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Author:
Bishop, Joseph Bucklin
Title:
A chronicle of one
hundred & fifty years
Place:
New York
Date:
1918
9V-f-5i3oS-3
MASTER NEGATIVE «
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES
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ORIGINAL MATERIAL AS FILMED ■ EXISTING BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD
>i>eH
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Bishop, Joseph Bucklin, 1847-
A chronicle of one hundred & fifty years ; the Chamber
of commerce of the state of New York, 1768-1918, by
Joseph Bucklin Bishop . . . New York, C. Scribner 's sons,
1918.
xvi p., 1 I, 311 p. front, plates, ports., facsim. 23i"°. ^$5.00^
Bibliography: p. 296.
1. New York. Chamber of commerce of the state of New Y°f^„,Q
Library of Congress HF296.N52 1918
^— Copy 2.
Copyright A 494959
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THK CHAMBER of COMMERCE
THE STATE o£NEWYORK
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'BY
JOSEPH BUCKXIN BISHOP
,^ SlutbordB
f^The Panama uateway^
^^residential T^omimttions
itnd Elections etc.
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^EW YORK.
CHARLES SC5RIBNE»:S SONS
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COPYRIGHT, 1918
THE CHAMBER OP COMMERCE
OP THE STATE OP NEW YORK
COLUMBIA •JN1V?:RSITY LIBHARlE*
William evarts a^NjAMiN Collection
. • •
INTRODUCTORY
The founders of the Chamber of Commerce and the found-
ers of the American Union were one and the same body of
men. When they met on April 5, 1768, to establish their
commercial society they had been for three years in the fore-
front of the steadily rising tide of indignant opposition to
British rule which was to cuhninate seven years later in the
Revolution. They were engaged, some of them unconsciously,
in the momentous task of founding a free and independent
republic at the very moment when they came together to
form a union of merchants in the interest of the peaceful pur-
suits of commerce.
Clear perception of these facts is necessary for a just ap-
preciation of the high historic value of the Chamber's records.
Emerson said of Lincohi that he was the "true history of the
American people of his time." In the records of the Chamber
of Commerce for a century and a half there is to be found a
chronicle of the acts and the spirit of the American people,
not only since they became a nation but also during the epoch-
making period which immediately preceded that event, for
the birth of the society autedated the adoption of the Con-
stitution by twenty-one years.
The patriotic spirit of the society's founders was disclosed
unmistakably at their first meeting. They chose for Presi-
dent John Cruger, the man who had drawn up in 1765, in
the Stamp Act Congress of the Colonies assembled in New
York City, the famous "Declaration of Rights and Grievances
of the Colonies in America, " which was sent to the British
Parliament. When in the same year the stamps arrived and
the Royalist Governor had declared his purpose to enforce
VI
INTRODUCTORY
the Act, there was a popular uprising against their reception,
during which an effigy of the Governor was burned in Bowling
Green. John Cruger, as Mayor of the city, attended by the
aldermen, called upon the Governor and so impressed him
with the danger which impended if he attempted to enforce
the Act, that he promised to deliver the stamps to the city
authorities. What next happened is thus recorded in the
newspapers of the day: "They (the city authorities) accord-
ingly soon after, accompanied with a Prodigious Concourse
of People of all Ranks attended at the gate of the Fort,
when the Governor ordered the Paper to be given up to them;
and upon the Reception of it gave three cheers, carried it to
the City Hall and dispersed. After which Tranquillity was
restored to the City."
That the members of the Chamber were in full sympathy
with the patriotic views of their President was shown a year
later when he was re-elected. He was at the same time
Speaker of the last Colonial General Assembly ever gathered in
the colony, and in the minutes of the session of the Chamber
on May 2, 1769, it is recorded that "Mr. President reported
that he had it in charge to give the Merchants of this city
and colony the thanks of the House for their repeated, dis-
interested, public spirited and patriotic conduct in declining
the importation of goods from Great Britain until such Acts
of Parliament as the General Assembly had declared un-
constitutional and subversive of the rights and liberties of the
people of this colony should be repealed."
They were men who knew their rights and dared maintain
them, but there was a difference of opinion among them as to
the extent to which defense of their rights should be carried.
When the time arrived to defend them by taking up arms
against the mother country, many of them proved not equal
to the test. They favored conciliation by means of resistance
and protest but not to the point of revolution and separation.
INTRODUCTORY
vu
It was inevitable that the activities of a sodety, founded at
such a time and by such men, though nominally for "pro-
moting and encouraging commerce," should be extended to
a field with far wider boundaries than the words imply. From
the very beginning, the Chamber took its place as an influ-
ence in national affairs whenever there appeared in those
affairs issues affecting the national welfare and honor, and the
successors of the founders have adhered to that interpreta-
tion of its functions down to the present day, not only in
national but in state and municipal affairs as well. It is a
noble tradition and nobly has it been maintained.
Lord Morley cites in his "Recollections" a letter which
somebody wrote to Mr. Gladstone near the close of his career:
"You have so lived and wrought that you have kept the soul
alive in England." No impartial reader of the records of the
Chamber of Commerce for the past one hundred and fifty
years can escape the conviction that it has so lived and
wrought as to keep alive the patriotic spirit of its founders
and thereby to aid in keeping alive the spirit of true patriot-
ism in the land. In every crisis that has arisen since the
foundation of the republic to the present time its voice, never
hesitating, never doubtful, has been found on the side of
right^ and justice and public honor. As primarily a com-
mercial body, its history is interwoven with the commercial,
financial, and industrial history of the whole country. As a
body of public-spirited citizens, ready at aU times to uphold
and advance good government, to secure justice and fair
dealing among men, to cultivate and maintain a sound public
opinion and a true conception of patriotism,— as a genuine
moral force in the land,— the Chamber of Commerce has
throughout its career exerted a powerful influence in sup-
port of those agencies which make for progress and civiliza-
tion.
<^
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CONTENTS
PACK
Introductory v
CHAPTEK
I. Founding of the Chamber x
ORIGIN op the name — FIRST OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD.
1768.
II. Social Habits of the Period 5
PROCEEDINGS OF THE EARLY SESSIONS — REMOVAL TO NEW
quarters — OPPOSITION TO BRITISH TAXATION. 1768-
1770.
III. Royal Charter for the Chamber 12
ViaSSITUDES OF THE SEAL AND OF GOVERNOR COLDEN*S
PORTRAIT. 1 770-1 774.
IV. Early Stand for Honest Money 17
STEPS in its interest AND IN THAT OF PURE FOOD AND
BUSINESS INTEGRITY. 1768-1774.
V. "The Good of Their Country" 22
standard rates for COINS — ^prizes for FISH CATCHES.
I770-I774.
VI. Approach of the Revolution 25
JOHN ADAMS'S views OF NEW YORK IN 1 7 74 — HIS ESTI-
MATES OF MEMBERS OF THE CHAMBER. 1 7 74.
Vn. Advent of the Revolution 28
THE CHAMBER SPLIT IN TWAIN — ITS PROCEEDINGS AS A
LOYALIST BODY. 1775-1783.
Vm. British Evacuation of New York 34
RETURN of WASHINGTON AND PATRIOT EXILES — ^BANQUET
CUSTOMS OF THE FATHERS. 1 783.
iz
h
X CONTENTS
CHAPTEK VKOX
IX. Reorganization of the Chamber 39
CHARTER REVIVED BY THE STATE — ^APPROVAL OF ERIE
CANAL — MEMORIAL AGAINST FIAT MONEY. 1784-1793.
X. The Jay Treaty ^^
VALUABLE SUPPORT BY THE CHAMBER — RESULTS EF-
FECTED SESSIONS INTERRUPTED BY YELLOW FEVER
— ^INTERREGNUM OF ELEVEN YEARS. 1794-1806.
XI. Revival of the Chamber <2
FREE-TRADE ATTITUDE OF THE MEMBERS — NATIONAL
BANKRUPTCY LAW FAVORED — REMOVAL TO THE MER-
CHANTS* EXCHANGE. 1817-1827.
Xn. Active Interest in Public Affairs 57
aTY, STATE, AND NATIONAL QUESTIONS CONSIDERED —
ERIE RAILROAD FAVORED BURNING OF THE MER-
CHANTS* EXCHANGE. 1827-1836.
XIII. Fresh Life in the Chamber ($i
ADDITIONAL MEMBERS ELECTED GROWTH IN PROTECTION
SENTIMENT. 1840-1849.
XIV. New Quarters and Broader Activities .... 65
SUPPRESSION OF PRIVATEERING SOUGHT — MEETINGS IN
CLINTON HALL — FIRST ANNUAL REPORT. 1851-1858.
XV. The Civil War yi
PROMPT ACTION OF THE CHAMBER IN SUPPORTING THE
GOVERNMENT AND THE NATIONAL CREDIT. 1 86 1.
XVI. Rebuke to Pacifists m^
LEGAL-TENDER ISSUE FAVORED LETTERS FROM JOHN
BRIGHT AND ADMIRAL FARRAGUT. 1862-1863.
XVII. "Alabama" Acts Condemned gj
A CAMPAIGN OF EDUCATION IN THE CASE — REWARDS FOR
THE VESSEL'S CAPTORS. 1863-1864.
CONTENTS xi
CRAPTXK '^®*
XVIII. End of the War 86
SURRENDER OF LEE — ^DEATH OF LINCOLN — DELEGATION
TO THE FUNERAL GRATEFUL LETTER FROM SECRE-
TARY SEWARD — CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY OF THE
CHAMBER. 1865-1868.
XIX. Efforts for Honest Government 9*
COMMITTEE OF SEVENTY AND TWEED-RING DEFEAT —
SUPPORT OF POLICE INVESTIGATION — CHOLERA SCARE.
187I-1894.
XX. Assassination op Garfield 96
FUND FOR HIS* FAMILY — FAITH OF THE CHAMBER IN
PRESIDENT ARTHUR. 1 88 1. *
XXI. War with Spain 99
PROMPT SUPPORT OF THE GOVERNMENT — PANAMA
CANAL TOLLS — VALUABLE HISTORICAL EVIDENCE
FROM MR. CHOATE. 1898-I914.
XXn. Rapid-Transit Solution 105
RECORD OF THE CHAMBER — THIRTEEN YEARS OF LEAD-
ERSHIP IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SUBWAYS. 1894-
1907.
XXIII. Rapid Transit — Continued no
RECOGNITION OF MR. HEWITT*S SERVICES GOLD MEDAL
AWARDED AND STATUE ERECTED TO HIS MEMORY —
MEDALS ALSO FOR MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION.
1894-I907.
XXIV. Sound-Money Record 114
UNBROKEN FOR ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS —
DEMANDS FOR RESUMPTION OF SPECIE PAYMENTS —
OPPOSITION TO FREE SILVER. 1768-1918.
XXV. Commercial Arbitration 120
HISTORY OF THE CHAMBER'S EXPERIENCE FROM EARLI-
EST TIMES — SUCCESS OF THE SYSTEM. 1768-1918.
xu
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAOX
XXVI. The Atlantic Cable 128
SUPPORT OF THE PROJECT BY THE CHAMBER — PREC-
OGNITION OF CYRUS W. field's SERVICES. 1858-
1895.
XXVII. The Washington and Sherman Statues . . . 132
SECURED for THE CITY BY THE CHAMBER — ^DEDICA-
TION exercises. 1 883-1 903.
XXVIII. A Visit to London
139
guests of the LONDON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE — ^A
WEEK OF ENTERTAINMENTS WITH A NOTABLE BAN-
QUET. 1 901.
XXIX. Early Homes of the Chamber 144
FAMOUS historic BUILDINGS WHICH IT HAS OCCUPIED
— ITS LATER TEMPORARY ABODES. 1768-I902.
XXX. The Chamber's Permanent Home 155
FUND FOR ITS CONSTRUCTION — GREAT HALL AND
PORTRAIT GALLERY DEDICATION 'EXERCISES —
STATUES AND MEMORIAL TABLET. 1902-I9II.
XXXI. The European War 164
PREPAREDNESS AND UNIVERSAL SERVICE FAVORED —
DECLARATION OF WAR APPROVED — PORT WAR BOARD
SECURED. 1914-I918.
XXXn. Relief and Other Funds
AID FOR PERSONS IN DISTRESS FROM CALAMITIES —
FUNDS FOR THE BENEFIT OF FAMILIES OF DIS-
TINGUISHED PERSONS TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS,
$3,500,000. 1 793-1918.
169
XXXIII. Officlal and Other Duties 173
SELECTION AND REGULATION OF PILOTS — WARE-
HOUSING AND seamen's WAGES — SAILORS' SNUG
HARBOR — NAUTICAL SCHOOL — SAILORS' HOTELS
OR BOARDING-HOUSES — COMMERCIAL EDUCATION.
I791-1918.
T^
CONTENTS
CHAPTXS
XXXIV.
xiu
PAGE
Banquets in the Early Days 179
fines upon absentees — ^distinguished guests
invited — ^annual banquets established as a
permanent institution in 1873. 1769-1805.
XXXV. Earliest of the Modern Banquets . . . . 184
SPEECH BY WILLIAM M. EVARTS — PRESIDENT HAYES
AND OTHER DISTINGUISHED GUESTS — YORKTOWN
ANNIVERSARY — GENERAL GRANT ON HYPHENATED
AMERICANS. 1873-1883.
XXXVI. Statue of Liberty Banquets 189
SPEECHES BY FREDERIC R. COUDERT — LETTER FROM
A. BARTHOLDI. 1885-1886.
XXXVn. Joseph Chamberlain Chief Guest of Honor . 194
SPEECHES by him AND BY L. Q. C. LAMAR, SECRE-
TARY OF THE INTERIOR. 1887.
XXXVni. GoLDwiN Smith Chiep Guest of Honor . . 197
GENERAL SHERMAN ON "LOYALTY TO THE FLAG" —
CLEVELAND ON "WHAT TO DO WITH EX-PRESI-
DENTS." 1888-1889.
XXXIX. Financial Crisis of 1890 201
SERVICES RENDERED BY MERCHANTS — ^PRESIDENT
ELIOT ON HARVARD GRADUATES — LAST APPEAR-
ANCE AND SPEECH OF GENERAL SHERMAN — G. W.
CURTIS ON WASHINGTON IRVING. 1890.
XL. John Hay on Diplomacy 205
Cleveland's second election — lord herschell
a guest — LETTER FROM PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT.
1892-I902.
XLI. Lord Morley Chief Guest op Honor . . .
SPEECHES BY BISHOP GREER, GENERAL HORACE
PORTER, AND JOSEPH H. CHOATE — THE GUESTS AT
LATER BANQUETS. I904-I915.
210
T
II
iji
»v CONTENTS
CSAPTXa
rAGB
XLU. Formal Receptions jj^
FOREIGN VISITORS OF MANY NATIONALITIES THUS
HONORED— ALSO EMINENT AMERICANS. 1893-
I918.
XLIII. Broad Scope of Later Work 222
REVIVAL OF AMERICAN SHIPPING — RAPID TRANSIT —
STATE POLICE — NEW WATER SUPPLY. I90O-I918.
APPENDIX
I. Founding of the Chamber 220
II. Original Charter 233
in. Reaffirmed Charter 242
IV. By-Laws ^,g
V. Officers of the Chamber 262
VI. Officers and Committees of the Chamber of Com-
MERGE FOR THE YeAR EnDING MaY, I918 ... 266
VII. Roll of Members 271
VIII. Catalogue of Portraits and Sculpture .... 293
IX. Pubucations by the Chamber 296
Index ^^^
ILLUSTRATIONS
The Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York . Frontispiece
JohnCniger - '^«^^«^
Reproductions from Original Stamps of the Stamp Act, 1 765 . 10
Great Seal of the Chamber of Commerce, 1770 14
City Hall and Great Dock. 1670
Fraunces's Tavern, 1768 . . .^
' 3*
Royal Exchange, 1754
Merchants* Coffee House, 1737
Tontine Coffee House, 1796 ^
Merchants' Exchange, 1827 ^
John Bright ...
76
Admiral David G. Farragut, U. S. N o.
City HaU, New York, 1791
The Battery, New York, 1793
New York in 1706 .
116
The Federal City HaU, 1797
The Government House, 1707
* '^' 146
Great HaU of the Chamber of Commerce, First View ... 158
Great HaU of the Chamber of Commerce, Second View ... 162
H
xvi ILLUSTRATIONS
f ACmC PAGB
176
Alexander Hamuton
106
George Washington
Cadwallader Golden ^^^
View of Wall Street, 1850 ^^*
Wall Street at the Glose of the Nineteenth Gentury .... 224
CHRONICLE
ONE HUNDRED C^ FIFTY
YE^RS
Hi
CHAPTER I
FOUNDING OF THE CHAMBER
ORIGIN OF THE NAME — FIRST OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD
1768
The New York Chamber of Commerce is the oldest insti-
tution of its kind in the world. There were many mercantile
associations in European countries before its advent, and
one which adopted the same name three and a half centuries
earlier, but all these had official connection with the govern-
ments under which they existed and were subject to official
control. They were not, like the New York society, ab-
solutely independent of government connection and super-
vision of all kinds, free to act and give expression to opinion
or advice in matters of public policy and welfare.
France has the honor of establishing the first mercantile
association under the name of Chamber of Commerce. This
occurred early in the year 1400, under a government grant
which vested it with extraordinary jurisdiction in deciding
commercial questions. The society was several times sup-
pressed and regularly restored, and received a definite organ-
ization in 1650. Similar associations were formed later in
other towns in France, and iniyoo a Council General of Com-
merce was created in Paris. This was composed of six Coun-
cillors of State, and twelve merchants delegated by the prin-
cipal towns of the kingdom. It was overthrown in the
Revolution, and was revived by Napoleon. It has been
subjected to various changes, but since 1852 the election of
members has been regulated by law, the term of office being
six years. France has a Minister of Commerce who is a
member of the Cabinet and whose department maintains a
2 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
close relation with the Chambers of Commerce throughout the
republic.
In Great Britain, Boards of Trade date from the time of
Charles II, but no association with the name of Chamber of
Commerce was established till 1783, when one was founded
in Glasgow, followed by one in Edinburgh in 1785, and a
third in London in 1882.
Modem . Chambers of Commerce appeared in Germany
about the middle of the nineteenth century, but are under the
control of the government and may be dissolved by it at any
time. In Austria they are also under the control of the govern-
ment, are regulated by law, and elect members to the House
of Representatives.
When on April 5, 1768, twenty merchants of the little co-
lonial city of New York came together to form a mercantile
union it was amid conditions that must have banished from
their minds all thought of connection of any kind with the
existing government. They had been for three years united
in a series of protests against governmental action. The
very air they breathed was charged with the spirit of free-
dom and independence, of revolt against official domination.
The success of their union for protest had doubtless in-
spired them with the idea of a commercial imion for the pro-
tection and promotion of their business interests. They had
deliberately crippled those interests rather than submit to
denial of their rights and Uberties by the government, and
their chief purpose in coming together was to form a united
front in case of further struggles of the same kind.
The way in which they proceeded to effect an organiza-
tion showed that they had come together with a clearly
defined purpose and with a well-prepared plan. A declara-
tion was submitted and adopted that "whereas mercantile
societies have been found very useful in trading cities for
promoting and encouraging commerce, supporting industry,
adjusting disputes relative to trade and navigation, and pro-
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 3
curing such laws and regulations as may be found necessary
for the benefit of trade in general," the twenty persons present
had convened to establish such a society.
It was agreed that the society should consist of a Presi-
dent, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary and such num-
ber of merchants as already had or afterward might become
members, and should be called and known by the name of
"The New York Chamber of Commerce." Without delay
the meetmg proceeded to elect the officers of the new society,
choosing unanimously the following: John Cruger, President;
Hugh WaUace, Vice-President; Elias Desbrosses, Treasurer;
and Anthony Van Dam, Secretary. Resolutions were adopted
declaring that meetings should be held on the first Tuesday
of every month, that quarterly meetings should be held in
May, August, November, and February each year, at which
the accounts of the Chamber of Commerce should be settled
and ballots taken for the admission of new members. It
was decreed that each member should pay an admission fee
of five Spanish dollars and quarterly dues of one Spanish
dollar.
The primitive character of the community was strikingly
revealed in the decree that a proper room for the meetings
of the Chamber should "be provided at the expense of the
members so that it doth not exceed one shilling per man,
which each person is to pay to the Treasurer at their respec-
tive meetings."
The city at that time had only twenty thousand inhabitants
and its northern limits stopped at the present City Hall.
Contemporary prints show that it had the appearance of a
provincial town of the present day, with two and three
story buildings, abundant shade-trees' and generous lawns
about the dwelling-houses, many of them extending down to
the water-fronts. The value of the entire property of the city
was less than that of a single one of many blocks in lower
Broadway in 191 8, and its entire population was not equal
u
4 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
to that of two of the great modern office-buildings in the
same section. The founders held their meeting in the prin-
cipal coffee-house or restaurant in a building known as
Fraunces's Tavern, which still exists, restored to its original
form, under that historic name. As it was the first home of
the Chamber, and its first sessions were held there in a room
which remains virtually unchanged to-day, a brief history of
it is given in another chapter.
The full text of the resolutions adopted at the first meet-
ing of the Chamber, together with the names of the twenty
founders, will be found in the Appendix of this volume. His-
torians have spoken of 1768 as the year of hope and promise
and the beginning of the golden age of the colonial period.
The twenty gentlemen who came together on that April
evening were the recognized leaders of the community,
true representatives of its social and political life as well as
of its commercial activities. Their names reveal the cos-
mopolitan character of the city, for in them can be traced
Dutch, English, Scotch, Irish, Danish, German, and other
lineage. Many of these names, passed on from honored
father to worthy son, have persisted to this day, made familiar,
not only by the presence of descendants, but in the nomen-
clature of the city's thoroughfares. They and their descen-
dants have been the writers of the city's history through many
years, for in the proceedings of the society which they founded
can be traced every important step of its growth in numbers,
wealth, and power.
JOHN CRUGER.
First President of the Chamber of Commerce.
Painted by Thomas Hicks in 1865 from an original miniature. Collection of the Chamber of Commerce.
CHAPTER n
SOCIAL HABITS OF THE PERIOD
PROCEEDINGS OF THE EARLY SESSIONS — REMOVAL TO NEW
QUARTERS — OPPOSITION TO BRITISH TAXATION
I 768-1 770
An eloquent historian of colonial days in New York, de-
picting the disturbing change wrought in the Dutch city by
the advent of Englishmen, especially shopkeepers, in large
numbers, a decade or so before the founding of the Chamber
of Commerce, writes:
With new habits and hours of business the English also intro-
duced a new beverage, which was destined to become one of the
civilizers of the world, and to do more to refine society than any
invention of science or act of legislation. Ale-drinking had given
way to tea-drinking. The fair hands of lovely dames no longer
swimg the heavy tankard, and the foam of beer marred no more
the beauty of their rosy lips. Men left their deep potations to
watch the graceful play of taper fingers dallying with delicate
cups of porcelain and light spoons of precious metal. At the tea
table woman reigned supreme. That soft influence which could
humanize a Johnson, soon modified the relations of the sexes and
added to social life a charm before unknown; yet not without a
murmur here and there from some conservative Englishman, who
would fain cling to the old customs.
Whatever changes may have been caused in social life by
the advent of tea, the merchants of 1768 seem to have es-
caped the influence, for they were "swinging the heavy
tankard'* of beer at their regular meetings and did not in-
clude tea in their list of refreshments, for a formal statement
s
II
6 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
of the articles of the Chamber adopted at its sixth meeting
contained this provision:
A proper room for the meeting of members of the Chamber of
Commerce is to be provided, and the Treasurer is to have Bread
and Cheese, Beer, Punch, Pipes and Tobacco, provided at the
expense of the members present, so that it doth not exceed one
shilling each man, which each person is to pay to the Treasurer
at their respective meetings.
The Treasurer was instructed at the first meeting to "pro-
vide a strong chest wherein shall be deposited the cash, books
and papers (of the Chamber) which is to have three different
good locks and keys — one key to be kept by the President,
one by the Treasurer, and the third by the Secretary; the chest
for the present to be kept at the Treasurer's."
As an inducement to regular attendance at meetings a
system of fines was instituted which was maintained for many
years. Every member not attending a monthly meeting
must forfeit and pay to the Treasurer two shillings, unless a
cause for absence, judged reasonable by the Chamber, was
given. Sickness and six miles from the city were specified as
reasonable excuses.
The membership of the Chamber grew steadily and quite
rapidly from the outset. At the second meeting the number
was more than doubled by the election of twenty-one mem-
bers. At the same meeting there were five absentees, four of
whom gave excuses. Two were "not well," one was "in
Connecticut," and a fourth "in the gout." There was a full
attendance at the third meeting, but evidently there was a
lack of promptness in assembling, for it was proposed that in
future meetings any member not present at six o'clock should
forfeit one shilling. It was also proposed that "every gentle-
man who hath anything to propose shall do it in writing."
Both proposals were put into effect at the fourth meeting.
Eight members were fined for absence without excuse and
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 7
twenty-two for "appearing after six o'clock." Fines for
tardiness and absence without excuse were imposed rigorously
at subsequent meetings and Usts of the offenders were pub-
lished in the minutes. At one of the early meetings a new
fine was imposed. Any member departing before the busi-
ness was done, without excuse by the President, was to
forfeit four shillings. Among the excuses for absence at a
meeting were the following, which are of interest because of
the spelling and the limit of distance required: "Blooman-
dale," "flat Bush," "Setauket," and "Jerseys." Fines were
evidently the favorite remedy for all kinds of troubles. It
was decreed that any member failing to rise and address the
chair when he had a proposal to make, or interrupting an-
other member while speaking, should forfeit one shilling. It
was voted in November, 1769, that only merchants should
be eligible for membership.
Two years after the foundation the admission fee was
doubled. In March, 1770, it was resolved that as soon as the
membership reached eighty each person admitted should
pay ten Spanish dollars, and this should be the fee until the
membership reached ninety, when it should be increased to
twelve and a half Spanish dollars until there were one hun-
dred members, and after that an increase of two and a half
dollars for every additional ten members. At the same
time it was resolved that three black balls should be suflScient
to disqualify a candidate for admission when only thirty
members were present; four when there were more than
thirty; five when there were more than forty, and so on, an
additional black ball for every increase of ten in the members
present.
The first audit of the Treasurer's accoimts, made in June,
1769, showed that the three separate keys provided for the
"strong chest" had not sufficed to keep its funds intact, for
the auditing committee reported that the Treasurer owed the
Chamber sixty-nine pounds, five shillings, and five pence.
'.<
(1
8
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
No subsequent mention of the deficit appears in the record
and it was doubtless made up by the Treasurer, for he was a
highly honored merchant and citizen, and was continued in
office for many years afterward.
Before it had reached the end of its first year of existence
the Chamber had in its membership a large majority of the
merchants of the city and was a firmly established institu-
tion. It had outgrown its quarters, and in February, 1769,
it resolved to move for the reason that "it appears highly
necessary for this Chamber to have a decent, large and com-
modious room to meet in." A special committee of the Cham-
ber was appointed to secure a room in the Royal Exchange
and reported at the March meeting in 1769 that the Corpora-
tion which controlled the building had agreed to pennit the
Chamber to have the use of its large room free for one year
from the ist of May following, on condition of making such
repairs as were required, and after that time on payment of
an annual rental of twenty pounds. A description of the
Royal Exchange appears in the chapter on "Temporary
Homes of the Chamber."
Apparently there was no method of heating, for in October,
1770, it was proposed that a "proper stove be erected at the
lower end of this room for the comfort of members the ap-
proaching Winter." Whether one was provided or not does
not appear from the record, neither is any intimation given
as to its character. The modem stove was unknown at that
period, but the Franklin stove, familiar to this day, invented
in 1742, was in general use in the colonies and may have been
the one proposed for the Chamber. Franklin described the
variety of his invention that he designed for public buildings
as "in the form of temples cast in iron, with columns, cornices,
and every member of elegant architecture."
About the same time an entry appears of an account ren-
dered by the Doorkeeper of the Chamber for fifteen pounds
annual salary and two pounds, fifteen shillings, and two pence
. , ^ff*"^"^ ""^^^^^^Bl^
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 9
for firewood and candles. A committee was appointed to
"employ and agree with some fit person to make tables, etc.,
and put the said Room in order for the Chamber. " The his-
torian of "Colonial New York," John Austin Stevens, Jr.,
writing in 1867 of the sessions of the society, said:
The meetings of the Chamber in the last century were of a
different fashion from that of the present day. Pleasure and
business were joined together in these gatherings of the solid men
of old New York. The hour of meeting was at six o'clock, and the
debates were held over long tables, "where Bread and Cheese,
Beer, Punch, Pipes and Tobacco" were regularly provided by the
Treasurer, as ordered in the By-laws. The pipe was still in fashion
among the old Knickerbockers; not the modem meerschaum but
the good old Dutch clay of Holland, hogsheads of which appeared
in the list of importations. Cigars were then uncommon, if at all
known, to New Yorkers.
If the cigar was little known at this time it seems to have
come into quite general usage about twenty years later, for
a traveller, writing of his experiences in the United States in
1788, makes the following philosophic observations:
The habit of smoking has not disappeared from the town with
other customs brought in by its first Dutch founders. They
chiefly smoke cigars from the Spanish islands. These are leaves
of a fragrant tobacco six inches in length which are smoked with-
out the aid of any instrument. This habit shocks the French. It
must be distasteful to women as it destroys the sweetness of the
breath. It will be condemned by the Philosopher as a super-
fluous want. But it has one merit. It tends to meditation; it
checks loquacity; the smoker asks a question; the reply does not
come for two minutes after, and is a sound one. The cigar per-
forms the part which the Philosopher drew from the glass of water
which he drank when angry.
During the period of its occupancy the Chamber seems to
have defrayed all expenses for repairs. The Doorkeeper pre-
sented bills for glazing windows at regular intervals and there
was an outlay of twenty pounds for repairing the cupola, a
\\
(
lO
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
leak in which damaged the ceiling of the room. How so many
windows needed glazing is not explained, but the breakage
seems to have been a continuous performance.
The Chamber contmued to occupy the room in the Royal
Exchange Building till the beginning of the Revolution in 1775.
While the members of the Chamber were all at this time
loyal subjects of the British crown, they were strenuous and
inflexible opponents of taxation without representation.
Their first President, John Cruger, was the author of the cele-
brated "Declaration of Rights and Grievances of the Colo-
nists in America," which had been addressed by the first Con-
gress of the colonies to the British Government in 1765.
His name and that of many other members of the Chamber
appeared in the list of two hundred New York merchants
who bound themselves by solemn agreement on October 31,
1765, to trade no more with Great Britain till the Stamp Act
was repealed. As Mayor of New York, he had received from
the Lieutenant-Governor of the colony, Cadwallader Colden,
the consignment of stamps sent out to the colonists and sur-
rendered by Colden to the city council after an infuriated mob
had assembled before his house, torn up the palings about
the Bowling Green and created with them a bonfire in which
they burned his carriage with his efiigy in it.
When, therefore, early in the year 1769, the British Par-
liament passed an act imposing duties on tea, paper, glass,
etc., professedly for revenue, it was inevitable that Mr. Cruger
and his fellow merchants should renew the protest and re-
affirm the action that they had taken in 1765. They did so
as merchants rather than as members of the Chamber of
Commerce, but it is very clear from the records that its mem-
bers were leaders in the proceedings, for there appears in
them, under date of May 2, 1769, this entry:
\i
Mr. President reported that the Honourable House of Assembly
had directed him to signify their thanks to the merchants of this
I
\\
Reproductions from Original Stamps Used Under the Stamp Act
Passed by the British Parliament, March 22, 1765.
By courtesy of Mr. James Brown.
A box of these stamps (each amounting to ^/g ster-
ling) was found in the ruins of the old Houses of Par-
liament when they were destroyed by fire in 1834.
These specimens with others were sent out about that
time to the late Mr. James Brown, of New York, one
of the founders of Brown Brothers, merchant bankers,
by his brother, the late Sir William Brown, M. P.
from South Lancashire, England.
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
II
If
City and Colony for their Patriotic conduct in declining the Im-
portation of Goods from Great Britain at this jmicture, which
being read, was in the words following:
Gentlemen:
I have it in charge from the General Assembly to give the
Merchants of this City and Colony the Thanks of the House for
their repeated disinterested, publick spirited and patriotic conduct
in declining the importation or receiving of goods from Great
Britain, untill such Acts of Parliament as the General Assembly
had declared unconstitutional and subversive of the Rights and
Liberties of the People of this Colony, should be repealed.
It was ordered by the Chamber that a committee be ap-
pointed to "prepare and deliver a draught of thanks to the
Honorable House for the particular notice they have taken of
the Merchants that compose this Chamber." Mr. Cruger
was Speaker of the Assembly as well as President of the
Chamber at the time.
\
H
I
i H
'^•«rt5«s»i«5"«»!'fetii:^
CHAPTER III
It
11^
if.
ROYAL CHARTER FOR THE CHAMBER
VICISSITUDES OF THE SEAL AND OF GOVERNOR COLDEN'S
PORTRAIT
I 770-1 774
On February 15, 1770, a petition was approved by the
Chamber requesting the Lieutenant-Governor of the colony
to grant a charter incorporating the society. When this was
presented to Governor Colden he expressed his willingness to
grant the request by saying: "I think it a good institution,
and will always be glad to promote the Commercial Interests
of this City, and shall deem it a peculiar happiness that a
society so beneficial to the General good of the Province is
incorporated during my administration."
The royal charter was granted under date of March 13, 1770.
On March 24 an address approved by the Chamber and
signed by Mr. Cruger, as President, was read to Governor
Colden, thanking him for the grant, and declaring: "We beg
leave to assure your Honour that our utmost Ambition is to
approve ourselves useful members of the Community, sub-
missive to the Laws, zealous for the Support of Government,
and our happy Constitution, and firmly attached to our most
Gracious Sovereign; and that we will exert ourselves on all
occasions to promote the General Interest of the Colony, and
the Commerce of this City in particular; that the UtiUty of
the Institution and the Wisdom of its Founder may be equally
applauded by the latest Posterity."
The charter, which is published in full in the Appendix,
embodied the articles previously adopted by the Chamber
X3
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
13
and contained in addition the right to acquire real estate to
the value of three thousand pounds sterling, to have a com-
mon seal, and to erect out of their funds such building as the
members might think necessary for the use of the society.
The original charter was a document about three feet in width,
with the massive wax seal of the crown, six inches in diameter,
attached to it. It disappeared many years ago. At the out-
break of the Revolution it was apparently in the possession of
William Walton, President of the Chamber in 1775, who seems
to have stored it in his residence known as tie "Walton
House" in Pearl Street, on what was later Franklin Square,
which was regarded as the finest dwelling of its time. It
stood on the south side of the street, was three stories high,
built of Holland brick and brown stone, with a frontage of
fifty-four feet, and with gardens in the rear extending down to
the river. It is said to have had a "superb staircase, with ma-
hogany handrails and banisters, by age dark as ebony, which
would not disgrace a nobleman's palace," and to have been a
"noble specimen of English architecture a century ago, with
fluted colimins, surmounted with armorial bearings, richly
carved and ornamented, upholding its broad portico, and the
heads of lions, cut from freestone, looking down between the
windows upon the passers."
Mr. Walton, it is recorded, "was very hospitable and gave,
as he could well afford, the most sumptuous entertainments
of any person in those plain, but bounteous days. His table
was spread with the choicest viands, and a forest of decanters,
sparkling with the most delicious wines. The sideboard
groaned with the weight of massive silver." Truly a wonder-
ful picture of the simple life led by our forefathers !
At the outbreak of the Revolution, Mr. Walton, who had
joined in the opposition to the Stamp Act and other efforts
of the British Parliament to tax the colonies, found himself
unable to break with his loyalist associations and remained
faithful to the British cause during the war, serving in the
i^
U
14
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
I ■•!
If
Chamber of Commerce when it was revived as a loyalist body
during the British occupation of the city.
His son, Jacob Walton, who was a rear-admiral in the
British navy, returned to the United States in 1822, to take
possession of his father's property, including the Walton
House, then far gone in decay through neglect. In the attic
of the mansion, among a vast accumulation of objects of all
sorts, he found a mahogany box in which, encased in tin, was
discovered the original charter of the Chamber of Commerce.
It was transferred in 1827 to the rooms of the Chamber in
the Merchants' Exchange, where it is supposed to have been
destroyed when the building was burned in 1835, as no trace
has been found of it since.
The original seal of the Chamber, after many vicissitudes,
is still in possession of the Chamber. It was made in Lon-
don, in 1772, and was brought to this coimtry by Captain
Winn, conmiander of a trading-vessel. In the minutes
of the Chamber for May 5, 1772, appears the following:
"Proposed that seven Guineas be paid to Capt. Isaac L.
Winn in addition to the ten Guineas akeady paid Mr. Bache,
late treasurer, for a seal of this Corporation."
The seal bears the date of the royal charter of the Chamber,
1770, is of solid silver, about three inches in diameter, and
about one inch in thickness. It bears the motto "iV(?» Nobis
Nati Solum^^ ("Not bom for ourselves alone ")• It disappeared
during the Revolution and was recovered by marvellous chance
a few years later. A gentleman, so modest that he declined
to give his name to a grateful posterity, was looking over
the collection* of a curiosity-shop in London when he came
across it and at once sent it to the Chamber. Another " find,"
scarcely less marvellous, was made by Prosper W. Wetmore,
Secretary of the Chamber in 1843, ^^^ discovered the only
two volumes of the early records of the Chamber that are in
existence in a lumber-box in a store in Front Street. Without
these volumes a history of the Chamber could never have
\\
'M
GREAT SEAL OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 1770.
Reproduced from an impression of the original SeaL
\
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 15
been written. They constitute a complete account of the
proceedings of the society from its foundation in 1768 till
its reorganization under State Charter in 1784.
In April, 1771, about a year after the grant of the royal
charter, it was proposed that as the "Lieut. Governor was
very kind in favoring this Corporation with a Charter and as
there is now a good Limner in town, that Mr. President be
desired to request the favour of Mr. Colden to sit for his
Picture to be put in the Chamber as a Memorial of their
Gratitude." This was unanimously adopted. It is recorded
in the minutes of October 6, 1772, that the "President ex-
hibited Mr. Pratt's account amounting to 37 pounds for tak-
ing Governor Colden's portrait in full length to be placed in
the Chamber." At the next meeting the bill was ordered to
be paid and a committee was appointed to "agree for a
Frame." The frame was purchased and the portrait was
hung in the room of the Chamber in the Royal Exchange
till the beginning of the Revolution in 1 775. The room in the
Exchange was not occupied by the Chamber during the
Revolution, and in that period the portrait seems to have
passed into the hands of Colden's family, for there is an entry
on the minutes of the Chamber in February, 1791, saying that
a picture of Cadwallader Colden, in good condition, was in
the possession of persons who were willing to restore it to the
Chamber. At the request of the Chamber it was returned
by the son of Governor Colden and was hung on the wall of
the room occupied by the Chamber at that time in the Mer-
chants' Coffee House, which stood on the southeast comer of
Wall and Water Streets, which was then the water-front.
When the place of meeting was changed to the Tontine Build-
ing in 1793 the portrait was removed to that place. In 1827,
when the Chamber found quarters in the Merchants' Ex-
change, the picture was repaired and its frame regilded and it
was hung with a portrait of Hamilton by Trumbull in the
entrance-hall on the lower floor of the building. Both these
\\
i6 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
portraits were rescued from the fire of 1835, and, covered
with canvas, were stored m a garret in Wall Street. They
were foxind there in 1843 by Mr. Wetmore, Secretary of the
Chamber, somewhat damaged by mildew and dust. They
were completely restored and are among the choicest of the
treasures which the Chamber has on exhibition in its per-
manent home.
h
CHAPTER IV
EARLY STAND FOR HONEST MONEY
STEPS IN ITS INTEREST AND IN THAT OF PURE FOOD AND
BUSINESS INTEGRITY
I 768-1 774
From the very beginning of its existence the Chamber
manifested that keen and sensitive devotion to the highest
welfare of the community which has been its distinguishing
characteristic throughout its career. By their first acts as a
body the members showed that in forming their organization
the impelling motive had been a conviction that they had a
pubUc duty to perform. At the moment, the city as weU as
the country was suffering from the evils of a depreciated
paper currency. Each colony had a brand of its own, with a
value of its own, and the result was confusion and discredit
everywhere in the channels of trade. At its second meeting
the Chamber took up this question in a proposal that at some
future meeting it should declare whether the society should
"discourage the paper currency of Pennsylvania from pass-
ing in this colony" and whether the paper currency of Jersey
should be received at a valuation above that given to it by
the Jersey treasury. This proved to be a very troublesome
question, so far as Jersey currency was concerned. The Penn-
sylvania part of it was disposed of easily, for the financial
position of that colony at the time was better than that of
New York, and its trade was in a more flourishing condition.
By a great majority the Chamber voted at its eighth meeting
in October, 1768, that hereafter "Pennsylvania money be
received by any member that inclines to take it at 6^ per
cent advance."
17
^%
i8 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
The problem of New Jersey currency was a far more diffi-
cult one because of a practice which had grown up of re-
ceiving it at a higher valuation than the State's own treasury
placed upon it. After four years of debate and repeated post-
ponement, a resolution was passed in March, 1772, that
on and after the 3d of September following, Jersey money
should be received or paid by members of the Chamber only
at the valuation fixed by the State's treasury. The imme-
diate result was the resignation of eighteen members who
declared that they could not conform to the regulation with-
out injury to their business. Many other members absented
themselves from the meetings of the Chamber for the same
reason.
In January, 1 774, the action was rescinded. Every member
was declared to be at liberty to receive and pay Jersey money
as formerly current, and the members who had resigned were
invited to offer themselves as candidates for re-election under
the annual ballot restrictions. In extending the invitation
the Chamber stood firmly by the principle of its original action
by declaring that the members who persisted in receiving
Jersey currency above its State value were by so doing "de-
preciating our own currency," which, of course, was the fact.
Thus early the Chamber took its position in favor of a sound
money system, though it failed to stand by its guns when the
first real test arose.
Another matter which was taken in hand at the second
meeting was carried to a more complete success. This in-
volved the principle of fair dealing in trade, a fundamental
principle which the Chamber had been founded to maintain.
The staple product and chief export article of the colony was
wheat, surprising as that may seem at the present day.
There were many and serious complaints about its quality
and price. A proposal was made that the Chamber consider
whether the price of flour and bread casks could not be re-
duced, and at the next meeting it was voted unanimously
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
19
that after a fixed date no member should pay more than a
certain price. It was also decreed that steps should be taken
to detect fraudulent practices in the construction of casks
and to have the flour inspected and weighed. The members
were instructed to do all in their power in these proceedings
for the detection of fraud and to bring offenders to justice.
