding, the crowning work of the greatest architect of onr time, and which will be not only an ornament bnt an edu- cation to Cincinnati. I regret that duties here will prevent my having the pleasure of accepting your invitation. Respectfully and truh- yours, M. F. FORCE. From an Ex-Prcsidoit of tlic Chain her : New York. Ja-Vi ary 21, 1889. I trust I need not inform \ou how gratifving it is to receive such an invitation to meet my old friends on an occasion so interesting as the dedi- cation of a suitable building to the purposes of a Chamber of Commerce and Merchants' Exchange, and I have delayed an acknowledgment of your invitation, hoping I might be enabled to accept it and participate in your celebration; but finding it impossible to do so consistently with my other obligations, permit me to thank you and the com- 148 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. mittee for your flatterino- invitation, and to express the hope that your expectations will be fully realized in the erection and permanent occupation of a building which, I am told, is substantial and ornamental. Very truly yours, ROLAND G. MITCHELL. From the IVi'doiv of James A. Fraser :'^ Mt. Auni rn, January 21, 1889. The preliminary notification of invitation to the opening of the Cincinnati Chamber of Com- merce and Merchants' Exchange at hand. I deem myself highly honored and grateful in the extreme toward the members for their kind con- sideration in tlie matter. Respectfully, Mrs. ELIZABETH FRAZER. * Mr. James A. Frazer made a bequest of $5,000 towards a building for the Chamber of Commerce, this representing the only money used in the erection of the edifice which was not received through the regular metliods of the association. CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 149 From Ihe Uldoiv of the Architect: Brooklixe, Mass.. January i6, 1889. I have just received your kind and tliouglit- ful invitation, and I am very much touched by your hospitality. I am exceedingly sorry that my duties at home this month will prevent my accepting your kind invitation. Please present my regrets to the Executive Committee, and tell them how exceedingly sorry I am that I can not be present at the opening of the new building. JULIA J. RICHARDSON. From the Sec'y of the Biiffahi Merchants' Fxchange: BlKFALO, N. Y., JANIARY 28, 1889. I thank you for your invitation to the opening of your new Chamber of Commerce, and regret very much that I can not be present. IMy busy time is a month before and two or three months after our January election for trustees. I have for manv vears longed to visit your city and renew 150 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. our acquaintance, Ipiit must wait a little longer for that pleasure. Yours faithfully, WM. THURSTONE. From Hon. Dai'id A. Wells: Norwich, Conn., January 23, 1889. I desire to acknowledge the compliment of an invitation extended to me to be present and parti- cipate in the exercises attendant on the opening of the new building erected for their use by the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce. I greatly regret that circumstances over which I have no control will not admit of my being present. I am yours most respectfully, DAVID A. WELLS. From the SupH of the N. Y. Produce Exchange: New York, January 23, 1889. I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your favor of the 19th instant. I regret that my duties here will deny me the pleasure of being CINCIXXATl CHAMBER OK COMMKRCK. 151 present at the openinj^ exercises in your new building on the 29th and 30th of this niontli. Thanking you for the courtesy of the invita- tion, I am very respectfully yours, L. H. WOWV.. Si- return from Europe I find your favor of the loth instant, inviting me to be present on the occasion of the opening of the new building for the permanent use of the Merchants' Exchange. It would afford me great pleasure to participate in the interesting ceremonies of that occasion, and I will do my best to be present. A considerable 160 DEDICATORY EXERCISEvS. absence necessarily accumulates a large amount of business requiring my personal attention, and if this can be cared for, I will be with you on the 29th or 30th. Yours truly, WILLIAM HENRY SMITH. From the Nczv York Produce Exchange: New York, Janl arv 29 1889. I have just learned that the delegation intended to represent this Exchange at your dedicatory ceremonies will not be able to attend. Please accept our hearty and earnest congratulations and very best wishes that }'ou ma}' long enjoy the magnificent mercantile home you have had the self- appreciation and courage to create for >'our good selves. A. E. ORR, President. From the Boston Chamber of Commerce: IJosToN, January 24. 18S9. The courteous invitation extended to this Chamber to send representatives to assist in the CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 161 opening ceremonies of your new chamber was dnly received and is appreciated. The reason of any delay in reply is entirely due to our endeavors to find some parties who could leave at this time to go as delegates, as our annual dinner occurs on the 31st instant. Those parties whom we should desire to send feel it their duty to the Chamber to be present here. With regrets at our inability to send delegates, and wishing the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce every success in their new quarters, we are Very sincerely yours, W. H. PEARSON, Secretary. From I he Ex- Chief of the Bureau of Statistics: Hlntix(;ton, Long Island, N. Y., ) Janlary 12, 1889. S I have just received your letter of the loth instant, inviting me to attend the opening of the new building erected by the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce for its permanent home. I con- 162 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. gratulate the Chamber of Commerce and the city of Cincinnati upon this achievement. From the view of the building presented at the head of your letter, I assume it is worthy of your great and enterprising city, which has a fame for intellectual development and aesthetic culture as well as for commercial power. Regretting that I shall prob- ably be unable to accept your kind invitation, I am, sir, very truly and respectfiilly yours, JOSEPH NIMMO, Jr. From the Commissio)icr of AgricitUurc: WASHINCiTON, D.C., JaNIAKV 28, 1889. I am in receipt of your letter of January lotli, inviting me to be present at the exercises of cele- bration attending the opening of the new building of the Chamber of Commerce and Merchants' Exchange of your city. You have my thanks for the honor and courtesy of your invitation, and I keenly regret that pressing public duties prevent an acceptance. I congratulate your organization CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 163 upon its accession to this permanent and palatial home. I bespeak for its opening an auspicious and joyous occasion, and for the future a record of success and achievement in consonance with the boundless spirit of enterprise and progress and the tireless energy of the citizens of Cincin- nati. ' Very respectfully, NORMAN J. COLMAN. From the Statistician of the Deft of Agriculture: Washington, January 26, 1889. I regret my inabilit\-, under the present pres- sure of official business, to accept your courteous invitation to be present at the opening of the new Chamber of Commerce Building. Allow me to most heartily congratulate you upon your acqui- sition of so comfortable and luxurious a home, and upon the prosperity and liberality, the taste and esprit du corps, which combined to render the beautiful architectural erection possible. In the hope that your merchants may ever illustrate the 164 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. homely virtues of honesty and patriotism which adorned your patron, that noble Roman, Cincin- natus, I am Yours respectfully, J. R. DODGE. From the Chamber of Commerce of the State of Nezv York: New York, January 25, 1889. I regret very much that