A combination was formed by the bolters, millers, bakers,
and sellers of flour to oppose the Chamber's action and main-
tain existing prices. This was met at once by the Chamber
in sending an agent to Philadelphia with authority to pur-
chase from fifteen hundred to two thousand barrels of flour
at the lowest price obtainable, have them shipped to New
York, members of the Chamber to be supplied first and the
remainder to be disposed of on account of the Chamber.
The flour was purchased and shipped, but before its arrival
representatives of the combination surrendered uncondition-
ally. The following note in the record of the Chamber's
meeting of November 14, 1768, quamtly tells the story of
the victory:
Several of the sellers of Flour, Bakers, and Boulters attended the
meeting, upon notice given them that the Chamber was ready to
hear anything that could be said in support of their late demand of
raising the price of flour and bread cask from 25s. 6d. to 28s.,
which they demanded lately on account of flour being rather scarce.
But their allegations did not amount to sufficient proof for the
Chamber to alter their resolution; and both parties debating
thereon, they, the Flour sellers. Bakers, and Boidters, acquiesced
with charging in the future no more than 25s. 6d. per ton, craving,
at the same time, that the Chamber would take into their considera-
tion at their next meeting the difficulty they have to make their
principals give into the measures adopted by the Chamber.
Having thus secured supervision of the flour business, the
Chamber proceeded to impose strict regulation upon it and to
take measures for improving the quality of the flour. It
referred the question of a more rigid system of inspection to a
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I
20
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
committee which made a formal report in which it said that
an improved inspection system of flour imported from the
colony was necessary "so as if possible to retrieve its general
disrepute in aU parts of the world." The committee recom-
mended a smgle inspector, giving in support of the proposal
this interesting narrative of the eager rivahy in rascality
which had grown up imder the old system:
Whereas, on the footing the law now stands, of admitting several
Inspectors of equal authority, each endeavors to establish a reputa-
tion with the Flour Sellers and Factors, and to secure a preference
of their busmess; not by vieing with each other who shall inspect
best, but who shall suffer the worst Flour to pass inspection; and
there have been instances where one Inspector has condemned,
and for that reason not been allowed to proceed any further, when
another has given the sanction of his brand to all the remaining
parcel of the same sort of Flour.
The committee recommended also that the single inspector
should not only "advert to the flour being of a proper fineness,
but carefully to examine (either by mixing up a little of the
Flour into a cake and baking it, or by some other effectual ex-
periment) whether it has not been injured by being ground too
close, or in some other way, so as to prevent its riseing and
making light white bread; and that he ought not to brand it
for exportation if deficient in any of these respects."
After providing for better inspection the Chamber took
steps to improve the quality of the flour by advocating the
importation of "French Burrstones" for the better grinding
of the wheat, the reputation for superior quality which the
Philadelphia flour enjoyed being attributable to the use of
those stones, for the "wheat from the North River is much
better than any which comes to Philadelphia."
These and other steps taken at that early day for the es-
tablishment of the principle of fair dealing in trade, for the
encouragement of commerce, and for the best welfare of the
people of the city, are merely examples of its general conduct.
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
21
It took steps to fix a standard ton for all other articles of ex-
port, as well as flour, to afl^ a stable value to coins in circula-
tion, to regulate procedure as to bills of exchange, and to
establish rates of commission in business transactions.
\
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mw^
WH^nn^nww
'
n
CHAPTER V
THE GOOD OF THEm COUNTRY"
STANDARD RATES FOR COINS — PRIZES FOR FISH CATCHES
1770-1774
In one of the early dcKverances of the Chamber, the con-
trolling purpose of its members during the entire colonial
period was stated with strict accuracy as follows: "Cheer-
fully to embrace the means which shall appear to them most
likely to promote the great object of their steady pursuit,
^The Good of Their Country.^'* They neither wavered nor
paused in pursuit of this purpose. The records of the Cham-
ber are crowded with acts for such regulation of trade and
commerce as would put it on a basis of honorable dealing and
enhance the reputation of the colony in the eyes of the world,
thereby contributing most effectively to the welfare and prog-
ress of the city. Every act of this kind was advertised in the
newspapers in order that the people might be made acquainted
with what was being done in their behalf. As the city was
primarily a commercial commimity, commercial leadership
was what it most needed, and this the Chamber supplied.
The lack of such leadership in the past had so hindered the
city's development that the volume of its trade was less than
that of Boston or Philadelphia. The founders of the Cham-
ber, realizing the superior advantages of position which the
city possessed, and, perhaps, foreseeing dimly its future
greatness in the commercial world, took upon themselves the
task of winning for the city the rank to which it was entitled.
Perceiving that the development of its trade was hindered by
various shackles which ignorance and cupidity had placed
upon it, the Chamber devoted itself with great energy, firm-
ness, and patience to the removal of these.
22
r
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
23
Next to a depreciated paper currency, the greatest annoy-
ance in commercial dealings was caused by the circulation in
large quantities of foreign coins at var)dng values. There
were more than a dozen varieties of these, English, French,
Dutch, Portuguese, German, Spanish, and other nationalities.
Their intrinsic value was diminished by clipping, "plugging,''
and "sweating," and the consequence was that they passed
at low rates. The Chamber took up the question of a fixed
rate for them in its second year and adopted a schedule which
was advertised in the newspapers with the annoimcement that
its members would pay and receive all gold and silver coins
at those rates only. The immediate result seems to have been
an increase in plugging, etc., for at a subsequent meeting the
following was adopted: "Finding the scandalous practice of
filing and diminishing foreign Gold coin too much counte-
nanced, to encourage which was by no means the intention of
this Chamber, in order to prevent such base practices here,
we declare that we will discourage it by all means in our
power, and hold any person guilty of it in contempt, and not
proper to be a member of this Chamber."
Wliile the efforts of the Chamber to improve the char-
acter of the currency and maintain a stable value for it were
not inmiediately successful, and at times operated in a man-
ner contrary to the intentions of their authors, the ultimate
results were beneficial and the Chamber's advocacy of them
placed it firmly on the side of sound financial methods, a
position from which it has never varied.
In addition to endeavoring to increase the trade and
commerce of the city through the adoption of better and
sounder business methods, the Chamber exerted itself to bene-
fit the people of the city by securing for them lower prices and
better quality in the necessities of life. At the request of the
Chamber the Assembly of New York appropriated the sum of
two hundred dollars a year for five years, to be paid to the
Treasurer of the Chamber, "for the encouragement of fishery
- ii
iKBe^a
U^ Ji.J i.J
I
■I',
24
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
on this coast and the better supplying the Markets of the city
with Fish." The Chamber accepted the trust and advertised
eight prizes for the owners and crews of fishing- vessels who sup-
plied the market with the largest quantities of specified varie-
ties of fish, the highest prize being forty pounds and the lowest
^ve pounds. A committee was appointed to adjudge the
prizes and they were duly awarded and the names of the
winners were recorded in the minutes. The effect upon the
fish-supply appears to have been encouraging, but there is
no mention of its effect upon prices.
It is interesting to note that what is thought to have been
the first suggestion of fire insurance in New York was made
in the following motion in the Chamber on April 3, 1770:
"Mr. Thurman moves that, as it is the desire of a number of
the Inhabitants of this City to have their Estates Insured
from Loss by Fire, and that Losses of this sort may not fall
upon Individuals, Proposed that the Chamber take into con-
sideration some plan that may serve so good a purpose under
the direction of this Corporation."
The motion was brought up for consideration twice sub-
sequently, but no action was taken upon it. Seventeen years
later, in July, 1787, the first fire-insurance company in New
York was organized by John Pintard, but he was not at that
time a member of the Chamber. He became a member a year
later, and was its Secretary from 1817 to 1827. There is
no evidence that the Chamber had anything to do with the
project.
The examples, given in preceding pages, of the Chamber's
activities during its colonial period are merely a few of the
more notable instances of its public service. To give all in
detail would be to enlarge imduly the dimensions of the
present volmne. A sufficient number has been mentioned
to demonstrate beyond dispute the intelligent and tireless
devotion of the founders to the fundamental article of their
profession of faith: "The Good of Their Country."
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1^1
CHAPTER VI
APPROACH OF THE REVOLUTION
JOHN ADAMSES VIEWS OF NEW YORK IN 1 774 — ^HIS ESTIMATES
OF MEMBERS OF THE CHAMBER
1774
The approach of the Revolution, with its disturbing effect
upon trade and commerce, and the division of the population
into patriots and loyalists which it caused, paralyzed the
Chamber for several years. A graphic, though not especially
friendly, picture of New York at this time, comes down to
us in the Diary of John Adams, together with pen-portraits
of several prominent members of the Chamber with whom he
came in contact. He was passing through New York in
August, 1774, on his way to Philadelphia as one of the Massa-
chusetts delegates to the Continental Congress. Describing
his arrival, with characteristic Adams acidity, he wrote:
"About eleven o'clock, four of the delegates for the city and
coimty of New York came to make their compliments to us;
Mr. Duane, Mr. Livingston, Mr. Low and Mr. Alsop. Mr.
Livingston is a downright, straightforward man. Mr. Alsop
is a soft, sweet man. Mr. Duane has a sly, surveying eye, a
little squint-eyed; between forty and forty-five. I should
guess; very sensible, I think, and very artful."
Of the four gentlemen mentioned, three, Philip Livingston,
Isaac Low, and John Alsop were founders of the Chamber of
Commerce. James Duane was never a member. Later, Mr.
Adams changed his estimate of Livingston, for this subsequent
entry appears in the Diary: "Phil. Livingston is a great,
rough, rapid mortal. There is no holding conversation with
him." A few days after the first entry appears this estimate
25
26
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
i
of Isaac Low: "Mr. Low, the chairman of the Committee of
Fifty-one, they say, will profess attachment to the cause of
liberty, but his sincerity is doubted." Subsequent events
proved the accuracy of this prediction, as will appear later in
this narrative.
Mr. Adams was much impressed with the elegance of the hos-
pitality of the period, as it was displayed to him. Of a break-
fast given to him at a home he wrote: "A more elegant break-
fast I never saw — rich plate, a very large silver coffee-pot, a
very large silver tea-pot, napkins of the very finest material,
toast, and bread and butter, in great perfection. After
breakfast a plate of beautiful peaches, another of pears, and
another of plums, and a muskmelon, were placed on the
table."
A banquet seems to have been given to him in the room of
the Chamber of Commerce, for he records: "We afterwards
dined in the Exchange Chamber, at the invitation of the
Committee of Correspondence, with more than fifty gentle-
men, at the most splendid dinner I ever saw; a profusion of
rich dishes, &c., &c."
The city itself came in for a word of praise. "The streets
of this town are vastly more regular and elegant than those
of Boston, and the houses are more grand, as well as neat.
They are almost all painted, brick buildings and all."
But, as a whole, Mr. Adams does not seem to have had a
pleasant visit, for on leaving he made this entry: "With all
the opulence and splendor of this city there is very little good
breeding to be found. We have been treated with an assidu-
ous respect; but I have not seen one real gentleman, one well-
bred man, since I came to town. At their entertainments
there is no conversation that is agreeable; there is no modesty,
no attention to one another. They talk very loud, very fast,
and altogether. If they ask you a question, before you can
utter three words of your answer, they will break out upon you
again and talk away."
:)
tMteHiiiiiilip
mUi
mmmam
s^.
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
27
Concerning the style of living in New York at this period
it may not be inappropriate to quote this observation by a
late historian: "The chief business of the good citizens of
New York was eating and drinking. This, and their hospi-
tality they derived, the one from their English, and the other
from their Dutch, progenitors and predecessors."
Commenting upon the remarks of Mr. Adams, the same his-
torian, John Austin Stevens, Jr., says: "Adams probably
knew very little about good dinners, which, on account of
the meagre supply of the Boston market until quite recently,
could with difficulty be served at any cost; but then a word
of praise from him was quite as rare as a good New England
dinner."
r]
if
CHAPTER VII
ADVENT OF THE REVOLUTION
THE CHAMBER SPLIT IN TWAIN — ITS PROCEEDINGS AS A
LOYALIST BODY
1775-1783
When the break with England came, in the spring of 1775,
the Chamber, like the city itself, was divided into nearly
equal parts, one siding with the mother country, and the
other with the Revolution. The wealthy class, aristocratic in
sentiment and bound by family ties and long and intimate
social intercourse with the British authorities in the country,
were imable to break away when the final test came. When
the British took possession of the city, these remained and
continued to give loyal support to the authorities during the
entire period of occupation. Among them was Isaac Low.
Notable in the great throng of patriots who left the city when
the British entered it were John Cruger, first President of the
Chamber, and Isaac Roosevelt, one of its founders. They
remained out of the city during the seven years of British
occupancy. Isaac Low had been a delegate from New York
to the Continental Congress. He had valiantly opposed the
Stamp Act and other British taxation measures, but he had
never been in favor of a separation from England, exerting
himself till the last in favor of a compromise peace at any
price. He justified the estimate of him quoted from John
Adams's Diary in the foregoing chapter.
The meetings of the Chamber had been poorly attended for
a year before the Revolution began, and the last session was
held on May 2, 1775, thirteen days after the battle of Lexing-
ton. No effort was made to call another meeting till 1 7 79. In
38
f
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
29
May of that year, Isaac Low, who had been elected President
at the last meeting in May, 1775, and who was now a zealous
loyalist, "at the request of many members " issued a call
for a meeting. The response showed that the war had di-
vided the membership quite evenly, for fully half of the
former members failed to appear, having departed from the
dty.
The place of meeting was not in the room over the Royal
Exchange, but in the "Upper long room of the Coffy House,'*
in which its sessions were held till 1804. The minutes of
the Chamber show that at first a rent of fifty poimds per
annum was paid for use of the Long Room, and later eighty
pounds with a room for committees added, and firewood
and candles furnished. An account of the Merchants'
Coffee House, one of the most famous of the historic
buildings of the city, will be given in later pages of this
Chronicle.
The very first action of the body revealed its intense loyalist
character. A letter addressed to the British Commandant,
Major-General Daniel Jones, and signed by Isaac Low as
President, and twenty-two others present, opened with a
passage in which the Revolution was spoken of as the "present
imnatural rebellion," and closed with the following declara-
tion: "As Commandant of the City, we esteemed it our duty
to lay before you the intent of our proposed meetings and at
the same time we beg leave to assure you that our assistance,
when called upon, will at all times be ready to facilitate the
public good."
To this address General Jones made a gracious response,
saying he was happy to hear of the Institution and only re-
gretted that he had not had the benefit of its assistance sooner
to procure to New York every advantage the situation would
admit of which he always had much at heart.
The Chamber, thus reconvened, devoted its energies in be-
half of the public welfare with the same zeal that it had man-
)
**»•'-■<♦ 11
! /
ill
. »
I
30 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
ifested in the earKer days of its career. A committee was
appointed to consider means for the better cleaning of the city,
and reported that that reform could be accomplished if the
existing city ordinances would be enforced as thoroughly as
they had been before British occupation. The committee
advocated the employment of scavengers to remove dirt and
rubbish from the streets and said this had been objected to
by a "Person in Power" on the ground that "it would inter-
fere with the common right of Mankind, because every Per-
son who pleased had a right to take dirt out of the streets."
As everybody in the city at the time was exercising the right
to throw dirt into the streets, the committee felt moved to
say of the objection of the mysterious "Person in Power"
that it was "An Hypothesis in our Idea founded neither in
Reason or Fact." What the ultimate result was does not
appear from the records, but the reasoning of the committee
was indisputably sound.
The same committee, having been requested to consider
the question of regulating the price of butchers' meat, reported
that "Experience justifies our apprehensions that the remedy
may prove worse than the Disease"; but they recommended
(a century or more before the invention of cold storage) that
"no fresh Provisions (Fish excepted) Vegetables or Poultry,
should be suffered to be put into Stores or Cellars, on Penalty
of being forfeited for use of the Ahns House."
The Chamber resumed the practice of having a committee
to settle disputes and continued the former system of fines
for dUatory and absent members. Later a new variety of
fine was devised, apparently because of a tendency to shirk
on the part of the members appointed on the committee to set-
tle disputes, for it was ordered that each member failing to
attend the sessions of the Monthly Committee each night that
there was business should pay a fine of five shillings, but no
member should pay more than eight dollars of such fines in one
month. The members present should be judges of the ex-
'I
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
31
cuse offered for absence and the fines should be used to defray
the expenses of the committee.
A special meeting was held to consider the injuries of Mr.
William Tongue, who had been deprived of his license as an
auctioneer — not for inability to talk but for failure of duty
in other directions. It being reported that he had complied
with what was required of him, his license was restored.
Declaring that the various artifices practised by bakers to
take undue advantage of the community were "notorious
and palpable," the Chamber adopted and sent to the Police
regulations that:
Bread of the finest and best flour should be baked into long
loaves of two Pounds weight, for Fourteen Coppers.
All other Flour of inferior quality or that is in the least degree
Musty or Sour should (by way of distinction) be baked up into
round loaves of two and a half pounds weight, and sold at the same
price of the Long Loaves.
Any Baker presuming to bake other than the best Flour into
Long instead of Round Loaves, or of less weight than is men-
tioned, should forfeit all the Bread so manufactured for the use
of the Alms House.
All bakers were to be watched and kept to their duty imder
penalty of fine. And this was more than a century and a
quarter before the advent of Mr. Hoover and the efforts made
by the government to regulate the price and quality of bread
during the European War ! Regulations were adopted for the
sale of butter, tallow, soap, candles, beef, pork, and other
conunodities.
Both the patriots and the loyalists engaged extensively in
privateering during the period of British occupation, and as
the American privateers were far more active and successful
than their opponents, the city was often reduced to much
distress for lack of the necessities of life. The Chamber as a
devoted loyalist body was bitterly opposed to the American
privateers. It spoke of them as "Rebel Privateers," and when
/
l[
32 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
the captain of a British packet-ship pursued by them ran his
ship aground on Sandy Hook and brought the mails he had
on board to the city in a rowboat, the Chamber gave him a
formal vote of thanks and presented him with a piece of plate,
"value about 20 Guineas," with the seal of the corporation
and this inscription engraved upon it: "Presented by the Cor-
poration of the Chamber of Commerce of New York, to Charles
Newmau, Commander of His Majesty's late Packet the Car-
taret, for his great attention and Prudence, in saving and bring-
ing, at all hazards, his Mail to New York." It is worthy of
note that the presentation was made on July 4, 1780.
The Chamber repeatedly urged the British authorities to
take strong measures to restrict the operations of the American
privateers, including the stationing of two fast sailing frigates
off Sandy Hook. The admiral of the British naval forces
repUed that he had no frigates for the purpose. A few
months later, when the admiral of the British naval forces,
replying to the Chamber's request for a larger number of
British privateers, said that there were already one thousand
men in that service and that no more could be spared because
there were two war-frigates in port which could not put to
sea for lack of men, the Chamber made a formal protest,
through its President, Isaac Low, which deserves to rank as
the most remarkable of the series issued by the Chamber
during its career as a loyaHst body. The document is too
long to quote in full, but a few of its more striking passages
may be reproduced as evidence of the change in sentiment
toward the British authorities which had developed among
the members:
The Chamber of Commerce are exceeding sorry to find His
Excellency and Admiral intimates that encouraging privateers is
incompatible with and prejudicial to the King's Service.
Past uniform experience abundantly justifies us in observmg
to Your Excellency that however difficult it may be to carry on
the King's Service, unless Privateers are kept within bounds, it
^
FRAUNCES'S TAVERN, 1768.
Erected in 1719 and still standing at Broad and Pearl Streets. The Chamber of Commerce was founded
in this building in 1 768 in the Long Room, which extends along the second floor on the side of the building.
Reproduced by courtesy of Sons of the Revolution.
I
INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE
32 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
the captain of a British packet-ship pursued by them ran his
ship aground on Sandy Hook and brought the mails he had
on board to the city in a rowboat, the Chamber gave him a
formal vote of thanks and presented him with a piece of plate,
"value about 20 Guineas," with the seal of the corporation
and this inscription engraved upon it: "Presented by the Cor-
poration of the Chamber of Commerce of New York, to Charles
Newman, Commander of His ]\Iajesty's late Packet the Car-
taret, for his great attention and Prudence, in saving and bring-
ing, at all hazards, his Mail to New York." It is worthy of
note that the presentation was made on July 4, 1780.
The Chamber repeatedly urged the British authorities to
take strong measures to restrict the operations of the American
privateers, including the stationing of two fast sailing frigates
off Sandy Hook. The admiral of the British naval forces
replied that he had no frigates for the purpose. A few
months later, when the admiral of the British naval forces,
replying to the Chamber's request for a larger number of
British privateers, said that there were already one thousand
men in that service and that no more could be spared because
there were two war-frigates in port which could not put to
sea for lack of men, the Chamber made a formal protest,
through its President, Isaac Low, which deserves to rank as
the most remarkable of the series issued by the Chamber
during its career as a loyalist body. The document is too
long to quote in full, but a few of its more striking passages
may be reproduced as evidence of the change in sentiment
toward the British authorities which had developed among
the members:
The Chamber of Commerce are exceeding sorry to fmd His
Excellency and Admiral intimates that encouraging privateers is
incompatible with and prejudicial to the King's Service.
Past uniform experience abundantly justifies us in observing
to Your Excellency that however difficult it may be to carry on
the King's Service, unless Privateers are kept within bounds, it
:
^ i- Mt^^mt.
^**»*««Sw««Cj-.„v.......
'iUJU-SSSt;
r< w» <^ .160 r iwtCaa*^^ *lTi »««
if^iMidE
FRAINCF.SS TAVF.RX. ITOS.
Erected in I-ig and still standine at Br<.)ad and Pearl Streets. The Chamber of Commerce was founded
in this buildinj.' in 1708 in the Lonp Room, wiiich extends alonp the second floor on the >ideof the building.
KciTi'iluceil liy c.lur;e^> flSuns of t!ie Kev'lu:i.>ii.
Ill
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 33
will be found much more so if these bounds be reducfed to too nar-
row a compass.
Due encouragement to Privateers is in other words only to
tempt both Landsmen as well as Seamen by the most powerful
inducements, that of making it their Interest, to resort from all
parts of the Continent to this port. Nor has any Maxim obtained
more universal assent than that all wise Governments should assidu-
ously consult and attend to the Temper and Genius of the people,
and it is notorious that the Genius of no people was ever more
pecuUar or conspicuous than that of the Americans for Privateer-
ing. If, therefore, that Genius be counteracted it must necessarily
produce the evils inseparable from such conduct in all other Cases.
No answer appears to have been received to this protest,
for a month later it was ordered by the Chamber
That the President do write to General Robertson, requesting
to know whether the Letter written to him on the subject of
Privateering had been laid before the Admiral, and whether any
or what Answer had been given thereto; and also that he write to
the Adnural, representing that the Trade and Fishery was unpro-
tected, and requesting that some means may be pursued so as to
encourage the Fishermen to take Fish for a supply to this Gar-
rison, and that its Commerce may not be annoyed by the Privateers
and Whaleboats that infest even the Narrows.
This was in June, 1782, and only a few meetings of the
Chamber were held after that date till its final session in
May, 1783. The British evacuated the city in November of
that year.
I'
I ?
I
R .
CHAPTER Vm
BRITISH EVACUATION OF NEW YORK
RETURN OF WASHINGTON AND PATRIOT EXILES — BANQUET
CUSTOMS OF THE FATHERS
1783
With the triumphant American army, General Washington
at its head, that took possession of the city on the afternoon
of November 25, 1783, there came a great throng of patriot
exiles who had been living in neighboring colonies during the
British occupation. Among them were a number of men who
had been members of the Chamber of Commerce during the
colonial period, including John Alsop, one of the founders,
and Isaac Roosevelt, one of the founders who was not at the
first meeting but had given his approval to the project.
Isaac Low and many of his fellow members who had sup-
ported the British authorities left the city and country, never
to return.
It was a joyous populace which greeted the conquering
general and his army, but its high spirits do not seem to have
infected the office of the Independent New York Gazette,
for in its issue of the Saturday following there appeared this
terse and passionless record of the events of one of the most
memorable of days in all history: "Last Tuesday morning
the American troops marched from Harlem to the Bowery
Lane. They remained there till about one o'clock when the
British troops left the posts at the Bowery, and the American
troops marched in and took possession of the city."
The Chamber of Commerce was in too chaotic a condition
to participate as a body in the popular rejoicing which marked
the great deliverance, but there is abundant evidence that
34
^
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 35
Isaac Roosevelt and other former members took prominent
part in the hilarious celebration which began on the 25th
and continued for several days. Washington was in the city
till December 4, and during his stay was subjected to an al-
most unbroken series of banquets from which none of the par-
ticipants, if we may judge by the itemized bills for the enter-
tainments which have come down to us, could have emerged
either hungry or thirsty. The first of the series was given to
Washington and his officers at Fraunces's Tavern, where
Washington established his headquarters, by Governor Clin-
ton on the evening of November 25. There was a large
attendance at this feast and thirteen formal toasts were
drunk. That there was no lack of liquor in which to drink
them is made evident by the bill which Samuel Fraunces pre-
sented and which the State paid later:
November 25, 1783.
His Excellency, Governor Clinton to Saml. Fraunces, Dr.
To an Entertainment 30/4/0
To 75 Bottles of Madeira at 8/ 30/
To 18 Ditto of Claret at 10/ g/
To 16 Ditto of Port at 6/ ,,, 4/16/
To 24 Ditto of Porter at 3/ 3/12/
To 24 Ditto of Spruce at 1/ j/^/
To Lights 60/ Tea and Coffee 64/ 5/4/
To Brokeg 2/2/
To Punch 10/10/
97/12/
The above Bill is for an Entertainment of taking possession of the
City when the British evacuated the Southern District. Rec'd
the Contents in full 2d Feby. 1784.
Saml. Fraunces.
The second banquet was given at Cape's Tavern on Novem-
ber 28, and that Isaac Roosevelt and his fellow exiles were
the hosts on this occasion is shown by Washington's itinerary,
I* ■-.:
=11
36
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
in wliich it is recorded that on that date "the citizens who
have lately returned from exile gave an elegant entertain-
ment to his Excellency the Governor and the Comicil for
governing the city; his Excellency General Washington, and
the officers of the Army; about three hundred gentlemen
graced the feast." No itemized bill for this entertainment
has been preserved, as it was not paid by the State, but by
private individuals.
Cape's Tavern was a famous hostelry in its day. It stood
on Broadway, just north of Trinity Church. It had been
built by Etienne De Lancey as a residence in 1730. In 1754 it
was converted into a tavern under the name of the Province
Arms. During the Revolution it was the favorite resort of
the British army and navy officers. Shortly before evacua-
tion it passed into the control of a patriotic hotel-keeper
named John Cape, who removed its old-time royalist sign
and renamed it after himself. It was the scene of the third
banquet to Washington, on December 2. This also was given
by Governor Clinton, at the expense of the State, and was
also in honor of the French ambassador to the United States,
the Chevalier de la Luzerne, who had just arrived in the city
from Philadelphia. It is recorded in the Gazette as "an ele-
gant entertainment at which were present his Excellency
General Washington, the principal officers of this state and
of the army and upwards of an hundred private gentlemen."
That Isaac Roosevelt was connected with this banquet is
shown by Cape's bill, of which he was one of the auditors.
Theodore Roosevelt, who is a descendant of the brother of
Isaac Roosevelt, reproduces this bill in his "Autobiography,"
saying that it came down to him among other Roosevelt docu-
ments and that it illustrates the change that has come over
certain aspects of public life smce the time which pessimists
term " the earlier and better days of the Republic." The bill
is reproduced here, with the one on a previous page, both as
historic documents of large illuminating power:
f
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
37
The State of New Yorky to John Cape Dr.
To a Dinner Given by His Excellency the Governor
and Council to their Excellencies the Minister of France
and General Washington & Co.
1783
December
To 120 dinners at 48/ 0/0
To 135 Bottles Madira 54/ 0/0
36 ditto Port 10/16/0
60 ditto English Beer 9/ 0/0
30 Bouls Punch 9/ 0/0
8 dinners for Musick 1/12/0
10 ditto for Sarvts 2/ 0/0
60 Wine Glasses Broken 4/10/0
8 Cutt decanters Broken 3/ 0/0
Coffee for 8 Gentlemen 1/12/0
Music fees &ca 8/ 0/0
Fruit & Nuts 5/0/0
By Cash,
£156/10/0
100/16/0
55/14/0
We a Committee of Council having examined the above
account do certify it (amounting to one hundred and
fifty-six Pounds ten shillings) to be just
December 17 th 1783.
Isaac Roosevelt
Jas. Duane
Egbt. Benson
Fred. Jay
Received the above Contents in full
New York 17th December 1783
John Cape
"Think of the Governor of New York," writes Colonel
Roosevelt, "now submitting such a bill for such an enter-
tainment of the French Ambassador and the President of
the United States! Falstaff's views of the proper propor-
tion between sack and bread are borne out by the proportion
\\
I
l<
I' r
38 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
between the number of bowls of punch and bottles of port,
Madeira, and beer consumed, and the ' coffee for eight gentle-
men'— apparently the only ones who lasted through to that
stage of the dinner. Especially admirable is the nonchalant
manner in which, obviously as a result of the drinking of said
bottles of wine and bowls of punch, it is recorded that eight
cut-glass decanters and skty wine-glasses were broken."
CHAPTER IX
REORGANIZATION OF THE CHAMBER
CHARTER REVIVED BY THE STATE — ^APPROVAL OF ERIE CANAL —
MEMORIAL AGAINST FIAT MONEY
1784-1793
With the withdrawal of the British and the return of the
Americans, the Chamber underwent another transformation.
Most of the members who had conducted it as a RoyaHst
body left the city with the British army, never to return.
The members who had absented themselves during the British
occupation turned their attention almost inunediately to the
reorganization of the Chamber as a patriotic American body.
They decided that its character could not be completely
restored without an official reaffirmation of the charter, and
they took steps to bring that about.
Early in the spring of 1784 a petition was sent to the Legis-
lature of the State of New York, signed by forty merchants,
asking for a confirmation of the charter for the Chamber on
the ground that the existing charter "had been forfeited and
lost by reason of misuse and nonuse." The reasons for this
action were set forth in the minutes in a statement which,
both in patriotic and historic interest, is worthy of reproduc-
tion in full:
New York, April 20, 1784.
The Arbitrary and Tyrannical conduct of Great Britain toward
the late Colonies (now States of America), having been such as to
Compel the People of these States to Have recourse to Arms for
the Defence of their Liberty and Property, and the Invasion of
the State of New York having driven the Inhabitants of the City
to the cruel Necessity of leaving their Houses and Property and
to retire into the Country, the Exercise of the Rights and Privileges
of the Chamber were, in Consequence of the War, suspended from
39
),
I !
!l^
40
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
the Third of May One thousand Seven hundred and Seventy-five
to the Sixth of July One thousand Seven hundred and Seventy-
nine, When a number of the Members Assumed the Exercises of
the Powers contained in their Charter, under the Patronage of the
British Commanders — and the Influence of the Chamber having
been Manifestly directed to Aid the British in Subjugating these
States — A number of the Members and other Citizens, on their
return to this City, taking into Consideration the State of the
Chamber and being advised by Council that the Charter of the
said Chamber had been forfeited and lost by reason of the Misuser
and Nonuser of the same. They thought it most advisable to peti-
tion the Legislature for a Confirmation of the said Charter.
In response to this petition, the New York Legislature had,
on April 13, 1784, passed a law entitled "An act to remove
doubts concerning the Chamber of Commerce and to confirm
the rights and privileges thereof." The name was changed to
" Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York," and all
the powers, rights, privileges, franchises, and immunities
granted under the royal charter were ratified and confirmed,
and the new organization was formally continued as the suc-
cessor of the old.
The first meeting of the Chamber under the revived charter
was held on April 20, 1784, at which John Alsop was elected
President, Isaac Sears, Vice-President, John Broome, Treas-
urer, and John Blagge, Secretary.
From this time the Chamber resumed its regular meetings,
displaying the same spirit of devotion to the public interests
that had marked its colonial period. At the meeting in May
the former by-laws were adopted, and a schedule of rates
fixing the value at which coins in circulation should be received
and paid out was agreed upon.
Both the national government and the State of New York
stood in great need of revenue to meet expenditures, and to
assist in securing it the New York Legislature passed a law
taxing importations. The revenue sought by this law was
materially reduced by smuggling, which reached large pro-
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
41
portions. The Chamber in October, 1784, gave its cordial
support to the efforts of the State authorities to prevent this
by adopting the following resolution:
Resolved, That the members of this Corporation do solemnly
engage and promise reciprocally to each other, that they will,
by every means in their Power, be aiding and assisting to prevent
the scandalous Practice of Smuggling, and will give information
of every violation of the Law which may come to their knowledge,
so that the offender may be pubhcly known and punished; and
they do most earnestly request and recommend to their fellow
Citizens that they unite with them in this so necessary and lauda-
ble Engagement.
This attitude toward smuggling, taken in the early days of
the republic, has been maintained without wavering by the
Chamber to the present day.
The Revolution had left the colonies struggling with the
evils of a depreciated currency, and with their commerce
hampered by restrictions put upon it by Great Britain.
The Chamber in February, 1785, requested the State govern-
ment to plead with Congress for the relief of its commerce
from the "depredations made on the navigation of the United
States by the Algerines, and the restrictions laid on our
trade by the British and other nations." In March it ad-
dressed Congress directly, expressing regret that the "pres-
ent condition of the city, which through the whole course
of the late war, has been devoted to the Rage of British
Power," deprived its citizens of the means of gratifying their
cordial wishes to make the residence of the members among
them convenient and agreeable, and declaring their conviction
that Congress would take measures for the advancement of
Conmierce "because, imtil our National Flag be rendered
respectable, and our public credit established, the inhabitants
of the United States can but partially enjoy the Great Bless-
ings of Liberty and Peace for which they have so successfully
Contended."
II
1
42
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
A special meeting of the Chamber was called in May, 1785,
to consider a circular, signed by John Hancock and other
merchants of Boston, calling for imited action of the States
in favor of securing a commercial treaty with Great Britain,
and vesting in Congress "full power to regulate the internal
as well as external commerce of all the States." The Cham-
ber, deeming this subject too large for discussion and action
by itself alone, resolved to call a public meeting of citizens at
the City Hall for its consideration.
The proceedings of the Chamber at its meeting on January
3, 1786, are notable as containing a record of the first sugges-
tion of the Erie Canal. A memorial to the Chamber was
presented asking its aid for a project to open "an intercourse
with the interior parts of the United States, by an artificial
inland navigation, along the Mohawk River and Wood Creek
to the great lakes." The Chamber replied, saying its mem-
bers entertained the "highest ideas of the Utility of the scheme,
wishing it may meet with every possible success, but in their
incorporated capacity, owing to the lowness of their funds,
'tis out of their power to lend him [the memorialist] any aid."
At a special meeting, on February 28, 1786, the Chamber
took again firm stand in favor of sound money, thereby
affirming emphatically its policy for all time, fixing a stand-
ard from which its successors have never departed. A bill
was before the State Legislature providing for issuing paper
money and making it a legal tender. The Chamber adopted
a memorial in which it denounced the proposal in terms as
vigorous as they are financially sound, and circulated it
throughout the city for signatures, obtaining six hundred.
Its main points were the following:
Without attempting a discussion of the subject at large, your
memorialists respectfully beg leave to submit a few remarks which
to them appear imanswerable.
First — if the paper emitted should stand on such a basis as to
render it in the public estimation equal to gold and silver, the
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
43
intervention of legislative authority to enforce its reception must
be unnecessary. If it should not stand on such a basis, that
intervention would be unjust and indefensible on any principle of
morality or public utility.
It would be by law to enable the debtor to defraud his creditor.
It would be by law to give the property of one set of men to
another.
It would be by law to involve creditors in ruin, in order to save
debtors from distress.
It would be by law to undermine all the principles of private
credit, private faith, and private honesty.
If it were to be admitted in its fullest extent that many debtors
will be ruined, what interest has the state in substituting one set
of ruined men to another set of ruined men.
Striking tribute to the force of this memorial was paid in
the refusal of the Legislature to print it or to permit it to
remain on its minutes. It was placed on the minutes on the
day of its reception, but when read as a part of them on the
day following, it was ordered to be obliterated.
Former members of the Chamber who had not joined since
the revived charter were declared to be admitted, on February
13, 1787, provided they would respectively attend the Cham-
ber at a stated meeting and signify their consent to become
members before the first Tuesday in Jime following. This
act of forgetfulness of past differences afforded evidence that
the passions aroused by the war were already cooling.
In a revision of the by-laws adopted in September, 1787, the
hour of meeting was fixed at 7 p. m. from May to October,
and 6 p. M. from November to April. At the same time a
resolution was adopted declaring that members would pay
and receive gold and silver at the rates established by the
Bank of New York. Rules for the regulation of quality and
weight of commodities and commission rates in domestic and
foreign trade were fixed.
There was a growing indifference among members at this
period and a backwardness about paying dues which be-
/
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44
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
tokened a steadHy lessening interest in the Chamber and its
work. In September, 1788, a Kst of unpaid admission fees
and quarterly dues was submitted which aggregated three
hundred and thirty dollars. Only a part of this appears to
have been collected, for in August of the following year, very
little business having been transacted by the Chamber in the
interval, the Treasurer was directed to purchase in the name
and for the use of the corporation one share of bank stock
"out of the monies now in his possession and as soon as a
sufficient Sum shall be collected (arising from the fines of
Quarterages now due to this Chamber) in addition to the
balances that shall then remain in his hands."
The share of bank stock mentioned was one in the Bank of
New York, the first institution of the kind in the city. It
was organized by Alexander Hamilton, on March 15, 1784,
with a capital stock of five hundred thousand dollars, divided
into one thousand shares of five hundred dollars each. It be-
gan business in June following, in the Walton House. Isaac
Roosevelt was chosen its President in 1 787. For several years
the State Legislature refused its application for a charter, but
granted one in March, 1791.
It was decided in April, 1793, that all meetings in Novem-
ber, December, January, and February be held at 6 p. m.,
and in the other months at 7 p. M. At this time all fines for
non-attendance were abolished.
11
CHAPTER X
THE JAY TREATY
VALUABLE SUPPORT BY THE CHAMBER—RESULTS EFFECTED
SESSIONS INTERRUPTED BY YELLOW FEVER —
INTERREGNUM OF ELEVEN YEARS
I 794-1806
During its career of a century and a half the Chamber has
demonstrated, on every occasion which called for a declaration
of its principles, that while its members sought at all times to
secure the blessings of peace, they were immovably opposed
to peace obtained at the price of honor. One of the most
notable and public-spirited displays of its attitude on this
subject ever made by the Chamber occurred in 1794 and 1795.
The occasion for it was President Washington's act in send-
ing John Jay, who at the time was Chief Justice of the United
States, as envoy extraordmary to Great Britain in the spring
of 1794. Washington's explanation of his action was the
"serious aspect" of affairs, brought about by the attacks
made upon neutral trade under the orders in council issued
by the British Government in the long contest with France
that had recently begun and that ended twenty-one years
later in the battle of Waterloo. Washington had imposed
an embargo and threatened retaliation. He gave as a reason
for sending Jay his behef that "peace ought to be pursued
with unremitted zeal before the last resort, which has so often
been the scourge of nations, is contemplated." There were
wide differences of opinion about the wisdom of this appoint-
ment and much severe condemnation of it. The Chamber of
Commerce did not hesitate a moment about its duty in the
controversy. On May 9, three days after Jay had been given
45
mmmm
ill
li
46
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
his instructions, it passed resolutions approving the mission
and saying: "If, nevertheless, this embassy should fail to pre-
serve to us the blessings of Peace, yet we persuade ourselves
it cannot fail to convince all nations of our justice and modera-
tion, to unite our own sentiments and efforts, and render an
appeal to arms more honorable to us and more formidable to
our enemies."
Jay had scarcely sailed on his mission when the British
governor of Canada, Lord Dorchester, made a speech un-
friendly in character to the United States, and other develop-
ments occurred which so intensified the bitterness between the
two coimtries that Washington said in a message to Congress,
on May 21, 1794: "This new state of things suggests the pro-
priety of placing the United States in a posture of effectual
preparation for an event, which, notwithstanding the en-
deavors making to avert it, may, by drcmnstances beyond
our control, be forced upon us."
Washington had sent Jay to England as a last chance of
maintaining peace. On arriving. Jay found that Pitt had vol-
untarily retreated from his position and that new orders had
been issued exempting from seizure American vessels engaged
in the direct trade from the United States to the French West
Indies. This concession was of great value, for the Americans
quickly proved that they could carry West Indian produce to
Europe, not only more cheaply than British ships could, but
almost as quickly and could make double freight by stopping
at an American port on the return voyage. The concession
was attributed to fear on the part of Great Britain caused
by the firm attitude which Washington had taken in his sug-
gestion to Congress, quoted above, for "effectual prepara-
tion" in case the controversy should result in war. The
British concession justified the memorable opinion which he
had expressed four years earlier, in his address to Congress
in joint session, on January 8, 1790: "To be prepared for war
is one of the most effective means of preserving peace. A
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 47
free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined "
Jay had the benefit of this partial retreat by the British
Government in opening his negotiations with Earl Granville
Vanous projects were considered, and a treaty was signed on
November 19, 1794. It settled the eastern boundary of
Mame, secured the surrender of western forts still held by the
British, and recovered $10,345,000 for iUegal captures by
British cruisers. "^
When Washington received the treaty he deliberated for
some time as to whether, in view of the excited condition of
the pubhc mind, to submit it to the Senate for ratification and
to the House for the legislation necessary to carry out its pro-
visions. There was a furious outcry against it. HamUton
at first raised objections to it, and subsequently, when he at-
tempted to speak in pubhc in its defense, was mobbed
While public excitement was at its height and the fate of
the treaty m the Senate and House uncertain, the Chamber of
Commerce called a special meeting on July 21, 1795, for the
purpose of considering the subject which "particularly agitates
the public mind, the Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Naviga-
tion, between the United States and Great Britain " The
imnutes for the day have this entry: "This meeting was the
most respectable ever held in the Chamber of Commerce
(upwards of seventy members being present). After the
treaty was read, resolutions approving thereof were adopted
with only ten dissenting voices."
This action by the Chamber, at a critical stage of the
treaty s progress, led to simUar action by other mercantile
bodies throughout the country and this support had a powerful
mfluence m securing its ratification by the Senate and the pas-
sage of the necessary enabhng legislation by the House
Events were to prove that the Chamber was far-sighted in
the wisdom of its action. Through the effects of Pitt's con-
cession and certain provisions of the treaty, there was a sudden
increase m American shipping of such volume, says Henry
\
X
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48
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
Adams in his "History of the United States," that "at the
close of the century the British flag seemed in danger of com-
plete exclusion from the harbors of the United States." In
support of this statement Mr. Adams gives the following
figures:
In 1790 more than 550 British ships, with a capacity of more
than 115,000 tons, had entered inward and outward, representing
about half that number of actual vessels; in 1799 the custom-
house returns showed not 100 entries, and in 1800 about 140,
representing a capacity of 40,000 tons. In the three years 1790-
1792, the returns showed an average of some 280 outward and
inward entries of American ships with a capacity of 54,000 tons;
in 1800 the entries were 1,057, with a capacity of 236,000 tons.
The Americans were not only beginning to engross the direct
trade between their own ports and Europe, but were also rapidly
obtaining the indirect carrying-trade between the West Indies and
the European continent, and even between one European coun-
try and another.
Summing up the effects of the Jay treaty, Mr. Adams
writes: "Chief Justice Jay, in 1794, negotiated a treaty with
Lord Granville which was in some respects very hard upon
the United States, but was inestimably valuable to them, be-
cause it tied Pitt's hands and gave time for the new American
Constitution to gain strength. Ten years steady progress,
were well worth any temporary concessions."
While on his way back from London Jay was elected Gov-;
emor of New York, and that the Chamber took an active part
in the celebration which greeted him on his arrival is shown
by an entry in the minutes of the session of January 2, 1795,
ordering payment for "gunpowder expended in celebrating
the election of John Jay as Governor of the State.^
»
It is difficult for the present generation to realize what a
scourge yellow fever was in American cities during the clos-
ing years of 1700 and the first quarter of 1800. It appeared
regularly every year, more often in Southern than in Northern
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 49
cities, and its advent paralyzed all social and business life
during its stay. The secret of the transmission of the disease,
which was also its prevention, was discovered by a board of
army surgeons in 1900 after the Spanish War. Two members
of the board— Lazear and Carroll— permitted themselves to
be bitten by yeUow-fever infected mosquitoes. Both got the
disease ; CarroU recovered but Lazear died— a martyr to science
and the human race. Other like tests were made upon volun-
teers for the purpose, and the result was absolute demonstra-
tion that the disease was transmitted by the mosquito of a
pecuUar type and by that mosquito alone. This discovery
not only banished the pest forever from American cities but
from the Isthmus of Panama, thus making possible the con-
struction of the canal.
The first visit of yellow fever to New York occurred in 1795
and continued through the months of August, September,
October, and November, causing the death of about seven
hundred persons, mostly foreigners. A second visit, equally
deadly, came in 1798, a third in 1799, and a fourth in 1822.
In consequence of the general alarm which it caused there was
an exodus of the population to regions outside the city limits.
The Chamber of Commerce suspended all meetings during
the summer whenever it appeared. It is recorded in the min-
utes of August, 1798, that a "maHgnant yeUow-fever having
appeared about the 28th of August, and a general dispersion
of the mhabitants of New York having taken place soon after,
no meeting was held from that time till December 24."
But while its activities suffered by these long interruptions,
the Chamber during 1796, 1797, and 1798 continued to exert
Its influence steadily on the side of the best interests of the
trade and commerce of the city, approving a bill before Con-
gress for the protection of American seamen and sending a
special representative to Philadelphia to impress upon Con-
gress, then in session there, the necessity of adequate forti-
fication of the harbor of New York.
l-i
^1
50 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
That the Chamber of this period was not composed of
"peace-at-any-price" men was demonstrated anew, on
April 20, 1798, when the relations between the United States
and the Republic of France were becoming more strained
daily. A committee appointed for the purpose made a re-
port approving the neutral poUcy adopted by President
Washington at the beginning of hostiUties in Europe, and
adhered to by his successor, John Adams, for an amicable
settlement of misunderstandings with France, and concluded
its report with the foUowing declaration and resolution:
But estimating our rights as an independent nation far above
any considerations of inconvenience, which may attend the means
of maintaining and preserving them,
Resolved, that we wiU zealously support such measures as the
wisdom of the Government may dictate, and demonstrate by our
unanimity, that all efforts to divide us wiU be vam.
About forty members were present at the meeting when the
report was made. They voted unanimously to approve it
and its accompanying declaration and resolution, and to
forward a copy to President Adams. This was done, and
under date of April 27, 1798, the President sent a reply in
which he said the declaration and resolution were "expressive
of sentiments wortiiy of the American people,'' and added:
"Your approbation of tiie system of tiie United States,
and the manner of the Government to pursue and preserve
it, afford much satisfaction to me in reflecting on what is
passed and encouragement to perseverance in future."
But the demoraUzing effect of the long interruptions m
the sessions of the Chamber because of yellow fever began to
be apparent after 1798. Very few meetings were held, and
the attendance at them was too small for the transaction of
business. It became necessary to caU special meetings when
action was considered important. One was called on Decem-
ber 26, 1799, to consider "some appropriate mode of testify-
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
51
ing regret for the irreparable loss sustained by the nation in the
death of George Washington"; and others to send memorials
to Congress on the subject of some matters of large interest
to the welfare of the city. Efforts were made to secure a
larger attendance, but were without success, and beginning
with 1806, for a period of eleven years no meetings were held.
Undoubtedly the commercial depression and internal dis-
sensions attending the controversy with Great Britain, which
resulted in the War of 1812, had much to do with this.
iiMaai«*«Mir^».
- -* -f-
:(
I
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u
CHAPTER XI
REVIVAL OF THE CHAMBER
TREE-TRADE ATTITUDE OF THE MEMBERS — NATIONAL BANK-
RUPTCY LAW FAVORED — ^REMOVAL TO THE
MERCHANTS* EXCHANGE
1817-1827
On March 4, 1817, Cornelius Ray, who had been President
of the Chamber when meetings ceased in 1806, summoned its
members together, saying to those who responded that, "from
a variety of circumstances the meetings of the Chamber of
Commerce had been intermitted for a considerable number
of years; that at the request of several respectable gentle-
men he had summoned the present meeting for the purpose
of reviving this once eminent and highly useful institution."
The names of thirty-six persons for new membership were
proposed.
At this meeting the former Treasurer resigned and in turn-
ing over the affairs of his office to his successor gave this
inventory of the assets of the Chamber on June i, 1806:
One share in the United States Bank; i share in the Bank
of New York; and $188.27 in cash. At the meeting in
March following, the Treasurer reported the funds of the
Chamber as follows: One share in Bank of New York; 7
shares in the Eagle Fire Insurance Co.; $372.67 '^ cash.
The Treasurer was ordered to invest the moneys in hand in
shares of the Eagle Fire Insurance Co.
In April following, the practice of monthly meetings was
abolished, and bimonthly ones were ordered, those in May,
July, and September to be held at 12 o'clock noon, and those
in November, January, and March at 6 p. m. This was the
52
' »
^1
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 53
only change of importance made in the existing by-laws, ex-
cept that it was provided that the names of persons having
disputes before the standing committee on arbitration were
to be published in the newspapers. The meetings were now
held in the Long Room of the Tontine Coffee House, the rental
of which to the Chamber was seventy-five dollars a year.
The depredated quality of wheat and flour was a constant
subject of consideration by the Chamber during 1817 and 1818,
and voluminous memorials to the Legislature were made at
frequent intervals. In January, 1819, the Chamber sent a
long memorial to Congress requesting the enactment of a
national bankruptcy law which ''should put creditors of
all descriptions upon a footing of equality throughout the
Union"; in February and other months, other long memorials
against the repeal of the charter of the Bank of the United
States; against discriminating duties levied by France on
staple products of the United States; on defects in the
methods of collecting revenue; and on various other matters
connected with trade and commerce.
In September, 1820, the Chamber sent a delegation to a
convention of representatives of all commerdal dties which
was held in Philadelphia of that year to take measures to de-
feat the tariff biU then before Congress. Resolutions were
adopted strongly opposing any tariff except for purposes of
revenue and these, when reported to the Chamber by its re-
turning delegates, were spread upon the minutes with unani-
mous approval.
The project for building a Merchants' Exchange was
brought before the Chamber at its meeting on July 3, 182 1,
and a committee was appointed to consider its expediency.
At the next meeting, September 4, the committee reported
that they considered the project expedient and had taken it
upon themselves to petition the Legislature for an act of in-
corporation with a capital of five hundred thousand dollars,
and in doing so did not know but that they had exceeded the
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54
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
power intended to be granted them. The Chamber approved
their action. The Legislature passed the act, a corporation
was formed, and the Exchange was erected. A description
of the building appears in other pages of this volume.
Among the many memorials sent by the Chamber to the
President and Congress at this time was one asking for the pro-
tection of commerce against the "perils that infest the West
Indies and the Gulf of Mexico"; and another, on January 6,
1824, with the united approval of the commercial towns and
cities of the country, asking for a national bankruptcy law.
A public meeting was called at the Tontine Coffee House to
support the latter.
During 1822 and 1823 the Chamber continued to send me-
morials to Congress in imdiminished volume, the full text of
which the Secretary was required to spread on the minutes,
making his office something far removed from a sinecure. In
February, 1823, the Chamber, having been asked by a group
of young men who a year or two earlier had united to establish
a Mercantile Library Association for their own self-improve-
ment, to come to their assistance, responded with an appro-
priation of two hundred dollars and the appointment of a
standing committee, renewed annually, to visit the library
from time to time and report to the Chamber as to its condi-
tion. It was estimated at the time that there were about
four thousand merchants' clerks in the city, of whom only
two hundred had become interested in the library. The
Chamber not only encouraged the worthy project with con-
tributions of money, but by its hearty commendation did much
to start the association on that long, useful, and honorable
career which continues to this day.
The imcompromisingly free-trade attitude of the Cham-
ber was displayed with great clearness on January 26, 1824,
when in a series of resolutions it declared that "as (it is) the
sense of this Chamber that the true and legitimate object of
taxation is revenue, and that the power to lay and collect
I
\
-
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
55
taxes and establish imports, which is given to Congress by the
Constitution of the United States, was not granted with
the intention, nor will it bear the construction that it may be
so exercised as to cherish and elevate one class at the expense
of all the other classes of our citizens, " therefore, the Chamber
"protests against increased duties as prohibitions and restric-
tions on trade and will promote exclusive interests at the
national expense." A memorial embodying these views at
length was sent to Congress. The memorial was directed
against the tariff measure of which Henry Clay became the
chief champion and Daniel Webster the leader of the oppo-
sition. Clay invented at that time the phrase "American
system" for the doctrine of protection and made what are
regarded as the ablest speeches of his career in support of the
bill, carrying it to success.
The Merchants' Exchange being ready for occupancy in
May, 1827, the Chamber held its first meeting there on the
first day of the month and signified the occasion by an act
of historical interest. In co-operation with the Philadelphia
Chamber of Commerce, it adopted a memorial to President
John Qumcy Adams, in favor of a line of communication be-
tween the United States and the Pacific Ocean, through the
Gulf of Mexico, and across the Isthmus of Darien, which at the
time included what is now the Isthmus of Panama. The
proposal was for a line of small national vessels to sail from
Atlantic Coast ports to the mouth of the Chagres River,
which was then the starting-point for transportation across
the Isthmus, to the city of Panama on the Pacific side. The
mouth of the Chagres River is about ten miles west of the
present city of Colon and the Atlantic entrance to the Panama
Canal. In 1827 transportation across the Isthmus was by
small boat, or native dugout canoes, up the Chagres for
about twenty miles to a village then called Venta Cruz, and
later Cruces, and thence by mule trail to Panama, a distance
of about thirty-six miles.
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
The originators of the project of 1827 never dreamed of a
United States that should fill the entire continent between the
Atlantic and the Pacific, traversed by great lines of railway,
or of a railway across the Isthmus, or of a canal dividing
it. Their project of a line of vessels to the mouth of the
Chagres River was put into operation in 1849, ^Jid one year
later the task of building a railway across the Isthmus was
begun.
meISm mtt *s»atl0ittl0tt0aiHiittKtlie-
CHAPTER Xn
ACTIVE INTEREST IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS
CITY, STATE, AND NATIONAL QUESTIONS CONSIDERED— ERIE
railroad favored — burning of the
merchants' exchange
1827-1836
The modest financial condition of the Chamber at this
period is disclosed in the bills paid at the time of taking up
its abode in the Merchants' Exchange. There was a charge
of thirty dollars for ten meetings, at three dollars each, in the
Tontine Coffee House: one of one hundred dollars, as salary
of Secretary, and one of five dollars for advertising. No
other expenses seem to have been incurred during the year.
The original charter, in its mahogany box, was duly received
and placed in the new quarters.
In September, 1827, and again in April, 1828, the members
of the bar of the city, recognizing the influence which the
Chamber exercised upon the public, requested it to express
its opinion upon measures before the Common Council for
changes in the judiciary system, and the request was granted.
In the latter year the Chamber was requested to pass upon
the names of candidates who were suggested for the newly
constituted Court of Common Pleas. In response to this
request the Chamber called a public meeting of merchants
and traders in its meetmg-room in the Merchants' Exchange
for the purpose of "recommending to the Governor such per-
sons as in their opinion are proper individuals for that sta-
tion."
A special meeting was called in February, 1828, to consider
the proper means for testifying respect for the memory of De
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
Witt Clinton, who died on the nth of that month. A series
of resolutions was adopted, of which the following is especially
worthy of record:
His devotion to the cause of science and literature, and to the
benevolent institutions which distinguish the present day — his
successful efforts to promote schools among the great body of our
citizens, whereby nearly half a million of our youth receive the
benefit of education — his genius in projecting, and his untiring
zeal and energy in carrying into effect, the great scheme of internal
navigation, which has already united the Hudson with the in-
land seas of the north, and will soon lead to a similar union with
the immense waters of the west, and lay open to the commerce of
this city fertile countries, whose shores are not inferior in extent
to the shores of Europe — ^all show the superiority of his mind —
that it was directed to the most patriotic objects, and that its
efforts have been crowned with the most splendid success.
Three-quarters of a century later the successors of the
members who paid this high and just tribute reiterated it, and
confirmed it in enduring form by placing upon the front of
the Chamber^s permanent home a statue in marble of Clin-
ton, in the fit company of Alexander Hamilton and John Jay.
In March, 1828, the by-laws were again revised, with slight
changes, and the hour of meeting was fixed at i p. m. It
was decided to continue the standing committee on disputes,
and to enlarge the rules of admission by making eligible for
membership "any American citizen who regularly transacts
business in the city of New York whether he be a resident of
the city or elsewhere."
Little action of large importance was taken by the Cham-
ber for a considerable period after 1828. Congress was pe-
titioned repeatedly by memorial to authorize the building
of a new custom-house. "Not less than five hundred per-
sons,'' it was declared in one of these, "daily transact business
at the Custom House. It is not an infrequent occurrence to
see from one to two hundred persons at a time in the Room
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
59
occupied by the Collector's Ofl&ce in an area of little more than
thirty feet square." It was requested that the new building
be placed in Wall Street, as the convenient centre of com-
mercial business, and when a proposal was made to place
both a custom-house and a post-office building in the City
Hall Park, vigorous resolutions were adopted and sent to
Congress protesting against the plan, declaring that to place
the buildings there would be "to commit a beautiful Public
Square, which is now set apart for the health and comfort of
the citizens, to uses for which it was never intended." The
Custom House building was finally placed in Wall Street,
where it still stands. It was used as a custom-house till the
present building, near the Bowling Green, was completed.
The City Hall Park was invaded in 187 1, when the post-office
building was erected on its southern end.
A curious incident is recorded in the minutes of the meet-
ing on May 6, 1834. A resolution was adopted declaring
"that as at a late election for members of the Chamber of
Commerce the privilege of excluding by blackballs under the
4th article of the bylaws was availed of against a candidate
for admission, to whose character and qualifications there
were no just causes of exception," it was, therefore, moved
that the "4th article be suspended by unanimous consent for
the purpose of balloting for John P. Stagg." The motion
prevailed and Mr. Stagg was elected. At the same time vari-
ous motions were made to amend the 4th article, but all of
them were tabled.
In September of the same year — 1834 — strong approval
was voted of a project for a ship canal aroimd Niagara Falls,
and a railroad from Lake Erie to the Hudson. The Chamber
was so favorably impressed by this project that it appointed
a committee to prepare a pamphlet explaining it and setting
forth its merits, the same to be used for general distribution
at a cost not exceeding two hundred dollars to be paid by the
Chamber. The ultimate outcome of this project was the
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
building of the Erie railroad, and later, when the work was
under way the Chamber adopted strong resolutions in favor
of its completion, urging citizens of all classes to subscribe to
its stock, and expressing the hope that the Legislature would
grant all reasonable aid.
Under date of January 5, 1836, this single entry appears
upon the minutes of the Chamber:
There was no meeting of the Chamber of Commerce this day in
consequence of the total destruction of the Merchants' Exchange
and the confusion created in all busmess arrangements by the
dreadful and most disastrous fire on the night of the i6th Decem-
ber which has laid waste the greater part of the business section of
the First Ward. The books and pictures belonging to the Cham-
ber and its Corporate Seal fortunately were saved from the flames.
The next meeting of the Chamber was held in the Mer-
chants' Bank, on February 3, 1836, which continued to be its
home till 1858. At this meeting the Treasurer reported that
the sixteen shares which the Chamber held in the Eagle Fire
Insurance Co., "may be considered so much loss owing to the
late dreadful conflagration by means of which said company
among others has been rendered insolvent."
That members of the standing committee on disputes were
often lax in attendance at its sessions was shown in a report
which the member who had been acting Secretary since that
form of committee was created in 1822 made in July, 1836.
It showed a total of one hundred and forty dollars as the
amoimt of fines collected during that period.
Steadily and persistently, during the period between 1820
and 1840, the Chamber petitioned Congress in a continuous
stream of memorials to enact legislation for the regulation of
pilots, for the building of lighthouses in the harbor, and for
desirable quarantine regulations.
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CHAPTER Xni
FRESH LIFE IN THE CHAMBER
ADDITIONAL MEMBERS ELECTED — GROWTH IN PROTECTION
SENTIMENT
1840-1849
Early in 1840 a systematic effort was made to put new life
into the Chamber and increase its activities. A special com-
mittee, which had been appointed to "consider what steps
should be taken to extend the usefuhiess of this corporation,"
made a report which was regarded as of so much importance
that a special meeting was called to consider it. The Mayor
offered the City Hall for the meeting and it was held there,
after ten days' notice, on March 17. It was agreed unani-
mously that the following programme should be put into
effect as soon as possible:
Elect a large number of new members.
Procure offices of suitable size and a central position for
the accommodation of the Library of the Chamber and for
the daily meeting of such members as may choose to resort
there, it being recommended that every one appear there
once a day.
Appoint a clerk with a moderate salary to give his con-
stant attendance between 9 a, m. and 9 p. M.; keep a record
daily of the time of high water, course of the wind, foreign
arrivals at the port, and such other information as it may seem
of importance to have; keep files of newspapers from different
parts of the Union, one at least from each State, with such
public documents and important laws as may be received;
the clerk to serve also as librarian or assistant librarian.
An annual amount, not exceeding ten dollars, be paid to
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62 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
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the Treasurer by each member, in addition to the initiation
fee, such payment to entitle the member, besides the use of
office and Ubrary, to the privilege of submitting cases for
arbitration to the standing committee free of charge, whidi
privileges were to cease on failure to pay the award. Privi-
leges of the office could be extended to persons not members
under such regulations as the Chamber might from time to
time direct.
Amend the by-laws so as to read: "No persons can be ad-
mitted members of this corporation but merchants, and others
whose avocations are connected with the trade and commerce
of the country, who are American citizens or have given notice
of intention to become so, or continue members if not residents
in the city of New York or regularly transacting business
there."
The effort to enlarge the membership of the Chamber
seems to have been reasonably successful, but there was little
apparent increase immediately in the Chamber's activities.
During the year 1841 very little business of importance was
transacted. A long memorial was sent to Congress in favor
of a National Bank, but in general only minor matters were
considered. A statement of the Chamber's financial con-
dition, made in August, 1841, showed $1,182.54 in cash;
I share in the Bank of New York; 10 shares in the Mer-
chants' Exchange, and 16 shares (old) Eagle Fire Insurance
Co.
When the question of imposing discriminating tariffs on
foreign importations was before Congress in 1842, discussion
of the subject revealed a distinct growth in protection senti-
ment in the Chamber. Eighteen years earlier, in January,
1824, when the tariff bill of which Clay was the champion was
on its passage through Congress, the Chamber had agreed
upon a memorial strongly in support of a tariff for revenue
only and earnestly opposed to any tariff for protection.
In April, 1842, a memorial was presented to the Chamber in
M
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 6^
which the existence and prosperity of home industry were
declared to be the fundamental basis of all commerce and
trade, and the attitude of the Chamber was defined as follows:
The doctrine of "free trade" meets the entire concurrence of
this Chamber, and wherever it can be met with, should be en-
hanced, but if not mutually practised by nations in their inter-
course with us, is seen to demonstrate the sad consequences which
seem too self evident to need an illustration.
It is the opinion of this Chamber, that in no other way, as a pre-
liminary measure, can this nation be restored to its former high
stand— the debts of the states liquidated by the prospered condi-
tion of their citizens to pay the same— and the national honor and
character sustained— than by a resort to a discriminating tariff
of duty on foreign imports.
This memorial was printed and circulated widely, but when
it came before the Chamber for action, consideration was in-
definitely postponed by a vote of thirty-six to thirty, showing
the Chamber to be nearly evenly divided. Various resolu-
tions, in opposition to the discriminating tariff measure, were
introduced and all met the same fate.
At the meeting on February 15, 1843, this minute was re-
corded: "A reporter being present from one of the public
newspapers, a motion was made by Mr. Blunt that no person
be allowed to be present at this meeting except by special per-
mission of the presiding officer." The motion was carried
unanimously and the President decided that the reporter
should withdraw. Six years later, in August, 1849, an applica-
tion was made on behalf of a reporter of The Journal of Com-
merce for permission to attend the meetings of the Chamber
and report them, and this was granted with the proviso that
he should submit his reports for revision to the President or
Secretary and should furnish slips to other newspapers. From
this time the meetings of the Chamber seem to have been
reported regularly in the newspapers.
In October, 1843, the dues of members, in addition to
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
the admission fee, were reduced from ten dollars to one
dollar.
Various memorials were sent to Congress during this period,
including one advocating the appointment of consular agents
to China for the encouragement of commercial intercourse;
one against a duty on railroad iron; one in favor of the estab-
lishment of a Hydrographic Department in the National Ob-
servatory at Washington; and several urging the removal of
obstructions in the Hell Gate Channel.
In May, 1849, the membership of the Chamber was re-
corded officially as two hundred and five, with all dues paid.
With so large a membership the general interest appears to
have been slight, for at the same time the number necessary
for a quonma was reduced from thirteen to nine.
CHAPTER XIV
NEW QUARTERS AND BROADER ACTIVITIES
SUPPRESSION OF PRIVATEERING SOUGHT— MEETINGS IN CLIN-
TON HALL — FIRST ANNUAL REPORT
1851-1858
During the period between 1851 and 1853 the attention of
the Chamber was confined quite steadily to matters relating
to trade and commerce, both of the city and the country at
large. Repeated action of various kinds was taken in regard
to warehousing, pilots, harbor improvements, and similar
subjects, and a memorial was sent to the Legislature in favor
of the adoption of an amendment to the Constitution which
would enable the State to borrow enough money to complete
the Erie Canal. In April, 1853, a report of the Treasurer
showed that there were two hundred and fifteen members of
the Chamber, and there had been collected in dues for the
past three years six hundred and twenty-five dollars.
An earnest efifort was made in January, 1854, to extend
further the usefulness of the Chamber by securing more com-
modious quarters and enlarging its activities as a body of
citizens devoted to the welfare and progress of the city and
nation. A committee, which had been appointed for the
purpose, made an elaborate report on January 6, which
showed that the society continued steadfast in the spirit of
the founders. A few passages are worth quoting in evidence
of this fact:
This city in its vast amplitudes is growing up to such ^gantic
importance as to draw upon us the attention of the entire com-
mercial world, justifying their right to expect from us the establish-
6s
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
ment and perpetuity of intelligent rules and principles of action
in all the business relations of society.
In its early history the Chamber was under the guidance of
men whose councils aided essentially in the memorable events of
our revolutionary struggle.
Although, during some of the subsequent portions of the his-
tory of this corporation, we may have been somewhat less energetic
than we should have been, yet it can be confidently said that no
step had ever been taken in it, tending to diminish its high-toned
respectability.
In view of all this, we should not permit the slightest relaxation
in our energies; on the contrary, we should press on with a deter-
mined zeal to sustain the character which our predecessors have
established, thereby drawing our merchants into new habitudes
of social intercourse generating a local tone and esprit de corps
that is becoming more and more important as our city increases
in power and wealth.
As the city is destined to increase with incalculable rapidity, we
feel the need of an organized body of commercial men to maintain
a watchful care over our interests and to be in readiness at all
times to furnish our national and state Governments with reliable
information upon points affecting our general welfare as business
men and citizens.
The committee recommended that the Legislature be re-
quested to so amend the charter as to permit the meetings of
the Chamber to be held on any one of the six working-days of
the week, instead of on Tuesday only; that the Chamber se-
cure some commodious and suitably located room connected
with proper accommodation for the safe deposit of the books,
records, maps, documents, etc., of the society; that the
annual dues be increased to three dollars, and immediate
steps be taken to collect arrearages. The committee sug-
gested that the desired result might be accomplished by the
purchase or erection of a building, part of which could be
rented so as to leave the Chamber free of rent.
The report of the Committee was accepted imanimously.
On being appealed to, the Legislature amended the charter
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
67
as desired, and the by-laws were amended soon afterward,
making Thursday in the first week of each month the day of
meeting instead of Tuesday. The subject of suitable rooms
was under quite regular discussion for four years. The com-
mittee was enlarged, and its powers were increased by giving
it authority to engage a room at a rental not exceeding fifteen
hundred dollars; to devise the proper mode for raising the
funds requisite, and to superintend the fitting up of the rooms
when secured. Finally, on March 11, 1858, the committee
were authorized to select from four obtainable suites of rooms
the one which in their judgment was most suitable, and they
chose one in the Underwriters' Building at William and
Cedar Streets. A corresponding secretary was chosen at a
salary of one thousand dollars, and one thousand dollars was
appropriated for the purchase of books. On June 10, 1858,
the new quarters were formally taken possession of, with an
address by Charles King, president of Columbia College, and
they continued to be the home of the Chamber till 1884.
During the period in which the question of removal was
under discussion the Chamber continued to exert its influence
in many directions. In April, 1854, it addressed a memorial
to the President asking him to "open negotiations with other
powers for the suppression of privateering and also for the
recognition of the principle that free ships make free goods,
and the neutral flag gives neutrality to the cargo."
At the same time, the Chamber sent a memorial to Congress
asking for the passage of such laws as would in their opinion
check and eventually put a stop to privateering. The fol-
lowing passage was an additional indication that the Cham-
ber was not a timid society in international controversies:
"Especially do your memorialists believe that the present
Belligerents (France and England) would not voluntarily in-
crease the too probable hazard of a war with America on this
point."
A memorial was addressed to Congress in February, 1856,
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
strongly urging a treaty of reciprocity with Canada. In
November a recommendation was made to the City Coimcil
to "employ steam as an arm of the Fire Department in the
lower districts of the city," and respectfully urging the "im-
portance of obtaining the most reliable engine for that pur-
pose."
The size of the membership of the Chamber in 1856 is re-
vealed in the Secretary's report, showing that dues for the
three years ending in May of that year amounted to $202.30,
which had been collected from 303 members. The amount
collected was less than a third of that collected in the pre-
ceding three-year period, but no explanation was given of the
decrease. «
A new departure was made in 1856 when a proposal was
adopted to hold evening sessions of the Chamber quarterly, at
Clinton Hall, in the months of January, April, July, and Oc-
tober. The first of these was held on October 6, 1856, and
others followed regularly for several years. They seem to
have been well attended. The last one was held in Janu-
ary, 1859, when it was voted that quarterly meetings be dis-
continued.
In March, 1858, an amendment was proposed to the by-
laws increasing the annual dues from three to ten dollars.
This was adopted. The latter figure was the one in force
from 1840 till 1843, when it was reduced to one dollar.
The Chamber made the year 1858 a notable one in its
history by beginning the publication of an annual report, the
first of a series which has been continued without interrup-
tion to the present time. It was a volume of about four
hundred pages and may be said justly to have set a standard
for its successors, for it was a model of what such a publica-
tion should be. In announcing it, as a record of the year 1858,
its compilers said the Chamber had decided that an annual
report be issued hereafter under the direction of its Executive
Committee, "with a view to illustrate, as far as practicable
i
MERCHANTS' EXCHANGE, 1827.
The Fifth Home of the Chamber of Commerce from 1827 to 1835. This building was destroyed in the
great fire of 1835.
From a print in the Emmet Collection, New York Public Library.
! '!
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
69
in a single volume, the condition of mercantile affairs in our
city during the preceding year, with reference also to any im-
portant changes in the business markets of the state at large,
connected with the general trade of the country." It was
added:
In the absence of a governmental volume from the Treasury
Department, or from a Bureau of Statistics at Washington, illus-
trating the interests of foreign and domestic commerce of the
several States, it becomes the legitimate duty of the Chamber of
Commerce annually to exhibit, as far as practicable, the progress
of trade, commerce, and manufactures in our city, and such collat-
eral topics as concern the interests of our merchants. It is con-
sidered that such a volume might appropriately exhibit, I. The
imports and exports of staples from the city and state. II. Trade
reports for the year. III. A review of the financial movements of
the year. IV. The progress and condition of manufactures.
V. Laws of the United States for the year, and of the State of
New York, of a commercial character. VI. Journal of Proceed-
ings of the Chamber.
This programme was admirably carried out in the first vol-
imie, which is a mine of information on all the subjects men-
tioned. As a pioneer in the field which has since been filled
with intelligence and ability, it was a really remarkable produc-
tion. In a summary of the developments of the year 1858, it
was pointed out that the completion of the Atlantic cable, the
negotiation of treaties with China, Siam, and Japan, and the
rapid recovery of values from the revulsion of 1857, united to
make 1858 an important era in the commercial history of the
United States.
^ In fact, the psychological moment for a publication of this
kind had arrived, and the members of the Chamber, animated
as always by an intelligent and vigilant devotion to the public
interest, were prompt to recognize it. If the year 1858
marked an era in the commercial history of the country, it
marked one also in the history of the Chamber of Commerce,
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70 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
for as an organization it placed itself on an enduring founda-
tion and advanced to a wider field of usefulness than it had
ever known. Its membership at this time was five hundred
and fifty.
1
CHAPTER XV
THE CIVn. WAR
PROMPT ACTION OF THE CHAMBER IN SUPPORTING THE
GOVERNMENT AND THE NATIONAL CREDIT
1861
When the news of the firing upon Fort Sumter came in
April, 1861, the Chamber did not hesitate a second as to its
duty in the crisis. A special meeting was called on April
19, the day on which President Lincoln issued his proclama-
tion declaring the ports of Southern States to be in a state of
blockade, and the attendance was "large and enthusiastic."
The key-note of the gathering was sounded by the President of
the Chamber, Pelatiah Perit, in a brief speech which deserves
and holds high rank among the patriotic American utterances
of all time. It is reproduced here in full, as an enduring honor
to its author and to the body over which he was presiding:
We are assembled to-day in special meeting, at the written
request of many of our members, according to the requirements of
our by-laws. It has been the habit of this Board not to inter-
meddle with the political questions which agitate the country;
but there are occasions on which the ordinary rules of proceed-
ings must give way to peculiar emergencies, and such an occasion
has arisen to-day. The nation has, in the course of events sudden
and unexpected, reached a crisis unprecedented in our history,
when the safety of the government is threatened, and when the
President of the United States, compelled by this alarming state
of things, has called on the citizens to rally to the defence of the
government. As an influential body of men in this commercial
centre, we are bound to respond heartily to this call. I trust,
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
gentlemen, that in the discussion of this morning, we shall forget
all party distinction, and, with unanimity and warm hearts, rally
in support of a constitution and government the best in the world,
and under which we have lived and prospered since the close of
the Revolutionary war. All which has been ours in time past, and
which constitutes our hope for time to come, is at stake. Under
the specious name of secession, traitors have seized the public prop-
erty, have attacked the national forts, and are now threatening
thejQational capital. The prime of our young men are marching
to its defence. Let us meet the crisis like patriots and men. There
can be no neutrality now — we are either for the country or for its
enemies.
A series of resolutions was presented in which it was de-
clared that the Chamber had witnessed "with lively satisfac-
tion the determination to maintain the constitution and vin-
dicate the supremacy of government and law at every haz-
ard"; that the so-called secession of some of the Southern
States having at last culminated in open war against the
United States, "the American people can no longer defer their
decision between anarchy and despotism, on the one side,
and on the other liberty, order, and law, imder the most
benign government the world has ever known"; that "this
Chamber, forgetful of past differences of political opinion
among its members, will, with unanimity and patriotic ardor,
support the government in this great crisis, and it hereby
pledges its best efforts to sustain its credit and facilitate its
financial operations"; and that "it recommends to the
government the instant adoption and prosecution of a policy
so vigorous and resistless that it will crush out treason now
and forever."
The members left no doubt as to their sentiments, for they
sprang to their feet and adopted the resolutions unanimously
with ringing cheers.
A copy of the resolutions was sent to President Lincoln and
a few days later the following acknowledgment was received
from the Secretary of State:
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
73
Department of State, Washington,
26th April, 1861.
To Pelatiah Perit, Esq., President of the Chamber of Commerce ,
New York :
Sir, — ^The resolutions of the Chamber of Commerce concerning
the present attitude of public affairs, although sent forward so
early as the 20th inst., have, in consequence of postal obstructions,
only just now reached this Department. I have lost no time in
submitting them to the President of the United States.
He directs me to assure the Chamber of Commerce that he has
read the resolutions with the highest appreciation of the loyalty,
patriotism and liberality of that body; and to the end, that they
may find a just place in the history of this, the most important
crisis, save one, that our country has been called to meet, I have
deposited the resolutions in the archives of the government.
I have the honor to be, with the highest respect,
your obedient servant,
William H. Seward.
T
In order to put the pledge of support into instant action
a committee was appointed to procure subscriptions for the
balance of about $8,000,000 which remained unsubscribed
to the loan of $25,000,000 which the Government had au-
thorized in February, 1861. Subscriptions for the desired
amount were made and the Secretary of the Treasury was
informed that this sum could be drawn at once.
Another committee was appointed to raise funds in aid
of the volunteers of the city and their families, and at the
next meeting in May this committee reported that they had
collected $115,853, of which $92,884 had been expended for
the equipment of troops, and the balance, $22,969, had been
transferred to the treasurer of the Union Defense Com-
mittee. At the June meeting it was voted that a suitable
medal be struck and presented to each of the officers and mem-
bers of the garrison under command of Major Anderson at
Fort Sumter and Lieutenant Slemmer at Fort Pickens.
Later 168 medals were distributed at a cost of $1,500 which
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
was raised by subscription among the members. In May,
1862, Major Anderson, who had been promoted to General,
attended the annual meeting of the Chamber and was for-
mally presented with a medal.
Jealous as ever of the honor of the nation, the Chamber felt
moved at its meeting in August, 186 1, to pass the following
resolutions:
Whereas, The government of the United States is engaged in
a contest for the suppression of rebellion, and for the maintenance
of the integrity of the Union which is destined to make a large
demand upon the pecuniary resources of the country, and the
demand must chiefly be met by means of repeated loans;
Resolved, That, in the judgment of this Chamber, the success of
the proposed loans will depend upon the enactment of Congress,
now in session, of revenue and internal tax bills adapted to the
existing emergency; or that, if the government should succeed in
procming money without making wise provision for the reim-
bursement of principal and interest, it will be upon terms dis-
creditable to the national name and prejudicial to the national
interest.
CHAPTER XVI
REBUKE TO PACIFISTS
LEGAL-TENDER ISSUE FAVORED — LETTERS FROM JOHN BRIGHT
AND ADMIRAL FARRAGUT
1862-1863
Perhaps the most significant utterance, after its first de-
liverance in April, 1861, made by the Chamber in the first
year of the war, occurred in September following. Peace
talk had aroused the indignation of members, and the voice
of the Copperhead had begun to be heard in the land. A
series of resolutions, admirably designed to arouse and guide
the spirit of patriotism, was presented:
Whereas, The progress of the war in defence of the Union and
Constitution has given evidence of a degree of strength and energy
on the part of those who are madly striving to destroy them,
which can only be subdued by the marshalling of an overwhelm-
ing force; and whereas, it is evident that to this end all the re-
sources, both in men and means, in the loyal States, will be needed,
if we would avoid a protracted struggle and secure the blessings
of an early, honorable and enduring peace; and whereas humanity
and interest alike demand the speedy attainment of this end;
therefore.
Resolved, That this Chamber, in view of the unexpected magni-
tude of the contest, deems it a duty to renew its pledge to the
government of earnest sympathy and support.
Resolved, That the members of the Chamber, having entire
confidence in the integrity and ability of the head of the Treasury
Department, will exert their best efforts individually and col-
lectively, and in their connections with moneyed institutions, to
strengthen the financial resources and credit of the government.
Resolved, That this Chamber pledges to the government its un-
faltering support in a vigorous prosecution of the war, until every
75
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
rebel has laid down his arms, and every State returned to its
allegiance. The contest, it believes, admits of no other termina-
tion, since any other basis of peace would dishonor the nation,
and prove to the world that our cherished form of popular govern-
ment is a failure.
Resolved, That all aid afforded to the enemy, either by supply-
ing means of prosecuting the war, or by openly advocating their
cause, is treasonable, and should be promptly punished with the
utmost rigor of the law and by the stern rebuke of public opinion.
Resohedy That the decisive course recently adopted by the
government and its commanding officers, affords gratifying proof
that the future of this contest is not to be controlled by the quixotic
idea of prosecuting war in the spirit of peace, but that the guilty
conspirators will be made to feel, both in their persons and their
property, all the rigors that the usage of civilized warfare will jus-
tify.
In February, 1862, the Chamber came again to the
support of the government when the legal-tender question
was under discussion by adopting the following resolutions
by acclamation:
Resolved, That, in the opinion of this Chamber, the present
financial condition of the government, and of the country, re-
quires the immediate passage of the bill now before Congress,
which authorizes the issue of $100,000,000 United States notes,
as a circulating medium, and makes said notes, with the $50,-
000,000 demand notes heretofore issued, a legal tender in pay-
ment of all debts.
Resolved, That the merchants of New York will sustain the
government, by all the means within their power, in giving credit
and currency to these notes, until they can be placed on a specie
basis by the imposition of taxes adequate for their redemption.
While by its formal action as a society the Chamber up-
held the government in all its war measures, the members of
the Chamber as individuals and citizens joined heartily in all
popular demonstrations to the same end. Under resolutions
by the Chamber, its members co-operated with other organiza-
tions in a great mass-meeting in Union Square on April 20,
JOHN BRIGHT.
Painted hy }. Fagnani in 1865. Collection of the Chamber of Commerce.
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
77
1861, and in another in the same place on July 15, 1862. On
both occasions speeches were made and resolutions adopted
pledging the fullest support to the government in men and
money, and urging the prosecution of the war relentlessly till
victory was won. In the period of despondency which fol-
lowed the elections in the fall of 1862 the Chamber adhered
undismayed and imqualifiedly to its position of absolute
loyalty. Early in 1863, at its monthly meeting on February
5, a long series of resolutions was adopted on the state of
the country which left no doubt in any one's mind as to the
position of the Chamber. In a preamble the events which
had led to the war were reviewed, the results of the first two
years of conflict were enumerated, and recognition was made
of the fact that "there is manifest at the present tune in
certain quarters, a feeling of impatience and despondency that
is unworthy of a brave people and wholly unwarranted by
the existing condition of public affairs." Among the resolu-
tions were the following:
Resolved, That at this interesting juncture, it behooves loyal
citizens of New York to contemplate anew the work which, in the
providence of God, it is given them to do; that it becomes wise
men to look calmly and brave men to look hopefully toward the
issue of the existing struggle.
Resolved, That as it is a Christian duty to respect and obey,
so it is the patriot's duty to honor and uphold "the powers that
be" — to lighten the burdens that devolve on the Executive and
Heads of Departments, disproportioned as they are to human
strength, and it is not a loyal part to aggravate these burdens by
the voice of unnecessary and injurious complaint.
Resolved, further, That the spirit of party which stifles love of
country, is too manifest at the present time, and through the
divisions it creates, and the animosities it awakens, is to be feared
and deprecated as the ally of rebellion, and it should be rebuked,
discouraged and banished from our midst.
A proceeding of historical interest took place at the regular
meeting of the Chamber on March 6, 1862. Mention was
78 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
made of the services of John Bright in championing the Union
cause in England and the following resolutions were unani-
mously and enthusiastically adopted:
Resolved, That the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New
York does hereby record its grateful sense of the intelligent, elo-
quent, just and fearless manner in which Mr. John Bright of
Birmingham, has advocated, before the people of England and in
the British parUament, the principles of Constitutional liberty
and international justice for which the American people are con-
tending.
Resolved, That these proceedings be communicated to Mr.
Bright and published.
The action of the Chamber was communicated to Mr.
Bright and in due course the subjoined interesting and valu-
able letter was received from him in April, 1862:
London, April 4.
Dear Sir,— I have received, through the hands of the Hon.
Mr. Adams, the minister of the United States, your letter of the
8th of March, and the resolution unanimously adopted by the
Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York on the 6th of
March. I wish you to convey to the eminent body of gentlemen
over whom you preside, the expression of my sense of the honor
they have conferred upon me, and of the pleasure which it gives
me to know that the course I have taken in reference to the events
which are now passmg in your country has met with the warm
approval of those whom they represent. I accept their most kmd
resolution, not only as honorable to myseH, but as a manifestation
of friendly feeUng to the great majority of my countrymen, whose
true sentiments I beUeve I have not mistaken or misrepresented,
when I have spoken on the side of your government and people.
I beUeve there is no other country in which the men have been
so free and so prosperous as in yours, and that there is no other
poUtical constitution now in existence in the preservation of which
the human race is so deeply interested as in that under which you
live. This is true, beyond all doubt, when applied to the free
States of your Union. I trust the time is not distant when it will
be true over all your vast territory, from the St. Lawrence to the
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 79
Gulf of Mexico. Notwithstanding much misapprehension, and
some recent excitement, I am sure that an overwhelming majoritv
of the people of the United Kingdom will rejoice at the success of
your government and at the complete restoration of your Union
While asking you to convey the expression of my grateful feelings
to the members of your Chamber, I desire to tender to you my
thanks for the very kind letter from yourself which accompanied
the resolution.
I am, with very great respect, very truly yours,
John Bright
To P Perit, Esq., President of the Chamber of Commerce of the
State of New York.