I am unable to accept your very kind and complimentary invitation. I beg to add my most sincere congratulations to your honorable body upon the occasion of the opening and dedication of your new and very appropriate home. This completed building gives permanent expression and lasting influ- ence to the institution which you represent. It must logically and necessarily take its place among the forces for good in molding the com- mercial, legislative, and industrial energies which so largely rule our country, where universal suf- frage is the sovereign power, and where intelli- CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 165 gence must hold the reins, or corruption and disaster will follow. It has been said by intelligent foreigners, with some truth, that the government of all large cities in the United States for the past quarter of a century has been a reproach to republican insti- tutions. It i3 the privilege of great and influen- tial associations like yours to throw the weight of its influence not necessarily on any political side, but in favor of all laws and practices which make for justice and right, and these are the most direct methods that can be adopted to encourage and strengthen commerce, which has been the pioneer of progress in this land. I am, dear sir, very truly yours, CHAS. S. SMITH, President. From the Chief of the Bureau of Statistics: Washington, D. C, Janlary 15, 1889. Official engagements, present and prospective, will deny me the pleasure of being personally 166 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. present on an occasion which will be franght with great interest to Cincinnati and to all of its com- mercial and indnstrial activities. The dedication of such a building to the purposes of its estab- lishment will be a signal event in the marvelous commercial and manufacturing history of the Queen City of the Ohio Valley. Thanking you for the honor of the invitation, and tendering my sincere regrets because of my inability to accept it, I am yours very respectfully, WM. F. SWITZLER. From the Nezv Orleans Cotton ExcJiangc: New Orleans, Janiary 26. 1889. President Thomas desires me to present his congratulations to our sister Exchange of Cincin- nati on the substantial evidence of the thrift and energy of the merchants of the Queen City, and to express the hope in behalf of the cotton-men of New Orleans that the fiftieth anniversarv of CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 107 the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce may prove the inaugnration of an era of increased prosperity, compared with which past trinmphs will appear moderate. Very trnly and sincerely, HENRY G. HESTER, Secretary. From one of tJic Foiiudrrs of tJie Institution: Atlantic City. N. J., January 27, 1889. I am in receipt of yonr valned invitation, as a snrvivor of the first organization to establish a Chamber of Commerce in oiir city in 1839, to attend the opening of the new building erected by the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce and Merchants' Exchange for their permanent home, Yonr invitation brings before me the work that was done in the winter of 1839 to organize and' establish the Chamber of Commerce, when I, as a member of the firm of Samnel Fosdick & Co., had an active part in all the work, and there is no work of my past life that I refer to with more 168 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. pleasure than the work of establishing a Chamber of Commerce in the city of my birth and home of my life. But this pleasure is more than doubled by the receipt of your invitation, after the lapse of fifty years, to attend the opening of a new building erected by the Chamber of Commerce and Merchants' Exchange for their permanent home. I shall not be able to attend. I can not leave my winter home here on the Atlantic seashore. I assure you that I am charmed b}' your invita- tion to attend this celebration. It is a laudable purpose, and will help to open the thoughts of members and enlarge their ideas, and will have a good influence upon those who, sooner or later, will take their places in this home of the business world of Cincinnati. Thanking yon for your kind remembrance of me, I am Respectfully yours, J. M. McCULLOUGH. CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 1G9 From the Xcw York Stock Exchange: New York Janl ary 28, 1889. Your kind invitation to send a committee of this exchange to participate in the celebration of the fiftieth year of your association was pre- sented to the Governing Committee at a meeting held this day, and I am instructed by them to thank you for your courteous remembrance, and to say that they regret that their business cares and engagements this week will prevent their acceptance of it. Wishing you and your association every suc- cess, I am Sincerely yours, GEORGE W. ELY. Secrciary. 'from a Vicc-PrcsH of the National Board of Trade: PlIILADF.I.l'HIA. JANI^ -^R^' 25- 1889. I regret that very numerous engagements pre- vent my acceptance of your invitation; but I beg to congratulate the Cincinnati Chamber of Com- 170 DEDICATORY KXERCISES. merce on the erection, completion, and occnpancy of the grand bnilding yon now dedicate to the commerce of yonr city. Philadelphia, nnlike Cincinnati, has lost mnch of its commercial power by having allowed the formation of small trade organizations. By nnion yon have strength and wealth, an example of power which the whole conntry shonld emulate. Allow me to wish the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce continned pros- perity and nsefnlness, and to offer the sentiment, "In nnity there is strength." Yonrs very trnly, BENJAMIN S. JANNEY, Jr. From the Prcsidcnl of tJic Boston Mcrc/iants' Ass'n : BosTox, January 26. 1889. «c I beg to acknowledge the receipt this morning of the complimentary card of invitation to the festivities attending the dedication of yonr new bnilding. It appears to be a magnificent strnc- tnre, and )-on are to be congratnlated. Nothing CIXCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 171 would ^^ive me more pleasure than to look upon it within and without, and at the same time to become acquainted with the solid men of Cincin- nati who have been instrumental in projecting and completing so great an undertaking. At some future date I trust to have that pleasure. It would be impossible now. With great respect, JONATHAN A. LANE. From the Commissioner of Internal Revenue: Washington, D. C, January 26, 1889. • I regret very much my engagements here will prevent my acceptance of the invitation extended to me by the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce to attend a promenade concert on Tuesday, the 29th instant, and the dedication of its new building on Wednesday, the 30th instant. Yours truly, JOSEPH S. MILLER. 172 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. From tlic CJianibcr of Commerce of Ha)wver : Hanover, Germany, January 30, 1889. Hearty greetings for to-day's opening of yonr Chamber of Commerce. MEYER, SEVERIT. From the Belfast Chamber of Commerce: Belfast, Ireland, January 26, 1889. I beg to acknowledge the receipt of yonr cir- cular of the loth instant, and to congratulate you on the proposed celebration of the fiftieth year of your association. Both time and distance prevent delegates from this Chamber being at the meet- ing. Yours, etc., SAMUEL VOUCH, ^-^v. From the hicorp. Cha»iber of Commerce of Liverpool : Liverpool, Eng., February 7, 1889. I have to acknowledge the receipt of your kind invitation to three representatives of this Chamber to join in the dedicatory exercises at the CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 173 Opening of yonr new building, and also to express regret that time and distance did not permit of the invitation being accepted. With best wishes for your Chamber's prosperity, and thanking you for thinking of such distant friends, I am, dear sir, yours faithfully, THOMAS H. BARKER, Sec'y. From the Chamber of Commerce of Paris : Paris, France, January 30, 1S89. We promptly informed the Chamber of Com- merce of Paris of the receipt of your letter in- viting our body to send delegates to represent it at the ceremonies of inauguration of the new building of the Chamber of Commerce of Cincin- nati. Our Chamber has been forced regretfully to answer that no one of its members could find it feasible to go to Cincinnati to be present at the celebration in question, and therefore begs to apologize for not being able to respond afifirma- tivelv to the invitation which vou have done us 174 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. the honor to address to ns, and for which our association expresses to you its warmest thanks. Please accept, Mr. President, the assurance of our highest esteem. M. POIRRIER, President. MARTIAL BERNARD. Sec'y. From {he Lii'crpool Prodnci' Excliaugc: LivKRi'ooL, ExG., Jaxiary 29, 1889. I am directed by the President of this Ex- change to tender you his best thanks for your kind invitation to the ceremony of the dedication of your handsome new building. We greet you with hearty good wishes for the prosperit>- of your institution. Faithfully yours, (rEORGE E. CURZON. From CJiamhcr of Commerce of Marseilles : M.\RsEir.r-Es. Eraxc 1:, J.vxr ary 28, 18S9. Our Chamber returns its thanks to you, ]\Ir. President, for your very courteous invitation, and CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 175 would have been very orlad to arranfre for repre- sentation at the celebration of the openino- of your new building-; but the distance which separates us and the brief time that now inter\-enes make it impossible for us to accept your oracious invita- tion. Our Chamber authorizes me to request you to be kind enough to convey to your Chamber, as well as to receive for yourself, this expression of our very sincere regrets, and also to accept this declaration of our profoundest esteem. C. FABRE. President. From the Boutoi^uc CJianihiT of Coninicrcc : Bol I,0(,NE, Fr ANCK. FkURT AKV 6, 18S9. At our last meeting I called the attention of my worth)' colleagues to the letter which \o\\ did me the honor to address to me for the purpose of inviting this body to provide for its represen- tation by two of our members at the opening of the new edifice of the Chamber of Commerce of Cincinnati, as well as at the celebration of 176 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of your commercial organization. The Chamber of Com- merce of Boulogne authorizes me to tender you oiir special thanks for this invitation, and to assure you of our keen regret at being unable to send delegates to represent us at your inaugural and semi-centennial ceremonies. Please accept, Mr. Secretary, this humble ac- knowledgment of my highest esteem. ilURET LAGACHE, President. ■ From the Havre Chamber of Commeree: ' Havre, France, January 21, 1889. I thank you for your cordial invitation of the 19th of January, confirmed since by three special invitations to be placed in the hands of the delegates. Our Chamber of Commerce regrets exceedingly not to be able to transmit to you its acceptance. Your letter came to hand a little late, so as not to permit us to take such action as would have been necessary in the case, and CI NCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 177 besides that each one of its members is now retained at Havre by his affairs, and finds him- self at this moment unable to absent himself for the length of the voyage. Please accept, Mr. vSecretary, the assurances of mv highest regards. F. MALLE, President. From the Merchants' Guild of Berlin: Berlin, Germany, Januaky 21, 1889. The highly -respected Chamber of Commerce at Cincinnati has done us the honor to invite some of our members to the celebration of its fiftieth anniversary. We unfortunately are not in a position to accept this kind invitation, as the celebration will occur on the 30th of January; but you may rest assured that we shall think of you on that day with sincere sympathy. As we know ourselves and all Germany to be united with the United States by innumerable intel- lectual and material interests, we can offer you 178 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. the heartiest and most joyfiil congratulations on the great development which your city and its environs have shown in the last fifty years, and to which at your celebration you may look with pride. Your famous city takes a prominent place in the commerce of the most necessary produc- tions of agriculture, of live-stock, tobacco, hides, leather, wool, wood, lumber, and cotton, and in some large branches of industry, such as iron, wood, and leather. We heartily desire that the great success which has so far distinguished your labors will remain with you in the future. The Seniors of the Merchants' Guild of Berlin, Frent/el. Wm. Leue, Kaemof. Frcfiu tlic Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce and Industry: Stuttgart, Germany. Janiary 17, 1889. We thank you for your kind invitation to the dedicatory ceremonies on the 30th of this month, and while we sincerely regret, on account of the OI^XINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 17! great distance, we can not take part in them, we congratnlate yon on this important event, and wish yon fnrther snccess in >onr new home. \'er}- respectfnlly, JOHS, President. Dr. HUBER, Secretary. From General H. ]'. Boyutoii: Washington. D. C, January 15, 1889. Accept my sincere thanks for the invitation to be present at the dedication of \'onr new bnilding on the 30th instant. I am sorry that I can not come. There are man}- pleasant memories for me in the days when the Chamber gave its hall and the hard work of its members to some of the dnties which war reqnires of citizens. Many strong ties of friendship date back to those days. In these times of peace it is pleasant to those citizens of Cincinnati resident here to be con- stantly reminded that under its present efficient management the Annnal Reports of the Cham])er 180 DEDICATORY KXKRCISKS. rank highest ainoiijj;- similar ])nblicatioiis with the Executive I)e])artiiieiits and the Conniiittees of Congress having to do witli e', dignity, grace, and beanty of your new Chamber charac- terize the proceedings within its walls at all times. VV. S. lIARVli^'. From LiciilciiiDil -Cotinitaiidcr I 'a//, U. S. N.: OlKKI', OI' LkjII r-l!()lJSK I.NfSI'lX TOK,^ Cincinnati, January 23. 1889. ** I feel very highly honored, I assure nou, in receiving your kind invitation, and extrenieh- regret that my duties will j)revent my accepting. CINCINNATI CHAMBER OK COMMKRCK. 181 as I will be away from the city making an in- spection trip of (lOvcrnnR-nt beacon -lights all this month and a portion of I-Y-brnary. Very respectfnlly and sincerely, IIOLMAN VAIL, /.iciil.-CoiniiKDtder U. S. N. Letters of regret were received from — J. A. Price, vScranton, Penn., N. I). Sperry, New Haven, Conn., Alden J. Blethen, Minneapolis, Minn., vSidney P.. Roby, Rochester, N. Y., Ambrose vSnow, New York Cit>-, I'icc-rrcs' Is Salio)inl Board of Trade; C. Polbev, Ini])'l German Consul, Cincinnati; R. H. Harris, Delegate from Dnlnth, Minn.; P)()ard of Trade, Wilmington, Del.; vSan I'Vancisco Produce P^xchange; Wilmington (N.C.) Produce P^xchange; Merchants' I^xchange and P>oard of Trade, Portland, Maine; 182 DEDICATORY P^XERCISRS. New Orleans Produce Exchange; Mobile Chamber of Commerce; Chamber of Commerce, Petersburg, \'a.; New York Mercantile Exchange; Philadelphia Maritime Exchange; Helena (Montana) Board of Trade; New York Board of Trade and Transport' n ; Board of Trade, Trenton, N. J.; Chamber of Commerce, Minneapolis, Minn.: Denver Cham, of Com. and Board of Trade: Savannah Cotton Exchange; Vicksburg Cotton Exchange; New Orleans Cotton Exchange; Montreal P.oard of Trade; PMinburgh Chamber of Commerce; Chamber of Commerce, Toulouse, Erauce; Chamber of Commerce, Copenhagen, Den.; Chamber of Commerce, Halle-on-Saale, Gqy. Merchants' Cruild, Danzig, (rermany; Chamber of Commerce, Halberstadt, (rcr. ; Chamber of Commerce, Worms, Germany; CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMKRCK. 