When in March, 1863, the news of Farragut's famous vic-
tory on the Mississippi reached the Chamber a series of
resolutions was passed amid great enthusiasm, extolling the
admiral's skill, gaUantry, and perseverance; declaring that
he had "achieved one of the most celebrated victories of any
time; had added a new and lustrous page to the naval history
of the United States, and proved himself the worthy peer of
those earHer heroes of the repubHc who shrank from no ob-
stacle"; that "in the progress of the war for the unity and
life of this great nation no services have been more eminent"
than his, and that "this Chamber watches with profound in-
terest the course of the admiral and will hail with joy and
hope the day when, at the head of some noble squadron, he
may again lead the victorious navy to the restoration of other
cities to the national rule."
An engrossed copy of the resolutions was sent to the ad-
miral, who in reply transmitted the foUowing letter which is
one of the most highly prized historical documents in the
archives of the Chamber:
• AsTOR House, New York, December 16, 1863.
John Austin Stevens, Esq., Secretary of Chamber of Commerce:
Str,--l have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the resolu-
tions of the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York in
relation to myself, handsomely engrossed on parchment, accom-
I
If
So
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
panied by your kind letter, fulfilling the requirements of said reso-
lutions in presenting the copy.
In reply, I beg you, sir, to express to that honorable body my
sincere thanks for this, and other distinguished marks of their
high appreciation of the services I have rendered our common coun-
try, and particularly its commerce, both internal and external,
by what they are pleased to consider "one of the most celebrated
achievements of any time — the capture of New Orleans."
That we did our duty to the best of our ability I believe; that a
kind Providence smiled upon us, and enabled us to overcome
obstacles before which, I fear, the stoutest of our hearts would
have otherwise quailed, I am certain; and I trust that the recipient
of these honors will ever remember the injimction of the poet:
If thou hast strength,
From Heaven that strength's bestowed;
For know, vain man, that valor belongs to God:
'Tis man's to fight.
But God's to give success.
Being on the eve of departing for my station, I fully feel, and
shall gratefully cherish, their kind sentiments of interest and hope
for the success of the fleet which I have the honor to coromand;
and that those hopes may be realized is the prayer of your obedient
servant,
D. G. Farragut,
Rear Admiral U. S. Navy.
CHAPTER XVII
"ALABAMA" ACTS CONDEMNED
A CAMPAIGN OF EDUCATION IN THE CASE— REWARDS TOR THE
vessel's captors
I863-I864
A PUBLIC service, peculiarly within its functions as a com-
mercial body, was performed by the Chamber in 1862 and 1863
Repeatedly during those years it made vigorous protests
agamst the action of Great Britain in aUowing the Alabama
and other Confederate piratical craft to be fitted out in
British ports in order to prey upon Northern vessels.
In October, 1862, a series of resolutions was adopted de-
nouncing the conduct of Captain Semmes of the Alabama
m burmng Northern ships at sea, warning the merchants of
Great Britain that the "repetition of such acts could not fail
to produce wide-spread exasperation in this country " and de-
claring it to be the "desire of this Chamber, as it is the inter-
est of aU Its members, to cherish sentiments of amity with the
people of Great Britain, to maintain those cordial relations
which have led to profitable intercourse, and to strengthen
the ties that knit them together in mutual courtesy and
respect."
In January, 1863, a special committee which had been
appomted to consider the subject, made a report in which
the action of the previous year was recaUed, the various acts
of piracy by the Alabama and the Florida were described, and
the foUowing recommendation was made: "In conclusion
your committee beHeve it is best at the present time, that the
action of this Chamber should be limited to a statement of
facts, as they bear upon a gigantic wrong to our country and
Its commerce, so that pubHc opinion throughout the world
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
may be directed to the import of these facts and the dangers
they involve, in the hope, too, that by this means the wrong
may be repaired and the danger averted."
Several attempts were made later, when the news of the
destruction of other vessels arrived, to induce the Chamber
to take more aggressive action, but without success. The
Chamber adhered to its policy of stating the facts and resting
there. There was no timidity, however, in the manner in
which the facts were stated. At a meeting on March 5,
1863, when the question was brought up again, Abiel A. Low
expressed the general feeling among the members by saying:
This constant burning of our vessels by ships manned and built
in Great Britain is a wrong which cannot be tolerated. It tends to
war. We may disguise it as we please, but that is its tendency.
It is time for Great Britain to consider that, if it takes all the
vessels of our navy to arrest the ravages of the Alabama and
the Oreto, how many of the ships of the navy of Great Britain
it would take to arrest the destructiveness of privateers which
would be fitted out in this country, in case of war. England may
believe that our country is tried to the extent of all its energies in
suppressing the rebellion, but there may be a mistake upon that
subject. The United States are able to put down the rebellion,
and, beyond suppressing the rebellion, to vindicate the character
of the nation against any and all people who invade their rights.
Letters were written by order of the Chamber to the Presi-
dent and Secretary of the Navy and also to the Chambers
of Commerce in Liverpool and Glasgow setting forth the facts
in the case. The President of the Liverpool Chamber replied,
enclosing an order passed by that body substantially con-
curring in the American view, and saying that he was requested
also by the members of that body "to convey an expression of
the regret they feel that the injuries which form the subject of
your conmiunications, and which have been done to the
commerce of a friendly nation as well as to our own, should
have been inflicted by a vessel built in England." The Glas-
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
«3
gow Chamber expressed cordial agreement with the New
York Chamber's sentiments in favor of international unity,
and added that questions of international law involved in the
matter, being of the most delicate character, fell within the
province of Her Majesty's Government in whose justice and
wisdom the Chamber had full confidence.
In its letter to the Secretary of the Navy, July 23, 1863,
the Chamber said that one hundred and fifty vessels, including
two steamers, representing a tonnage of upward of sixty
thousand tons, and a value exceeding twelve million dollars,
had been destroyed by the rebel privateers up to that time.
The Secretary, Gideon Welles, replied briefly, saying that
"measures have been taken to protect our commerce, and
steamers have already been distributed over the tracks in-
dicated in the memorial" which the Chamber had sent to him.
Nothing more upon the subject appears in the minutes of
the Chamber till about a year later, when it is recorded, on
July 7, 1864, that a member called the attention of the Cham-
ber to the services rendered to commerce by Captain John A.
Winslow, the officers and crew of the United States sloop of
war Kearsarge in the destruction of the steamer Alabama,
and moved that a committee be appointed to report to the
Chamber in what manner it should express its appreciation
of their gallantry and service to the shipping and commercial
interests of the country. This proposal was received with en-
thusiasm, a conmiittee was appointed, and on October 8 it
made a report, submitting a draft of a letter to be addressed
to Captain Winslow and his associates, and recommending
that the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars be raised for the
purchase of medals or other testimonials which it might be
deemed proper for the Chamber to present to them as proof
of high appreciation and as tokens by which "an event of
great interest in the naval history of the country may be
kept in lasting and honored remembrance."
The Chamber adopted the report with its letter and recom-
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
mendation, and forwarded an engrossed copy of the letter to
Captain Winslow. The letter, which is too long to quote in
full, reviewed the history of the Alabama and Great Britain's
connection with it, reiterating its frequently expressed views
thereon, and added:
The Chamber is heartily glad that the Kearsarge under your
command, has sent this pest of the ocean to her merited doom,
and would that all the bad feelings she engendered had gone down
with her !
The conflict between the Kearsarge and Alabama affords other
grounds of satisfaction. It marks a new epoch in naval war-
fare, and adds a brilliant page to the naval history of the nation.
This Chamber would recognize the skill, coohiess and intrepidity
with which the Kearsarge was manoeuvred in the combat with
her formidable foe, and takes pleasure in making this record of the
event in its book of minutes.
Captain Winslow sent a modest letter of thanks in reply in
which he said: "The destruction of the Alabama is an event
which I do not affect to say, under the attending circum-
stances, was of great importance in influencing our foreign rela-
tions at the time, aside from the benefit derived from ridding
the ocean of the most destructive pest upon our commerce."
The committee charged with deciding upon the form which
the testimonial was to take concluded to divide the fund
among the captain, ojQ&cers, and crew in the same manner
that prize-money is divided. They had little difficulty in rais-
ing twenty-five thousand dollars, which they apportioned as
follows: Captain Winslow, ten thousand dollars; officers,
ten thousand dollars; crew, five thousand dollars. The com-
mittee paid a personal visit to Captain Winslow, whom they
found to be, according to their report, "as urbane as a gentle-
man as he is gallant as a sailor, and in their agreeable inter-
view were pleasantly reminded of the truth of the old asser-
tion, that the greatest courage is most often allied to the most
gentle demeanor."
I
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ADMIRAL DAVID G. FARRAGUT, U. S. N.
From a painting: by Thomas W. Wood. Collection of the Chamber of Commerce.
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 85
^ A fuU report of aU the acts of the Chamber in this interest-
ing historical incident, together with the correspondence with
Captain Winslow, the names of the subscribers to the twenty-
five-thousandKioUar fund with the amount given by each,
and the names of all the recipients, is published in the Appen-
dix of the Annual Report of the Chamber of 1864-1865.
The Chamber had exceUent reasons for pride in its course
durmg this critical period. Its persistent agitarion of the
matter, its forcible and feariess statements of the nature of
the offense committed by Great Britain in connection with
the Alabama and its fellow privateers, and its patriotic course
m confining its efforts to a plain statement of facts, trusting
public opinion to recognize the merits of the case, all combined
to secure a just solution of a question of vital importance to
both countries. The justice and sound law of their whole
conduct in the affair were demonstrated conclusively many
years later in tiie verdict of fifteen million five hundred thou-
sand doUars on the Alabama claims, awarded to the United
States by the Geneva Tribunal in 1872. Joseph H. Choate
said of this: "I believe it to have been the largest pecuniary
award ever rendered in such an arbitration."
Another subject which tiie Chamber kept constantly in
mind during this period was the proper defense of the harbor.
It sent memorial after memorial about it to the President,
to Congress, to tiie State Legislature, and to the City Counca!
The Legislature, in tiie winter of 1862-1863, appropriated a
million dollars for tiie purpose, and such progress had been
made that a report to tiie Chamber, on October i, 1863, by tiie
chairman of tiie Committee on Harbor Defenses, pronounced
the defenses, on the authority of Colonel Richard Delafield of
tiie United States Engineers, to be "in a satisfactory and im-
proymg condition" and that tiiere was "no cause for any
anxiety in the public mind as to the abihty of New York to
defend herself against any attack whatever."
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CHAPTER XVIII
END OF THE WAR
SURRENDER OF LEE — DEATH OF LINCOLN — ^DELEGATION TO THE
FUNERAL — GRATEFUL LETTER FROM SECRETARY SEWARD
— CENTENNLVL ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHAMBER
1865-1868
The news of the surrender of Lee arrived when the Cham-
ber was in session on April 10, 1865. It was voted that in
view of the "glorious news" the regular order of business be
suspended, and the members devoted themselves to the prep-
aration of formal expressions of rejoicing. A series of resolu-
tions was adopted by acclamation in which, with justifiable
pride, it was recalled that the Chamber at the outbreak of
the rebellion had solemnly pledged to the support of the
government the vast resources of this commercial community
and had since, at each and every time, when the credit or
honor of the nation had been in danger, renewed that pledge.
The following declarations were added:
'Resolvedy That with reverence and thankfulness to Almighty
God, "Who hath given us the victory,'' this Chamber propose to
unite with their fellow-citizens in celebrating the triumphs of
our arms, both on sea and land, which have restored the national
unity, vindicated the right and power of the General Government,
and shown to a doubting world that we have a country worthy of
preservation, and which we are able and willing to preserve.
Resolvedy That our thanks are tendered to the President of the
United States, his official advisers, and the officers, soldiers and
sailors of our army and navy, from General Grant to the smallest
drummer boy.
Resolved, That while rejoicing, we must not forget the afflicted
86
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
87
who mourn for the loss of relatives and friends who have fallen
dead or wounded in this great struggle for freedom and law, and
we tender to them our most earnest sympathies.
It was also resolved to accept an invitation, received from
the Common Council, to join "in one grand and patriotic
jubilee," on April 20, the day fixed by the Governor of the State
for such a celebration. An additional resolution was also
adopted, expressing the opinion that the rebellion had been
imduly prolonged during the last two years mainly by the
recognition given to it by the Continental powers of Europe,
and adding:
Resolved, That the thanks of the American people are due to
the great masses in Europe who, since the origin of our unjusti-
fiable rebellion, have sympathized with the success of the consti-
tutional cause — the triumph of which is assured by the series of
great events which have just taken place under the transcendent
genius and skill of Lieutenant-General Grant, and the patriotic
co-operation of Generals Sherman, Sheridan, and others under
his command; and we assure them that the United States, in the
future as in the past, will furnish a home and afford protection to
all who recognize constitutional representative government as
the best organization known among men for the promotion of
individual, civil, religious and political liberty.
An adjournment was taken till April 15, and in the min-
utes of that meeting appears simply this entry in a heavy black
border:
News was received this day of the Assassination of
Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, last
evening, 14th April, 1865.
No business was transacted, and an adjournment was
taken till April 22, when the following was adopted:
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
IN MEMORIAM
The death of Abraham Lincobi, late President of the United
States of America, on Saturday, the 15th day of April, instant,
by its suddenness and attendant circumstances, overwhehning
the people of the whole land with a feeling of profound grief, this
Chamber deems it proper, in assembling at the present time, to
make record on its book of minutes of the loss sustained by the
nation at a very important juncture in its affairs — a loss, the mag-
nitude of which is made manifest in the most wide-spread demon-
strations of sorrow, by the suspension of business for the space of
six da)^s, during which our fellow-citizens have voluntarily with-
drawn from their customary secular avocations, on Wednesday
and Thursday, the i8th and 19th instants, in obedience to the
proclamation of the civil authorities, closing their places of business,
and resorting very generally to houses of public worship in a spirit
of humiliation and prayer.
The whole city draped in mourning testifies, as no language can,'
to the universal sentiment — that a great and good man has de-
parted this life. Sharing deeply in the nation's grief, and feeling
deeply the greatness of the nation's loss, it is hereby
Resolvedy That this Chamber will earnestly co-operate in any
measure that may be suggested by the city authorities to receive
and attend, with due respect, the remains of the late President of
the United States in their passage through this city, on Monday
and Tuesday next.
Resolved, That this Chamber will cherish and honor the mem-
ory of Abraham Lincoln as of one who was wise in council, and
remarkable for his singleness of purpose; in practical good sense,
upright aim and devotedness of life, resembUng the immortal
Washington; who, throughout four years of civil war, so conducted
and guided the administration of public affairs, as to lead up the
minds of our people to a higher and still higher estimate of his
character for sagacity combined with the utmost simplicity, for
firmness tempered by moderation, for justice alHed with a spirit
of conciliation, and that in death all parties are united in his
praise, and vie with each other in their undivided homage; of whom
it may be justly said, that if not first in war in his day and genera-
tion, he was "first in peace and first in the hearts of his country-
men.
if
In testimony whereof, this Chamber orders that the foregoing
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
89
be entered at length on its book of records, and that a copy of the
same be sent to the family of the deceased, with whom it is a nation's
privilege to sympathize and mourn as for a common and irreparable
loss.
It was voted to accept the invitation of the city authorities
to join in the funeral ceremonies of the late President, which
were to be held in Union Square, on April 25, and to take
part as a body in the civic procession which was to follow.
A committee of thirteen members that had been appointed
to represent the Chamber at the funeral ceremonies in Wash-
ington, on April 19, presented a report from which the ap-
pended extracts are reproduced here as being of permanent
historical interest:
Impressed with the necessity of strengthening the Government
by all possible means at this critical juncture in our pubHc affairs,
your committee called on his Excellency, the present Chief Magis-
trate, and assured him, in the name of the Chamber, that the same
hearty, persistent, unbroken and vigorous support which had al-
ways been given to President Lincoln would continue to be extended
to him, thus suddenly called to the discharge of such important
trusts at so critical a period and under circumstances so grave and
unexpected; expressing to him at the same time their entire con-
fidence that the destinies of the people would be safe in his keeping,
and imploring for him the strengthening hand of a beneficent
Providence.
The President, in response, assured your committee that he
felt imder great obligations for your encouragement and support.
"For," said he, "in the emergencies that surroimd me, I need en-
couragement and strength. I am not at this moment prepared
to enter on any explanation of my future policy. Since my en-
trance into political life, I have been somewhat actively engaged
in pubHc affairs, and to the history of my past acts I refer for those
principles which have governed me heretofore and which will
guide me hereafter. By a dispensation of Providence, as appaUing
as unexpected, I am forced to assume great responsibiUties, and
no one can foresee the circumstances that will hereafter arise.
"I shall, however, regard myself the humble instnmient of
the American people, and, as their representative, endeavor to
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
maintain the principles of public justice, which accord with public
morals and the best interests of the country. One great truth
should be engraven on all hearts — treason is a crime, and traitors
should be duly punished. I can only assure you, gentlemen, and
the intelligent and patriotic body you represent, that my adminis-
tration will be based on the Constitution and the laws; and, as
events arise, I shall endeavor to meet them to the utmost of my
ability, trusting in the assistance of that Providence which has
hitherto guarded and preserved our republican institutions."
While this committee was in Washington it addressed a
copy of the Chamber's resolutions to Secretary Seward, and
several weeks later the following letter was received from him,
marked "imofficial":
Department of State
WASfflNGTON, Aug. 27, 1865.
Having become so far convalescent as to be permitted to in-
form myself of incidents which occurred during the early stages of
my illness, I have today for the first time come to the knowledge of
the resolutions which you had the kindness to address to me on the
19th of April in the name and behalf of the Chamber of Commerce
of the State of New York.
There are no words in which I could adequately express the
sense I entertain of the kindness which has been shown to me by
my fellow-citizens generally during that illness. You will, there-
fore, I am sure, be content with this hasty and simple, but grateful
acknowledgment of the especial kindness which is manifested in
your communication, and you will be pleased to convey the
acknowledgment to the Chamber of Commerce.
With grateful and affectionate regard
Your obedient servant
(Signed) William H. Seward.
From the moment that the war was ended the Chamber
devoted its influence imceasingly to the restoration of friendly
relations between the two sections of the country. In May,
1865, a series of resolutions was adopted, pledging renewed
support to the government; expressing the hope that in the
restoration of complete national authority, magnanimity and
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
91
clemency would be shown and no act committed which could
be condemned as needlessly harsh or revengeful by the cool
judgment of the humane and liberty-loving in any part of the
civilized world, and declaring that the Chamber hailed with ,
peculiar satisfaction the recent order of the President to "re-
lieve the loyal citizens and well-disposed persons residing in
the insurrectionary states, from unnecessary commercial
restriction and to encourage them to return to peaceful pur-
suits," because, in its opinion, an unrestricted commercial
intercourse would prove to be the most powerful agency
which could henceforth be employed for restoring peace and
prosperity to all portions of our common country.
The one hundredth anniversary of the founding of the
Chamber was observed by a public meeting held in Irving
Hall on April 6, 1868. That hall, which passed out of ex-
istence many years ago, stood at the southeast comer of
Fifteenth Street and Irving Place. It was decorated for the
occasion with the American and British colors and the flags
of the city and State of New York. Portraits of Royal
Governor Colden, of John Cruger, first President of the Cham-
ber, and of several of his successors, were displayed at the
back of the platform. A large audience and many dis-
tinguished guests, including the Governor and Lieutenant-
Governor of the State, the Mayor of the city, ofl&cials of the
National Government, and consuls of foreign governments,
attended the exercises. Addresses were made by William E.
Dodge, President of the Chamber, who presided, A. A. Low,
and James De Peyster Ogden, former Presidents, George
Opdyke, first Vice-President, Jonathan Sturges, and S. B.
Chittenden. An interesting historical sketch of the cen-
tury's history of the Chamber was read by John Austin
Stevens, Jr., who was for six years the Secretary of the Cham-
ber, and the historian of its colonial period. A full report of
the celebration, with the addresses in full, was published in
the Annual Report of the Chamber for 1867-1868.
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CHAPTER XIX
EFFORTS FOR HONEST GOVERNMENT
COMMITTEE OF SEVENTY AND TWEED RING DEFEAT — SUPPORT
OF POLICE INVESTIGATION — CHOLERA SCARE
1871-1894
No one can read the proceedings of the Chamber as they
are recorded in the annual reports without being deeply im-
pressed with the imtiring zeal and keen intelligence with which
its members sought month by month and year by year to aid
and advance the interests of trade and commerce by securing
improvements in the harbor; better wharves and docks;
better lighting of the channels and approaches; desirable
amendments in the revenue, quarantine, warehouse, custom-
house and similar laws; additional safeguards in ocean travel;
better life-saving devices; improvement and enlargement of
railway and canal transportation; in short, whatever was
needed to enhance the welfare and strengthen the fame of
the city as the first commercial metropolis of the world. Al-
though not always immediately successful in these efforts, the
records show that perseverance and determination almost inva-
riably won in the end, with the general effect not only of widen-
ing the field of activity but placing the commercial interests of
the city and nation on a sounder and more creditable basis.
From the earliest times the Chamber steadily maintained
its character as a non-political body, but while doing so it
was ever quick to recognize the advent of a situation in the
conduct of municipal affairs in which the issue rose above
partisanship and became one of good citizenship without
distinction of party. An issue of this kind arose in 1871 when
the righteous indignation of the city was aroused by the ex-
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
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posure of the Tweed Ring frauds made by the New York Times,
When the incriminating figures were published, Mayor Oakey
Hall wrote an adroit letter to the Chamber, requesting it to
appoint a committee to conduct an examination of the public
accounts of the city government and the condition of the city
debt and make a report which should be a refutation of the
exposures by the Times. The Chamber indignantly declined
the proposal and immediately called a special meeting which
resulted in the organization of the Committee of Seventy,
composed largely of members, through whose guidance the
municipal campaign of that year was conducted and the over-
throw of the Tweed-Tammany Ring was secured.
In like manner, when in 1894 the city was humiliated and
alarmed by the misconduct of city affairs, especially in the
Police Department, the Chamber took the lead in the demand
for an investigation by the Legislature. At a meeting in Janu-
ary, it appointed a special committee to represent it before
the Legislature and the Constitutional Convention "with re-
gard to any laws which may affect the good government of
this city and the commercial prosperity of the State," and to
advocate the "separation of municipal and State elections
from State and national elections," and a single head for the
Police Department. At the same time it declared that, "m
the opinion of this Chamber, there should be a thorough
legislative investigation of the Police Department."
In response to this declaration, the Legislature appointed
an investigating committee. When that committee began to
uncover gross abuses, political influences at Albany combined
to put an end to the inquiry, and they induced the Governor
to veto an appropriation providing the funds necessary to
carry it on. The Chamber came at once to the rescue and
raised a fund of seventeen thousand five hundred dollars to
be used in defraying expenses and paying counsel fees. The
inquiry was continued and such startling revelations were
made that the city rose in wrath at the following election,
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overthrew the Tammany government and substituted for it
a reform, non-partisan administration with William L. Strong
as Mayor. Out of this victory came the selection of Colonel
Waring as Street Cleaning Commissioner and the inaugura-
tion of a new era in that branch of city administration which
has continued till this day.
Another and no less beneficent reform was accomplished at
this time through the leadership of the Chamber. The
revelations of the investigating committee had shown that
many of the poKce justices were shamefully incompetent and
corrupt. The Chamber based on these revelations a demand
for the abolition of the police-court system and started a popu-
lar agitation which resulted in the abolition of those courts
and the substitution of City Magistrate Courts in their place —
a reform which has been shown in many years of practical
operation to have been one of the most salutary ever achieved
in the city's history. When the question was brought before
the Chamber for action, Charles Stewart Smith, who was
for many years its President, stated the attitude of the
Chamber in matters pertaining to mimicipal affairs with
clearness and force as follows:
We are here in the interests of justice and righteousness; we
are here in the interest of the poor, the despised and the neglected,
asking that they should all have an equal chance before the law.
Some of us may be politicians, some of us may be partisans, but
after quite a long membership in this Chamber, and having been
a regular attendant upon its sessions, I wish to record my convic-
tion that the politicians and partisans in this Chamber leave politics
and partisanship outside the door when they enter here.
When Governor Tilden began his exposure of Canal Ring
frauds in 1875, the Chamber came at once to his support,
adopting, on April i, a series of resolutions in which it was
declared that the Governor, "true to his honorable record
against the fraudulent ring officials of this city, has now
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 95
placed the citizens of our whole State under lasting obUga-
tions by his bold and masterly exposure of the enormous frauds
connected with the administration of the New York canals "
Under the able leadership of Samuel B. Ruggles, a high author-
ity on canal matters, the Chamber recommended the passage
by the Legislature of an amendment to the State Constitution
abohshmg the offices of canal commissioners and authorizmg
the appointment by the Governor of a superintendent of
pubhc works who should have control over aU canal matters.
This proposal was accepted by the Legislature and the amend-
ment suggested was subsequently ratified by the people of
the State. A very salutary reform was thus accomph'shed.
Another opportunity for genuine pubUc service arose in
September, 1892, when the city became the victim of a
genume "cholera scare." There was an epidemic of cholera
in Germany, and ships had arrived in New York harbor with
yictuns of the disease on board. These were detained in the
ower bay and none of their passengers, weU or sick, was al-
lowed to land. Incompetent and rather brutal conduct was
exhibited by the quarantine officials in aUowing the detained
vessels to be tossed about in the rough waters of the bay for
several days. A steadily increasing protest arose throughout
the city at this treatment. The Chamber caUed a special
meetmg and appointed a committee which raised an emer-
gency fund of nearly two hundred thousand doUars to be
used m providing accommodations on land for the weU
passengers The Governor of the State subsequently au-
thorized the use of State money for the purpose, and the
emergency fund was returned to the subscribers. The
Chamber, deeply impressed with the gravity of the situation
adopted a memorial to Congress in favor of the estabUshment
of a national quarantme, with the ultimate result of the pas-
sage by Congress of a law giving the National Government
power to act in special emergencies in case of failure of dutv
on the part of the State authorities.
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CHAPTER XX
ASSASSINATION OF GARFIELD
FUND FOR HIS FAMILY — FAITH OF THE CHAMBER IN PRESIDENT
ARTHUR
1881
When the news of the attempted assassination of President
Garfield on July 2, 1881, was received a special meeting of
the Chamber was called on the next day for July 7, and
resolutions were then adopted expressing the "imspeakable
grief and indignation" of the society, and extending the deep-
est sympathy to the members of the President's family. Not
content with this, the members of the Chamber, animated
by the desire to relieve the President's mind of anxiety in
regard to the needs of his family, started a subscription for a
fund for their benefit in case of his death. Contributions
were solicited from all parts of the country, with the result of
securing ultimately a fund of about three hundred and sixty-
two thousand dollars, which was invested for the benefit of
the widow and other members of the family. Another special
meeting was called in September when the death of the Presi-
dent was announced, at which addresses were made and res-
olutions adopted expressing the sorrow of the Chamber and
its sympathy for the afflicted family. In the resolutions
thoughts were expressed which were in the minds of many
men at the time. The manner of his death was declared to
be a "solemn warning to the American people" and made it
a duty to consider carefully the causes which led to it.
Without mincing words, it was declared that his death "was
the natural result of party rancor, and of the demoralizing
influence which the system of appointment to the civil ser-
96
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
97
vice has upon weak and depraved natures," and the earnest
hope was expressed that "this calamity may lead the people
to remedy evils which have long been apparent, but never
so clearly as now."
There was no dissenting voice when the resolutions were
put to a vote. Later in the proceedings, an additional resolu-
tion was adopted in which it was declared that in paying just
tribute to the illustrious dead some consolation was to be
found in the feeling and belief that the great loss to the
nation would, "in an eminent degree, be lessened by the en-
ergy, fidelity and patriotism of his successor, our much
respected and venerated townsman, Chester A. Arthur,"
who, the Chamber was convinced, would "labor for the
best interests of the countiy in administering the office of
President of the United States," and to whom the Chamber
pledged its sincere and ardent support.
This deliverance, coming at a time when there was much
apprehension in the public mind as to the course which Mr.
Arthur would pursue, had an excellent effect. He himself
was much gratified by it and sent word to the members that
he had a deep sense of obligation to the Chamber for its
prompt and cordial expression of confidence. The faith of
the Chamber was fully justified by the new President's con-
duct of the government during the three and a half years in
which he held the office. When he retired on March 4,
1885, the Chamber elected him an Honorary Member, and
when he died in November of the following year, it paid
warm tribute to his virtues in a minute prepared by his
lifelong friend, Cornelius N. Bliss. After speaking of the
high esteem in which Mr. Arthur had been held for many
years by his fellow townsmen before he became President, it
was said in the minute: "It was not strange that outside
the State where his ability and character were less known,
honest doubt and distrust of the future of the country, in the
serious crisis, should weigh upon the hearts of the people.
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98 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
He bore all calmly, in silence, with rare fortitude, confident
in his own integrity of purpose, and but few then knew how
deeply his sensitive nature was wounded by the injustice
to which he was subjected. When he became President, his
wise and conservative course soon dissipated doubt and fear,
factional disputes were stilled, confidence was restored to the
country, and his administration won the approbation of all
men of both parties. So ends another great Ufe; and when
the events of the years 1881 to 1885 shall be recorded in his-
tory, the verdict will be, that during that period the destinies
of the Republic were, under Providence, directed by a wise
and sagacious ruler."
I
CHAPTER XXI
WAR WITH SPAIN
PROMPT SUPPORT OF THE GOVERNMENT — PANAMA CANAL TOLLS
— ^VALUABLE HISTORICAL EVIDENCE FROM MR. CHOATE
m
1898-I9I4
When the question of declaring war with Spain was pend-
ing, in the spring of 1898, the Chamber did not hesitate as
to its duty in the premises. At its regular monthly meeting
on April 7 it adopted a preamble and resolution which were
reported by its Executive Committee. In the preamble it
was stated that the Chamber of Commerce *'will, as in the
past, so in the future, never fail, when the Republic calls, to
stand by the common cause in a spirit of patriotic devotion
and self-sacrifice. It will also recognize as its own the inter-
ests and the honor of the country." The resolution declared
that "the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York
most heartily applauds the pacific policy so wisely, patiently,
and nobly pursued by President McKinley. It pledges to
that policy its firm and active support, and it calls upon the
representatives of the people to sustain and aid the President
in his patriotic endeavor to secure justice to our suffering
neighbors, while at the same time preserving the inestimable
boon of peace to our own country."
There was an animated debate on the question of adoption
of the report, in which several members advocated a more
emphatic utterance in favor of war if necessary, and others,
including Carl Schurz, supported the resolution. A letter
was received a few days later from President McKinley's
secretary, conveying the President's "assurance of his cordial
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appreciation of this expression of confidence and support,
which is very encouraging to him."
At its next following monthly meeting, on May s, the
Chamber, war with Spain having been declared in the mean-
time, met the situation squarely and unflinchmgly by adopt-
ing a series of resolutions as follows:
Resohedy That the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New
York, mindful of its own loyal and patriotic past, hereby pledges
its unqualified and hearty support to the President and Congress
of the United States in the conduct of the war.
Resolved, That the Chamber will willingly and heartily bear
its share of the common burdens, whatever they may be, to the
end that such a peace may speedily be obtained as will enure to
the benefit of our Cuban neighbors, and to the domestic quiet
and prosperity of the United States.
Resolved, That a coromittee of thirty members, of which the
President of the Chamber shall be chairman, shall be appointed
to take such action, as may, from time to time, be necessary, in
order to give to this action of the Chamber its greatest possible
efficiency and value.
Resolved, That the thanks and congratulations of the Chamber
be offered to Commodore Dewey and the gallant officers and crews
of the Asiatic squadron who, by one blow, struck imder circum-
stances of peculiar heroism, have relieved our Pacific Coast from
the fear of attack, freed our merchant ships in the East from dread
of capture, and while adding new lustre to the briUiant annals of
the American navy, have helped importantly to shorten the war.
Speeches in support of the resolutions were made by the
President of the Chamber and several members, including
Abram S. Hewitt. The latter aroused great enthusiasm by
saying: "The verdict of history wiU show that not only the
President of the United States, but the Congress of the
United States and the people of the United States have but
one object in this great controversy, and that is to see that
justice is done, even though the heavens fall."
The resolutions were adopted unanimously.
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS loi
At its first meeting after the cjose of the war, held on October
6, 1898, the Chamber sent, with unanimous approval, a mes-
sage to President McKinley, tendering to him its "earnest
congratulations upon the successful termination of the war
with Spain," complimenting him upon the "magnificent vic-
tories achieved by the Army and Navy of the United States,"
and renewing the "assurance of its confidence in his wisdom,
judgment and statesmanship in dealing with the difficult in-
ternational problems yet to be solved."
Immediately upon the raising of the question of exempting
American coastwise ships from the payment of tolls in the
Panama Canal, in 19 12, the Chamber gave serious attention
to the subject and discussed it at length in several meetings.
At the annual banquet of the Chamber on November 21, 191 2,
Senator Root, in an earnest and eloquent speech, had called
attention to the subject, saying that the United States could
not refuse to arbitrate the question of whether or not the
exemption was a violation of the Hay-Pauncefote treaty. In
it he added that if the United States refused to arbitrate the
question, "we will be in the position of the merchant who is
known to all the world to be false to his promises. With
our nearly four thousand millions of foreign trade we will
stand in the world of commerce as a merchant false to his
word. Among all the people on this earth who hope for
better days of righteousness and peace in the future, we will
stand, in the light of our multitude of declarations for arbitra-
tion and peace, as discredited, dishonored hypocrites; with
the fair name of America blackened, with the self-respect of
Americans gone, with the influence of America for advance
along the pathway of progress and civilization, annulled, dis-
honored and disgraced. No true American can fail to use his
voice and his influence upon this question for his country's
honor."
This speech, together with the full texts of the Hay-Paunce-
fote treaty and of the Clayton-Bulwer treaty which it repealed,
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were published in the monthly "Bulletin" of the Chamber
in order that accurate information on the subject might be
placed before the members.
It was evident from the beginning of the debate that the
sentiment of the Chamber was overwhelmingly against the
exemption as embodied in the Canal Act that Congress had
passed in 191 2. When, in January, 1913, Senator Root in-
troduced a bill repeahng the exemption clause of the act, a
resolution was introduced in the Chamber at its next follow-
ing meeting, approving his action. This was debated at the
subsequent meetings, at the second of which Mr. Joseph H.
Choate, who had been the American Ambassador at London
when the Hay-Pauncefote treaty in regard to the canal had
been drawn, was present and made a speech which will always
remain as a valuable contribution to the history of the case.
It was the testimony of a man who had first-hand knowledge
with which to support his statements, and was accepted as
final by the Chamber, as it must be by all who wish to know
the truth. The more vital passages of his speech are ap-
pended:
I come here to-day as a member of the Chamber of Commerce,
hoping to help it to decide right in the matter that is now before
it, because I consider a wrong decision would be not only a serious
blow to the good name and honor of the Chamber of Commerce
but of the country itself.
It is true that I had something to do with the negotiation of this
treaty. In the summer of 1901— you will remember that this
treaty was ratified by the Senate in November, 1901— I was in
England until October, and was in ahnost daily contact with Lord
Pauncefote, who on his side represented Lord Lansdowne, the
Foreign Secretary, and was also in very frequent correspondence
with Mr. Hay, our Secretary of State, under whom I was acting.
As the lips of both those diplomatists and great patriots, who
were each true to his own country and each regardful of the rights
of the other, are sealed in death, I think it is quite proper that I
should say what I believe both of them, if they were here, would
say to-day: that the clause in the Panama Canal Bill exempting
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 103
coastwise American shipping from the pa3^ment of tolls is in direct
violation of the treaty.
I venture to say now that in the whole course of the negotiation
of this particular treaty, no claim, no suggestion was made, that
there should be any exemption of anybody. How could there be
in face of the words they agreed upon ? Lord Pauncefote and John
Hay were singularly honest and truthful men. They knew the
meaning of the English language, and when they agreed upon the
language of the treaty, they carried out the fundamental prin-
ciple of their whole diplomacy, so far as I know anything about it,
and in the six years I was engaged with them, their cardinal rule
was to mean what they said and to say what they meant.
When the question of approving Senator Root's repeal bill
was put at the close of the debate, at a very full attendance
of members, there were only seven votes in the negative. A
message was sent to Senator Root informing him of the Cham-
ber's action, to which he replied expressing his pleasure in
knowing that the Chamber was on the right side of the ques-
tion.
On March 5, 19 14, President Wilson read his special mes-
sage before a joint session of the two houses of Congress in
which he asked for repeal of the exemption clauses on the
groimd that in his "judgment, very fully considered and ma-
turely formed, that exemption constitutes a mistaken eco-
nomic policy from every point of view, and is, moreover, in
plain contradiction of the treaty with Great Britain." The
Chamber at once came to the support of the President, and,
by request from Washington, sent a special committee to that
city to appear before the Senate Committee on Interoceanic
Canals and present the Chamber's attitude in the matter.
The Senate Committee gave the Chamber's representatives a
full and exhaustive hearing, at which the action of the Cham-
ber in 191 2 was presented in detail, and the economic side
of the question in its relations to transportation by both
water and rail was fully discussed.
There is no doubt that the arguments of the Chamber's
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104 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
representatives had much influence in securing the final
passage of the repeal bill which became law on June 15, 1914.
President Wilson recognized the value of the service rendered
by sending a letter to the Chamber in which he begged it to
accept his assurance that he appreciated its action in support-
ing his position on the question.
CHAPTER XXII
RAPID-TRANSIT SOLUTION
RECORD OF THE CHAMBER — THIRTEEN YEARS OF LEADERSHIP
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SUBWAYS
1894-1907
No public service performed by the Chamber during its
century and a half of usefulness ranks above its achievement
in solving the problem of rapid transit.
As early as 1868 the question of an underground system of
transit began to engage serious attention and during the
ensuing quarter of a century repeated ejGForts to evolve a satis-
factory system were made, all of which, for one reason or an-
other, ended in failure. A charter was granted by the Legis-
lature in 1868 to the New York City Central Underground
Company for the construction of a subway, but it proved to
be impossible to raise the necessary capital. In 1872, the
Legislature incorporated the New York City Rapid Transit
Company, authorizing the New York Central Railroad Com-
pany to construct an underground road from the Grand Cen-
tral Station to the City Hall. Criticism of this plan was so
bitter that it was abandoned. In 1875, an act was passed
under which the elevated railway system was constructed.
This system satisfied public needs for about ten years, when
the necessity for additional facilities revived the demand for
an underground road. Mayor Hewitt took up the question
in 1888, and endeavored, unsuccessfully, to induce the Legis-
lature to pass an act for such a road. In 1891, the Legisla-
ture, yielding to a strong popular demand, passed an act
under which a Rapid Transit Commission was appointed.
This body evolved a system which could not be constructed
105
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because of the lack of responsible bidders for the contract.
In 1894 the Chamber of Commerce took up the subject.
If anything had been demonstrated conclusively by pre-
vious efforts, it was that private capital could not be induced
to imdertake the work. The Chamber, in the light of experi-
ence, looked about for other methods of raising money, and
could find only one, that of the city credit. There had been
public talk of municipal ownership combined with municipal
operation. The Chamber adopted the idea of confining mu-
nicipal participation to the furnishing of credit for construc-
tion, leaving to private interests the risks and burden as well
as the profit of constructing, equipping, and operating the
system. That separation proved to be the key to the rapid-
transit problem, and the discovery was a public service of
incalculable value, not only to New York, but to all other
mimidpalities in the land.
Credit for this discovery belongs to Mr. Hewitt. It was
entirely his idea, Mr. Orr said in a speech at the annual
banquet in 1904, that municipal credit should be a dominant
feature of the enterprise. "That, to my mind, and, I believe
to the minds of our colleagues of the Rapid Transit Com-
mission," he added, "made our work a success."
Under the experienced guidance of Mr. Hewitt, who had
for many years been a zealous advocate of subway construc-
tion, and with the expert legal advice of Henry R. Beekman,
afterward an upright, able, and honored judge of the Supreme
Court, a bill was drawn and presented to the Legislature in
which for the first time the proposal to use the credit of the
city was made. The Legislature, naturally timid in the face
of so imprecedented a departure, passed the bill but attached
a proviso that before going into effect it must first be approved
by the people of the State. A referendum on the question
was submitted in the election of November, 1894, and approval
was given with a large majority. The way was thus cleared
for the new idea in rapid transit to be put into operation.
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 107
The act as passed named the persons who were to consti-
tute the Rapid Transit Commission. They were the Mayor
and Comptroller of the city; the President of the Chamber of
Commerce; William Steinway, Seth Low, John Claflin,
Alexander E. Orr, and John H. Starin. Five of the eight com-
missioners were members of the Chamber of Commerce. Mr.
Orr was President of the Chamber, and consequently an ex
officio and an individual member. At the first meeting of the
commission, he was elected its President. He resigned his
individual membership and John H. Inman was elected to the
vacancy, giving the Chamber six members of the body.
From the moment of its appointment, the commission bent
its energies continuously and tirelessly to the great task as-
signed to it. Necessary amendments were obtained from time
to time enlarging its powers. Changes in its personnel from
death and other causes were made as time advanced. Mr.
Low resigned in 1896, and Mr. Steinway and Mr. Liman died.
Their places were filled by Woodbury Langdon, George L.
Rives, and Charles Stewart Smith. In 1899, Morris K.
Jesup became President of the Chamber of Commerce and
thereby replaced Mr. Orr as ex officio member of the com-
mission. At the first meeting of the commission thereafter,
John Claflin resigned and Mr. Orr was elected to the vacancy,
continuing as President of the commission.
The commission, as soon as it had been appointed, organ-
ized and chose William Barclay Parsons as chief engineer and
George S. Rice as deputy chief engineer. A route for the
subway was laid out after taking into consideration the con-
venience of the population, the situation of existing lines of
transportation, and the development of the city. Plans for
the structure were determined upon, a financial scheme was
evolved, necessary legal authority was secured from the
courts, and the construction of an operating plant was author-
ized.
A delay of two years was caused in the actual beginning of
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the work by an action brought in the Supreme Court to test
the constitutionality of the Act of 1894 creating the com-
mission. This was carried to the Court of Appeals and
declared finally in favor of the dty.
Obstacles and delays of various kinds arose constantly,
but the patience and perseverance of the commission enabled
it to surmount them all, and in the faU of 1899 a contract for
the work was completed and was advertised for bids. On
January 16, 1900, a bid was accepted, and a Rapid Transit
Subway Construction Company was organized to capitalize
the work. On March 24 foUowing the work was formally
begun, and four and a half years later, on October 27, 1904,
the subway, fully equipped in every part and ready for opera-
tion, was thrown open to the public with impressive cere-
monies. Every detail of the work, construction, equipment
of stations and rolling-stock, motive-power, etc., was con-
sidered and determined by the commission, and after ten
years of unremitting and devoted labor, its members presented
the city with as perfect a system of transportation as the world
had yet seen.
While the commission had been engaged in this task, the
Greater New York Charter had gone into effect, creating a
new city with a greatly increased population and with new
and diversified interests. This enlargement of its field of
labor had added enormously to the work of the commission
by imposing upon its members the task of evolving a system
of transit that should meet the wants of all the new territory
that had been added to the old. This was done so effectively
that the way was opened for whatever enlargements and ex-
tensions in the future the growth of the metropolis might
make necessary.
During the closing years of service the commission made
careful examination of the merits of proposed additional routes
and decided upon so many that when, in 1907, it was aboHshed
and its work turned over to the Public Service Commission
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 109
there was little for the latter body to do except to carry for-
ward the general scheme which its predecessor had planned
and partially executed. That Mr. Hewitt and Mr. Orr, as
well as their associates, were men of vision, as well as devoted
public servants, was demonstrated by the success of their
ideas and plans.
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CHAPTER XXIII
RAPID TRANSIT— CONTINUED
RECOGNITION OF MR. HEWITT'S SERVICES— GOLD MEDAL
AWARDED AND STATUE ERECTED TO HIS MEMORY —
MEDALS ALSO FOR MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION
I 894- I 907
The Chamber was generous in its appreciation of Mr.
Hewitt's services. When the contract for building the sub-
way was signed, in April, 1900, Mr. Orr reported the fact
at a meeting of the Chamber and proposed that a gold
medal be struck in recognition of Mr. Hewitt's eminent ser-
vices, saying that the result was due mainly to the active in-
fluence of the Chamber and the "genius and foresight of
Abram S. Hewitt who had brought to the task a wide experi-
ence in civic affairs and an intimate knowledge of the require-
ments of the case." A resolution was adopted, appointing a
special committee to procure a gold medal to be presented
to Mr. Hewitt ''with assurances of the admiration, respect
and affectionate regard of his fellow members." A medal
was struck and was formally presented to Mr. Hewitt at a
meeting of the Chamber on October 3, 1901- In his speech
of acceptance Mr. Hewitt reviewed the long campaign for an
underground system, and remarked that in achieving this
result the Chamber of Commerce had been the prime mover,
adding: "I think it is not too much to say that in the future
its successful intervention will be regarded as one of the most
creditable achievements in its long and honorable history,
identified, as it was and is, with the construction of the Erie
Canal and of the great system of water-supply which has made
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS in
it possible for more than three millions of people to dwell
together in health and comfort."
Of the medal he said: "It will be treasured by my children
as the most precious possession which will descend to them,
and be regarded by them, as it is by me, as the crowning honor
of a long career, which, by the action of the Chamber of
Conmierce, is now brought to a happy ending."
Fifteen months later, when Mr. Hewitt's life ended, the
Chamber, feeling that sufficient honor had not yet been paid
to him, directed that a marble statue be made of him and
placed in a niche on the grand stairway leading to the great
hall of the Chamber in its building. This was done, and on
May II, 1905, the statue was unveiled with impressive cere-
monies in the presence of his widow and children. It was
the first time in its long history that such an honor had been
paid by the Chamber to one of its members.
On January 7, 1904, the Chamber devoted itself to an ex-
pression of appreciation of the services of its members on the
Board of Rapid Transit Commissioners. A resolution was
adopted unanimously, appointing a conmiittee to consider
and report on the question of suitable recognition. The com-
mittee reported in March and again in November. They
called attention in their first report to this inscription on a
tablet in the City Hall station of the first subway:
SUGGESTED BY THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
AUTHORIZED BY THE STATE
CONSTRUCTED BY THE CITY
While approving the inscription, the committee expressed
the opinion that it did not adequately set forth the service
the Chamber had rendered. In its second report the com-
mittee recommended that medals, similar to the one awarded
to Mr. Hewitt, be presented to the members of the Cham-
ber who had served on the Rapid Transit Commission. The
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
recommendation was adopted, and at a meeting on December
7, they were presented by the President to the seven members
who had been on the commission. In their report, the special
committee said that the great community was to be congratu-
lated in an especial manner upon the fact that the best virtue
and the best intelligence of its citizenship had been enhsted
in the enterprise.
In a brief speech, thanking the Chamber for its action, Mr.
Orr said that it had been both a pride and pleasure to the
members of the commission to know that the very first move
toward real and effective rapid transit under municipal credit
had been made by the Chamber, and it was for this reason that
when designing the tablet to commemorate the building of
-the first rapid-transit road in New York the commission de-
creed that the very first line of the inscription should read:
"Suggested by the Chamber of Conmierce of the State of
New York."
One of the members of the Chamber, in some remarks eulo-
gistic of the work accomplished, made the important point
that great as the achievement had been, the Chamber had done
even more than create a work of public utility of far-reaching
consequences. It had shown how a great public work, of in-
calculable value to the city of New York for all time to come,
could be conceived, organized, and carried out, freed from
those political entanglements which so often proved a source
of waste, extravagance, or scandal.
In its report the special committee also recommended that
a description and historical memoir of the enterprise be pre-
pared and printed. This was done, and it was pubKshed in
1905, with the title of "Rapid Transit, Chamber of Commerce
of the State of New York." It is an extremely valuable pub-
lication, contaming, in addition to a complete history of the
various rapid-transit plans and of the work done by the Cham-
ber's successful board, an account of similar enterprises in
other American and foreign cities. Students of municipal
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 113
transit questions will find it an invaluable book of reference,
containing in detail information which, from the necessity of
the case, can only be summarized in this general history of the
Chamber.
II
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CHAPTER XXIV
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SOUND-MONEY RECORD
UNBROKEN FOR ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS — ^DEMANDS
FOR RESUMPTION OF SPECIE PAYMENTS — OPPOSITION
TO FREE SILVER
I 768-1 918
In the earlier chapters of this chronicle it has been pointed
out that almost from the moment of its creation the Cham-
ber took an rniquahfied and strong position in favor of a
sound and stable currency. It did this in reference to colo-
nial paper currency and later in reference to depreciated and
adulterated coin. In recent times it has maintained this
attitude unwaveringly.
When the question of the resumption of specie payments
began to be discussed in 1869 the Chamber put itself on rec-
ord in favor of resumption at the earliest practical moment,
declaring its conviction that the public debt should be paid
in gold, and that contraction of the currency must precede
resumption. It adhered to this position steadily for ten years.
When resumption became an accomplished fact on January
I, 1879, the Chamber passed resolutions felicitating the city
and country upon the "consummation of an event which has
been so long and ardently desired," and later appointed a
committee to ask the Secretary of the Treasury, John Sher-
man, to sit for a portrait which should be hung upon the walls
of the Chamber in honor of his great services. The Secretary
consented, his portrait was painted and hangs to-day in the
Great Hall of the society facmg that of Alexander Hamilton.
Early in 1872, when the bill relating to the coinage of silver
which had been before Congress since the beginning of 1870
114
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 115
was under discussion in that body, the Chamber, on May 6,
adopted unanimously a series of resolutions saying it per-
ceived "with great satisfaction that the pending bill provides
that the gold dollar shall be 'the unit of value,' and that the
silver dollar shall hereafter be a legal tender only for amounts
not exceeding $5, thereby putting an end, in the United States,
to the absurdity of a * double standard' for legal money, and
establishing gold as the single and only standard." Copies
of the resolutions were sent to members of both houses of
Congress, and from that time till the final passage of the act,
on February 7, 1873, the Chamber, through its special com-
mittee on the subject, of which Samuel B. Ruggles was chair-
man, continued to urge its passage and to make suggestions in
regard to its provisions, many of which were incorporated in
the measure. This act was known afterward as the "Crime
of '73," that being the title which advocates of free-silver
coinage and bimetallism gave to it. That it exercised a
powerful influence in keeping the country on the gold standard,
all efforts to repeal it ending in failure, is universally admitted.
The Chamber in upholding it from the outset not only ad-
hered to its invariable policy in support of sound finance but
performed a valuable service to the country.
The Chamber continued its opposition to free silver in all
and every one of the various forms in which it appeared dur-
ing the years which followed the resumption of specie pay-
ments. When, in spite of its earnest and repeated protests,
the so-called "Sherman Act," authorizing the purchase of
four million five hundred thousand ounces of silver monthly,
was passed in 1890, the Chamber did not falter in its position.
In October, 1891, when the evil influences of the act began to
be apparent, it passed a resolution declaring that "in the
opinion of the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New
York, so much of the existing law as compels the purchase
by the Government of 4,500,000 ounces of silver per month
is against public welfare and should be repealed." In April
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of the following year the Chamber adopted an elaborate
report by its special committee on the subject with resolutions
in which it was declared that "all existing legislation which
requires the Secretary of the Treasury to purchase silver bul-
lion should be repealed."
Repeatedly in 1892 and the early part of 1893 the Chamber
called earnest attention to the harm which the Sherman
silver-purchase act was doing to the financial and commercial
interests of the country and urged its repeal. In June the
panic of 1893, one of the most serious in the financial history
of the country, came as the inevitable result of the silver
policy. Banks failed in all parts of the country, there were
runs on savings-banks, and appeals for help reached the finan-
cial institutions of New York from all quarters. The Clear-
ing House Loan Conunittee, composed of five metropolitan
bank presidents, all members of the Chamber, saved the
situation, and averted financial ruin and devastation through-
out the land by issuing more than forty-one million dollars in
loan certificates.
The Chamber besought President Cleveland to call a special
session of Congress to consider the question of repealing the
Sherman Act, and this he did on August 7, 1893. The House
passed a repeal bill promptly, but action was delayed in the
Senate for a long time. Pending action, the Chamber bent
its energies to arousing popular sentiment in favor of the
repeal biU's passage. Through a special committee appeals
were made to over five thousand banks and trust companies
and commercial associations, and thirty thousand letters
were sent to private firms and individuals urging them to use
their influence in securing action by the Senate in favor of
repeal. Finally, the Senate passed the bill and on November
I it became law. In winning this victory for sound money
the Chamber had taken a very important part, and the final
triumph was due in large measure to its successful efforts in
arousing popular sentiment in favor of repeal.
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 117
In November, 1895, President Cleveland recognized hand-
somely the services of the Chamber in the fight for sound
money. The society invited him to be an honored guest
at its annual dinner, and in a letter of regret that he was not
able to accept, he wrote: "There never was a time when my
admiration for this important business association was so
great, and I am sure the recent efforts of its members to save
the country from the havoc of financial madness ought to be
appreciated by every patriotic citizen."
When in 1896 the steadily growing agitation in favor of
the free coinage of silver cuhninated in the nomination by
the Democratic Convention of its leading advocate, the
Chamber had no doubt as to its duty in the campaign. It
realized at once that an issue had been raised that was above
political and partisan considerations and involved both the
national welfare and the national honor. Foreseeing the
coming conflict as early as May, 1895, it had appointed a
special committee to devise methods for opposing free coin-
age and maintaining the standard of value. As soon as the
free-silver nomination was made this committee began the
preparation of a plan of campaign, appointing from their
members an Executive Committee, a Finance Committee,
with several subcommittees, and securing offices in which to
conduct the work. They opened correspondence with kindred
organizations throughout the country, sought and obtained
the co-operation and assistance of large commercial houses,
and thus established wide connections with business interests
in all parts of the land. They then began the printing and
distribution of large quantities of sound-money literature,
speeches, pamphlets, and other publications, reaching with
them, by means of correspondence and through the press,
several millions of people, chiefly in the South and West,
regularly during the campaign. They did not depend upon
the political organizations for distribution, but reached the
individual voter directly through the press and the avenues
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of business correspondence. It is scarcely possible to over-
estimate the value of the missionary and educational work
thus accomplished. It could justly be claimed that these
services in that campaign, one of the most critical in our
history, exerted a powerful influence in winning the result-
ing victory.
Throughout his career as President, Mr. Cleveland and the
Chamber worked shoulder to shoulder in the fight for sound
money, and their relations were mutually cordial and friendly.
When Mr. Cleveland's second term had ended in 1897, Presi-
dent Orr, in behalf of the Chamber, wrote to him saying that
it was the "earnest wish of very many of its members to
demonstrate its high appreciation of the benefits conferred
upon the commercial interests of this country, both at home
and abroad, by the honorable and uncompromisingly honest
financial policy" which he had advocated and insured through-
out his entire admmistration, and asking him to accept a
banquet in order that opportunity might be given to publicly
recognize his valuable financial services and to express the
Chamber's gratitude and thanks. Mr. Cleveland's reply is
so thoroughly characteristic in its frankness and in its revela-
tions of his high ideals of public service, that it is here pre-
sented in full:
Executive Mansion,
Washington, February 10, 1897.
My Dear Mr. Orr: I have just received your letter of yes-
terday. ^.-
In reply, I desire, first of aU, to express my supreme gratifica-
tion that the members of the Chamber of Commerce desire to
tender, in such a marked manner, their approbation of my official
course. The mere fact of their entertaining such a suggestion con-
stitutes a most valued reward for faithful endeavor to perform
official duty. . . r 1
I hope you will, however, permit me to say m entire frankness
and sincerity, that the assurance of the approbation of my good
friends of the Chamber of Commerce affords me as complete
I
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 119
satisfaction and comfort as any other demonstration of it could do.
Besides, all that I have done or attempted to do, in the direction
of the general welfare, deserves no special manifestation of approval
such as you suggest, since all this is within the scope of the service
I owe my fellow countrymen who have trusted me.
These considerations lead me to the suggestion that I would
be better pleased if the projects you outline were relinquished.
With assurances of grateful appreciation, I am,
Yours sincerely,
(Signed) Grover Cleveland.
When in 1900 the free coinage of silver was again the lead-
ing issue in the national campaign, the Chamber took the
same position that it had held four years earlier, and exerted
its influence on the side of sound money. On the eve of
election in November it sent out a formal appeal through the
various commercial bodies of the country which closed with
the declaration that "The Chamber of Commerce of the State
of New York, reahzmg the peril of this agitation, the sinister
character of credit when attacked, and knowing that the gold
standard is the only standard upon which permanent pros-
perity can rest, believe now that the time has again come for
commercial bodies and all men, whether engaged in farming,
manufacture or trade, to unite in removing from pohtical
agitation once and forever the question of the standard of
value upon which all the business of this country is transacted.
The question has arisen above and beyond all parties and
creeds, and now involves the honor of the nation and the in-
tegrity of the individual."
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CHAPTER XXV
COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION
HISTORY OF THE CHAMBER'S EXPERIENCE FROM EARLIEST
TIMES — SUCCESS OF THE SYSTEM
I768-I918
A CENTURY and a half ago, at the very beginning of its ex-
istence, the Chamber established the principle of voluntary
commercial arbitration and has adhered to it, with honor to
itself and great usefulness to the world ever since. Its rec-
ord in the matter is so creditable that it deserves to be
traced in full, for it is both instructive and interesting.
At the second meeting of the Chamber on May 3, 1768, a
committee of seven members was appointed for "adjusting
any differences between parties agreeing to leave such dis-
putes to this Chamber." A new and differently constituted
committee was appointed at each meeting. On April 4, 1769,
it was ordered that the names of persons having the dis-
putes, with the sums awarded, should be entered on the min-
utes, and in May following this was modified by the proviso
that it should be done unless both parties to a dispute objected
to it. In June the records of three disputes, with names and
awards, were inscribed in the minutes but no subsequent entry
of the kind was made. There was evidently much objection
to the proceeding, for in June the Committee of Arbitration
was instructed merely to report in writing to the Chamber
"what business hath or shall come before them during their
appointment."
It was not known till many years later that there was in ex-
istence any records of these early arbitrations, but in 19 13 an
original manuscript volume was found in the manuscript-
120
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 121
room of the Public Library, it having been purchased some
time previously from a collector. In this volume were the
records of arbitration cases from July 6, 1779, when the
Chamber became a Royalist body, to November i, 1792, nine
years after the close of the Revolutionary War. Copies of
these records were published in a neat volume by the Cham-
ber of Commerce in 19 13. As was said in the preface of that
volume:
This was a great historic time in the development of New York,
and the minutes constitute a historical document of high value,
giving as they do an intimate view of the commercial life of New
York in the later years of the eighteenth century, including the
Revolutionary War, when this city was a centre of stirring events.
Although containing about 50,000 inhabitants, New York was
already, by reason of her spacious harbor, an active shipping port,
and her leading merchants were owners of ships that traded in
many parts of the world. Most of the disputes which are recorded
in these minutes were differences over ships, and many of them ap-
plied to the terms of employment over masters and men. The
cases tried were often submitted to the Chamber by the police
authorities of the city. Many of the names recorded in the min-
utes are those of men prominent in the colonial period of New
York, some of them being founders of families and fortunes exist-
ing to-day.
In February, 1770, an effort was made for compulsory
arbitration in a motion that it be the standing rule of the
Chamber that members should never refuse to submit all
disputed matters of accoimts that they might be concerned
in with each other, or any other persons whomsoever, to the
final arbitrament and determination of the Chamber collec-
tively, or to such of the members as might be chosen by the
parties, on pain of being expelled from the Chamber and dis-
qualified from b6ing ever again admitted a member of it.
This motion, which was made by Isaac Low, one of the
founders, was never brought to a vote. It was called up
once afterward and referred to a future meeting for con-
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122 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
sideration, and was not heard of again. Similar proposal was
made in 1787, and in a revision of the by-laws which was
adopted on September 18 of that year, it was decreed that
any member refusing to submit to arbitration either of the
monthly committee or of such of the members as may be
chosen by the parties, or of the corporation coUectively,
should be expeUed. An effort was made to rescind this de-
cree but failed.
An interesting light is thrown upon the manner in which
this decree worked in practice by a minute in the proceedings
of the Chamber forty years later, on January 6, 1829. A com-
mittee had been appointed to consider a motion to so amend
the resolution of September 18, 1787, as to limit compulsory
arbitration to disputes in which the amount involved did
not exceed one hundred dollars. In its report the committee
said that its members cordially approved the proposed amend-
ment, yet, as in practice the resolution of 1787 had been ob-
solete for a long time, in their opinion it would be inexpedient
now to revive any resolution or other regulation which would
compel the members upon pain of expulsion to submit their
disputes to the decision of the Chamber or to any committee
of the same. The report was adopted, and compulsory arbi-
tration was allowed to sleep the sleep of the obsolete undis-
turbed.
An effort in the direction of publicity was made in April,
1817, when it was decreed that the names of persons having
disputes before the arbitration committee should be published
in the newspapers, but no publication of the kind can be found.
Five years later, in 1822, when monthly meetings of the
Chamber had been superseded by bimonthly ones, it was
decided to replace the monthly arbitration committee with a
standing committee of arbitration, consistmg of five mem-
bers, one of whom should be a Vice-President of the Chamber
and act as chairman, the other four to be elected by ballot at
the annual meeting. The first standing committee was elected
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 123
on May 22. In April, 1840, a further and more radical change
was made. The standing committee was renamed "Com-
mittee of Arbitration," was to consist of five members, one
to serve as chairman for a period of one year and to be elected
by ballot at the annual meeting; four others to be elected by
ballot at monthly meetings, one retiring each month and a
successor elected; neither the Chairman nor any member to
be eligible for a new term till after the lapse of a year. A
new standing committee, called "Committee of Appeals,'*
was constituted to which appeals might be made from decisions
by the Committee of Arbitration. This committee was to
consist of the President, first and second Vice-Presidents,
Treasurer, and Chairman of the Committee of Arbitration.
No appeal could be made from a decision of the Committee
of Arbitration in which the amount involved did not exceed
one hundred dollars, and notice of intention to appeal must
be given within ten days.
The first refusal to abide by a decision of the Committee
of Arbitration which appears in the minutes occurred in Sep-
tember, 1844. The person against whom an award had been
decreed refused to pay it on the ground that the committee
had exceeded its authority in summoning and examining wit-
nesses. The Committee of Appeals declined to hear the case
and referred it to the Chamber for action. The Chamber,
after long delay, in April, 1849, amended the by-laws, author-
izing the Committee of Arbitration to hear witnesses, each
party to the dispute to pay such fees as the committee might
deem reasonable.
Both the Arbitration Committee and the Committee of
Appeals were employed frequently and in the main gave satis-
faction. The weak points in the system were that parties
withdrew after arbitration had begun and before an award
had been made, and that no method existed for enforcing
awards.
In 1 86 1 the State Legislature passed an act tmder which
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124 OiV£ HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
the decisions of the Committee of Arbitration could be made
the basis of a judgment in a Court of Record. The plan
authorized by this act was followed by the Chamber for
twelve years and proved to be the most satisfactory so far
tried. In 1874 the Legislature passed an act creating a
Court of Arbitration. This was amended in 1875 by con-
ferring additional powers. Under it the Governor appointed
an official arbitrator and an arbitration clerk. This plan,
under which Judge Enoch L. Fancher was appointed official
arbitrator and the Secretary of the Chamber was appomted
arbitration clerk, was in operation till 1879, when it was sus-
pended indefinitely through failure of the Legislature to make
an appropriation for its support. It was unpopular because
it endeavored to cover and dispose of in court fashion every
kind of commercial dispute, and gave to the merchants of
New York a court whose creation was declared to be class
legislation.
For several years after the suspension of this plan very
little attention was paid to the question of arbitration by the
Chamber. In March, 1910, a special committee was ap-
pointed to consider the need of re-establishing a Court or Com-
mittee of Arbitration, and, if such need existed, to report a
plan. This committee made a report in January, 191 1, in
which it presented a plan of arbitration that was adopted and
has since been in successful operation. In its report the com-
mittee expressed the opinion that "dependence on the Legis-
lature for support, in the effort to make the award a binding
one, is the rock on which most arbitration plans of this Cham-
ber have come to grief. The enforcement of the award is
recognized by your Conamittee as of great importance, but
after consideration it believes that to rest the entire plan
upon this phase of it is equivalent to sacrificing the whole to
save a part."
Summed up briefly, the plan proposed a Committee of
Arbitration, chosen by the Chamber, to which any matter in
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 125
controversy could be referred by disputants who should choose
voluntarily to appeal to it for decision and who should sign
an agreement, provided by the coramittee, not to withdraw
from the arbitration after it had been begun, and to abide by
the decision. The committee was required to compile and
revise from time to time a list of not less than fifty qualified
persons, members of the Chamber, who were willing to act
as arbitrators under the rules. Disputants could select an
arbitrator or arbitrators, from the committee or from the list
of fifty, or submit their case to the full committee. The com-
mittee had power to make its own rules and regulations and
to fix a schedule of moderate fees to be paid by the disputants.
The Secretary of the Chamber was to be the clerk of the
committee. The committee and other arbitrators were re-
quired to take the usual oath of office.
From the outset the committee demonstrated that it met a
general desire for the kind of adjudication which it offered.
During its first year it disposed of, either through the com-
mittee itself or through arbitrators chosen from the Chamber's
list, a large number of important disputes, includiag one be-
tween the Public Service Commission and subway contractors.
In every instance, there was a speedy trial and quick decision,
and every decision was accepted by both parties and a settie-
ment made. In addition to disputes arbitrated, nearly one
hundred others were settled by the committee through con-
ciliatory mediation. This experience has been repeated in
varying degrees in the six subsequent years. The variety of
disputes covers a very wide field and has involved amounts
varying from sixty-nine cents to two million eight himdred
thousand dollars. All have been settled with privacy, ex-
cept in a very few instances when publicity was not objected
to by the disputants, and with despatch and economy. In
only one instance did a disputant attempt to withdraw be-
fore a decision was rendered, and he was easily convinced of
the unwisdom of such a course.
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126 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
The secret of the success of the system lies in the fact that
the character of the Chamber is the foundation upon which
it rests. This was recognized by the committee in its report
of May 4, 1916, in which it said that "one of the most gratify-
ing experiences which your committee has had in meeting men
coming to us with their problems is the exhibition of com-
plete confidence in the Chamber's even-handed and imbiased
attitude."
By far the larger part of the committee's effectiveness con-
sists in settling cases without formal arbitration, or by con-
ciliatory mediation, usually by getting the disputants to-
gether for a frank conference. Of these cases the committee
reported in 191 7 that while there was in the settlement noth-
ing binding but a gentleman's word of honor, it had yet to
hear of a case in which the agreement had not been scrupu-
lously observed. "Your Committee is convinced that the
friendly intervention of our Chamber acts as an almost irre-
sistible moral force."
Applications for arbitration are not confined to New York
City, nor, indeed, to the country, but come from various
foreign lands as well. The reputation of the Chamber's
system has extended to all parts of the United States and to
South America and Europe, and there are constant inquiries
for information about its methods and for advice in the es-
tablishment of like systems elsewhere. Through its influ-
ence similar tribunals have been established in several
Western and Southern States, and an Arbitration Committee
was created in the New York State Bar Association, with
which the Arbitration Committee of the Chamber held
conferences and subsequently issued a joint report entitled
'^ Rules for the Prevention of Unnecessary Litigation " that
was published in pamphlet form and very widely circulated.
It also entered into correspondence with European Chambers
of Commerce and other organizations in the interest of in-
ternational arbitration and has outlined a plan for such a
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 127
system. In its report for 191 7 the committee expressed the
opinion that there was developing among business men a
conviction that an honorable and manly policy to pursue
in commercial controversies was to endeavor to adjust them
without resort to the courts; and, even in cases where re-
course to the courts was necessary, to proceed in a friendly
spirit and with a desire to preserve good- will and sound com-
mercial relations.
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CHAPTER XXVI
THE ATLANTIC CABLE
SUPPORT OF THE PROJECT BY THE CHAMBER — RECOGNITION OP
CYRUS W. field's SERVICES
1858-1895
The Chamber has, with excellent reason, always regarded
the first Atlantic cable as an enterprise in which it took a
leading and valuable part. Peter Cooper and Cyrus W. Field,
its chief projectors, were members of the Chamber, and they
secured its hearty co-operation in the work. When the cable
was laid in 1858, a special meeting was called on April 21, to
"adopt some suitable measures of respect to be paid to Cap-
tain Hudson and the officers of the Niagara, together with
Cyrus W. Field and others, connected with the laying of the
Atlantic Telegraph Cable." Mr. A. A. Low introduced a
series of resolutions in a brief speech which expressed the fer-
vid enthusiasm that the successful laying of the cable had
aroused.
The resolutions which were adopted declared that the
achievement, as the great event of the age, reflected honor
on its projectors; united two continents by a new bond of
imion; brought two kindred nations into nearer alliance;
would aid Christianity's best development by making peace
and concord the common interest of all nations; and, because
of the care, toil, and deep anxiety involved in the effort and
of its final triumph, the Chamber would accord its meed of
honor to Captain Hudson and his fellow officers, and to Mr.
Field, "who has been the means of bringing into successful
combination the money of the capitalist, the service and skill
of the electrician, and the indomitable perseverance of the
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 129
sailor." A committee was appointed to consider and report
upon proper testimonials to Captain Hudson and his fellow
officers of the cable-laying ship, and the captain, with Mr.
Field, Mr. Caleb Bristow, Mr. Underwood, Mr. Everett, and
Mr. Woodhouse were elected honorary members of the
Chamber. The committee decided upon gold medals for the
persons engaged in laying the cable and these were presented
in August, 1859.
When the first cable broke a short time later, the Chamber
urged its reconstruction and greatly aided in having a second
and a third and permanently successful one laid in 1866.
When the triumph was finally secured the Chamber gave a
dinner in honor of Mr. Field. After his death in 1892, the
Chamber, believing that sufficient recognition had not been
given to his great achievement, requested its Executive Com-
mittee to suggest an appropriate memorial. The committee
reported that knowing the desire of Mr. Field for a historical
painting in which the lineaments and figures of the projectors
should appear, they had arranged with Daniel Huntington to
execute the work.
The painting was completed in 1895, and in May of that
year, at a special meeting on the 23d, it was formally pre-
sented to the Chamber by Morris K. Jesup, chairman
of the special committee. In presenting it Mr. Jesup read
an interesting letter from Mr. Himtington in which he said
that the first thought of a picture representing the projectors
of the Atlantic Telegraph came from Mr. Field, who had
called at his studio soon after the final and complete success
of the cable of 1866, and consulted him about painting such a
group. He went with Mr. Field to his house on Gramercy
Park, and sent a message to Mr. Peter Cooper, who came
and took the chair, as he had been accustomed to preside.
Mr. Field stood by the table, with charts and globes at
hand, as he usually stood when explaining his plans and Mr.
Huntington made sketches for the proposed picture.
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130 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
A letter was also read from Justice Stephen J. Field, of the
Supreme Court of the United States, a brother of Cyrus, in
which he expressed regret at his inability to be present and
said of his brother's labors that the "mere conception was
ahnost a Divine inspiration, but to carry it into execution was
the work of twelve laborious years— years interrupted by de-
feats and disappointments that would have broken down the
courage of most men."
A formal address was made by Chauncey M. Depew, in the
course of which he said that the gentlemen represented in the
painting were splendid examples of American success, and gave
a brief sketch of the principal ones. Cyrus Field, the son of a
Connecticut clergyman who had naught to give his family
but an education and an example, had retired from business
with a fortune at thirty-five. His brother, David Dudley,
stood in the front rank of American lawyers, his codifications
of law having secured national and international recognition.
Marshall O. Roberts had ventured with equal success upon the
ocean and upon the land. Wilson G. Hunt was a conserva-
tive, broad-minded, and eminently successful New York
merchant. Moses Taylor was one of the most far-sighted
and eminent bankers and projectors of America. Peter
Cooper had overcome ahnost insurmountable obstacles to
his career, and at ninety years of age was still quick in his
sympathy with the growth of the city, the development of
his country, with the needs of mankind, and with every
effort for the education and assistance of youth.
"The factors presented to these men of caution and of
sense," said Mr. Depew, "were, a letter from Lieutenant
Maury, of the United States Navy, expressmg a belief in a
level plateau under the ocean between Newfoundland and
Ireland; a letter from Prof. Morse, then radiant with the
young fame of his successful telegraph, saying that though
it never had been tried, he yet beh'eved a message could be
transmitted through three thousand miles of wire; and the
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enthusiasm and confidence of Cyrus W. Field. 'It will unite
the Old World and the New, it will promote peace and civiliza-
tion, it will help commerce, it will bring our country in con-
tact with the world, and upon that I will stake my reputation,
my undivided time and energies and my fortune,' said Mr.
Field. 'This is more patriotism than business,' was the an-
swer of his guests, 'but we will furnish the money required.'"
A brief address of acceptance was made by Alexander E.
Orr, President of the Chamber.
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CHAPTER XXVII
THE WASHINGTON AND SHERMAN STATUES
SECURED FOR THE CITY BY THE CHAMBER — ^DEDICATION
EXERCISES
1883-1903
The city is indebted to the Chamber of Commerce for two
notable public statues — that of Washington in Wall Street
and that of General Sherman at the Plaza entrance to the
Central Park. The proposal for each of these originated in
the Chamber and through its efforts the necessary funds
were collected and the project consummated.
Early in 1880 when the question of commemorating in a
suitable manner the centennial of the evacuation of the city
by the British, November 25, 1783, was under discussion,
a motion was made in the Chamber that a monument be
erected, on the anniversary, to commemorate the inauguration
of George Washington as first President of the United States.
The motion was received with favor and a committee was
appointed to carry it into effect. It was decided that the most
fitting place for the monument was the spot upon which
Washington stood when he took the oath of office. As the
subtreasury building stands on the site occupied by the old
Federal Hall, on the balcony of which Washington took the
oath, it was necessary to obtain from Congress permission to
use the front steps of the subtreasury for the purpose. This
was readily granted. The conunittee sought and obtained
from eminent artists of the city and elsewhere suggestions as
to the form of the monument and from these it reached the
conclusion that a bronze statue of Washington was the
most appropriate, and that it should be, *'in all respects, a
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 133
complete embodiment of the exalted character of Washington,
together with the great event the statue commemorates,"
and that "no expense be spared to make it, in all respects,
worthy of the cause." J. Q. A. Ward was engaged to
design the statue and its accompaniments. The Chamber
invited the public generally to contribute to the fund and
asked for the co-operation of various commercial bodies in
the movement.
As the 25th of November fell on Sunday, the dedication ex-
ercises were held on Monday, November 26, 1883. In spite of
a heavy storm of rain, an audience of several thousand persons
assembled to witness the ceremonies which began at i p. m.
There were many distinguished guests including the Presi-
dent of the United States, Chester A. Arthur; the Governor
of the State, Grover Cleveland; the Mayor of New York,
Franklin Edson; the Mayor of Brooklyn, Seth Low; the
Secretary of the Treasury, Charles J. Folger, and the Comp-
troller of the Currency, John Jay Knox. Mr. George W.
Lane, President of the Chamber of Commerce, presided. The
statue was unveiled by Governor Cleveland, and brief ad-
dresses were made by President Arthur, Mr. Lane, and Mr.
Royal Phelps, chairman of the committee that had been in
charge of the project. President Arthur said he was present
merely for a slight and formal part in the day's exercises, and
aroused enthusiastic applause by adding:
"I have come to this historic spot where the first President
of the Republic took oath to preserve, protect and defend
its Constitution, simply to accept, in behalf of the govern-
ment, this tribute to his memory. Long may the noble
statue you have here set up stand where you have placed it,
a monument alike to your generosity and public spirit, and
to the wisdom and virtue and genius of the immortal Wash-
ington."
The oration of the day was delivered by George William
Curtis and was worthy of his high reputation as one of the
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134 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
most scholarly writers and eloquent orators of his time.
The limits of this volume do not permit the reproduction in
full of this really noble flight of eloquence, but the record
would be incomplete and inexcusably defective without some
typical citations from it. A few are appended:
From the balcony of the hall that stood here the Declaration of
Independence was first read to the citizens of New York, and al-
though the enemy's fleet had entered the harbor, the people as
they hstened, tore down the royal arms from the walls of the hall
and burned them in the street, as their fiery patriotism was about
to consume the royal power in the province. Here, sat the Con-
tinental Congress in its closing days. . . . Yonder, almost within
sound of my voice, still stands the ancient and famous inn where
the Commander-in-Chief tenderly parted with his officers, and
there, over the way, where once a modest mansion stood, the
Federalist was chiefly written. The very air about this hallowed
spot is the air of American patriotism. To breathe it, charged
with such memories, is to be inspired with the loftiest human pur-
pose, to be strengthened for the noblest endeavor. By the most
Impressive associations, by the most dignified and important his-
toric events, was this place dedicated to the illustrious transaction
which we commemorate to-day.
What scene in human history transcends the grandeur and the
significance of that consecration? Gazing upon this sculptured
form, and remembering that this was the very hour and this
the place of the sublime event; that here, under the benignant
arch of heaven, Washington appeared to take the oath of his great
office, — the air is hushed, even the joyous tumult of this glad day
is stilled, the familiar scene fades from before our eyes, and our
awed hearts whisper within us: "Put off thy shoes from off thy
feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground."
The streets, the windows, the roofs, were thronged with people,
and, drowning my feeble voice, surely you can hear the vast and
prolonged shout that saluted the hero. Touched to the heart by
the affectionate greeting, he advanced to the railing, and, placing
his hand upon his breast, he bowed low, and then for a moment,
overwhelmed by emotion, he stepped back and seated himself
amid a sudden and solemn silence. Then he arose, and coming
forward, his majestic and commanding frame stood upon the
hi
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 135
identical stone upon which I stand at this moment, and which,
fixed fast here beneath the Statue, will remain, in the eyes of all
men, an imperishable memorial of the scene.
Fellow-citizens, the solemn dedication of Washington to this
august and triumphant task is the event which this Statue will
commemorate to imbom generations. Elsewhere, in bronze and
marble, and upon glowing canvas, genius has delighted to invest
with the immortality of art the best-beloved and most familiar of
American figiu-es. The surveyor of the Virginia wilderness, the
leader of the revolution, the president, the man, are known of
all men; they are everywhere beheld and revered. But here, at
last, upon the scene of the crowning event of his life, and of his
country 's life, — here, in the throbbing heart of the great city, where
it will be daily seen by countless thousands, here, in the presence
of the President of the United States, of the Governor of New
York, of the official authorities of other States, of the organized
body of New York merchants who, as in other years, they have led
the city in so many patriotic deeds upon this spot, lead now in
this commemoration of the greatest; and finally, of this vast and
approving concourse of American citizens, we raise this cabn and
admonishing form. Its majestic repose shall charm and subdue
the multitudinous life that heaves and murmurs aroimd it, and
as the moon draws the swaying tides of ocean, its lofty serenity
shall lift the hunying throng to unselfish thoughts, to generous
patriotism, to a nobler life. Here descended upon our fathers the
benediction of the personal presence of Washington. Here may
the moral grandeur of his character and his life inspire our children's
children forever !
(.
In the evening of the same day the Chamber gave a banquet
at Delmonico's in commemoration of the British evacuation
at which President Arthur and other illustrious guests who had
attended the exercises in Wall Street were present, together
with the Governors of the thirteen original States and a large
number of eminent citizens. President Arthur made a brief
speech which was a graceful recognition of the Chamber's
past and present services in the cause of patriotism:
Gentlemen of the Chamber of Commerce: I thank you for this
kindly greeting. The liberahty and patriotism of the merchants
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136 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
of New York contributed in no small measure to the triumph of
the American Revolution. The crowning evidence of that tri-
umph was the glad event whose one hundredth anniversary we
are celebrating to-day. You have abundant right to share in
that celebration, for you are the successors of those patriotic mer-
chants who so signally upheld the national cause, and so rejoiced
at the final withdrawal of all armed opposition to its ascendancy.
And you yourselves have given indisputable proof that the fervor
and faith of the fathers have abated not one jot or tittle in the
children, and that you are ready to lend your support to every
measure which is calculated to promote the honor and credit
and glory of the nation. I am proud to meet you, and again
thank you heartily for the warmth of this reception.
There was a long list of speakers, including Joseph H.
Choate, who said: "When I read this toast which you have
just drunk in honor of her gracious Majesty, the Queen of
Great Britain, and heard how you received the letter of the
British Minister that was read in response, and how heartily
you joined in singing 'God save the Queen,' when I look up
and down these tables and see among you so many repre-
sentatives of English capital and English trade, I have my
doubts whether the evacuation of New York by the British
was quite as thorough and lasting as history would fain have
us believe."
Speeches were made also by Governor Cleveland, Governor
Benjamin F. Butler, of Massachusetts, the Reverend Henry
Ward Beecher, Governor Thomas W. Waller, of Connecticut,
and J. Q. A. Ward. The occasion was one of the most brilliant
in the history of the Chamber.
A no less valuable gift than the Washington statue, in the
same field of artistic adornment, was made to the city by
the Chamber in the incomparable equestrian statue of Gen-
eral W. T. Sherman, by Saint Gaudens. This noble work
was many years in the making, for the artist could not be
hurried, meeting all efforts to hasten him with the words:
"Fm t h in k i n g about it— you'll be satisfied when it is finished."
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 137
Immediately after Sherman's death members of the Cham-
ber started a movement to erect a suitable statue in his mem-
ory. He had during his closing years become somewhat in-
timately associated with the society. He was frequently
an honored guest at its annual banquets, had been made an
honorary member of it, and attended its monthly meetings
quite regularly. The members felt that they owed it, not
only to themselves and to the Chamber, but to the city that
his great services to the nation should be commemorated in a
monument that, in its artistic merits, should be worthy of
him and an honor to the city. A meeting was called in the
Chamber on March 2, 1891, when a committee, composed
of twelve members, was formed under the titie of "Com-
mittee of the Sherman Statue Fund." By universal agree-
ment, Augustus Saint Gaudens was decided to be the most
desirable sculptor for the work. The committee called upon
him and found him very willing to undertake it. An agree-
ment was drawn up by which an equestrian statue was to be
completed by him within two years. Subscriptions were
easily obtained and the necessary fund was raised in a short
time. Finally, Saint Gaudens completed his work in Paris
and it was exhibited there fiirst, in colossal size and in plas-
ter, holding first place of honor in the Salon in 1899. When
photographs of it arrived in this country, the members of
the committee who were still living, for many of them had
died in the meantime, forgot, in their admiration of the re-
sult, the irritation which the delay had caused. Surely, the
end had crowned the work.
The statue was brought to New York and additional delay
was caused through the refusal of the municipal park authori-
ties to grant a suitable site for it. Finally, in 1903, under the
administration of Mayor Low, a site was granted at the Fifth
Avenue entrance to the Central Park, and on May 30 of that
year, Decoration Day, it was unveiled with impressive cere-
monies. Mr. Cornelius N. Bliss, Vice-President of the Cham-
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138 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
ber of Commerce, presided and presented the statue to the
city in the name of the Chamber and other civic organiza-
tions. Mayor Low accepted it in a formal speech, and an
address was delivered by the Honorable Elihu Root. The
invocation was pronounced by Archbishop Farley and the
benediction by Bishop Potter.
I
CHAPTER XXVIII
A VISIT TO LONDON
GUESTS OF THE LONDON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE — A WEEK OF
ENTERTAINMENTS WITH A NOTABLE BANQUET
I9OI
Cordial relations, based upon a mutual desire to promote
peace and good-will between the two nations, have always
existed between the Chamber and its namesake in London.
British representatives, official and private, have always been
heartily welcomed while visiting New York and in many in-
stances have been given formal receptions by the Chamber
at which it has had the highly appreciated privilege of hear-
ing interesting and valuable addresses from the guests. In
May, 1899, the London Chamber of Commerce, in recogni-
tion of these many courtesies, formally invited the New York
society to send a delegation to London to be guests at a
public banquet on such a date as would suit their con-
venience. The invitation was cordially accepted, but because
of the war in South Africa, and the Presidential election in the
United States in 1900, the date was not fixed till 1901, when
June 5 was selected. The Chamber chose a delegation of
thirty-eight of its prominent members, headed by its Presi-
dent, Morris K. Jesup. They arrived in London on June
I and were the recipients of distinguished and most enjoy-
able courtesies during their week of sojourn. Although the
Court was in mourning for Queen Victoria, whose death had
occurred only a short time previous, a reception was arranged
for them at Windsor Castle at which the King and Queen
greeted them in a most friendly and gracious manner. An
official reception was also given to them at his residence by
the American Ambassador, Joseph H. Choate, at which the
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most eminent men in official and social life in London, as
well as the diplomatic representatives of foreign governments,
were present.
The banquet, which took place in the hall of the Grocers'
Guild, one of the oldest of the merchants* associations of Lon-
don, was attended by more than three hundred guests. Lord
Brassey, President of the London Chamber, presided, with the
American Ambassador, Mr. Choate, on his right. The Mar-
quis of Lansdowne, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs,
responded to the toast, "The President of the United States,"
and in beginning his speech said: "I think I may say to all
the subjects of His Majesty, it requires an effort to think of
our relations with the United States of America as foreign
relations," a sentiment that was greeted with cheers.
Lord Brassey proposed the toast, "Our friends of the Cham-
ber of Commerce of the State of New York," and in the course
of his remarks said: "We give a warm welcome to our guests
for many reasons. We welcome them as representatives of
the skill and the enterprise which have turned the vast re-
sources of the American continent to the service of man.