183 Chamber of Commerce, Frankfort -on -the - Oder, Germany; Chamber of Commerce, ^^linden, (iermany; Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uppei Bavaria, :Munich, Crermany; Chamber of Commerce, Birmingham, Eng.; Swansea (Wales) Chamber of Commerce; Chamber of Commerce, Frankfort - on - the Main, Crermany; :^Ierchants' Guild, Memel, Crcrmany; Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chem nitz, Germany ; Chamber of Commerce, Leipzig, Germany. 184 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. THE EXCURSION. The railwa}- companies ha\-ino- invited tlie guests and the membership to an excursion around and through the city, a party filling five coaches left the station of the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railway at half past two o'clock. After passing over the Louisville and Nashville Rail- road, the Newport and Cincinnati bridge, and the Kentucky Central Railroad, visiting Newport and Covington, they eventually reached the new Ohio- river bridge of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, on which they returned to Cincinnati. They then passed over the Cincinnati, Washington and Bal- timore and Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis railways to Ivorydale, returning to the city over the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton and the Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Chicago tracks to the Central Union Station. CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 185 THE BANQUET. The celebration of the day closed with the banquet in the evenincr, for which the Scottish Rite Cathedral on Broadway had been courteously placed at the disposal of the Chamber of Com- merce. After a reception, during which Prof. A. Nembach, the organist, performed a number of selections, dinner was announced, whereupon the great company, Adam Weber's Orchestra leading, marched to the dining-room, which had been arranged to seat four hundred and fifty persons. .Vbout eleven o'clock Captain C. M. Holloway, the toast-master of the evening, called the assem- blage to order, and said: Cciiflcmcii of tlic Cincinnati Chan/her of C\vn- incnc and I'isi/ino l}clrgatcs fnnn other Cities: It is with a feeling of mingled pride and pleasure that I rise to fulfill the duties of my office as 186 DEDICATORY EXERCISKS. toast-master in this distinguished presence and on this auspicious occasion. We are met to-night to commemorate by a fitting close of the exer- cises of to-day an important epoch in the history of Cincinnati. It would be superfluous for me to endeavor to add to the glory of the occasion or the greatness of our city by personal observations of my own, after the exhaustive and eloquent oration of this morning by the Hon. Edward F. Noyes, who immortalized himself. I ma)-, however, call your attention to the fact that Cincinnati may be visited l)y floods, h\ dreadful riot and attendant fire — and, I ma\- add, by excessive taxation — but that the energy and enterprise of her substantial citizens can not be dampened by any or all of these dire calamities is to-day evidenced by the dedication of that grand structure for commercial intercourse which will ever stand as a fitting monument to the stability and worth of those who have irone before, and which will serve as CIXCIXNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 187 a beacon-light for the guidance and emulation •of the generations that are to follow. Words fail me in attempting to express the pleasure with which we will go into our Chamber, upon which the e\'e of each and every member has rested with proud complacenc)' from the time of its inception until the hour of its completion. We are not here to-night, however, for the purpose of listening to labored efforts on the part of an inexperienced toast-master, but are all on the (jiii rii'i' of expectation to attend upon the many witticisms and bright sayings which will emanate from the minds of the silver-tongued orators who are to follow. We have in our midst representatives from the leading institutions of commerce of the great sister cities of this great Republic. The North, the South, the East, and the West have all con- tributed to do us honor upon this the great occa- sion of our commercial histor\-, and it would be presumptuous in me to longer encroach upon the 188 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. time which is justly theirs. Gentlemen, I thank you for your attention. The toast-master then announced the toasts of the evening. I. The Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce: " If'e may build more splendid habitations. Fill our rooms with paintings and with sculptures, But we can not Buy with gold the old associations. " President Morrison was called upon to respond to this toast, and spoke as follows: Mr. CJiainuau and (rcutloiicu : In glancing over the list of toasts I discover that I am the only Cincinnatian expected to respond. The commit- tee's reason for this is obvious. It is their desire that this should be an e\-ening fully given o\-er to our guests, and when I sur\-ey the list of able speakers who are to follow I am admonished to be brief. In the name of the Cincinnati Chamber of CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMKRCK. 1 Sf» Coiiiinerce, whose guests you are, I a^ain l)id \ou a most cordial aud hearty welcouie. We liiolih- appreciate the houor of your presence here on tliis very interesting occasion, that is so dear to the heart of every good citizen, and desire to recog- nize it by every act of courteous and attentive and affectionate hospitality. Cincinnati, having celebrated her centennial year, is no longer a youthful city, going forward in the race with the bounding steps of her more ambitious sisters of the West. Hut we are not jealous; we rejoice in their prosperity. We can not boast of their giant elevators or mammoth packing-houses, or of their vast volume of option trading; but we can show that development of manufacturing industries that insures a steady progress, and constant employment to a rapidh- increasing population of contented and happy ])eople. Over these interests the Chamber of Commerce has thrown a fostering^ care that has done much 190 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. for their encouragement. Its membership is per- haps more thoronghh' representative of diversified interests than that of any other similar institution in the country. In this it is (;^rrying out its true destiny, and is the beacon-light pointing the way wherein the genius of our people find their best development. In the future, as in the past, I can safely pledge Cincinnati and her leading institution — her Chamber of Commerce — to stand in the fore- front of progress, the supporter and advocate of every thing that is progressive, refining, and that goes to elevate mankind. II. The Northwest: Day hy day its hoinid- ar/rs arr )]iadc more uncertain by f/ie march oj cii'ilization. Responded to by Mr. John Johnston, of Mil- waukee, who, on being introduced, said : Mr. President, Gentlemen of the Chamber of Commerce of Cincinnati., and (jiwsts: I crave your CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMKRCK. 