We of this old coimtry are largely sharers in the benefits of
that skill and that enterprise. Our teeming millions could not
live without the food which America produces." Continu-
ing, he paid a high tribute to the New York Chamber, saying
of it: "It is something more than an organization of men
engaged in commerce. Its members stand at all times ready
to apply their knowledge of affairs and their skill as adminis-
trators to wider matters than the mere pursuit of gain;
and when they speak they speak with weight and authority.
Not long ago a suitable occasion offered. When difficulties
had arisen in relation to Venezuela, the London Chamber of
Commerce appealed to the New York Chamber to use their
good offices in the cause of a peaceful solution. They re-
sponded to the call. We desired to mark our deep sense of the
service rendered. It has brought us together this evening."
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 141
Mr. Jesup, who was called upon by Lord Brassey to re-
spond for the New York Chamber, made a speech which
created the most profound impression of the evening. Speak-
ing of the many acts of friendship that Americans had received
from Englishmen, he disclosed this extremely interesting bit of
unwritten history in connection with the Chamber:
I remember, and I say it with infinite gratitude, that in the
year 1837, when our country was passing through a disastrous
financial distress, when our banks had suspended specie payments
and when our people were discouraged, that one of our loyal and
most faithful citizens, Mr. Ja^es Gore King, afterwards the Pres-
ident of our Chamber, visited London, and, by his high character,
so impressed your financial men that the Bank of England ad-
vanced one million pounds sterling in sovereigns and sent the same
by packet to New York under the control of Mr. King, to enable
the banks in New York to resume specie payments, and thus re-
store confidence to our community. That bank did a most kindly
and magnanimous thing. No stipulation was made as to the re-
tum of that money; neither did they expect or ask for any reward.
It was a kindly act, and one that will never be forgotten.
The Right Honorable Lord Avebury, President of the Asso-
ciation of Chambers of Commerce of the United Kingdom, and
Vice-President of the London Chamber of Commerce; the
Right Honorable William J. Pirrie, of Belfast; the Right
Honorable Lord Alverstone, Lord Chief Justice of England;
Albert G. Sandeman, ex-Governor of the Bank of Eng-
land; Mr. Choate, Andrew Carnegie, A. Barton Hepburn,
A. Foster Higgins, and Clement A. Griscom also made
speeches.
Mr. Pirrie, who as the representative of English manu-
factures, spoke to the toast of " Commerce and Manufactures,"
said in the course of his speech: "As a manufacturer, or at
least one engaged all my life in a large industrial business, I
have nothing but admiration for the way in which our Amer-
ican friends have made necessity the mother of invention in
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142 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
manufactures, and have, out of their inventive genius and
power of resource, evolved machinery that has revolution-
ized the workshop."
Mr. Hepburn, who like Mr. Pirrie spoke on the toast
"Commerce and Manufactures," paid this glowing tribute to
England, which was received with cheers: "The commercial
prosperity of a nation is largely dependent upon its land and
sea power. That government is best which, being strongest,
utilizes its power to promote those cordial principles, liberty
and justice, upon which all true prosperity is based. Great
Britain, in extending its dominion, is entitled to this en-
comium. Wherever the British flag has been planted, ma-
terial, moral, and financial advancement has inevitably fol-
lowed. A high sense of commercial honor, the inviolability
of contract, and the open door are among the blessings that
follow British rule."
Mr. Choate spoke briefly, saying: "I rise to propose a
loyal benediction in offering the last toast in honor of the Lon-
don Chamber, which I shall do without more ado, and in as
few words as possible. This London Chamber of Commerce
have done a noble and magnanimous act in thus extending the
right hand of friendship to the most formidable rivals they
have in the kindred nation across the sea, an act of friendship
which, I believe, speaks the true sentiments of the vast ma-
jority of the people on both sides of the Atlantic toward the
other nation. It confirms the conviction that rests strongly
in my mind that commerce, no matter what has been its his-
tory in the past, is now, and in the future will be, the real
pacifier, the peacemaker, the blessing, the common and mutual
blessing of all mankind."
On the day following the banquet, June 6, Lord Brassey
gave a private reception to the American delegates at his
residence which was attended by a large number of dis-
tinguished guests. On June 7 the Lord Mayor of London
received the delegates at the Mansion House. The visitors
)
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 143
were introduced to the Lord Mayor by Lord Brassey in a brief
speech to which the Lord Mayor responded. Mr. Jesup spoke
a few words in behalf of his associates, saying: "I speak the
sentiments of their hearts as well as my own when I say that
the kindnesses we have received in various ways since our
arrival in London have captivated our hearts. We are the
children of this great country, and coming here is like coming
home."
Immediately following the Lord Mayor's reception the dele-
gates were entertained at a luncheon by the London Cham-
ber, presided over by Mr. Sandeman. Speeches were made
by him and by Mr. Thomas L. Blackwell, of the London Cham-
ber, and by Mr. Carnegie and Mr. Jesup in reply. A photo-
graph of the delegates and their hosts was taken at the close
of the exercises on the steps of the hall in which it had been
held.
In an address which he made a few months later at the
annual dinner of the New York Chamber, Mr. Choate said of
the London visit that it was a truly notable event, that the
delegates from the New York Chamber were in London as
the "representatives of a nation more prosperous than in any
previous period of its history, and, may I not say, more pros-
perous than any other nation of which we now have any
knowledge." Concerning Mr. Jesup's speech, Mr. Choate
paid him this fine compliment: "He stood in the presence,
I may say, of the British nation, of all that represented its
power and its commerce, and made one of the most felicitous
addresses to which it has ever been my pleasure to listen."
The above account of this memorable visit is necessarily
little more than an outline. A full report of all the incidents,
with the text of the speeches at the banquets and receptions
and membership the American delegation, was published in
1901 by the Chamber in an attractive volume, entitied "A
Pledge of International Friendship."
ill
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CHAPTER XXIX
EARLY HOMES OF THE CHAMBER
FAMOUS HISTORIC BUILDINGS WHICH IT HAS OCCUPIED — ^ITS
LATER TEMPORARY ABODES
I 768-1902
Several of the buildings in which the Chamber passed the
jGirst half-century of its corporate existence were the scenes of
events which hold first rank in the history, not only of the city
of New York but of the country. Only one of them remains
to-day, but the fame of all of them, intimately associated as
it is with the birth of the nation as a free and independent
republic, will endure as long as history is written or read.
Coffee-rooms or restaurants were the assembly-rooms of
the day, for no others existed. In them the people of the city
came together for social intercourse and conviviality, or to
give formal expression of opinion on public affairs. New
York of the colonial days was a convivial commimity. Its
members loved to eat and drink together, to season their talk
with cheer for the inner man.
It was inevitable, therefore, that when the society of mer-
chants desired a meeting-place for their proceedings they must
seek it in a tavern or coffee-house. The principal one at the
time was Bolton & SigeFs restaurant, known even to the pres-
ent day as "Fraunces's Tavern." The building, restored
practically to its original form, through the patriotic services
of the Society of the Sons of the Revolution, still stands under
that name at the comer of Pearl and Broad Streets. It was
built by Etienne de Lancey, as a private residence, in 17 19,
and was regarded as one of the finest houses in the city. There
has been some uncertainty as to the exact year of its construc-
144
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 145
tion, but this has been removed by the discovery in the min-
utes of the Common Council of New York of this entry under
date of April 14, 1719: "Mr. de Lancey applies for a small
strip of land to make his lot more regular in shape as he is
now going to build a large brick house." It is added that he
was granted three and a half feet at one corner to straighten
the lot and for the better regulation of said street and build-
ing. The location was given as Broad and Dock Streets.
Dock was later changed to Queen, and still later Queen was
changed to Pearl. It was built on the Broad Street side
of yellow brick brought from Amsterdam, and on the Pearl
Street side of English red brick. It was used as a residence
by members of the De Lancey family till 1757, and from that
date till 1763 as a warehouse and store. In the latter year it
was sold to Samuel Francis, an innkeeper, who converted it
into a tavern called the "Queen's Head" or "Queen Char-
lotte's Tavern," in honor of the wife of George III. Francis
was a West Indian of French extraction who, because of his
swarthy complexion, was sometimes called "Black Sam," a
title which has led some historical writers to speak of him
erroneously as a negro.
The building passed into the hands of Bolton & Sigel (some-
times spelled Sigell) in 1767 and they were in charge of it
when the Chamber of Commerce was founded there in the
foUowing year. In 1770 Francis, who had leased it to them,
retook possession, announcing that he had "refitted it in the
most genteel and convenient manner for the reception of those
gentlemen, ladies, and others who used to favor him with their
company." He continued in charge till the Revolution was
declared, when he joined the American army, remaining with
it during the war.
There are many conflicting accounts as to the size of the
original building, due to changes which were made in it many
years later and to pictures which present it in its transformed
condition. All doubt on the point is removed by the descrip-
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146 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
tion which Francis himself gave when he offered the building
for sale in 1775. His advertisement read: "The Queen's
Head Tavern is three stories high, with a tile and lead roof,
has fourteen fireplaces, a most excellent large kitchen, five
dry cellars, with good convenient offices, &c."
During the Revolution a round shot from a British frigate
went through the roof of the building, and the incident was
immortalized by Philip Freneau, the poet of the period:
"Scarce a broadside was ended till another began again—
By Jove 1 It was nothing but fire away Flanagan 1
Some thought him salutmg his SaUys and Nancys ^ ^^
'Til he drove a round shot through the roof of Sam Francis.
Francis joined General Washington on the way to New
York in 1783, after peace was declared, and returned with
him to the city. He at once reclaimed and secured his prop-
erty and reopened the house under the name of "Fraunces's
Tavern," spelling his name in that way for the first time. It
is evident that Washington had a liking for Francis, for while
he was living at the Franklin House, in Cherry Street, which
was the President's house for a time, he had him as steward
and later took him with him to Philadelphia when that
city was made the capital, retaining him in his service tiU
1794.
The tavern was the scene of many stirring incidents pre-
ceding and during the Revolution. In April, 1774, when the
excitement about non-importation was at its height, the
Sons of Liberty and the Vigilance Committee met in the Long
Room to protest against allowing English vessels with cargoes
of tea aboard to land them. Some accounts say that while in
session news was received that the Londotiy a ship with tea
aboard, had just docked at the East India Company's wharf
near by, and that the members adjourned in a body to the
wharf and threw the tea overboard, thus making a "tea-
party" to rival the Boston one. Other accounts say that the
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 147
vessels were not allowed to land their cargoes and were sent
away.
On May 14, 1774, a meeting of merchants assembled in the
Long Room to consider the question of uniting with the other
colonies in a call for a Congress of the colonies. The atten-
dance proving to be too large for the room, an adjournment
was made to the Merchants' Coffee House, where a Com-
mittee of Correspondence was appointed and who, on May
2:^, issued the famous letter in which the idea of a union
of the Colonies was first expressed. In August, 1774, the
Massachusetts delegates to the Continental Congress in
Philadelphia were entertained by the New York delegates
at a banquet in the Long Room. The remarks of John
Adams on the banquet and other subjects connected with the
visit are set forth in a preceding chapter of this work.
The Third Provincial Congress held its sessions in the
Long Room from May 18 to June 30, 1776, a fact which is
not generaUy known, but is attested by the records and also
by a bill for entertainment paid to Francis.
But the supreme claim of the old tavern to the title of
shrine in American history Hes in the fact that it was the
headquarters of Washington when he entered the city on the
heels of the retiring British army. On that day, November
25, 1783, Governor Clinton gave him a banquet in the famous
Long Room in celebration of the event, and on December
4 following, in the same Long Room, he took farewell of his
officers in one of the most affecting scenes in history.
On February 2, 1790, the Supreme Court of the United
States was opened in the city of New York, and in the eve-
ning the Grand Jury of the United States for the district
''gave a very elegant entertainment in honor of the court
at the tavern," which was attended by national and city
dignitaries, members of Congress, gentlemen of the bar, and
leading citizens. The guests were John Jay, of New York,
Chief Justice, with Justices William Gushing, of Massa-
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148 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
chusetts, James Wilson, of Pennsylvania, Robert Harrison,
and John Blair, of Virginia.
The building has been damaged by fire several times. In
1832 its interior was partly burned out and a flat roof was
added. In 1837 there was another conflagration, and in
1852 the most serious of the series virtually destroyed the
eastern end on Pearl Street. In repairing it, what was left
of its original architectural merit was completely obUterated
by the imposition of two additional stories with a flat roof,
alterations which converted it into as ordinary and common-
place a five-story barrack-appearing structure as could be
found anywhere. Photographs of it at this period are famihar
in Valentine's Manual and other pubUcations, and veiy sad
exhibits they are of the awful possibiUties of so-caUed "mod-
ern improvement" in the hands of a practical contractor.
The city and the nation owe a lasting debt of gratitude to
the Society of the Sons of the Revolution for rescuing this
most interesting and venerable building from the hands of the
destroyer. Under the reverent and intelUgent guidance of
Mr. WiUiam H. Mersereau, the building has been completely
restored and stands to-day as it stood when first constructed
nearly two centuries ago. AU the additions were removed,
the coating put upon the old bricks as improvement, was
scraped off, and upon the original skeleton thus revealed the
ancient body was reconstructed. This process of restoration
was greatly helped by the preservation of the old roof lines
and rafters. Modem bricks and stones which had been
added were removed, yeUow bricks to match the original
ones were sought and obtained in Holland, and red bricks of
the original shape and color were found in old buildmgs m
Baltimore. The first floor was raised to its former level, the
windows were made to conform to the original ones, and the
Long Room, which is on the second floor, was restored to its
original dimensions, forty-three feet in length by thirty in
width, with its fireplaces in brick at each end. All the ongi-
«^
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 149
nal timbers were retained above and below the Long Room,
and every brick and piece of lumber of the original building,
so far as possible, was left in place. The present appearance
of the building is believed to be practically the same as dur-
ing the Revolution. The Long Room has such a perfect
atmosphere of age, is so pervaded with the spirit of tradi-
tion, that one feels, as he stands in front of the fireplace
where Washington stood in that farewell scene, an emotion
like that which every American experiences when he visits
Mount Vernon. This is especially the effect upon members
of the Chamber of Commerce who visit it and read upon
the bronze tablet above that fireplace the inscription declar-
ing it to have been the birthplace of their society.
The second home of the Chamber was in the Royal Ex-
change, a building that stood upon brick stilts, or arches, at
the lower end of Broad Street in a line with Water Street.
It replaced a former structure which consisted of nothing but
a roof on stilts. The second one also was a very curious struc-
ture, for its ground floor was open on all sides, and in tempes-
tuous weather the merchants who gathered there for business
found it extremely uncomfortable. It had a second story
which was enclosed and consisted of a single room. The build-
ing had been projected originally by the merchants of the city,
who contributed to the funds for its erection, but through lack
of sufficient money for the purpose the corporation of the city
was appealed to for a grant which it made and under which
the structure was completed. It was taken over by the city
government and controUed by it afterward. One of the stipu-
lations of the corporation was that the second story should
consist of a room "not exceeding fifteen feet in height and not
less than fourteen feet and should be arched from the height
of the said fourteen feet," and that the building itself should
have a cupola upon it. Later a bell was hung in the cupola.
The building, which was of brick, was completed in 1754,
and its upper story, composed entirely of the so-called Great
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150 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
Room, was used for a time as a store and later for balls and
parties of various kinds. A coffee-room was later partitioned
off at one end. When the royal charter was granted to the
Chamber in 1770, it was provided therein that the "Meetmgs
of the said Corporation shaU be held in the Great Room of
the building commonly called the Exchange, situated at the
lower End of the Street called broad Street." The Chamber
held its meetings there till the outbreak of the RevoluUon.
The building itself was taken down after the Revolution.
The third temporary home of the Chamber, called the
Merchants' Coffee House, was one of the most famous of the
historic buildings of New York. It was a four-story structure
of slight architectural merit, and is thought to have been
built about 1737. It stood at the southeast comer of Wall
and Water Streets. In its early days it was used as a slave-
market and general auction-room. During the French and
Indian War, when privateering was very general, captures
made by New York vessels were sold there, including human
beings as well as goods. An advertisement of the period offers
for sale whole cargoes of "fine men, women, boys and gnrls,
the white slaves being sold under the title of "Term of
Service " Later, when the stamp-tax agitation arose, pubhc
meetings of protest were held there, and it was the regular
place of assembly for all committees and other bodies takmg
the lead in opposition to the poUcy of the British Government.
In its rooms was composed by Isaac Low, Alexander McDou-
gall, James Duane, and John Jay the famous letter of May
23 1774, which contained the first suggestion of the American
Uilion by calling for a union of the Colonies agamst Great
Britain and resulted in the first Continental Congress which
assembled in Philadelphia on September 5 of that year.
Other events which helped to give the building first
rank among famous historical structures in the country, oc-
curred in 1785 and 1789. On February 3, 1785, the Cham-
ber of Commerce gave a banquet in the Long Room to
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 151
President Washington and the members of the Continental
Congress, thereby giving first formal recognition to the tem-
porary government of the United States in the mterval
between the end of the war and the adoption of the Con-
stitution. Four years later, on April 23, 1789, in the same
Long Room, the State and city officials of New York gave
a reception to General Washington on his arrival in the city
for his inauguration as first President under the Constitu-
tion. .
This historic building was destroyed by fire m 1804. More
than a century later fitting honor was paid to its memory
by the placing of a handsome bronze commemorative tablet
upon the building at present occupying its site at 93 WaU
Street. The tablet, which was the result of patriotic efforts
by the Lower Wall Street Business Men^s Association, was
unveiled with appropriate exercises on May 23, 1914, with
Seth Low, President of the Chamber of Commerce, and
Honorary President of the Association, as presiding officer.
Among the speakers was Abram Wakeman, who was tiie
originator and very zealous promoter of the project. To
his interesting and valuable pubHcations on the history of
lower New York, and especially lower Wall Street, aU writers
on subjects connected with the city's early history are much
indebted.
The Chamber continued to hold its sessions m the Mer-
chants' Coffee House tiU 1793- Two lots on tiie diagonally
opposite comer of Wall and Water Streets had been purchased
by a sort of mutual benefit organization called the Tontine
Association, named after Lorenzi Tonti, a NeapoUtan who
had founded a similar organization in France in 1653. On
these lots the Tontine Association began in 1791 the erection
of a four-story building which was called the Tontine Coffee
House. The structure was completed in 1793. In April of
that year there appears in the minutes of the Chamber of
Commerce tiiis entry: "A committee was appointed to agree
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152 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
with Mr. Hyde for the use of a room for the accommodation
of the Chamber on their next and subsequent meetings."
John Hyde was the first landlord of the Tontine Coffee
House. At the May meeting of the Chamber, stewards
were appointed "for the ordering of a public dinner at
the Tontine Coffee House for the merchants in general of
the city."
Contemporary prints show the building to have had a high
first-floor story, with arched windows, and a piazza six feet
wide extending over the sidewalk on Wall Street. An English
traveller, who visited New York in 1794, thus described it:
"The Tontine Tavern and Coffee House is a handsome large
brick building; you ascend six or eight steps under a portico,
into a large public room, which is the Stock Exchange of New
York where all bargains are made. The house was built for
the accommodation of merchants. You can lodge and board
there at a common table, and you pay ten shillings currency
a day whether you dine out or not."
In the fifties the Tontine Coffee House was taken down and
a new structure, faced with French granite and four stories
in height, called the Tontine Building, was erected in its
place. This in turn gave way m 1905 to a third buildmg
which occupies the site to-day under the same name.
The Chamber remained in the Tontine Coffee House till
1827, when it removed to rooms in the Merchants' Exchange,
which was completed in that year. This building, which was
one of the most costly and pretentious that had been erected
in the city up to that time, stood on the site in Wall Street
that was occupied later by the custom-house. Construction
of it began in 1825 by an association which had been incor-
porated with a capital of one million dollars. It had a front-
age of one himdred and fifteen feet on Wall Street and ex-
tended one hundred and fifty feet backward to Garden
Street, now Exchange Place. It was three stories in height,
with a high basement and attic, and was constructed of white
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 153
Westchester marble. The first and second stories were
modelled after the temple of Minerva in Ionia. Entrance
was through a portico in the centre of the Wall Street front,
which was elliptical in form and was inside of a row of four
marble columns, thirty feet in height, which reached to the
top of the second story. Each column was composed of a
single block of marble. On the top of the building was a
cupola, sixty feet in height and twenty-four feet m diameter,
which rested upon columns within the structure forming a
rotunda in the centre. The rotunda, which was oval in form,
was seventy-five feet long, fifty feet wide and forty-two feet
high, was the floor of the Exchange where business was trans-
acted. In the centre there stood a colossal statue m marble
of Alexander Hamilton by Ball Hughes. The building, which
was the pride of the city in its day, cost two hundred and thirty
thousand dollars. The basement was occupied by brokers'
offices, and on the gallery facing the rotunda the merchants
had their offices. The post-office was also located in it, and
there were rooms for such tenants as the Chamber of Com-
merce. The building was totally consumed in the great fire
of 1835 which destroyed four hundred and thirty-five buildings
and caused a total loss of seventeen million dollars. Desper-
ate efforts were made to save the Hamilton statue but the fury
of the flames made it impossible to do so.
After the destruction of the Merchants' Exchange, the
Chamber found quarters in the Merchants' Bank in the cen-
tral part of Wall Street. The building had been originally a
private dwelling and was not a commodious structure. Three
years after the Chamber had found a home there, the building
was destroyed and in 1840 the bank took up its quarters in a
new granite structure, erected on the same site, with a front
of four high columns, which was said at the time to have
been the finest banking-house in the United States and to
have cost more than forty thousand dollars. The Chamber
followed the bank into this building and remained there till
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154 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
1858, when it removed to the Underwriters' Building at
William and Cedar Streets, remaining there till 1884.
In the Mutual Life Building on Nassau Street, between
Cedar and Liberty Streets, whither the Chamber moved in
1884, it found far more commodious quarters than it had
hitherto occupied. It had a fine suite of rooms, including a
large one for its meetings, and these were fiunished in a dig-
nified and handsome manner in accord with the position which
the Chamber held in public estimation. The Mutual Life
Building stands on the site of the Dutch Church which was
famous in the early days of the last century. For several
years the Chamber had hoped to obtain this site for the erec-
tion of a building of its own as a permanent home, but it
was not able, for various reasons, to do so. The rooms which
it took possession of in 1884, while sufficiently ample for the
purpose at that time, were gradually outgrown and ultimately
became inadequate, especially in affording accommodation
for the rapidly accumulating collection of portraits and the
large and expanding library.
I
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CHAPTER XXX
THE CHAMBER'S PERMANENT HOME
FUND FOR ITS CONSTRUCTION — GREAT HALL AND PORTRAIT-
GALLERY— DEDICATION EXERCISES— STATUES AND
MEMORIAL TABLET
1902-1911
For nearly one hundred and thirty-five years the Chamber
of Commerce led what may be caUed a Bohemian existence.
It had no home of its own, but wandered about from one place
to another, finding temporary quarters in any building which
at the time best suited its purposes. In its early days the
nomadic character of its life was especially marked, its lodging-
place being any tavern or coffee-house or merchants' exchange
that granted it hospitality. Several of these temporary abid-
ing-places were of large historic interest in the days preceding
and immediately foUowmg the Revolution, and brief accounts
of them are given in the preceding chapter. As it grew in
numbers and influence and developed into an institution that
represented not merely the commercial, industrial, and finan-
cial interests of the nation, but was also a recognized leader
in all causes affecting the national welfare and honor, the need
of a home of its own, worthy of its traditions and purposes,
was keenly felt by its members. This was accentuated by the
important part which the society had taken in sustaining the
policy of the national government during the Civil War.
Various projects for a permanent home had been mentioned
in a random and vague form before that time, but it was not
till after the close of the war that the question was brought
before the members in a sufficiently concrete form to secure
iSS
156 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
for it serious consideration. At the annual meeting in May,
1865, Abiel A. Low, President of the society, brought it to
the attention of the members in a manner so forcible as to
lead to formal action. " Commerce," said he, "has found just
expression through these last four years of civil war, in the
moral and financial support given to the Government of the
United States, and in the influence it has exerted for and with,
throughout the loyal North. It has found just expression in
the rewards and honors bestowed upon many of the great
and heroic men, who, on land and on the sea, have shed such
lustre upon our country's renown.
"Is it not right," he continued, "that conmaerce should
do something in its own honor, to perpetuate its own history,
to hand down the portraiture of men who have been distin-
guished in the walks of business for moral worth and lives of
usefubess? Is it not right that this Chamber should have a
building that will stand as a monument of its own just pride,
answering the demands of its steadily increasing members,
and what seems to be a revival of interest in its affairs— a
building commensurate with the growth in wealth of the chief
commercial city of the world; the heart and centre of a Com-
merce which promises to exceed in magnitude that of any
country hitherto known to history ? "
Putting his suggestion in concrete form, Mr. Low, with the
clear foresight which was his distinguishing attribute, pro-
ceeded to outline a project which tiiirty-seven years later was
carried into effect. "We want and should have," he said,
"an edifice wherein our merchants can meet on public occa-
sions, witii a separate hall for the gatiierings of tiiis society,
and a gaUery for tiie exhibition of tiie portraits of eminent
merchants of our own and other lands. It has seemed to us
that it should not be difficult to find twenty-five men who
Avill give ten thousand dollars each, fifty who will give five
thousand doUars each, and five hundred who will give one
thousand dollars each, in all one million of dollars !"
II !
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 157
The President's remarks were received with great applause
and a committee of ten, with the President and Secretary as
members, was appointed to report at an early day what steps
were necessary to carry the proposal into effect. From that
day the figure of one milKon dollars was fixed immovably as
the desired building-fund, and systematic efforts to raise it
began, but for many years little progress was made. The
subject was brought up for discussion from time to time, but
it was not till 1897 that tangible results began to be achieved.
At the annual meeting in May of that year, Alexander E.
Orr, President of the Chamber, announced that $248,500 had
been subscribed by eighteen gentlemen and one lady, and he
asked for a committee to be appointed to seek further sub-
scriptions. On June 9 following, the committee reported
$468,500 and announced that within a few days the amount
would be increased to a half million. In November following,
at the annual banquet, it was announced that the subscrip-
tions had reached $620,000 by two hundred members. From
this time, the advance toward the desired million became
steady and rapid. In May, 1898, the total was $633,250;
in April, 1899, $705,100; in June foUowing, $767,550, and on
April 5, 1900, President Orr annoimced the full million had
been subscribed by five hundred and two members and two
ladies. A site was obtained in Liberty Street, adjoining
the centre of the financial district of the city and the erection
of the building was begun at once.
The exterior of the building is shown in the frontispiece.
The dominating feature of the interior is an assembly-hall and
portrait-gallery combmed which occupies two stories in the
centre of the structure. It is ninety feet in length by sixty feet
in breadth with a half-domed ceiling, surmounted by a sky-
light, thirty-eight feet above. On its walls are hung the
portraits of the society's valuable collection, a full catalogue
of which will be found in the Appendix of this volume. ^ It
numbers at present two hundred and twenty-one portraits.
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158 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
and there are also six marble statues and three bronze busts.
Among the portraits the most notable are those of George
Washington by Gilbert Stuart; Alexander Hamilton and De
Witt Clinton, both by John Trumbull; John Bright and
Richard Cobden, both by J. Fagnani; and Cadwallader
Golden by Matthew Pratt. All the Presidents of the society
since its foundation, with a few exceptions, and many of
the Vice-Presidents and Secretaries are included, and with
their portraits are those of Presidents Lincohi, Arthur, and
Cleveland; Generals Scott, Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, and
Hancock; John Sherman, J. Pierpont Morgan, James J. Hill,
and others whose names are prominent in the country ^s his-
tory. Many of the portraits are the work of eminent artists
of their times. Credit for the collection is due largely to
George Wilson, for forty years the efl&cient and esteemed
Secretary of the society, who devoted himself with untiring
zeal to the task of assembling it.
Ranged about the court on the floor above the assembly-
hall are the President's room, committee-rooms, and the
offices of the Secretary and his stajff. The fourth floor is
given up entirely to the large and valuable library of the
society.
The building was dedicated with impressive exercises on
November 11, 1902, in the presence of a very distinguished
assemblage which included the President of the United States,
Theodore Roosevelt; Grover Cleveland, the only ex-President
living at the time; the Ambassadors of England and France,
Sir Michael Henry Herbert, and M. Jules Cambon; Sir
Albert K. Rollit, member of Parliament and Chairman of
the London Chamber of Commerce; Prince Hans Heinrich
von Pless, special representative of Germany; the Honorable
Elihu Root, Secretary of War, and delegates from the chief
Chambers of Commerce in Europe. Morris K. Jesup,
President of the Chamber, presided and made an address in
which he extended the cordial greetings of the Chamber to
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and there are also six marble statues and three bronze busts.
Among the portraits the most notable are those of George
Washington by Gilbert Stuart; Alexander Hamilton and De
Witt Clinton, both by John Trumbull; John Bright and
Richard Cobden, both by J. Fagnani; and Cadwallader
Golden by Matthew Pratt. All the Presidents of the society
since its foundation, with a few exceptions, and many of
the Vice-Presidents and Secretaries are included, and with
their portraits are those of Presidents Lincohi, Arthur, and
Cleveland; Generals Scott, Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, and
Hancock; John Sherman, J. Pierpont Morgan, James J. Hill,
and others whose names are prominent in the country's his-
tory. Many of the portraits are the work of eminent artists
of their times. Credit for the collection is due largely to
George Wilson, for forty years the efficient and esteemed
Secretary of the society, who devoted himself with untiring
zeal to the task of assembling it.
Ranged about the court on the floor above the assembly-
hall are the President's room, committee-rooms, and the
offices of the Secretary and his staff. The fourth floor is
given up entirely to the large and valuable library of the
society.
The building was dedicated with impressive exercises on
November 11, 1902, in the presence of a very distinguished
assemblage which included the President of the United States,
Theodore Roosevelt; Grover Cleveland, the only ex-President
living at the time; the Ambassadors of England and France,
Sir Michael Henry Herbert, and M. Jules Cambon; Sir
Albert K. Rollit, member of Parliament and Chairman of
the London Chamber of Commerce; Prince Hans Heinrich
von Pless, special representative of Germany; the Honorable
Elihu Root, Secretary of War, and delegates from the chief
Chambers of Commerce m Europe. Morris K. Jesup,
President of the Chamber, presided and made an address in
which he extended the cordial greetings of the Chamber to
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 159
the illustxious guests and gave a review of the Chamber's
history. Ex-President Cleveland delivered a formal address,
in which, after alluding to the fact that although the Cham-
ber was one hundred and thirty years old it was celebrating
its first possession of a permanent home, he said:
"Its purposes have been so practical, and the occasions for
its useful and beneficial work have been so constant, that it
has been abundantly content to make a career and add lus-
tre to its name before providing for itself a local habitation;
but no architectural finish and no ornate decoration befits
this beautiful edifice so well as the bright coloring reflected
from the splendid achievements proudly borne by those who
now enter upon its occupancy."
In conclusion, Mr. Cleveland said: "These exercises, re-
calling so forcibly the growth of American commerce in
world wide influence abroad, and in usefulness and beneficence
at home, cannot fail to be of interest to all our countrymen;
but the citizens of the greatest of our States and of our Im-
perial City, with all they have to make them proud and happy,
must especially congratulate themselves upon the associa-
tion of their State and City with the fame and honor which
have been wrought out by the Chamber of Commerce of the
State of New York."
At the request of Mr. Jesup, President Roosevelt, who was
to deliver a formal address at later exercises in the evening,
spoke a few words of welcome to the foreign guests, and
brought the great assemblage to its feet with three cheers by
saying: *'And now, gentlemen, having greeted your guests on
behalf of you, I greet you in the name of the people, not merely
because you stand for commercial success, but because this
body has been able to show that the greatest commercial suc-
cess can square with the immutable and eternal laws of de-
cent and right living and of fair dealing between man and
man.
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Seth Low, as Mayor of the city, acknowledged in its name
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i6o ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
the great services of the Chamber to it and expressed thanks
for them.
In the evening a grand banquet was held in the great hall
of the Waldorf-Astoria, which was attended by about seven
hundred persons and was one of the most brilliant in the
Chamber's history. The distinguished guests of the morning
exercises were again present and with them many others
representing all professions and occupations and including
the most illustrious members of each. The principal address
was made by President Roosevelt. "There is no need,"
he said at the outset, "of my preaching to this gathering the
need of combining efficiency with upright dealmg, for as an
American citizen and as a citizen of New York, I am proud
to feel that the name of your organization carries with it a
guarantee of both, and your practice counts for more than
any preaching could possibly count." Later in his remarks
he said that "this body stands for the triumphs of peace,
both abroad and at home,'* and then added a passage about
the necessity of preparedness for war which sounds as if it .
were taken from some speech of his ten or a dozen years
later when the European War was threatemng to involve the
country in its meshes. "Remember, gentlemen," he said,
" that we shall be a potent factor for peace largely in propor-
tion to the way in which we make it evident that our attitude
is due, not to weakness, not to inability to defend ourselves,
but to a genuine repugnance to wrong-doing, a genuine
desire for self-respectmg friendship with our neighbors. The
voice of the weakling or the craven counts for nothing when he
clamors for peace; but the voice of the just man armed is
potent. We need to keep in a condition of preparedness,
especially as regards our navy, not because we want war, but
because we desire to stand with those whose plea for peace is
listened to with respectful attention."
In closing, the President paid a warm tribute to the Cham-
ber's work in the world, saying:
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS i6i
Throughout its history, the Chamber of Commerce has stood
for the higher kind of success — the success which comes as the
reward of keen insight, of sagacity, of resolution, of address, com-
bined with unflinching rectitude of behavior, public and private.
It is therefore fitting that I should come on here as the Chief
Executive of the nation to wish you well in your new home; for
you belong not merely to the city, not merely to the State, but to
all the country, and you stand high among the great factors in
building up that marvellous prosperity which the entire country
now enjoys.
You are men of might in the world of American effort; you
are men whose names stand high in the esteem of our people; you
are spoken of in terms like those used in the long-gone ages when
it was said of the Phoenician cities that their merchants were
princes. Great is your power, and great, therefore, your respon-
sibility. Well and faithfully have you met this responsibility in
the past. We look forward with confident hope to what you will
do in the future, and it is therefore with sincerity that I bid you
Godspeed this evening, and wish for you, in the name of the na-
tion, a career of ever increasing honour and usefulness.
Speeches were made also by the French and English Am-
bassadors; Sir Albert K. Rollit, M. P.; Prince Hans Hein-
rich von Pless; M. V. Hugot, delegate from the Paris Cham-
ber of Commerce; Paul Heckmann, delegate from the Berlin
Chamber of Commerce; and William P. Wood, delegate
from the London Chamber of Commerce and President of
the London Com Trade Association. A full report of the
proceedings of the day and evening, including the text of the
speeches, was published by the Chamber subsequently in a
handsome memorial volume in which there were also engrav-
ings of the building, of the medal struck to commemorate the
occasion, copies of the formal invitation and of the embossed
programme of the banquet showing in reHef and colors the
grouped flags of the United States and foreign countries rep-
resented.
The marble statues of De Witt Clinton, Alexander Hamil-
ton, and John Jay, on the front of the building, v/ere formally
Hf
162 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
unveiled on November 17, 1903, at a special meeting called
for the purpose. The donors of the statues were members of
the Chamber, Morris K. Jesup presenting that of Clinton,
John S. Kennedy that of Hamilton, and William E. Dodge
that of Jay. At the imveiling exercises Mr. Jesup, President
of the Chamber, presided and announced that with these
acquisitions the building was completed. Benjamin B. Odell,
Jr., Governor of the State, delivered an address on Clinton,
the Honorable Charles S. Fairchild, Secretary of the Treasury
in President Cleveland's second administration, spoke briefly
of Hamilton, and Alton B. Parker, then Chief Judge of the
Court of Appeals, gave a review of Jay's career and public
services.
A full report of these proceedings was also published by
the Chamber subsequently, with the text of the speeches and
engravings of the statues.
Two of the most highly valued objects in the Chamber's
possession were presented to it at its annual meeting on May
7, 1908. They are a portrait of Washington by Gilbert
Stuart and two vases which were presented by a body of New
York merchants in 1825 to De Witt Clinton, then Governor
of the State, in recognition of his services in promoting the
building of the Erie Canal. The portrait and vases were
bequeathed to the Chamber by one of its former Presidents,
Morris K. Jesup. He purchased the portrait in London, in
1902, where he found it on sale in a collection, and the vases
from the last surviving heir of Governor Clinton in 1906.
Joseph H. Choate, speaking in behalf of Mrs. Jesup who had
carried out her late husband's wishes in donating the vases
and portrait to the Chamber, read the correspondence which
had taken place between the merchants and Governor Clin-
ton, and said: "I trust that these vases will be accepted in
the spirit m which Mrs. Jesup has offered them and in the
spirit in which Mr. Jesup himself had intended to present
them at the last annual meeting; that they will be cherished
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162 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
unveiled on November 17, 1903, at a special meeting called
for the purpose. The donors of the statues were members of
tlie Chamber, Morris K. Jesup presenting that of Clinton,
John S. Kennedy that of Hamilton, and William E. Dodge
that of Jay. At the unveiling exercises Mr. Jesup, President
of the Chamber, presided and announced that with these
acquisitions the building was completed. Benjamin B. Odell,
Jr., Governor of the State, delivered an address on Clinton,
the Honorable Charles S. Fairchild, Secretary of the Treasury
in President Cleveland's second administration, spoke briefly
of Hamilton, and Alton B. Parker, then Chief Judge of the
Court of Appeals, gave a review of Jay's career and public
services.
A full report of these proceedings was also published by
the Chamber subsequently, with the text of the speeches and
engravings of the statues.
Two of the most highly valued objects in the Chamber's
possession were presented to it at its annual meeting on May
7, 1908. They are a portrait of Washington by Gilbert
Stuart and two vases which were presented by a body of New
York merchants in 1825 to De Witt Clinton, then Governor
of the State, in recognition of his services in promoting the
building of the Erie Canal. The portrait and vases were
bequeathed to the Chamber by one of its former Presidents,
Morris K. Jesup. He purchased the portrait in London, in
1902, where he found it on sale in a collection, and the vases
from the last surviving heir of Governor Clinton in 1906.
Joseph H. Choate, speaking in behalf of Mrs. Jesup who had
carried out her late husband's mshes in donating the vases
and portrait to the Chamber, read the correspondence which
had taken place between the merchants and Governor Clin-
ton, and said: "I trust that these vases will be accepted in
the spirit in which Mrs. Jesup has offered them and in the
spirit in which Mr. Jesup himself had intended to present
them at the last annual meeting; that they will be cherished
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 163
as most valuable historical articles, as they certainly are —
which could find no more appropriate place than this Cham-
ber, and no more appropriate guardian than in the successors
of the very merchants who conceived the idea of originally
presenting them to Governor Clinton."
" Of the Washington portrait, Mr. Choate said it was the best
presentation of the Father of His Country that could be
found anywhere, adding: "How could this Hall and this noble
Gallery better be crowned than by this admirable portrait
of Washington, who was the great friend of commerce, of pros-
perity, and of peace among the people of his own country,
and of the maintenance of friendly relations between them
and foreign nations, which are indispensable to the success
of our commerce and to our national prosperity?"
In November, 191 1, a bronze tablet, commemorative of
the services of Alexander E. Orr and Morris K. Jesup in pro-
moting and securing the erection of the building was formally
presented. It was placed later in the entrance-hall of the
building and is a handsome addition to the structure.
II' 1
CHAPTER XXXI
THE EUROPEAN WAR
PREPAREDNESS AND UNIVERSAL SERVICE FAVORED— DECLARA-
TION OF WAR APPROVED— PORT WAR BOARD SECURED
1914-1918
The record of the Chamber in regard to the war with Ger-
many is, in patriotic spirit and prompt and wholehearted sup-
port of the National Government, in full accord with its con-
duct during the war of secession and the later war with Spain.
Before the United States entered the European conflict, the
Chamber recognized at once its duty in regard to the pro-
tection of American commercial interests. At its first meeting,
held in August, 1914, after war was declared by Germany, it
appointed a very strong committee of twenty members to
consider the problems of shipments during the war. This
committee put itself in communication with members of
Congress; prepared and issued reports on questions connected
with the subject m hand which were printed in pamphlet
form and circulated in thousands throughout the country;
submitted resolutions which were adopted by the Cham-
ber suggesting desirable legislation; sent a subcommittee to
Washington that attended a conference over which the Secre-
tary of the Treasury presided and which included sixty-
four delegates who were representatives of clearing-houses,
boards of trade, and shipping interests in all important parts
of the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific. After several
hours of discussion, this conference adopted, as an expression
of its views, a series of resolutions to the same effect as those
164
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 165
which had been previously adopted by the New York Chamber
of Commerce in relation to American registry, suspension
or abrogation of existing navigation laws, and the establish-
ment by the government of a Bureau of War Risk Insurance.
In response to a request by the Secretary of the Treasury,
the members of the conference remained in Washington for
consultation and advice in devising legislation to carry out
the recommendations, and the Chamber had the great satis-
faction later of seeing, as the result of its leadership, its rec-
ommendations embodied in law.
Early in 1916 a special meeting was called to consider the
question of national preparedness, and at this addresses were
made by Joseph H. Choate and General Leonard Wood, both
strongly in favor of immediate action. The subject was dis-
cussed at much length at several successive meetings and a
resolution was finaUy adopted, in April, 1916, urging the Presi-
dent and Congress to give the matter their earnest considera-
tion. An expression was also adopted in favor of universal
physical and miHtary training. Later the Chamber appointed
a special committee on military preparedness, who made a
report that was adopted unanimously, in which universal
training for military service was recommended.
When in February, 1917, the news was received that Presi-
dent Wilson had handed the German Ambassador his papers,
because of the announcement by the Imperial German Govern-
ment of its purpose to make submarine warfare upon all
vessels, neutral or belKgerent, when found within specified
barred zones, the Chamber, amid applause and without a dis-
senting voice, adopted a series of resolutions including the
following:
Whereas, During two and a half years of war with Europe the
Government of the United States has in the interests of peace
patiently and with almost unprecedented forbearance submitted
to many assaults upon the Kves and property of its citizens and has
suffered mdignities at home and abroad by command of the Im-
i66 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
penal German Government inconsistent with the comity custom-
ary between civilized nations at peace with each other; and
Whereas, The President of the United States has discontmued
diplomatic relations with Germany because of the declared pur-
pose of that Government to commit further assaults upon the lives
and property of our citizens by methods previously admitted by
that Government to be illegal and since protested by the whole
dviUzed world as both iUegal and inhuman; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New
York endorses and commends this action of the President; that it
assures him of its heartiest and fullest support to whatever steps
he may deem necessary for the protection of the Uves and property
of American citizens everywhere when foUowing their lawful pur-
^\esolvedy That it urges the Government immediately to adopt
such protective measures as will assure the prompt resumption of
regular steamship service by American ships engaged in European
trade, subject to the usual rules of war between dvihzed peoples.
Resolved, That the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New
York considers the German note as a menace to the inahenable
ricrht to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, to estabhsh
which our forefathers fought and to maintam which the people
of this country are willing now to fight.
At its fijrst meeting after the declaration of war with Ger-
many, the following minute was adopted amid loud and
general applause, and with a standing vote:
We, the members of the Chamber of Commerce of the State of
New York in meeting assembled, reaHzmg the solemmty of this
occasion, and fuUy conscious of the awfuhiess and sonrows of war,
hereby declare our beUef that the President of tiie United States
has exhausted every possible means to avert the compulsion of war
and that no other course with honor was left to the President and
Congress but to declare that Germany, by the acts of its Imperial
Government, was waging war upon the Umted States.
We hereby declare our f uU and solemn approval of tiie President s
noble message to Congress, and we individuaUy offer and pledge
ourselves, our means and our service to tiie support of our Govern-
ment and in help to our country's needs, in whatsoever manner we
can be of use, reaUzing that we owe it to posterity to defend and
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 167
to pass on to it unimpaired the inalienable rights to hfe, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness which we inherited in trust from our
Forefathers.
The Chamber was early in the field with a demand for ac-
tion in the direction of restricting war profits. In February,
191 7, it adopted resolutions declaring it to be the duty of
organizations of business men to aid the government to the
full extent of their ability and pledging the Chamber's sup-
port to the "principle that the business men of the country
shall supply all services, commodities and inventions re-
quired by the National Government at prices which will
yield a profit no greater than would be received in similar
transactions with private customers."
In March following it took up the question of co-ordinating
all the utilities of the Port of New York in order to secure
the largest and best possible service to the National Govern-
ment in prosecuting the war. The Executive Committee of
the Chamber sought and obtained the hearty co-operation of
the Governor of New Jersey in an effort to make the Port of
New York one great undivided shipping and industrial centre.
The Legislatures of the States of New York and New Jersey
passed identical measures providing for the appointment of
Harbor Development Commissions, and the Governors of
those States appointed them, each consisting of three mem-
bers. All of the New York Commissioners were members of
the Chamber, including the President, and one of the New
Jersey Commissioners was also a member of the Chamber.
The two bodies met and formed a Joint Commission.
Early in November, 1917, the President of the Chamber
and other members of the Joint Commission went to Wash-
ington for conference with the Secretary of War, who gave
their project enthusiastic approval, and with them enlarged
their Joint Commission into a War Board for the Port of New
York, with the chairman of the Federal Shipping Board as
i68 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
chairman. All the members of the Joint Commission were
retained as members of the War Board, and with them were
included the Secretaries of War, Navy, Commerce, and Labor,
the coimsel of the Joint Conunission, the Mayor of New
York, and a representative of the Railway War Council. The
total membership was sixteen.
At the meeting in November, 191 7, the Executive Com-
mittee made a report on disloyal utterances in which they said
that they had observed with increasing concern the "con-
tinued expression of unpatriotic and seditious sentiments in
public speeches and in print by men in public office in what
seems to be a total disregard of their fealty to the United
States," mentioning as the most notable cases those of a
Senator of the United States and a candidate for Mayor of
New York, and deploring that although the country had en-
tered the war six months earlier many avenues of publicity
were still permitted to disloyal people for the dissemination
of sentiments harmful to the cause for which the country
was fighting. The committee proposed resolutions approv-
ing the action of the Senate in investigating members of its
own body "known to have spoken and distributed declarations
inconsistent with their oaths of office and with loyalty to the
country," urging upon the House of Representatives similar
action, and recommending to the Departments of Justice in
Washington, Albany, and New York "a more vigorous prose-
cution of all those who thus abuse the privilege of citizenship
or misuse the shelter afforded them by this country." The
report and resolutions were received with applause and adopted
imanimously.
CHAPTER XXXII
RELIEF AND OTHER FUNDS
AID FOR PERSONS IN DISTRESS FROM CALAMITIES — ^FUNDS FOR
THE BENEFIT OF FAMILIES OF DISTINGUISHED PERSONS —
TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF $3,500,000
1793-1918
During virtually its entire career the Chamber has re-
sponded liberally to all calls for relief to persons in distress
from great calamities of fire, flood, earthquake, and other
causes, and has with equal generosity either raised funds
among its members, or has joined with other persons and or-
ganizations, in the raising of them for the benefit of the
families of distinguished persons who have died after eminent
public service leaving little or no property. The first note-
worthy act of the kind was performed in July, 1793, when a
large number of destitute fugitives arrived in the United
States from San Domingo, having fled from that island to
escape the hideous consequences of a servile war that was
raging there. The Chamber appointed a conmiittee to solicit
contributions for the relief of these sufferers and took the
lead in obtaining the necessary aid. From that time forward
its record of generous giving is unbroken.
Its aid has not been confined to this country, but h<is been
world-wide in its scope. In 1856, when there were thousands
of persons suffering from inundations in France, it took action
at once and sent them liberal aid. When the city of Troy,
New York, was swept by fire in 1856, a fimd of $15,000 was
quickly raised and forwarded; and when in the same year
word was received that there was great suffering among the
people in Lancashire, England, $150,000 was raised and sent
there.
169
VI
17© ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
After the city of Savannah had passed into Union hands
during Sherman's march to the sea, an appeal was made to
the Chamber for the relief of the city's twenty thousand in-
habitants who were in want of the necessities of life. The
appeal was made imder the authority of General Sherman,
who vouched for the loyalty of the people remaining in the
dty. A special meeting was held on January 5, 1865, and a
committee was appointed to solicit contributions of money
for the purpose. Between that date and February 5, $3S,68i
was collected, and $8,000 was expended for provisions which
were taken to Savannah on a steamer that had been offered
free of charge for the trip. Later other like cargoes were
sent, about $23,000 in all being expended for provisions.
The balance of the fund was put to such other uses as the
situation seemed to make most desirable.
The action by the Chamber had a double influence for good.
It relieved existing suffering and helped to soften the prej-
udices which were the inevitable outcome of the war, by
showing the people of the South that those of the North had
only the kindest sentiments toward them.
In the same year, 1865, another notable contribution was
sent to the South in the form of $20,000 for the relief of des-
titute persons in East Tennessee. The record is very full
after this date, as the following entries by years will show:
1866. $106,000 for the relief of sufferers from the Portland,
Maine, fire.
1870. $15,000 for the relief of the sufferers by the falling of the
Capitol at Richmond, Virginia.
1871. $143,000 for the relief of the suffering people of France,
during and at the close of the Franco-German
War.
1871. $1,044,751 for the relief of the sufferers by the great fires
in Chicago and the Northwest.
1876. $20,000 for the relief of the sufferers by Yellow Fever in
Savannah.
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
i7r
1878. $172,000 for the relief of the sufferers by the Yellow Fever
in the Southwest.
1880. $10,000 for the relief of Yellow Fever sufferers in Memphis.
1886. $89,000 for the relief of sufferers from the Charleston
(S. C.) earthquake.
1889. $57,140 for the relief of sufferers from the Johnstown flood.
1892. $51,520 for the relief of sufferers from famine in Russia.
1898. $5,403 for the relief of sufferers among the poor in Cuba.
1 900. $1 21 ,392 for the relief of sufferers from the Galveston flood.
1902. $109,266 for relief of sufferers from the St. Pierre, Marti-
nique, earthquake.
1906. $778,000 for the relief of sufferers from the San Frandsco
earthquake.
1909. $29,000 for the relief of sufferers from the Messina, Italy,
earthquake.
1913. $54,932 for the relief of sufferers from the Westem floods.
1916-17. $82,580 for the relief of sufferers in Belgium.
1917- $5,000 for the relief of sufferers from the explosion in Hali-
fax,
All together, the charitable gifts of the Chamber in this
field have aggregated $3,000,000, nearly all of which has been
contributed by its members. In addition, as has been men-
tioned in a previous chapter, it raised from the country at
large in 1881 a fund of $362,000 for the family of President
Garfield. A like fimd of $100,000 was raised by it in 1899 ^or
the family of Colonel George E. Waring, in recognition of his
great service to the city in establishing an efficient street-
cleaning system.
A graceful act in recognition of patriotic services was per-
formed in 1865. Word was received that the family of the
late Lieutenant John F. Shubrick, of the navy, living in South
Carolina, were in such destitute circumstances that they were
compelled to offer for sale three swords in their possession
which had been presented to members of the family for dis-
tinguished service to the country. Two of these swords had
been presented to Lieutenant Shubrick of the frigate Con-
stitution for valor displayed in the capture of the British
II
172 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
frigate Guerriere and other British vessels in the War of 1812;
and the third had been presented to his son, also a lieutenant
in the United States navy, for gallant conduct at Vera Cruz
and other points during the Mexican war. The Chamber,
finding that the swords were in need of repair, raised sufficient
money to restore them to good condition, and returned them
to the family with a gift of $2,500 "in recognition of the valua-
ble services rendered to our country by the father and son,
and as a token that gratitude for fidelity to the flag of the
Union is an abiding sentiment with the citizens of New York,
descending from generation to generation."
The grand total of aid of all kinds extended by the Cham-
ber exceeds $3,500,000, constituting a record of timely aid
and generous giving of which the society may be justly proud.
CHAPTER XXXin
OFFICIAL AND OTHER DUTIES
SELECTION AND REGULATION OF PILOTS— WAREHOUSING AND
seamen's wages — SAILORS' SNUG HARBOR— NAUTICAL
SCHOOL— sailors' HOTELS OR BOARDING-HOUSES-
COMMERCIAL EDUCATION
1791-1918
In several ways the Chamber has been called upon to co-
operate in the administration of laws which have been en-
acted chiefly through its advocacy. Very early in its history,
December, 1791, it took up the question of securing competent
and trustworthy pilots for the Port of New York, and for more
than half a century it agitated the matter without respite.
Finally, in 1853, a system was established which has worked
well to the present day. Under a law passed by the State
Legislature in that year a Board of Commissioners of Pilots
in the City of New York was created, consisting of five per-
sons to hold office for two years, three to be elected by the
Chamber of Commerce, and two by the marine insurance
companies.
One of the arduous and useful duties of each succeed-
ing President of the Chamber is supervision of the charity
known as the "Sailors' Snug Harbor," situated on Staten
Island. This was founded by Captain Richard Randall, who
died in 1801. He left a will by which the income of his residu-
ary estate consisting of a farm of twenty-one acres, lying be-
tween Fourth and Fifth Avenues and running from Waverly
Place to Tenth Street, in New York City, was to be used for
the erection and maintenance of an asylum or marine hospital,
173
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174 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
to be called Sailors' Snug Harbor, for the support of aged,
decrepit, and worn-out sailors. He named as trustees the
ChanceUor of the State, the Mayor and Recorder of the city,
the President of the Chamber of Commerce, the president
and vice-president of the Marine Society, the rector of
Trinity Church, and the minister of the First Presbytenan
Church. The number of trustees has been reduced to six by
the aboHtion of the State office of ChanceUor and the city of-
fice of Recorder. There is a tradition that Alexander Hamil-
ton drew the wiU. It was contested by the heirs of Captain
RandaU for thirty years, but finally upheld in a decision by
Chancellor Kent.
The property had been bought by Captain RandaU for about
$12,500, and the income from it in 1802 was less than $2,000.
Sufficient money was not accumulated, because of the law-
suit expenses, to erect a building tiU 1833, and during that
year thirty aged and indigent saUors were received. Through
the granting of ground leases the income from the property
increased steadily and rapidly, until the present reaUy magnif-
icent institution was estabUshed. The income from the prop-
erty is now about $600,000.
From the beginning, the chief burden of the trust has been
placed upon the President of the Chamber. It has always
been the custom for him to be the chairman of the board,
and as the Mayor seldom or never attends the board's meet-
ings the President of the Chamber, being an experienced busi-
ness man, has been selected to take both leadership and re-
sponsibiUty. ..!.••
In 1873, the New York Legislature passed an act authonzmg
a Nautical School as part of the State system of education and
charging the Board of Education of the city with the duty of
organization and responsible control. It also authorized the
Chamber of Commerce to appoint a committee whose duties
were to advise and co-operate with the Board of EducaUon,
visit and examine the school, and make reports to the Chamber,
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 175
which that body should transmit to the Board of Education
with recommendations. In May, 1873, the Chamber ac-
cepted the trust and appointed a committee of seven members
for the purpose to serve for one year. Later this committee
was entitled CouncU of the Nautical School. An act was ob-
tained from Congress empowering the Secretary of the Navy
to detaU for the use of the school in New York and other sea-
ports, vessels not needed for other service and authorizing the
President to detail officers of the navy for service as superin-
tendents and instructors. In 1874, the ship St, Mary's was
detaUed for New York and in December of that year the
school was opened. The Chamber took keen interest in the
school from the outset, as its object was to train men to
become officers in the merchant marine. In December, 1876,
it voted to appropriate annuaUy one hundred and fifty doUars
for three prizes for pupUs rating the highest, to be known as
Chamber of Commerce prizes. Committees were appointed
each year by the Chamber and made annual reports, after
visiting the school and thoroughly examining its work. This
system was continued for nearly forty years.
In 1913, the Chamber, having become convinced that more
satisfactory results could be obtained by having the school
placed irnder the control of the State, recommended the pas-
sage of a law by the Legislature making that transfer, and
such a law was enacted. It provided for a Board of Gov-
ernors consisting of the State Commissioner of Education and
eight appointive members, one each from the membership of
the foUowing organizations: New York Chamber of Com-
merce; Maritime Association of New York; Marine Society;
Alumni Association of the Nautical School; Buffalo Chamber
of Commerce; Albany Chamber of Commerce, and a New
York State member of the National Board of Steam Naviga-
tion. Under the act the State makes an annual appropria-
tion for the support of the school. Young men from aU
parts of the State are eUgible as pupils. The Chamber chose
176 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
as its first representative on the Board of Governors, Com-
modore Jacob W. Miller, who had for many years served as
chairman of the Coimdl. He was elected chairman of the
new board.
Since 1904 the Chamber has appomted three of its mem-
bers to serve on a joint commission for the regulation of
warehouses in which unclaimed goods are placed in storage
by the government. This joint commission is composed of
representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, Merchants'
Association, Bonded Warehousemen, and the Collector of the
Port. Its duties are to fix the rates for cartage, labor, and the
storage of goods, for the protection of the consignee from
overcharges of all kinds.
Under a State law of 1866 there is a Board of Commis-
sioners for licensing sailors' hotels or boarding-houses in New
York City, which is composed of one member from each of the
following organizations: Chamber of Commerce; American
Seaman's Friend Society; Board of Underwriters; Marine
Society; Society for Promoting the Gospel among Seamen
in the Port of New York; Maritime Association; Seamen's
Church Institute; Seamen's Christian Association, and St.
Peter's Union for Catholic Seamen. The duties of the board
are to grant licenses for sailors' hotels or boarding-houses,
after obtaining satisfactory evidence of the respectability
and competency of the applicants and the suitableness of the
accoromodations. The act was passed to safeguard sailors
in such lodging-places, and the board administers it in such
manner as to insure respectability in the management and
to protect the sailors from extortion and mistreatment of all
kinds. The license fee is twenty-five dollars a year. The
actual expenses of the board are deducted from the receipts
from licenses, and whatever balance remains is applied for
the relief of shipwrecked and destitute sailors. As the board
is managed economically, a considerable sum is available
each year for relief purposes.
For many years the Chamber has taken an active and
ALEXANDER HAMILTON.
Painted by John Trumbull in 1792- Collection of the Chamber of Commerce.
I
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 177
earnest interest in the subject of commercial education, and
after long and careful consideration of the subject a plan was
evolved in 1913 for the establishment of a College of Com-
merce and Administration, and a Museum of Commerce and
Civics. The idea was the outcome of the visit of the Cham-
ber's delegation to London in 1901, during which the dele-
gates investigated the results which had been accomplished
by an institution of the kind connected with the London
Chamber of Commerce in the direction of the better training
of young men for business pursuits. A special committee
was appointed in 191 1 to make an investigation and report,
and through its labors $500,000 was pledged by an anony-
mous donor for the establishment of a College of Commerce.
To this sum was added further pledges of $50,000 each from
four persons as a fund of $200,000 for a Museum of Commerce
and Civics. It was proposed by the Chamber that the con-
templated institution should be under the joint auspices of
the city, the College of the City of New York, and the Cham-
ber of Commerce; that the old site of the City College, at
Lexington Avenue and 23d Street, should be provided by the
city for the purpose; that the Chamber of Commerce should
furnish the sum of $500,000 for a building and a fund of $200,-
000 for the establishment of the museum; and that the city
should equip the building, maintain the college, and pay the
running expenses of the museum. The college and museiun
were to be administered by a Board of Trustees, consisting of
representatives of the city, the City College, and the Chamber
of Commerce.
The consent of the City College trustees was obtained and
a contract was drawn up and submitted to the Board of
Estimate and Apportionment of the city for approval in 1914.
After long delays and many conferences, followed by much
correspondence, it became apparent that the consent of the
Board of Estimate and Apportionment could not be secured
because of the belief of its members that the condition of the
178 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
city's finances did not permit of any increase in the expense
of maintaining the city's educational facilities.
Despairing of obtaining a favorable response from the
city authorities, the special committee recommended, in
January, 1915, that the donors of the two fimds of seven him-
dred thousand dollars be released from their pledges. This
was adopted and the project was abandoned, but a standing
Committee of Conamercial Education was appointed and un-
der its guidance the Chamber is continuing its efforts to se-
cure desirable results through co-operation with the city's
Board of Education.
CHAPTER XXXIV
BANQUETS IN THE EARLY DAYS *
FINES UPON ABSENTEES — ^DISTINGUISHED GUESTS INVITED —
ANNUAL BANQUETS ESTABLISHED AS A PERMANENT
INSTITUTION IN 1 873
I769-1805
At the end of its first year the Chamber was in so flour-
ishing a condition that its members voted to celebrate the
occasion with a "Publick Dinner in the Chamber, at the
expense of each member, absent members to pay five shillings."
As no mention is made in the minutes of the price that mem-
bers in attendance were to pay, the inference has been drawn
that the entire cost of the feast was defrayed by the absentees.
If this was the case it is not surprising, especially since the
fine was subsequently raised to eight shillings, that the
absentees protested and sought to have the practice abolished
in 1772, but were defeated by the narrow margin of one vote.
No record of subsequent opposition appears.
The scope of the second annual banquet was greatly en-
larged by sending invitations to the Lieutenant-Governor;
the Council and members of the General Assembly; Secre-
taries of the Council; the Commander-in-Chief of His Maj-
esty's forces, General Gage, and his suite; the Captains of
His Majesty's ships in the harbor, the principal Customs
officers, and the Mayor of the city — about forty in all. No
mention of this or any other of the annual banquets appears
in the public prints of the day, and there is no record of the
number in attendance at any of them. The invitation of
civil and military officials became an established custom.
For the third banquet, in 1771, four members of the Chamber
179
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i8o ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
were appointed stewards to "provide a Genteel Dinner,"
and were directed to wait upon Lord Dunmore, the newly
arrived Governor, and ask him when it would be convenient
for him to do them the honor of dining with the Chamber.
Invitations were sent to the same public officials and others
that were invited a year earlier.
There were, presumably, toasts and speeches at these
feasts, but as no reports were published in the newspapers and
no records of the proceedings included in the minutes, an esti-
mate of the oratorical abilities of those in attendance cannot
be attempted.
The custom of an annual dinner was observed quite regularly
till 1773, when they were abandoned because of the steadily
increasing excitement caused by the approaching Revolution.
None were held by the loyalist Chamber during that period.
As has been noted, the feasting which marked the return of
General Washington aad the American army was not associ-
ated with the Chamber as an organization, but soon after its
reorganization as an American society, it seems to have re-
sumed its interest in fxmctions of the kind.
At an adjourned meeting of the Chamber, on January 20,
1785, it was ordered that the "President be requested to in-
vite Congress to dine with the Board at the Merchants'
Coffee House, on Thursday the 3d of February next," and a
committee was appointed to "prepare a proper set of toasts
and to make such other arrangements as may be necessary."
At a meeting on February i it was agreed unanimously that
"every member pay his Quoto of the expense of the Dinner
to be given to Congress on Thursday next."
There was no mention of the President as having been in-
cluded in the invitation, but in the newspapers of February
4 the banquet was spoken of as a "Dinner given by the
Chamber of Commerce to His Excellency the President and
the Honourable members of Congress." This was notable as
the first dinner given in honor of the Government of the
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 181
United States. There is no record in the minutes of the
Chamber of the cost of the dinner, but some indirect light on
the subject is thrown by an entry on April 5 stating that "Mr.
Bradford of the Coffee House presented a bill of 6 pounds
6 shillings, the same being the proportion of three members
(named) of the expense of entertaining Congress."
In June, 1787, it was proposed that the members of the
Chamber should dine together on July 4 at Bradford's Coffee
House. A member called attention to the fact that there
were other gentlemen, not members of the Chamber, who had
previously determined to dine at the Coffee House on that
occasion, and suggested that it would "probably be more
agreeable to the whole to invite either the Chamber to them
or them to the Chamber so as to form but one body, animated
by the same soul." This was agreed to, and the following
advertisement was inserted in the newspapers:
The Corporation of the Chamber of Commerce intend dining
at Bradford's Coffee House, on Wednesday, 4th July next. Such
of the members as mean to join the Festive Board, are requested
to leave their names at the Bar, on or before Monday evening.
Gentlemen, not members of the Chamber, who wish to unite in
the Celebration of that memorable day, are desired to give similar
notice of their Intention.
It was thought that "Fifteen Shillings each, would, with
Economy, probably be adequate for the expense of the Enter-
tainment."
There are no records to show that the Fourth of July ban-
quets became a regular institution. One was held in 1791,
and Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury, was in-
vited to partake of it, a committee having been appointed to
"obtain suitable entertainment at the city tavern," the new
name of the coffee-house of which Mr. Bradford had been the
proprietor. Whether Hamilton accepted the invitation, or
whether the banquet took place, there is no record to show.
i82 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
On October 3, 1797, the Chamber appointed a committee to
"prepare a dinner in honor of the President of the United
States, to be given him on his return to the seat of Govern-
ment, and make such arrangements on the occasion as may
appear to them proper." No record of this feast, if it took
place, is extant. For 1798 two banquets are recorded: one
in May, "a Public dinner at the Tontine Coffee House for the
Merchants in general of the city," and one on July 4, for
"members of the Chamber and such of their fellow citizens
as may be disposed to join them at such place as may be
thought suitable."
The only dinner given for many years after this time was
one in 1805 to Captain Edward Preble, the commander of the
successful naval expedition against Morocco and Tripoli, in
1803-1804. The eleven years interregnum in the sessions of
the Chamber between 1806 and 181 7 put an end to the annual
banquets for many years, and it was not till 1873 that they
were resumed and re-established as a permanent institution.
With this resiunption the Chamber may be said to have en-
tered upon a new and most valuable field of public enlighten-
ment and usefulness. In the old days the annual and other
banquets exerted no public influence, as their proceedings were
not reported in the newspapers. The later series was begun
in a different era of publicity. From the outset the modem
annual banquet became a recognized forum of public opinion
and information. The leading public men of the day, includ-
ing often the President of the United States and members of
the Cabinet, recognized in the occasion a fitting and desirable
opportunity for the utterance of official views, plans, and
policies which they desired to bring to the public attention.
The Governor of the State; Mayor of the city; Senators and
Representatives in Congress; Ambassadors to foreign coun-
tries, either on leave from their posts or recently returned
from them at the close of service; distinguished foreign visi-
tors; diplomatic representatives of foreign countries; high
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 183
dignitaries of the Church; leaders of the bar; the foremost
orators of the day— in short, men of mark and influence in
the affairs of the world were frequent guests and instructive
sp>eakers.
For forty-five years the annual banquet has been usually
the most notable event in the commercial, political, and social
life of the city, and its influence, extendmg as it has through-
out the country, has given it the proportions and dignity of
a national institution. Not merely one large volume but
several volumes could be made from the utterances at these
feasts during this period, and they would constitute valuable
and illuminating, if not comprehensive, history of the period.
The extracts which are reproduced in following pages have
been selected either because of their historical value and hence
worthy of preservation, or because of some other quality
which gives them permanent interest.
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 185
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CHAPTER XXXV
EARLIEST OF THE MODERN BANQUETS
SPEECH BY WILLIAM M. EVARTS — PRESIDENT HAYES AND OTHER
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS — YORKTOWN ANNIVERSARY —
GENERAL GRANT ON HYPHENATED AMERICANS
1873-1883
The first banquet of the series on May i, 1873, <lemon-
strated at once the usefuhiess of the institution. There were
about two hundred persons present, and among the dis-
tinguished guests were William M. Evarts, Mayor Opdyke,
General Winfield S. Hancock, and M. Wakayama, a repre-
sentative of the Treasury Department of Japan, who was
visiting the United States at the time. Mr. Evarts, who for
many succeeding years was one of the favorite orators at these
gatherings, delivered an impressive address in which he spoke
of the important part which merchants had played in our
history, saying that "Commerce and the merchants who for-
merly represented commerce, had much to do— Everything to
do — ^with the promotion of the present National Government."
"One tithe," he declared, "of the energy and public spirit
by which a few merchants in disguise threw the tea over-
board in Boston harbor, will enable us to throw overboard
from the Ship of State a great many incumbrances that are
unsatisfactory and disagreeable. We in our coimtry seem to
have assumed that good government, secured by the merits
of our ancestors, was as permanent a possession of our race
as all the good gifts of cKmate and a grateful soil; but we still
find that all that freedom can do for man, and all that the in-
stitutions of freedom can do for men, is to enable them,
possessing the spirit and courage of freemen, to defend them-
selves against aggression at home and abroad."
184
Henry Wilson, Vice-President, and Mayor Havemeyer
were among the guests in 1874, and in 1876 there was a
notable assemblage of eminent persons, including Governor
Tilden; Edwards Pierrepont, Attorney-General of the United
States; John Bigelow; Charles O'Connor; Joseph H. Choate;
Judge Brady; Ex-Governor John A. Dix, and General Horace
Porter. President Hayes was the chief guest of honor in
1877, and with him were two members of his Cabinet, Mr.
Evarts, Secretary of State, and Carl Schurz, Secretary of
the Interior. Other guests were General W. T. Sherman;
General W.S. Hancock; Hugh McCuUoch, Ex-Secretary of
the Treasury; Mayor Ely; the Reverend Doctor R. S. Storrs,
and David A. Wells. The national character of the banquets
is revealed in this list as being established on a firm foun-
dation. President Hayes made no formal speech, merely
uttering a few words of thanks and expressing pleasure in
being present.
At the banquet of May 13, 1879, there was an imposing
array of distinguished guests, including Andrew D. White,
American Minister to Berlin; Joseph H. Choate; the Rev-
erend Doctor H. C. Potter; the Reverend Doctor H. W.
Bellows, and Senator James G. Blaine. The Senator was
called upon unexpectedly for a speech on the "Revival of
American Shipping and Commerce," and in the course of it
he paid a handsome tribute to the society by saying: "If I
speak with the voice of the Chamber of Commerce of New
York, I know that I speak with a voice far mightier than any
that has been raised in Congress, and I have it to declare
that if it be the will of that Chamber and of the people to
institute a policy for the revival of American commerce, then
it is done."
John Sherman, Secretary of the Treasury, was the guest of
honor in 1880, and made an informing speech upon the
finances of the nation and the administration's policy in regard
to them. Other guests were Mayor Edward Cooper and the
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i86 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
Reverend Robert CoUyer. Two members of President Gar-
field's Cabinet, William Windom, Secretary of the Treasury,
and Thomas L. James, Postmaster-General, with Levi P.
Morton, American Minister to France, were guests of honor
in May, 1881.
In addition to the annual dinner in May, 1881, a special
banquet was given by the Chamber in honor of the guests of
the nation who had arrived in the country to attend the
centennial celebration of the victory at Yorktown. The
visitors were mainly from France and included descendants of
Lafayette, Rochambeau, Coimt de Grasse, and others who
had come to the aid of the American colonies in their struggle
for independence, and of the Baron de Steuben, who had
rendered like service. Through the aid thus rendered, vic-
tory had been achieved at Yorktown, causing Washington to
say on the morning of the Yorktown victory that because of
it the American people owed to France the "most imalterable
gratitude." The Chamber, deeply sensible of this lasting
obligation, took steps while the distinguished visitors were
still on their way to the United States, to prepare a suitable
tribute of respect and honor to them, recalling the Treaty of
Alliance with France in 1778, and declaring that the friend-
ship pledged by France at that time had been "faithfully and
honorably maintained for more than a century."
A banquet was decided upon as the most desirable form in
which to show the visitors honor, and one was given at Del-
monico's on the evening of November 5. The dining-hall on
the occasion was decorated with flowers, flags, and festoons
of evergreens. The flags of the United States and France
were draped in groups over American shields around the
walls. There were two hundred and fifty persons present,
including thirty-five French delegates, many of whom were
descendants of Lafayette and the other French officers of the
Revolution, and six descendants of the Baron de Steuben,
all of whom bore his name. Brief speeches were made by a
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 187
descendant of Rochambeau for the French guests, and by a
descendant of Steuben for his associates, and there were formal
addresses by the Reverend Doctor Richard S. Storrs, William
M. Evarts, A. A. Low, Carl Schurz, and John Austin Stevens.
Perhaps the most notable contribution of the evening was
made by Mr. Evarts who spoke to a toast on the treaty of
1778. "It was a very great thing," he said, "for France to
make the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Amity and
Commerce with a nation that, as yet, had received no accep-
tance from the Powers of the earth. And when we remember
that France, in the contests of a thousand years, had found
England no unequal match in the quarrels that belonged to
the two nations, I must think that human history has shown
nothing nobler than her espousal of this growing struggle be-
tween these colonists and the great power of England. How #
much nearer France was to England than we! How much
wider her possessions through the world, open to the thunder
of the British navy and the prowess of the British army!
And when France, in a treaty, the equal terms of which will
strike every reader with wonder, speaks of 'the common
cause,' to be pursued until the result of our complete inde-
pendence, governmental and conmiercial, was attained, I
know nothing, in the way of ' the bearing the burdens of one
another,' enjoined as the Christian spirit, that is greater than
this stupendous action of France."
The banquet of May, 1883, was distinguished by a brief
but forcible speech by General Grant which, read at the pres-
ent time, has an extraordinarily close application to conditions
growing out of our participation in the European War. "We
have witnessed," he said, "on many occasions here the for-
eign, the adopted, citizen claiming rights and privileges be-
cause he was an adopted citizen. That is all wrong," he
continued, " let him come here and enjoy all the privileges that
we enjoy, but let him fulfil all the obligations that we are
expected to fulfil. After he has adopted it, let this be his
«■/»*-»■,»_. -*■» «i
i88
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
hi
If
country — a country that he will fight for and die for if neces-
sary. I am glad to say that the great majority of them do it,
but some of them, who mingle in politics, seem to bank largely
on the fact that they are adopted citizens; and that class I
am opposed to as much as I am opposed to many other
things that I see that are popular now."
I
CHAPTER XXXVI
STATUE OF LIBERTY BANQUETS
SPEECHES BY FREDERIC R. COUDERT— LETTER FROM
A. BARTHOLDI
1885-1886
The Chamber gave two banquets in connection with the
gift of the Statue of Liberty which rank among the most
sumptuous and interesting of its long series. The first was
at Dehnonico's on the evening of June 24, 1885, and was in
honor of the commander and officers of the French national
ship Isere, which brought the statue from France, and Ad-
miral Lacombe, of the French flag-ship La Flore. The ad-
dress of welcome was made in French by Frederic R. Coudert,
then a leader of the New York bar, and one of the most de-
lightful and eloquent orators that the city has ever produced.
Turning to the guests, he said: " Gentlemen, you are welcome I
Welcome, because you bring us a souvenir of a beloved land —
welcome, because you revive in our hearts splendid memories
and kindly emotions. The great dead live again to-day by
yoiu: presence. How many heroes of the past come back to
take their seats among us, full of grace, of life, of strength, of
courage ! A century disappears, and we hold out our hands
to you as in those days of hard-earned triumph, and cry out:
* You are our friends; our country is your country; our glory
is your glory; honor to you; honor to your mother over the
sea. May she be happy and blest among the nations!'"
Alluding to the Frenchmen who came to America to aid in the
Revolution as "knights of prowess," Mr. Coudert proceeded,
with his inimitable Ughtness of touch, to delight the assem-
blage by saying: "They resisted everything; all dangers,
fire and sword, American winters, and even American tea and
189
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190 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
American cooking. How much they suffered from the inflic-
tion of these two instruments of torture, and how nobly they
endured the infliction, will never be more than imperfectly
known. Yet there is enough to show that their sufferings
were not light. One unfortunate warrior, writmg to his
friends at home, describes the punishment inflicted upon him-
self under the guise of tea, and relates how, driven beyond
endurance on one occasion, he turned pleasantly to his hostess
and said: 'Madame, if your servant makes me drink anymore
hot water I will tell hun to go to hekr I have a notion that
some of their enthusiasm for the American cause is traceable
to the knowledge that one of the first acts of rebellion on the
part of the colonies was to throw a large quantity overboard
into Boston harbor. How cheerfully they would have joined
in the operation, and how gladly repeated it, we may conjec-
ture."
Brief replies were made by Admiral Lacombe and Com-
mander De Saune of the Isere, and Mr. Evarts paid a unique
tribute to the latter by saying: "As for Commandant De
Saune, he has done what in the history of the world— K)ur
modem world, at least— no nation, no ruler has successfully
attempted; he has kept 'Liberty EnHghtening the World'
under the hatches for thirty days. It was tried in England,
and 'Liberty Enlightemng the World' cut off the head of the
King. Tried again, it drove the dynasty of the Stuarts for-
ever from that free island. In France they tried to suppress it,
and it uprooted the ancient monarchy and scattered the
forces which were expected to repress it. The milder form
of a limited monarchy even, France would not submit to as a
repression of Liberty. And, again, twice over, under the
Imperial Government, 'Liberty Enlightening the World' has
broken out from under the hatches."
Another speaker was General Horace Porter, a familiar
and always welcome guest at the Chamber's banquets. A
brief quotation from his remarks will not be uninteresting.
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 191
"A few years ago," he said, "distinguished military men from
abroad came here to participate in the celebration of the one
hundredth anniversary of the surrender of Yorktown by Lord
Cornwallis. There were invited here by the Government the
descendants of all the distinguished foreigners who partici-
pated in that historical event, except the descendants of
Lord Cornwallis, and if our French guests had been here then,
and had gone down and seen Yorktown, they would not have
wondered that Cornwallis gave up that place; their only
astonishment would have been why he consented to remain
there as long as he did."
When on October 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty was dedi-
cated with impressive ceremonies, the Chamber gave a ban-
quet to the distinguished guests attending the exercises on the
evening of the day. There were about two hundred and
forty persons in attendance, including the prominent mer-
chants, bankers, and business men of the city. Among the
French guests was Count Ferdinand de Lesseps. The ad-
dress of welcome was again made in French by Frederic R.
Coudert, and speeches were made in the same language
by several of the French representatives. George William
Curtis responded to the toast "Washington and Lafayette,"
and aroused great enthusiasm by saying at the close of his
speech: "In Washington, Lafayette saw America as we see
yonder statue in the bay — calm, regnant, self-possessed — a
mighty figure of Liberty, standing on the western shore, lift-
ing to the stars a light as glorious as their own, because herald-
ing the peaceful federation of the world; and he went home to
teach revolutionary France to light her torch at the inex-
tinguishable fires of constitutional liberty. This, at last,
his native land has done; and republican France to-day is
the political child of Washington, and the dream of Lafayette
fulfilled. And as the glory of republican liberty more and more
enlightens the world, it is a glory in which the name of Lafay-
ette will be inseparable from that of Washington."
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192 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
A brief speech was made by the author of the statue, A.
Bartholdi, who responded to the toast: "Jupiter one day had
a severe headache; Vulcan opened his head with aii_ axe;
Minerva came forth fuUy armed." " I see," he said, m the
title of this toast that Jupiter was fortunate enough to give
birth to Minerva with a plain little headache. I am obUged
to confess that my headache has been somewhat longer I
have now had that headache for about fifteen years; and if
I had not received the most kindly and beneficent support I
beUeve that no axe would have opened my head enough to
bring out the Statue of Liberty." ^ , . . , ,
That the representatives of France appreaated highly
the courtesies extended to them by the Chamber w^ shown in
a gratifying manner in 1887, when a very rare and beautiful
Sevres vase, which is one of the highly prized possessions of
the society, was presented to it accompanied by the sub-
joined letter:
Paris, April 15, 1887.
Mr President: The members of the French delegation, at the
Inauguration of the Statue of Liberty, have been, smce their re-
Hf^shing to present you with the expression of thar grate-
ful feelines for vour splendid and hearty reception.
I was on^^ near the begimiing of this year that a full meetmg
of till delegation could take place, and these gent emen have re-
au^4i the French Government to grant them the disposal of
SlsTs from the Sevres National Manufactory to accompany
fhf^ PYnre<;sioii of their kind souvenir.
Th?Sit intended for your honorable society wiU reach you
through the care of the French Consul in New York. Our present,
Sthstanding the real value of aU that is produced by the cele-
braTedkLStitution, is merely, considering all that you have done for
uraveTi^odest token of our friendship; but we beg you to look
at it, as it were, a plam "carte de visite," and to on ly thmk of the
feeliAes attached to it— our sincere thoughts of gratitude.
Se t^belhe interpreter of these feelings before your most
honSle society, and assure them of the grateful remembrance
fdt by all the members of the delegation.
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 193
To the foregoing I would join the assurance of my personal
devotion, and remain, Mr. President, yours respectfully, on behalf
of the French delegation.
(Signed) A. Bartholdi.
To the President of the Chamber of Commerce^ New York.
CHAPTER XXXVII
JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN CHIEF GUEST OF HONOR
SPEECHES BY HIM AND BY L. Q. C. LAMAR, SECRETARY OF
THE INTERIOR
1887
The annual dinner of 1887 was made memorable by the
presence of the Right Honorable Joseph Chamberlain, who
was in the country at the time as the special commissioner of
the British Government to bring about a settlement of the
fisheries controversy between the United States and Canada.
There was in the country at the same time a Peace Com-
mission, including three members of the British Parliament,
who bore to the President of the United States and to Con-
gress a message of Christian peace and good-will from two
hundred and fifty members of the British House of Commons
and fifty members of the House of Lords. These were also
guests of honor at the banquet. There was a large attendance
of prominent citizens of all occupations and professions. A
letter of regret was read from President Cleveland, and two
members of his Cabinet, Charles S. Fairchild, Secretary of
the Treasury, and L. Q. C. Lamar, Secretary of the Interior,
were present.
Secretary Lamar responded to the toast to "The President"
and in doing so cited at the outset two verbal messages of gen-
uine Cleveland quality that the President had given him.
The first was: "Remind the gentlemen of the New York
Chamber of Commerce that the two great causes which origi-
nated the Convention which adopted the present Federal Con-
stitution were, first, the necessity of a national executive to
represent the united sovereignty of this great Republic; and,
194
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 195
second, the necessity of a national supervision, protection,
and regulation of the national commerce with foreign nations,
and between the States of the Union."
The second was: "Say to the gentlemen of conrnaerce, also,
that the Government of the people should reflect the same
sturdy virtue and industry which lie at the foundation of the
people's success and prosperity, and that you, gentlemen of the
New York Chamber of Commerce, can contribute no little to
that important result by exacting of your national Govern-
ment the observance of the same methods, and the exercise
of the same qualities which have enabled you to do so much
for your proud metropolis, and to support a Government en-
deavoring to reach those standards with your characteristic
firmness of purpose and energy of action, so that a business
Government and a business people may go hand in hand to-
gether."
Secretary Lamar then asked the privilege "which we South-
ern men enjoy upon occasions like the present" of offering a
volunteer toast as follows: "The New York Chamber of
Commerce: the representative of a class of American citizens
held in high and honorable estimation all over the United
States." In concluding, the Secretary said: "It has been said
by an English poet, that 'Commerce is the golden girdle of
the globe.' See to it, gentlemen, that that link which Ameri-
can commerce contributes to this friendly bond shall be of
pure gold, worked with industry, strong in the honesty of its
substance, symbolizing by its weight, its brilliancy, and its
solidity, the character of the men who wrought it."
Mr. Chcimberlain was very happy in his address. "I will
promise you, for myself," he said, " that I do not ask you to be-
come men of peace 'at any price.' And I will go further, and
assure you that I do not look forward to any settlement of
the question which we have to discuss which shall give undue
advantage to either party. I do not think that it is at all
likely that I can gain such an advantage in a discussion with
196 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
the representatives of the shrewdest race in the world. If I
could gain it, I would not attempt to do it; because I am per-
fectly convinced that it is not now the interest of any great
nation to make a settlement which is not permanent and satis-
factory to all the parties concerned."
A moment later in his speech Mr. Chamberlain gave a
striking illustration of the facility of English statesmen in
quotation:
Mr. Secretary Lamar, in his concluding observations, quoted
a line from an English poet. I cannot help completing the quota-
tion, because I think it particularly apposite to the view which I
have been endeavoring to impress upon you. The quotation is
from the poet Cowper, who says:
"The band of commerce is designed
To associate all the branches of mankind,
And if a boundless plenty be the robe,
Trade is the golden girdle of the globe."
Gentlemen, I have no doubt that considerations of this kind
will weigh heavily in any controversy between Great Britain and
the United States; for, in spite of all the obstacles which politicians
have contrived to interpose to free intercourse, it still remains the
fact, that the two countries are the greatest customers, one of the
other. At the present moment one-skth of the whole foreign trade
of the United Kingdom and more than one-tenth of our total ex-
port business is transacted with the United States, and on the
other hand, considerably more than one-half of your total exports
find a market in the United Kingdom. Is it not true, then, to
say, under such circumstances, that we have both '' given hostages
to fortune," and that we cannot afford the luxury of a quarrel?
No, gentlemen, our sentiments and our interests aUke combine
to cement the ties which kinship and our common origin have
contributed to establish.
Speeches were also made by Abram S. Hewitt, then Mayor
of the city, George William Curtis, and James C. Carter.
GEORGE WASHINGTON.
Painted by Gilbert Stuart. Collection uf the Chamber of Commerce.
]
CHAPTER XXXVin
GOLDWIN SMITH CHIEF GUEST OF HONOR
GENERAL SHERMAN ON "LOYALTY TO THE FLAG" — CLEVE-
(C
LAND ON WHAT TO DO WITH EX-PRESmENTS "
1888-1889
In the autumn of 1888 Goldwin Smith was in the United
States in the interest of a settlement of the fisheries question
between this country and Canada, and he and General W. T.
Sherman were the chief guests of honor at the banquet in
November of that year. General Sherman, who spoke first,
gave evidence that he had few Democratic sympathies.