191 inditlt^eiice if I fail to respond to this toast in a becoming manner, inasmnch as I was not aware that I would be called upon to do so till a few minutes ago. And first of all permit me to convey to the business men of Cincinnati here assembled the most hearty congratulations of the Chamber of Commerce of Milwaukee and of the two hundred and twenty thousand inhabitants of the fairest city of the lakes on the completion and suc- cessful dedication this day of yonder s^■mmetrical, unique, and substantial Temple of Trade, em- blematic in its massive strength and proportions of the well-known reputation for solidity of the merchants of this beautiful metropolis. The toast speaks truly of the uncertain con- fines of the great Northwest. Thirt)' years ago Milwaukee was considered as a cit>' of the F'ar Northwest; now it is a city from which men begin to start for the Northwest. The watch-fires of civilization are being lit everv vear farther to the 192 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. west, and now even in tlie land of the Dakotas new States are being planted, while "Behind the scar'd sciuaw's birch canoe The steamer smokes and raves, And city • lots are staked for sale Above old Indian graves." Fifty years ago, when this Chamber of Commerce was first organized, the territory now comprising Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, and Dakota did not contain sixty thonsand people, and it has now a popnlation of nearly six million. Year after year thonsands and tens of thonsands of the bone and sinew of the nations of northern Europe have been ponring on to "those gardens of the desert for which the speech of England has no name — the Prairies." Milwaukee was once the greatest primary wheat-market of the world; but now the wheat-center has moved far to the northwest, and Wisconsin and Iowa now rejoice in a very diversi- fied agriculture, while Milwaukee has over thirty CIXCIXXATI CHAMBER OK CO.MMKRCE. 193 thousand hands employed in her factories, niakino- machinery, clothes, knitted goods, trnnks, bnggies, leather, boots and shoes, pork, and beer for the millions in the great region tributary to her trade. The rapid settlement of the Northwest would have been wholly impossible had it not been for the wonderful growth of commerce, which never fails to reward successful invention and thereby stimulate genius. Our great system of railways and telegraphs has been the result of commerce, and bv their agency has the (yreat West been filled with people. B\- them the nations of the earth are now bound together in the closest in- timacy. If a commodity is wanted in any market of the world, it is supplied from the remotest corners of the globe just as fast as electricity can carry the news and steam can bring the desired com- modity forward. We seem to hear the voice of the ancient prophet, '\Say unto the Kast give up, 194 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. and unto the West keep not back; bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth." Old Rome in the days of her imperial great- ness brought wheat from Egypt to the Tiber in her great triremes; but we are almost lost in wonder when we think what astounding advance- ment has been made in transportation by sea since then. If we estimate six men as equal to one horse -power, it would take over a hundred thousand oarsmen to propel one of our largest ocean-steamers, and when we consider that they must have food and sleep, it would take over two hundred thousand men to row the steamship ''City of New York" from America to Liverpool. It is only since the dawn of this the reign of com- merce that such achievements ha\-e been possible. Commerce is gradually conquering the world to civilization. " Far as the breeze can bear the billows' foam, Survey her empire and behold her home." CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 195 She is bridoino- the rivers, tiniiieliiio^ the inouii- tains, and sendiii«- her messaoes on the light- ning's flash through the dark depths of the ocean. Every mile of railroad that is built, every line of telegraph that is erected, every ship that crosses the ocean, tends to bind the nations closer in the bonds of brotherhood, and helps on the day when the purple testament of bleeding war shall be closed to be opened no more forever. Gentlemen of Cincinnati, I congratulate you on the proceedings of this day as marking another triumph of successful trade. III. The South : Kipcuino; these many years under a olorioits s/tii, lura' in its full friiitfubiess^ offers us the opportunity of the future. Reponse by Mr. George S. Kinney, of Nash- ville, who spoke as follows: Mr. Chairman and (ientleme/i of the Chamber of Co)nmeree of Cineinnati : It affords me great 19<; DEDICATORY EXERCISES. pleasure to meet you ou this occasiou, aud it affords uiy associates, Mr. Charles Nelson and ]\Ir. John N. Sperry, who with myself had the honor of having been selected as delegates by the ^Merchants' Exchange of Nashville to the Cham- ber of Commerce of Cincinnati, great pleasure that we are present with you on this auspicious oc- casion. We are here as delegates from that body to bring you the congratulations of the merchants and of the citizens generally of Nashville, and of the people of the State of Tennessee — to con- gratulate you on having erected one of the most magnificent buildings that it was ever my pleasure to behold. I assure you, gentlemen, that it was a great gratification to be present with you to-day, and to be a witness to the dedication of so grand a structure as this Temple of Commerce. Before proceeding to reply to the toast — " The South" — I will say that the fame, the honor, the integrity, and the fair-dealing of the merchants of Cincinnati are not localized. You are known CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. I'Jl all through this broad land; you are known from one end of this broad land to the other as men of energy, as men of honor, as men of integrity and fair-dealing. We in the South know you well; we have had dealings with you for years and years; and I may with a great deal of pleasure say to-night that after we emerged from the late civil war, when homes were desolate, when the people were poor, who came to the people of the South and offered them aid and assistance? It was the citizens of Cincinnati wdio came to us and helped us on our feet, gave us credit, and said to us to be hopeful and energetic in the future; and I trust that we have in some degree manifested our appreciation of your generous sympathy by a return of a liberal share of the patronage of that section of our countr\-. The people of the South feel that the\- and you are one; and I do assure you to-night that I can tender you the congratu- lations of every State in the South, which I now cordiallv extend to von. The noblest effort vou 198 DEDICATORY EXERCISKvS. ever put forth to show your iuterest and friend- ship for the South was when you spent twenty- eight millions of dollars to build the Cincinnati Soiithern Railroad; that was a test of your energy; that showed your skill and abilit>'. We only regret that you have not given us a branch into Nash- ville, and we believe that it will some day come; that you will branch out and come directly to Nashville. Now, while you have done so much -for your city and for your State, much more remains for you to do; your career is not ended. We have a grand and glorious country; such a republic as the world never before witnessed. It is our duty to go forward, and with a united effort try to bring her up greater and grander than any of the commercial nations of the civilized world. How- can we do it? We know full well that history, both ancient and modern, tells us that no people ever gained any prominence until they went out and sought commerce from other shores. The CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 199 idea has existed for three thousand years that a nation to become prominent and inflnential in hnman affairs mnst build up a commerce with the outer world by similar methods to those which vou have employed in building up Cincinnati and her great commerce. It is commerce that starts all powers in human affairs in this world. Now, gentlemen, as I had occasion to state a few years ago at Chicago, on the occasion of its opening the Board of Trade Building, what we want are lines of steamships plying from our ports on the Atlantic and Pacific down to Mexico, Central America, and the States of South America and the West Indies, there to secure a great trade, which should have been ours to-day. The General Government has granted aid to the build- ing of railroads in the United States five hundred millions of dollars from the public domain and from her treasury. We have one hundred and fifty thousand miles of railroads in the United States more than the balance of the civilized 200 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. world. Just think of this conntr\-, only one hundred and ten years old, with a population of only three million when it started out, and to-day she has seventy millions of people, and the census of 1890 will wdien reported corroborate this esti- mate. Now, if we can get the Government of the United States to aid, if only by granting favorable mail contracts, ship -lines down the Atlantic and down the Pacific coasts and to the West Indies, we will imdoubtedly secure a trade wliich should have been in our possession years ago. What are the facts? In 1884 we bought from the Empire of Brazil fifty million dollars' worth of sugar, coffee, etc. How much did we sell her? But eight million dollars' worth. How do these figures stand as to the commerce of England with that country? Just about the reverse. She sold to Brazil thirt}-six million dollars' worth of goods and bought from her about twenty- four million dollars' worth. The vSoutli American govern- ments have sugar, coffee, and other raw materials CINCINNATI CHAMHER OF C0M:MHRCE. which we purchase annually of them; we have the manufactured products needed by them, and which they purchase annually from England, France, and Germany. I believe that it is through the boards of trade of the great cities of this country that we will ultimately get hold of that trade. You are the practical men. You understand the appre- ciation of business principles absolutely necessary to designing a successful effort in that direction; politicians understand the theoretical part. It is you who will have to build up and get that trade; and I believe that )'OU can do it. Now, I want to say one word more. One thing has militated against our interests, and that is the monetary question of this country. It is well known to you all that in 187 1 or 1872 the Gov- ernment of Germany demonetized silver, neces- sitating France to follow suit by the stoppage of the free coinage of silver by the Bank of France. England had demonetized it years before. What was the result? vSilver, having been thus debased 202 d?:dicatory exercises. and stripped of its purchasino- power, no longer equal with gold as a measure by which the value of all the connnodities of the world was to be determined, was itself relegated to the category of a comniodit)', and as such its own \-alue was arbitrarily defined and determined b\- the impe- rial and autocratic gold dollar of England and Germany, which has through the cupidity and unscrupulousness of the capital classes of those governments been forced upon the civilized world for the purpose of accumulating greater wealth into fewer hands b)- robbing the masses of the people of the fruits of honest toil. I repeat, What has been the result? Kxamine the reports of the sales of breadstufifs, provisions, raw mate- rials, and manufactured articles which have taken place in the principal markets of the world for the past fifteen or twenty years, and \ou will observe a general decline in the price of all com- modities — even the wages of daily labor have l)een forced to succumb to the general downward CINCINNATI CHAMBER OK COMMERCE. 203 tendency. In modern times the amonnt of the two precious metals in use as a circulating me- dium throughout the world has been estimated at seven billion dollars, about equally divided between the two metals. Therefore the debasing of three and one half billion dollars of the me- tallic currency of the world, and stripping it of its purchasing power", has increased the purchasing power of gold to so great an extent that those governments go into all the principal markets of the world with their autocratic and inflated gold dollar, and purchase a dollar and a quarter's worth of the products of the world. Just here is where the .shoe pinches most ; for the price of all the breadstuflfs, provisions, and raw materials exported b>- the United States to Europe is regulated and determined by the autocratic and inflated gold dollar. From the ages of antiquity down to the present century the people of the civilized world, with one voice, have proclaimed gold and silver th.e 204 DEDICATORY KXKRCISES. just and rij^htful circnlatiiio' mediunis for the exchange of the prodncts of the world. Go back to the early days of civilization. We find that the proportional value of gold to silver in ancient Greece was as one to thirteen; in Rome during the Republic as one to ten, and in the Impe- rial Go\'ernment of Rome as one to thirteen. In Europe during the fifteenth century as one to twelve; in Japan at the beginning of the present century as one to eight; in China as one to ten; in India as one to eleven; then as one to twelve, thirteen, or fourteen in advancing westward; and in Spain and all the countries of modern Europe as one to sixteen; but in some of the countries of modern Europe to-day as one to fifteen and one half, and in this couutr\- as one to sixteen. But an examination of the London market reveals the fact that the price of pure gold is twenty dollars and sixty-six cents per troy ounce, and the price of pure silver is ninety -eight cents per tro>- ounce; their proportional value being as one of CINCINNATI CHAMIIKR OI- COMMKRCI!. 205 crold to twenty-one of silver. Never before in the history of the world did such disparity exist in the value of the two metals as at the present time. The alarmino- amount of twenty -five to thirty per cent decrease in the value of silver has been reached since 187 1. Of the forty or forty-five metals known to the scientists of the world, all of them, includino- silver, have within the same period of time suffered a similar depreciation in value, with the exception of ^rold, which has increased. Now, what we want is a currency of the two precious metals — gold and silver. We want gold and silver dollars to be equally valuable, and to be recognized as equally valuable all over the world. We have practically got that in this coun- try; but what I mean is that we want them to be understood as worth one hundred cents on the dollar not only in this country, but everywhere, (k'utlemen, did you ever hear of a country that demonetized silver consulting the masses of the 206 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. people of that country? Did they ever call a mass-meetin^^' and ask its opinion about it. I tell you we have almost robbed the masses of the people — the v/orkman that owns his shop, that owns his tools; for to-day we are told that a silver dollar is worth only eit^ht}'-five cents. The stamp of the Government is upon it; it sa)'s that it is worth one hundred cents. Who is it that says that it is worth only eio-hty-fi\'e cents? It is Eng- land and Crermany, our competitors for the trade of the South American States, and they are silver- using governments, with whom we could easily adjust a silver currenc)' for the mutual exchange of our products for those of the South American States. This accomplished, England, France, and (lermany would be forced to unite in the resto- ration of silver as a currency to enable them to compete with us for the trade of those states. We might as well permit governments to tamper with the yard -stick, the bushel -measure, or the pound- weight as to let them take hold of the monetarv CINXINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMKRCH. 207 interests, and demonetize the valne of one metal and thus appreciate the vahie of the other. I return von thanks again for your kindness. I want to say that I witnessed this morning some Ladies in your halh It was gratifying to see them there. They are the emblem of all that is pure and of all that is admirable in this world, and the higher they stand in the admiration of man, that much greater will the men themselves be. Thev are the ones who stand by us in suc- cess; thev are the ones who console us in times of trouble ; and that character never was stronger or more beautifully portrayed than when she clung to the foot of the Cross, and there witnessed our God dying for the salvation of man. l\. The West: '/7/c hovu- of tJic icild lliynic and S(7or (n botanical license under 7clncli revenne can be collected, bnt the antlior not in/prisoned). Mr. Charles H. Dodd, of Portland, Oregon, was introduced, and in responding congratulated 208 DEDICATORY KXKRCISKS. the assembled merchants upon the magnificent building which they had erected — a building, he said, surpassed by none. He spoke of the Bank of St. George, Genoa, Italy, of which our Chamber is almost the fqc simile. He said that his congratu- lations were sincere, because from jMarietta, Ohio, came the pioneers who established the trading- posts in Puget Sound, that the Hudson Bay Com- pany might no longer hold undisputed swa)- over the trade of that country. " Where is the Amer- ican Desert which we saw on the maps in our boyhood," said he. Then he spoke in glowing terms of the mighty progress of the Pacific Coast. " The first we knew of the West was when Phoe- nician merchants went out to the barren and bleak shores of England. In 1620 it was at Ply- mouth Rock, and now where the waves of the Pacific wa.sh the Golden Cxate — that, that is the West." Continuing, he said: "To you, gentle- men, we come for help to develop and increase this mighty West. All of us come with one CIXCIXNATI CHAMBKK OK CU.M.MKRCK. 209 thought — the prosperity of America. Let lis get the trade that belongs to us — Mexico and the States of Central and South America. Who have it? Cyermany, France, England. I was the first American who crossed the Andes. I was in search of trade. I did not find it then; but Himes have changed, and now it is to be had with proper management." \'. New York: Jllien- one is zco)it to go, and, ivanting, can that zcant supply. Mr. B. S. Clark, of New York, was called upon to respond to this sentiment. Mr. Clark said that he was not accustomed to making speeches, and that he would not do more than venture a few remarks. He spoke of the marvelous growth of Cincinnati, and in alluding to the West intimated that New York must look to her laurels. He briefly tendered thanks for the reception which his colleague and he had received, and while as- suring the membership of the Cincinnati Chamber 210 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. of Commerce of the cordial feeling entertained for them by the members of the New York Cotton Exchange, which he had the honor to represent, expressed the hope that the welfare and progress of their association might be all that was promised by the anspicions opening of their new bnilding, VI. Chicago, the city of surprises: Where one knoiveth not what a day may bring forth^ and after kmnciiig sometimes ci'ishes it had been some other day. The toast-master introdnced Mr. George F. Stone, Secretary of the Chicago Board of Trade, who spoke as follows: Mr. President: It is well for ns as a people, so intense, so active, so much absorbed in the present, once in a while to look back over the past and forward to the possibilities of the futnre; to turn aside from the turmoil and exactions which are inseparable from the struggle for ex- istence while we indulge in those amenities and CINCINNATI CHAMBKR OF COMMERCE. 211 in an unhindered recognition of those qualities which in a special manner constitute the lasting rewards and satisfactions of life. This has been a day which has inevitably given rise to these thoughts. It has been a pleasure to recall the inspiring history of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce; its early alli- ance with great and imperishable principles; its varied contributions to the maintenance of mer- cantile honor; its broad influence in the formation of a wise and progressive national policy, affect- ing not alone, nor chiefly, its local prosperity, but that of all sections of our wonderful domain. Such a history, sir, it is, I assure you, gratifying for the Chicago Board of Trade to emphasize, and to which I most gladly testify. That this grand result was accomplished by individual manhood, by a refined intercourse, and by distinguished instances of superior and large minds is too obvious to require elucidation. Chicago unfeign- edly rejoices in your deserved renown, written 212 dp:dicatory exercisks. in the chronicles of this day, the visible expres- sion of which is yonder stately strncture. Yonr past is the sufficient guarantee of an unsullied future. But, Mr. President, to the toast, the response to which I could not refrain from delaying while I, though imperfectly and without preparation, uttered the thoughts which were uppermost in my mind. "Chicago, a city of surprises!" It is, I think, a most appropriate designation. The growth of Chicago has been not only a surprise to the inhab- itant, but to the country and the world. I will not attempt to account for that development or describe at length its proportions. I will, how- ever, refer to her population in 1830 of seventy vigorous, energetic, expectant souls, and now of eight hundred thousand. I might point you to her parks, residences, warehouses, and public structures ; to her charities ; and to her recon- struction, as it were by magic, after the fierce CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 213 fire which in 1871 consumed every thing save her indomitable spirit. But I infer you indulge in pleasantries in proposing this toast, and doubt- less refer to her markets, active and sometimes surprising. Her last surprise in that connec- tion was when in the interest of commerce she suddenly increased her storage -room for grain, astonishing those who had but an imperfect con- ception of her resources. You will permit me to adopt your definition by declaring that Chicago is a surprising city. I am indebted to you for the compliment. Gentlemen, the delegation which I have the honor to represent esteem it a privilege to have participated in the exercises of this da>-, and con- gratulate the citizens of Cincinnati upon your achievements and prospects. May your magnifi- cent temple this day dedicated to an enlightened commerce typify, in the future as in the past, all that is noble, energetic, wise, and comprehen- sive, and be daily thronged with nierchants who 214 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. shall represent not only mercantile integrity, bnt patriotism and charity, and all that renders life exalted and beneficent. " Do we remember how in kingly Rome Great temples looked to Heaven's aspiring dome, Gilt on their sphered summits the high word, Deo 1 — inscribed to one almighty God — Optimo 1 — best upon majestic throne — Maximo! — greatest, highest, God alone? With these three words your structure must be crowned — Domed heights — so shall they to His praise redound I " VII. Baltimore: lliat ))iau works iccll tJiat eats ivcll: — To terra pin your fleeting hopes If on the land you stay ; Leave not your canvas back behind If on the sea you stray. The foregoing toast having been annonnced, Mr. William S. Young, of Baltimore, was intro- duced and responded, saying: CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. -15 Mr. President and Gentlemen: I have heard so much to-day of the greatness of different cities of this broad land that I am ahnost dazed. Before the gentleman from Wichita made his address as a part of your dedicatory exercises this morning I had somehow come to the con- clusion that Baltimore had some claim to dis- tinction, but I promptly withdrew the claim in silence. I observed that the speakers from New York and Chicago had very little to say beyond complimentary allusions to yourselves ; but I can readily account for it on the theory that Wichita had taken the wind out of their sails. The perusal of your menu and the language used in the toast to which I am trying to respond indicate that Baltimore must be somewhere about; for terrapin, canvasback-duck, and oysters are with us " to the manner born," and we are always happy to honor your sight-draft for those delicacies. 216 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. I was amazed at the recital by your orator this morning, in your beautiful Chamber of Commerce, of the progress of the State of Ohio and of your charming city of Cincinnati. Now, I have some reminiscences of my own, dating back more than forty years. This is not the Cincinnati which I first knew then, nor are your present streets the succession of abominable holes and quagmires which exasperated me in frequent .rides in your omnibus line out Western Row to the Brighton House. My first recollection of your Chamber of Com- merce was an assembly of merchants in a dingy room on Walnut Street, with as keen an appre- ciation of the almighty dollar then as you have now, trading for an hour or two in almost every thing which was marketable. About the middle of the day the solid men, as we now call them, gathered for the great event of the session — to hear the dispatches from elsewhere, quoting almost every thing dealt in in the country. The CINXINNATI CHAMBER OK COMMERCK. 217 last telegram of all usually read somethiug like this: ''Pittsburgh, September 7th. River uine and three fourth inches in the channel and — falling." That ended the matter until the next day at the same hour. You had some noble heroes here then, crowned with all the laurels which honestly -earned opu- lence can furnish, gone now most of them, but their light is not yet hid under a bushel. -May vou have man>- more like them to give tone and honor and profit to your intercourse in your new building. You had then the Miami Canal, with Dovle & Dickey's line of passenger-packets, start- ing daily from Main -street bridge, and arriving in Dayton (sixty -five miles distant by canal) in about twenty -two hours, all passengers safe and hearty! And this, too, without the intervention of the Inter -state Commerce Commission. You had the Little Miami Railroad, acting as a funnel into which poured all the east-bound passenger traffic concentrated here from the south, south- 218 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. west, west, and to some extent from the north and northwest. No necessity for railroad pools then! Last and best of all, yon had the Ohio River. What now? I am telling you what I saw then; you must tell me what I may see now, for I do not know. How much of your progress, of }-our growth, of your wealth is traceable directly to the agency of the Ohio River? You ma}- have heard it sneered at; or if not you, I have. But could you have had your present Cincinnati without that river, even if it does at times dwindle to a thread? Is it not the foundation on which the whole superstructure has been reared? Take navigable water away from Boston, from New York, from Philadelphia, from Baltimore, from New Orleans, from Buffalo, from Chicago, from St. Louis, and all other cities now favored with it, and how much is gone? These may be the ideas and theories of only a citizen of slow Baltimore, and not palatable elsewhere. Well, we do not CINXIXXATI CHAMBER OF COMMKRCK. 210 mount a fiery, charging steed in the morning, like onr friends in Chicago, and gallop to affluence before sunset. The gentler animal is called out for our service, and when astride of him some of our people get there. Far be it from me to attempt depreciation of the commercial importance of your present railway system. It is too vast to decry. It is too essential to the demands of impatient, fuming, hustling humanity not to be recognized. The western railway system is perhaps the best living exemplification of unwavering, profound, Christian observance of compacts upon which officers agree beforehand, and forget or misap- prehend afterward. Not so with your river. There it is moving majestically, silently from mountain to gulf — bidding you bring to its bosom your wares and merchandise and products to be floated to market without money and without price; but whispering to vou as it moves on, "Don't be too modest in 220 DEDICATORY EXERCISES. demanding for me a prominent position in the River-and-Harbor Bill." I thank you ver)- much for the kind attention you have given to me. VIII. St. Louis: JVhere East blending zuith West , mingles in happy nnison the many elements of national prosperity. This the eighth and last regular toast of the evening was responded to b>- Mr. Alex. Euston, of St. Louis, who said: Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen : The subject of the toast to which I am expected to respond is sufficient to inspire any one, but the able speakers who have preceded me have said apparently all that can be said in eulogy of the West, and have so thoroughly reviewed the wonders of the East and our national prosperit>' that but little is left for me to say. Vou certain h- do not want more statistics, nor would you find it interesting if I were to state the length of our streets, the capacit\- CINCINNATI CHAMBER OK COMMKRCK. 221 of our warehouses, or the number of trains that go from and come to the good city of St. Louis. I would rather refer to the kindly feeling which has always existed between your city and Cham- ber of Commerce association, which is now so bountifully entertaining its guests, and the city and the Merchants' Exchange which I have the honor to represent on this occasion. Many of the merchants who have reached prominence in St. Louis passed their youthful days in this city. The first earnings of many of our wealth)' manufacturers and merchants were made in Cincinnati, and many of Cincinnati's fairest daughters now preside over St. Louis homes. The bonds of friendship between us are therefore very strong, and will doubtless be lasting. The broad river which passes your doors was the earl\- means of communication between the two cities, and still forms a tie of common interest in all matters of river improve- ment. The names of \-our citizens who have '-I'L'-l DEDICATORY EXERCISES. passed away, as well as those ainono- you now distinguished for their beneficent encouragement of art, for their noble charities, and others for their sterling worth in the walks of commerce, are as familiar in vSt. Louis homes and marts as in )-our own. The stranger from Cincinnati within the gates of St. Louis rareh- feels a stranger. He will see Cincinnati manufactures on every hand, and the fragile but elegant work of your Rookwood pot- teries will be found in the homes and museums of St. Louis, aiding in cultivating the taste and love of art of the coming generation after the present has passed away. The competition and rivalry between St. Louis and Cincinnati have always been fair and friendly; and upon this occasion, that }'ou ha\-e met to rejoice over the completion of the magnificent building which is to be the future home of Com- merce in your city, no city rejoices more heartily with you than St. Louis, and no association wishes CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COM:\rERCK. '2'23 you crreater prosperit>- than the Merchants' Ex- change of vSt. Louis. The regular toasts having conchided, Mr. J. C. Klauder, of Philadelphia, on being called for, said that Philadelphia sent her greetings in the true feminine spirit of an older sister to a younger, and gloried in a sister's prosperity and enterprise. General IVIichael Ryan, Hon. Samuel F. Hunt, Ex-Governor R. B. Bullock (of Georgia), Colonel L. C. Weir (the Chairman of the Committee on Banquet), and Mr. E. N. Roth (of the St. Nicholas, the caterer of the occasion) were called for succes- sively, and responded briefly, after which adieus were made, and the members of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce turned their faces to the latter half of their first century, which they had now so successfully and hopefully entered. f^ f f i^ f -i^ ^1 . '4 f *•, ■A ■:/ ^ f