"There has never been since the creation of the earth," he
declared, "stronger evidence of the virtue of any nation than
in the fact that four years ago the people of the United States
elected to the Chief Magistracy one who took into the national
council and sent abroad as representatives of our country
men who a few years before had fought against us, and yet
the people submitted to this without a whimper. This is
now changed. Now, the people have chosen a man of my
own style and stamp, and I, for one, say openly that I am
glad of it. I am not only proud of Ben Harrison as one of
my soldier boys, but am glad to know that no man shall
represent that flag in foreign lands but one who in the day
and hour of danger was true to it."
Goldwin Smith spoke to the toast, "Our Relations with
Canada." He advocated commercial imion between the
United States and Canada, and in beginning his remarks said:
"As you have some gentlemen among you whose delight it
is to twist the tail of the lion, so we have some whose delight
it is to twitch the feathers of the eagle, but their number is
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198 OiV£ HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
smaU though they take care that the pubUc shaU not over-
look their existence. The imperial bird, probably, feels it as
httle as the royal beast. Both sets know pretty weU that
nothing serious will ever happen, and that they are not likely
ever to be called upon to face the shot." Touching upon one
aspect of union not often thought of, he said: "Why, there are
a million of Canadians already on the south of the line; peo-
ple who swagger about iron-clads forget that they would be
bombarding their own sons and brothers. As to the Fisheries
question, I beUeve you will agree with me, that if diplomacy
cannot settie it soon and amicably, the pay of the diplomatists
ought to be stopped." In regard to commercial umon, he
made these statements: "Observe that the principle of Com-
mercial Union appUes merely to the internal trade of the
continent. We do not raise the general question between
protection and free trade, which divided your poUtical parties
in the recent election. We do not meddle with the seaboard
tariff otherwise than for the purpose of assimilation. We
only say a line of custom-houses drawn across this continent,
whether between New York and Pennsylvania or between
New York and Ontario, is, on any hypothesis, a nuisance, and
ought to be removed."
Congressman S. S. (Sunset) Cox, an inveterate joker, was
also one of the speakers and contributed this historical m-
formation about the Smith family: "Why, in the early days
of Grecian history, they were demigods and founders of
States. The only place where they were not recorded is in
Samuel-the chapter and verse I will not recall, as I am not
certain about them. But it will not hurt you to search for
the verse yourselves from Genesis to Revelations. The
words are: 'There was no smith in aU Israel.' Whenever
the children of Israel wanted to sharpen their spears, or poUsh
their ploughshares or cutlasses, or close up the rivets m their
armor, they had to go down to Tyre or Sidon, and call m the
smiths of that locality. In the early chronicles of Norseland,
V
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 199
it is said the Smiths were honored by being admitted to the
royal presence. They drank mead with the king I never
saw a Smith in my life who would ever refuse to take a dnnk.
It mattered not what kind of liquor."
There was an unusually large number of distinguished guests
at the banquet on November 29, 1889, including Ex-President
Cleveland, General Sherman, E. J. Phelps, ex-American minis-
ter to England; Justice Miller of the United States Supreme
Court- Secretary Noble of President Harrison's Cabmet;
Cart Schurz, C^neral O. O. Howard, and the Earl of Meath.
Mr. Cleveland, who had recently been elected an Honorary
Member of the Chamber, and who had retired from the
Presidency in March preceding, was in a jovial moodand
made a speech which has genuine historical value. There
has been much discussion lately," he said, "concermng the
disposition which should be made of our Ex-Presidents; and
many plans have been suggested for putting us out of the
way. I am sure we are very sorry to make so much trouble,
but I do hope that whatever conclusion may be reached, the
recommendation of a Kentucky newspaper editor, to take us
out and shoot us, wiU not be adopted. Prior to the 4th day
of last March I did not appreciate as well as I do now the
objections to this proceeding, but I have had time to reflect
upon the subject since, and I find excellent reasons for op-
posing this plan. If I should be allowed to express myself
upon this question, I would suggest that the best way to deal
with your troublesome Ex-Presidents is to let them alone,
and give them the same chance to earn an honest living that
other people have. And if for any reason you desire to honor
them it cannot be done better than by putting their names
upon'the roll of honorary membership of the New York Cham-
ber of Commerce."
Mr. Phelps spoke of the fact that the banquet was m cele-
bration of the Chamber's one hundred and twenty-first anni-
versary, saying there were very few institutions of any sort
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200 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
in this country which could extend to their friends the hos-
pitalities of their hundred and twenty-first year, and added:
"Such an institution indicates something more than the flight
of time. It has memories and traditions worthy to be cher-
ished. It has had its struggles and won its victories, and has
left its mark on its time for good. I congratulate you that
it shows no signs of decrepitude or decay; that it has not de-
generated in its quality nor diminished in its influence. The
present unites with the past in assuring us that when another
hundred and twenty years shall have gone, it will still remain
what it is to-day, the dignified representative of the great
business and the great interests of the greatest American city.''
CHAPTER XXXIX
FINANCIAL CRISIS OF 1890
SERVICES RENDERED BY MERCHANTS-PRESIDENT ELIOT ON
HARVARD GRADUATES-LAST APPEARANCE AND SPEECH
OF GENERAL SHERMAN--G. W. CURTIS ON
WASHINGTON IRVING
1890
The banquet of 1890 was one of the largest yet held by the
Chamber, the number of appUcations exceeding t^e capaaty
of DehnJnico's dining-hall. Among the distmgmshed guests
were Ex-President Cleveland, Carl Schurz, General Sherman,
General Schofield, George WilUam Curtis, President Charles
W EUot of Harvard University, and Bishop H. C. Potter.
Unusual interest attached to the gathering because it fol-
lowed close upon a serious financial crisb which had been pr.^
cipitated by the suspension of Baring Brothers m London,
and which had been met and arrested by the action of New
York merchants and bankers in issuing clearing-house certif-
icates Furthermore, there had been passed at the session
of Congress, recently ended, the McKinley tariff bill reduc-
ing the revenues $50,000,000; a new pension biU c^g for
an additional expenditure of $50,000,000, and the Sherman
silver bill, authorizing the purchase of 4,500,000 ounces of
silver monthly for the avowed purpose of maintammg gold
and silver at a parity. ,,,.10*
With all these developments in mind, Charles btewart
Smith President of the Chamber, said m opening the pro-
grami^e of the evening: "No one can speak even casually of
die severe crisb in financial circles of the last few days, which
I beUeve is now happily passing away, without reference to
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202 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
the heroic position taken by the great banks and bankers of
London and New York. They launched the life-boat in time
to save a disastrous wreck, and they deserve the thanks and
confidence of the commercial world.
"Whatever may be our individual judgment concerning the
recent legislation by Congress regarding Silver and the Tariff,"
he added, "no thoughtful man will deny, that, for good or evil,
the last session of Congress was the most important and
eventful session that has been held since the close of our civil
war."
President Eliot, making his first appearance at these ban-
quets, spoke on "Education in its Relations to Business
Affairs," declaring as the result of no little personal observa-
tion that there was no more striking general fact about the
graduates of Harvard during the past fifty years than their
eminent success in business. From one-fifth to one-third of
the members of the successive graduating classes ultimately
went into business. The same was probably true, he said, of
many another American college.
George William Curtis delighted the assemblage with a
charming tribute to the genius of Washington Irving. "In
the commercial capital of the continent our distinctive
American literature began," he said, "and the first American
book which was accepted and approved by the world was the
work of a young American merchant. To be sure he failed as
a merchant. It was not imtil 1809 that Mr. Buckminster,
the orator of the Phi Beta Kappa at Harvard, said that the
genius of our letters began to show signs of greater vigor, and
in the same year a young man, who as a boy, to escape the
rigors of domestic religious discipline, used to drop out of the
window of his father's house in William Street in the evening,
and steal off to the play around the comer in John Street,
published a book called 'Knickerbocker's History of New
York,' and in the gay genius of Irving American literature
escaped the sermon and came laughing into life. The winter
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 203
of our long Hterary discontent was made glorious summer
by this son of York. But it was not until ten years later,
when he was an unsuccessful merchant, and Sidney Smith
asked his famous question, 'Who reads an American book?'
that Irvmg had just answered it by the first numbers of the
Sketch Book, and John Bull was forced to own that Jonathan
had described traditional and charming aspects of his own
life and character with more delicate grace than any English-
man of the time."
Continuing, Mr. Curtis, in a passage weU worthy of pres-
ervation, said: "What a sweet and blameless genius it was!
It aroused no passion, no prejudice, no hostility. Irving was
popularly beloved, like Sir Walter Scott, and I recaU the amus-
ing enthusiasm with which a party of Germans m Berlin,
upon discovering that I was an American, exclaimed, 'Ah, we
know very well your great General Washington Irving ! ' He
touched our historic river with the glamor of the imagmation.
He invested it with the subtle and enduring charm of literary
association. He peopled it with figures that make it dear to
the whole world, like Scott's Tweed, or Bums' Bonny Doon.
The belated wanderer, in the twilight roads of Tarrytown, as
he hears approaching the pattering gallop behmd him, knows
that it is not his neighbor, it is the headless horseman of
Sleepy Hollow. It is not thunder that we hear in the Catskills,
on a still summer aftemoon, it is the airy game of Hendrik
Hudson's crew that Rip Van Winkle heard."
General Sherman, called upon unexpectedly, made his last
appearance as a beloved and honored guest, for he died three
months later. His speech, a model of brevity and sentiment,
will never be forgotten by those who heard it, and who were
to realize later that it was a last farewell. "I have arisen
solely," he said, "as an obedient soldier at the command of
his superior ofl&cer, and will only repeat that there is no body
of men on the face of the earth for whom I entertain a higher
estimate than the merchants who do the work and regulate
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204 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
the commerce of the United States. They are the active
agents who bring into harmonious relations the people of the
whole world, and who are to-day doing more than any other
class to bring about the dream and aspiration of all good peo-
ple, that *Man to man the worid o'er, shall be brothers all. ' "
CADWALLADER GOLDEN,
Paintftl by Matthew Pratt in 1772. Collection ot the Chamber of Cnmmerce,
fir
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CHAPTER XL
JOHN HAY ON DffLOMACY
Cleveland's second election — lord herschell a guest —
letter from president roosevelt
1892-1902
The comprehensive character of these annual gatherings was
shown in the guests at the banquet of November 15, 1892,
only a few days after the national election in which Mr.
Cleveland was a second time chosen President. He was the
chief guest of honor, and among the others were two members
of President Harrison's Cabinet, Charles Foster, Secretary of
the Treasury, and W. H. H. Miller, Attorney-General; and
Whitelaw Reid, defeated candidate for the vice-presidency.
Mr. Cleveland, in a few words thanking the Chamber for
courtesies so often extended, said: *'I beg to assure you that
though I may not soon meet you again on an occasion like
this, I shall remember with peculiar pleasure the friends made
among your membership, and shall never allow myself to be
heedless of the affairs you so worthily hold in your keeping."
A special banquet was given by the Chamber on April 28,
1893, to the officers of the United States and foreign war-ships
that had escorted the Spanish caravels to the harbor of New
York for exhibition in the Columbus Centennial Exposition
in Chicago. Four hundred persons were present.
Coming closely upon the first defeat of the free-silver can-
didate for the presidency, the banquet of November 17, 1896,
assumed the air of a jubilee in which everybody congratulated
everybody else. Among the guests were William L. Wilson,
Postmaster-General, and John W. Griggs, Governor of New
Jersey and later Attorney-General of the United States. In
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206 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
his speech, Governor Griggs paid a cordial tribute to the
Chamber, saying: "I cannot let this opportunity pass with-
out referring to the great work which this Chamber has
wrought for the State and city whose name it bears, and for
the coimtry at large. It is a long interval since these dinners
were held at Fraunces's Tavern, but during all that period this
institution has stood as the pilot, the guide, the director, the
pioneer in all wise policies of commerce and trade and patriot-
ism. You have bestowed not only wisdom and enlightenment
and courage on the world of commerce, but millions of dol-
lars upon the unfortimate victims of fire and flood and fever.
You have been the promoters of good fortune, and the com-
forters of misfortune. I wish that the people of this land
could understand how much true and loyal patriotism, how
much disinterested devotion to the highest interests of the
country, are found among just such men as compose the Cham-
ber of Commerce of the State of New York."
The Right Honorable Lord Herschell, formerly Lord Chan-
cellor of England, who was in the United States as president
of the Joint High Commission that was negotiating a settle-
ment of the Alaska boundary question, was the guest of honor
in 1898. In his speech, which was heard with pleasure, Lord
Herschell said that there was to him a peculiar interest in the
fact that he, who had had the honor to fill the office of Lord
Chancellor, should be present as the representative of his
country engaged in negotiations between Great Britain and
the United States. A century and a quarter ago or more, a
predecessor of his in that high office had made a most imfortu-
nately foolish prediction — ^had said, with reference to the
American Colonies of that time, that if they withdraw their
allegiance we shall withdraw our protection, and then they
will soon be overrun by the little States of Genoa and San
Marino. "I could not help thinking of those words when I re-
flected that I was here negotiating with the representatives
of a mighty nation of seventy millions of people who have not
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 207
been overrun by the little Republics of Genoa and San Marino,
although, imdoubtedly, in a sense very different from that
which the speaker intended, you may have been overrun by
the natives of some of the Italian towns."
The shadow of President McKinley's tragic death was upon
the annual banquet in 1901, and its distinguishing feature
was an address by John Hay, Secretary of State. Secretary
Hay began his remarks with a touchingly beautiful tribute to
the dead President, saying that when the latter lay stricken
at Buffalo he had asked him to take his place at the banquet.
"This," said the Secretary, "I had sometimes done in his life-
time, though always with diffidence and dread, but how much
more am I daunted by the duty of appearing before you when
that great man, loved and revered above all even while living,
has put on the august halo of immortality. Who could worth-
ily come into your presence as the shadow of that illustrious
Shade?"
Turning later to the subject of "Our Diplomacy" upon
which he had been requested to speak, the Secretary alluded
to those persons in whose minds diplomacy was considered
"an occult science as mysterious as alchemy and as danger-
ous to the morals as municipal politics," and said: "There
was a time when diplomacy was a science of intrigue and
falsehood, or traps and mines and countermines. The word
'machiavelic' has become an adjective in our common speech,
signifying fraudulent craft and guile; but Machiavel was as
honest a man as his time justified or required. The King of
Spain wrote to the King of France after the massacre of St.
Bartholomew congratulating him upon the splendid dissimu-
lation with which that stroke of policy had been accompHshed.
In the last generation it was thought a remarkable advance
and straightforward poHcy when Prince Bismarck recognized
the advantage of telling the truth even at the risk of mislead-
ing his adversary."
Having himself been a diplomat, and a most successful one
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206 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
his speech, Governor Griggs paid a cordial tribute to the
Chamber, saying: "I cannot let this opportunity pass with-
out referring to the great work which this Chamber has
wrought for the State and city whose name it bears, and for
the country at large. It is a long interval since these dinners
were held at Fraunces's Tavern, but during all that period this
institution has stood as the pilot, the guide, the director, the
pioneer in all wise policies of commerce and trade and patriot-
ism. You have bestowed not only wisdom and enlightenment
and courage on the world of commerce, but millions of dol-
lars upon the unfortimate victims of fire and flood and fever.
You have been the promoters of good fortime, and the com-
forters of misfortune. I wish that the people of this land
could understand how much true and loyal patriotism, how
much disinterested devotion to the highest interests of the
country, are found among just such men as compose the Cham-
ber of Commerce of the State of New York."
The Right Honorable Lord Herschell, formerly Lord Chan-
cellor of England, who was in the United States as president
of the Joint High Commission that was negotiating a settle-
ment of the Alaska boundary question, was the guest of honor
in 1898. In his speech, which was heard with pleasure. Lord
Herschell said that there was to him a peculiar interest in the
fact that he, who had had the honor to fill the office of Lord
Chancellor, should be present as the representative of his
country engaged in negotiations between Great Britain and
the United States. A century and a quarter ago or more, a
predecessor of his in that high office had made a most unfortu-
nately foolish prediction — had said, with reference to the
American Colonies of that time, that if they withdraw their
allegiance we shall withdraw our protection, and then they
will soon be ovemm by the little States of Genoa and San
Marino. "I could not help thinking of those words when I re-
flected that I was here negotiating with the representatives
of a mighty nation of seventy millions of people who have not
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 207
been overrun by the little Republics of Genoa and San Marino,
although, undoubtedly, in a sense very different from that
which the speaker intended, you may have been ovemm by
the natives of some of the Italian towns."
The shadow of President McKinley's tragic death was upon
the annual banquet in 1901, and its distinguishing feature
was an address by John Hay, Secretary of State. Secretary
Hay began his remarks with a touchingly beautiful tribute to
the dead President, saying that when the latter lay stricken
at Buffalo he had asked him to take his place at the banquet.
"This," said the Secretary, "I had sometimes done in his life-
time, though always with diffidence and dread, but how much
more am I daunted by the duty of appearing before you when
that great man, loved and revered above all even while living,
has put on the august halo of immortality. Who could worth-
ily come into your presence as the shadow of that illustrious
Shade?"
Turning later to the subject of "Our Diplomacy" upon
which he had been requested to speak, the Secretary alluded
to those persons in whose minds diplomacy was considered
"an occult science as mysterious as alchemy and as danger-
ous to the morals as municipal politics," and said: "There
was a time when diplomacy was a science of intrigue and
falsehood, or traps and mines and countermines. The word
*machiavelic' has become an adjective in our common speech,
signifying fraudulent craft and guile; but Machiavel was as
honest a man as his time justified or required. The King of
Spain wrote to the King of France after the massacre of St.
Bartholomew congratulating him upon the splendid dissimu-
lation with which that stroke of policy had been accomplished.
In the last generation it was thought a remarkable advance
and straightforward policy when Prince Bismarck recognized
the advantage of telling the truth even at the risk of mislead-
ing his adversary."
Having himself been a diplomat, and a most successful one
2o8 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
for many years, what the Secretary had to say about diplo-
matic representatives was especially interesting: "There are
two important lines of human endeavor in which men are
forbidden even to allude to their success— affairs of the heart
and diplomatic ajffairs. In doing so one not only commits a
vulgarity which transcends all questions of taste, but makes
all future success impossible. For this reason the diplomatic
representatives of the government must frequently suffer in
silence the most outrageous imputations upon their patriot-
ism, their intelligence, and their common honesty. To justify
themselves before the public they would sometimes have to
place in jeopardy the interests of the nation. They must
constantly adopt for themselves the motto of the French
Revolutionist, *Let my name wither rather than my country
be injured.'"
Finally, coming to a definition of our diplomacy, he aroused
great applause by saying: "The attitude of our diplomacy
may be indicated in a text of Scripture which Franklin, the
first and greatest of our diplomatists, teUs us passed through
his mind when he was presented at the Court of Versailles. It
was a text his father used to quote to him in the old candle-
shop in Boston when he was a boy: 'Seest thou a man diUgent
m his business, he shall stand before kings.' Let us be diUgent
in our busmess, and we shall stand— stand, you see, not crawl
nor swagger— stand, as a friend and equal, asking nothing,
putting up with nothing but what is right and just among our
peers in the great democracy of nations."
President Roosevelt was invited to attend the annual ban-
quet in 1902, but was unable to accept. In a letter of regret
he paid this tribute to the Chamber and its influence in the
land:
The Chamber of Commerce of the State of New York occupies
a unique position. It is distinguished not only by its long history
but by the vast importance of the business interests which it repre-
sents, but also for the high type of pubUc and business moraUty
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 209
which it represents. I pay you no idle compliment. The record
of the men you have chosen as presidents; the record of the causes
with which the Chamber of Commerce has from time to time been
identified; and above all the standard of business integrity which
the Chamber of Commerce has consistently represented, and which
it has demanded among those for whom it has in any way stood
sponsor, shows the truth of what I say. It is surely unnecessary
to add that no body of men can render a greater service, not only
to the American business world but to the American body politic,
than has thus been rendered by the Chamber of Commerce.
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CHAPTER XLI
LORD MORLEY CHIEF GUEST OF HONOR
SPEECHES BV BISHOP GREER, GENERAL HORACE PORTER, AND
JOSEPH H. CHOATE-THE GUESTS AT LATER BANQTJETS
I904-191S
ViscoTOT Moru:y, then plain John Morley, EngUdi states-
nirSdlan of letters of the first rank, was the chief guest
StoS a^ the annual banquet in November, .904. Among
otiTwere Bishop Greer, Richard Ohiey, and Mayor Mc-
ctui Mr. Moriey had been in the United Stat^ dunng
S cb^g days of tie presidential campaign and had been a
dose Z^er'of proceedings in Chicago on el.Uon day^s-
tening to the returns as they were received m the evening.
'TSifess," he said, "it greaUy impressed my "naginaUon
and stirred me to think that in this great counter withm a
Sw h^ the voice of the people, right or wrong, should be o
^.Scally and so urnnistakably ascerUm«i^ I J- st^u^
^A^h the Derfectly good temper in which the defeated party,
rSy o SS^S^presentatives were present at that momen
SXago, took, what to them, I am sure, was a mortifying
"CeSng of democracy, which the English call Uberal-
J ^^d- "Of course it has its drawbacks, and 1 should
Sko^r forms of government have their drawbacks, too.
SS a^body dream that machine poUtics and corruption
?^u Se-I do not impute it, but taking the worst view
of ^^e case-does anybody suppose that those thrn^ came m
with democracy? For my part, I think not, and I am sure
riSy oT;rLw a grea' deal too much history to beheve
any such nonsense."
•^ 210
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 211
Referring to the relations between the United States and
Great Britain, he declared that he believed from the bottom of
his heart that it was vital to the progress of the world, and to
the civilization of mankind, that there should be union be-
tween them. "Thus united," he continued, "we will fight
side by side for those ideals and those questions which are
common to us and common to you. You have an enormous
population of all kinds and nationalities coming to this great
continent of yours, but, come as they may, in time they be-
come fused into American citizens, and I shall persist in be-
lieving to the end of my days that the ideals and the aims —
the moral ideals and moral aims — of the citizens of the United
States and of those of my country are the same ideals and the
same ends."
Bishop Greer, who had been called upon to make "a few
appropriate remarks," complied in a brief speech in which he
related an anecdote of Bishop Clarke, of Rhode Island, who
was known all over the land in his time as an incorrigible joker
and joyous companion. Bishop Greer said he had been mak-
ing a few appropriate remarks for several months since he
had been elected a bishop and had found it a dangerous as
well as a diflicult business since the remarks were apt to come
back again with some public comment or criticism. "I
remember," he said, "that the venerable Bishop of Rhode
Island, Dr. Clarke, told me that he was called upon to
preach a sermon before the Ancient and Honorable Artillery
of Mr. Olney's State, and he was at a loss for an appropriate
text, but he foimd one somewhere — a fragment of a verse in
the Old Testament, which said, 'The ancient and honorable,
he is the head,' and the next morning a Massachusetts paper,
with characteristic omniscience, in reporting the sermon,
quoted the rest of the verse, 'And the prophet that speaketh
lies, he is the tail.'"
There was a large number of distinguished guests at the an-
nual banquet of 1905, including Joseph H. Choate, Ambassador
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
to London, and General Horace Porter, Ambassador to France,
both recently retired from their posts. General Porter's
speech was, as usual, partly in a humorous vein. He began
it by saying that his first duty in arriving in France was " to
try and soften down the conditions of the inspection of Ameri-
can pork and the interpretation of the copyright law. I think
probably I did render some Uttle service to those two important
products of the pen." Speaking of his experiences, he made
this interesting contribution to history: "Among many agree-
able things that occurred in the pleasant land of France, one
thmg touched me deeply. There was a profound sentiment in
it. When our Commissioners came to Paris, and by their
treaty ended the war with Spain, they signed that Treaty of
Peace of Paris upon that same table upon which Benjamin
Franklin and his colleagues at the close of the Revolution
signed the first Treaty of Paris, also a treaty of peace, so that
our two memorable diplomatic transactions abroad occurred
in Paris, and each bore upon it the sign manual of peace."
Mr. Choate spoke in his customary graceful and happy
vein and in closing his speech said of the Chamber of Com-
merce that it should be caUed " Chamber of Peace, Chamber of
Conciliation— not only between this nation and the nation
from which we sprang, but with aU the nations of the world."
That, he added, had been its mission, "gloriously fulfilled"
for one hundred and thirty-seven years— four generations of
men. "For all time it has done what in it lay to promote the
commerce, and necessarily with the commerce to promote
and advance the peace of the world. Peace is inseparable
from commerce, and commerce fails the moment that peace
fails. I know not how you regard the career of this Chamber,
but it does seem to me that it is one of those bodies that reflect
ever new and growing credit upon the city and the country,
of which it is a noble representative."
Continuing, he made a prediction which the present writer
of the Chamber's century and a half of history has found to
trr
4
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 213
be true to the letter by careful examination of its records:
"I think it would bear investigation by any Legislature, by
any committee, by any examining counsel under calcium light,
who might probe to the bottom the facts of its history from
its beginning until now, and not one flaw in its record be dis-
covered. I hope that the history of this Chamber of Com-
merce, for this last one hundred and thirty-seven years, will
some time be fully written. There will not be found a single
blemish upon it. There will be nothing but devotion to the
prosperity and the welfare of the City, the State, and the
Nation."
Between 1906 and the outbreak of the European War in
1914, each annual banquet had among its distinguished guests
one or more of the diplomatic representatives of foreign govern-
ments. In 1906 Sir Mortimer Durand, the British Ambassa-
dor, and the German Ambassador were present; in 1907,
J. J. Jusserand, the French Ambassador, and Baron Rosen,
the Russian Ambassador; in 1908, James Bryce, the British
Ambassador, and Lord Northcliffe; in 1909, Mr. Bryce, and
the German Ambassador, who a few years later was given his
passport by President Wilson. Among other guests during
this period were Senator Lodge, Senator Root, Thomas A.
Edison, Nicholas Murray Butler, President of Columbia Uni-
versity; Governor Dix, Mayor Gaynor, Mr. Carnegie, and
James M. Beck.
For the first time since 1873, the annual banquet was omitted
in 1914 on account of the outbreak of the European War, and
it was suggested that the members send the usual charge of
$20 for a ticket to the Red Cross which resulted in a contribu-
tion of $3,615 to that organization. The dinner was given as
usual in 1915, and among the guests of honor were Secretary
Redfield of President Wilson's Cabinet; Bishop Greer, and
President Butler of Coliunbia University. The President of
the Chamber, Seth Low, presided and in explanation of the
resumption of the dinner custom said: "We have come to see
:v \
214 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
that it is in the interest of all men that the normal life of the
world should be maintained, wherever possible, outside of
the war zone." In his address, Mr. Low related an anecdote
of Lincoln which is of historic value. He gave it on the per-
sonal authority of General Scofield, whom it concerned. Li
the early days of the Civil War General Fremont, who com-
manded the Department of Missouri, undertook to emancipate
the slaves within that department. It was necessary for
President Lincoln to remind him that action of that character
belonged to the civil power. As a result, Fremont sent in
his resignation. Lincoln then sent for General Scofield, and
said to him in substance this: "General Scofield, I am about
to send you to the hardest post in the country, because there
public opinion is sharply divided. If one side praises you
and the other side blames you, I do not know on which side
I shall be found. That will depend upon circumstances.
But if both sides praise you, or if both sides blame you, you
may count on me to my dying day."
Two members of President Wilson's Cabinet, Secretary
Lane, of the Interior Department, and Mr. Gregory, the At-
torney-General, were present at the annual banquet of 1916,
but neither of them made a speech. Other guests were Mayor
Mitchel, Elihu Root, General Leonard Wood, and Thomas
A. Edison.
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CHAPTER XLII
FORMAL RECEPTIONS
FOREIGN VISITORS OF MANY NATIONALITIES THUS HONORED —
ALSO EMINENT AMERICANS
1893-1918
From time to time during more recent years the Chamber
has given formal receptions to distinguished visitors from
other lands and also to eminent Americans who have per-
formed public service of high value either at home or abroad.
In 1893, during the celebration of the centennial of the dis-
covery of America by Columbus, it subscribed twenty-seven
thousand dollars for a grand reception at the Waldorf to the
Duke of Veragua and other descendants of Columbus, for
which five thousand invitations were issued. Receptions have
been held in the Great Hall of the building since its com-
pletion and have been attended by notable gatherings of lead-
ing citizens. Representatives of many foreign countries have
been thus honored. Among them were Prince Louis of Batten-
berg, rear-admiral conmianding His Majesty's second cruiser
squadron and the officers of the fleet when it was in the har-
bor in March, 1905; the admirals and officers of the foreign
fleets attending the Hudson-Fulton celebration in 1909, and
the Japanese Commissioners to the Alaska-Yukon Exposition
in the same year; the French delegates who brought from
France, in 1912, the bas-relief by Rodin to be placed on the
Champlain monument, when addresses were made by the
French Ambassador, M. Jusserand, Gabriel Hanotaux, and
Comte de Chambrun; the Imperial Japanese diplomatic
War Mission to this country in October, 191 7, and the Special
Finance Commission from the same country in November
21S
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216 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
following; and the Chinese Military and Naval Mission on
January 3, 191 8.
When Mr. Choate and General Horace Porter returned
from their respective ambassadorships in London and France,
in 1905, a joint reception, followed by a luncheon, was given
them on October 17, which was attended by a large and dis-
tinguished assemblage. Mr. Choate made one of his happiest
speeches, describing his experiences abroad, in which he said
that he had enjoyed immensely every day of his residence
there.
A reception followed by a luncheon was given also to Elihu
Root and the members of the commission that President
Wilson sent to Russia, on their return from that country in
August, 191 7, and like honor was paid to James W. Gerard,
former Ambassador to Germany, in March of the same year.
In October, 191 5, the Anglo-French Finance Conmaission
that came to the United States to negotiate the first war loan
to the Allies, accepted an invitation to attend a session in the
Chamber. The Earl of Reading, G.C.B., Lord Chief Justice of
England, representing the English members of the commission,
and M. Octave Romberg, representing the French members,
made brief speeches expressing thanks for the privilege of
being present and for the support given by the Chamber to
their mission.
One of the most notable of the receptions was that given
to the British War Commission on May 12, 191 7. There
were twenty-three members of the commission, with the
Right Honorable Arthur James Balfour at its head. A large
number of distinguished guests, including Sir Cecil Spring-
Rice, the British Ambassador to the United States, were
invited to meet them. E. H. Outerbridge, President of
the Chamber, welcomed the commission, saying that the
gathering was in celebration of the fact that "we have struck
hands to fight, with them, in the greatest war that the world
has ever known," adding: "I venture to think that the his-
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 217
torians of the future will record, and the generations to come
will agree, that the event we celebrate to-day, the jommg
together of these two great nations in this war, will have been
fraught with vaster consequences and wiU have resulted m
greater benefits to mankind than aU the achievements of the
hundred years of peace." . j .i,
Mr Balfour's speech on this occasion was accounted the
most eloquent and impressive of the many he made durmg
his stay in the country. A few extracts are appended:
Mr. President, I have had as the dream of my Hfe a hope that
before I died the union between the English-speakmg, freedom-
loving branches of the human race should be drawn far closer than
in the past and that all temporary causes of difference which may
ever have separated two great peoples would be seen m their true
and just proportions; and that we should all realize on whatever
side of the Atlantic fortune has placed us, that the thmgs wherem
we have differed in the past sink into absolute insignificance com-
pared with those vital agreements which at all times, but never
at such a time as the present, unite us in one great spiritual whole.
You incidentally mentioned, Mr. President, that this very body
which I am addressing date the origin of their Society to the year,
I think you said, 1768. Is not that characteristic and symbolic
of what happens on both sides of the Atlantic? We stnke our
roots into a distant past. We have known how, through revolu-
tions, in spite of revolutions, sometimes because of revolutions, to
weld the past and the present into one organic whole; and here,
in a country which calls itself and is, in one sense, a new country
—I everywhere see signs of those roots which draw their nourish-
ment and their strength from epochs far removed from us, and
when I talk to those who are bom and bred under the American
flag who have absorbed all their poUtical ideas from Amencan m-
stititions— I feel, that I am speaking to those brought up, as it
were, under one influence, in one house, under one set of educa-
tional conditions. ., ^1.
I beUeve that on this side of the Atlantic, and I hope on the other
side of the Atlantic, when these great problems have actively to be
dealt with, it will not be beyond the reach of your statesmanship
or of our own, to deal with them in such a manner that we cannot
t *,»■•»■?'*•■(;•' •■ * 'T.' * "
I
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2i8 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
merely look back upon this great war as the beginning of a time of
improved international relations, of settled peace, of deliberate
refusal to pour out oceans of blood to satisfy some notion of domina-
tion; but that in addition to those blessings the war and what
happens after the war may prove to be the beginning of a revivified
civilization which will be felt in all departments of human activity,
which will not merely touch the material but also the spiritual side
of himian nature, and which will make the second decade of the
twentieth century memorable in the history of mankind.
At a luncheon which was served later in the library of the
Chamber's building, Mr. Balfour made a further brief speech
in which he said: "I shall tell them (in England) that this
great Republic is not only warmly, but passionately, engaged
on the side of the Allies. From the very beginning of this
great struggle, there has been the profoundest sympathy for
us from every one in this coimtry who had the imagination to
grasp what was going on. Since August i, 1914, the fight
has been for the highest spiritual advantages of mankind, and
without a petty thought or ambition."
Mr. Choate, following Mr. Balfour, in a few words of warm
appreciation of the courtesies extended to the British Com-
mission, said that once while he was in London and calling on
Lord Salisbury he looked through a window in the park and
exclaimed: "What a shame!" Lord Salisbury sprang to his
feet and asked what he was referring to, and Mr. Choate re-
plied: "Look at those tramps lying on the grass in that
beautiful park, which should be devoted to little children
and their nurses and to ladies and others who would more
properly fit the surroundings." "Well," said Lord Salis-
bury, "the men are tired. What would you have them do?"
"Why," said Mr. Choate, "in New York we would not stand
that for a moment." "What would you do in New York?"
inquired Lord Salisbury. Mr. Choate said: "A policeman
would order them to move on, and if they did not do so they
would be locked up." Lord Salisbury then remarked: "In
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 219
America you evidently do not know what real personal
liberty is." , .
This was the last speech that Mr. Choate ever made, for
he died on May 12, 1917, two days later.
An informal luncheon was tendered on November 12, 1917,
by the President of the Chamber and the Executive Com-
mittee to Sir Stephenson Kent and other members of the
Special Commission of the British Ministry of Munitions,
then on a visit to the United States in the interest of increased
industrial efficiency in the production of war suppUes. Brief
speeches were made by President Outerbridge and several
members of the Commission.
An occasion which will always be held memorable by the
members of the Chamber was the reception given, on March
7 1918, to the Most Reverend Cosmo Gordon Lang, Lord
Archbishop of York, Primate of England. The Archbishop
had arrived recently in the country for a visit of seven weeks
in response to the invitation of the War Council of the Protes-
tant Episcopal Church of the United States. The object of
his visit, as stated by himself, was to emphasize the impor-
tance which the help of America had been to the AlHed
Cause, and to appeal to Americans to strengthen and keep
strong their great contribution. He made a tour of the
principal cities, preaching in churches and addressing audi-
ences of various kinds. He appeared before the Chamber
at its regular monthly meeting, when the Great Hall was
filled to overflowing with members and invited guests. The
President, E. H. Outerbridge, greeted him in a brief address
in which he assured him that there had not been a time since
August 4, 1914, in which the great masses of the people of
the United States had not admired and believed in the jus-
tice and chivalry of England's cause. "Now that we see
clearly shining," he continued, "the pure ideals and princi-
ples upon which our fathers founded this nation, and which
we are bound to hand down to posterity unimpaired; now
I
220 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
that we have joined hands with Englzmd to fight for the sal-
vation of the world, we shall not let go until we have achieved
the victory or until death do us part."
In concluding, Mr. Outerbridge, in the name of the Cham-
ber, welcomed the Archbishop, first, for what he had been
and what he had done "in leading men onward and upward
in their paths through life"; second, as "a most distinguished
representative of that nation with which we are now allied";
and, third, because "we feel that your presence here at this
time is a benediction upon what we have done in the past
and an inspiration and strengthening of our hope and courage
for what we have to face in the future."
The address of the Archbishop, distinguished by deep feel-
ing, intense earnestness, and great charm of delivery, fairly
held his audience spellbound. He spoke of the persons pres-
ent as "those who are here controlling the power-house of
this great nation," and said that, considering all the drcmn-
stances, he must needs regard the occasion as one of the
greatest honors of his life. "I doubt very much," he added,
"whether there is any Chamber of Commerce in the world
which would have expected its President to speak as yours
has done, and which would have shown its capacity to rise
to the vision and the ideals which he put before you. I
have always said across the ocean, and have abtmdant rea-
son to repeat it here, that what seems to me the great strength
of this people and the great strength that it is bringing into
our common cause, is its singular combination of high ideal-
ism with a resolute and determined practical energy. And
I think what has moved me to-day almost more than any-
thing else if that I should feel in the midst of a number of
men daily concerned with the most practical necessities and
operations of business, this radiating and instantaneous re-
sponse to the appeal of a high ideal."
After speaking of what the war was costing England in life
and treasiure, the work that England was doing in manufac-
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
221
i
luring munitions and material with which to carry on the
war and the enormous advances England had made to its
alHes, he said, in regard to the aid that the United States
might give: "You will, I know, do your utmost; because I
realize the force of pubHc opinion in America, upon the ad-
ministration in America, which such a body as this repre-
sents. You wHl do your best to see that nothing blocks the
way of the real desire of the American people to get this thing
done and this help rendered."
In closing, the Archbishop profoundly moved the assem-
blage by saying: "I know the tasks before us wiU be great
and the stram will be heavy, and, therefore, with a full heart,
I will avail myself of a word that left the Hps of your Presi-
dent at the close of his moving speech; and as one who holds
an office in the service of God older than the crown of our
United England, I would ask the privilege as I speak to you,
by invoking upon you, Mr. President and gentlemen, in the
work of this Chamber and in the struggles of these coming
years, the blessing and guidance of Him uj^n whose will
the achievement of our victory must depend."
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CHAPTER XLin
BROAD SCOPE OF LATER WORK
REVIVAL OF AMERICAN SHIPPING — ^RAPID TRANSIT — STATE
POLICE — NEW WATER-SUPPLY
I9OO-1918
The range of the Chamber's activities during more recent
years has broadened steadily and has included every question
of importance in city, state, and national affairs. It is im-
possible within the limits of this volume to take up in detail
the proceedings of the Chamber in regard to all of these. A
few of the more notable instances may be cited as worthy of
special mention.
Always interested in the revival of American shipping, the
Chamber has supported every effort in that direction. It
gave special attention between 1880 and 1900 to the question
of ship subsidies, advocating the passage of various measures
of the kind which were proposed in Congress. After war
was declared by Germany in August, 1914, the Chamber took
up the question of the restoration of the American Merchant
Marine in foreign trade and appomted a special committee
of five members to consider and report. This committee made
a report at the Chamber's regular meeting on January 7, 1915,
in which they disapproved the ship purchase bill which was
pending in Congress and submitted a constructive plan of
their own. The report was adopted, after a full discussion in
several successive meetings, and the suggested substitute plan
was approved, but the matter was not pressed further because
of the creation of the Federal Shipping Board.
After the control of rapid-transit problems was transferred
to the Public Service Commission, the Chamber continued
222
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 223
to take interest in them and to give expression to its views
when occasion arose for it to do so. When Mr. Gaynor was
Mayor of the city he asked the Chamber for a formal expres-
sion of its opinions and suggestions, and the result was an
elaborate report from the Chamber's special committee on
the subject which was an exhaustive discussion of all aspects
of the problem, containing suggestions of great value, many
of which were subsequently adopted.
Special reports, of which many were published in pamphlet
form, were made on such subjects of pressing interest as
Forest Preservation; Municipal and State Taxation; Inter-
national Peace and Arbitration; a Permanent Tariff Com-
mission; National Guard and Naval Militia; Workmen's Com-
pensation; Conservation of Water and Lands; Diplomatic
and Consular Efficiency; State Roads; Raikoad Labor Arbi-
tration; Income Tax Collection Methods; Improved Postal
Facilities; Barge Canal Construction; Height of Buildings;
State Constabulary; Social Insurance; Waterfront and Har-
bor Improvements, and general city and state legislation.
Concerning many of these topics, successive sessions of the
Chamber were given up largely to discussions in which ex-
pert authorities, present by invitation, took part. This was
the case in regard to State-road improvement and canal en-
largement. National Guard and Naval Militia, and taxation in
various forms. When the Federal Reserve bank measure was
first introduced in Congress, the Chamber came early to its
support. At a special meeting on October 20, 19 13, the Com-
mittee on Finance and Currency made an elaborate report
containing a careful study of the bill, and recommended the
following resolution, which was unanimously adopted:
Resolved, That if the pending measure be amended so as to con-
form in fundamental principles and administration to the approved
practices of world banking in security and flexibility, we urge
upon the management of National Banks a broad and unselfish
view and a hearty co-operation, believing that any temporary in-
'
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS 225
efforts of the President of the Chamber, Governor Whitman
was persuaded to give his support to a measure which was
pending in the Legislature establishing such a force, and
representatives of the Chamber were sent to Albany to
attend hearings upon it. When General Leonard Wood
addressed the Chamber on the subject of national military
preparedness, in April, 1916, he stated emphatically that a
State police would aid the work of military preparedness,
saying that it would relieve the militia from strike and riot
duty, would give a small and highly trained and very efficient
force capable of meeting all the ordinary demands of the
State, and would tend to economy and efficiency. A resolu-
tion was adopted by the Chamber in March, 191 7, asking all
the members to write to their representatives in the Senate
and Assembly, urging them to support the bill, and in the fol-
lowing month it became a law.
A work of great importance to the city and the State was
the construction of the Catskill Water Supply System. In
the inception of this work, as well as in its execution, the
Chamber bore a conspicuous part. Mayor McClellan recog-
nized the value of its services by asking it to submit a list
of names from which he could appoint one of the three commis-
sioners that were authorized imder the bill, which he pre-
sented to the Legislature in 1905, providing for the construc-
tion of the system. He made a similar request of two other
organizations — the Manufacturers' Association of Brooklyn,
and the Board of Fire Underwriters of New York. Li the
bill as presented such appointment was directed, but the
Legislature struck out the provision as unconstitutional. To
the lasting credit of Mayor McClellan, it is to be recorded
that he carried out the purpose to the letter, thereby placing
this enormous task, involving the expenditmre of millions of
the public money, in the hands of men who had the ability
and character necessary to execute it in the best possible
manner, free from the taint of jobbery and graft in any
226 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS
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form. The Mayor selected from the list submitted by the
Chamber of Commerce, J. Edwards Simmons; from that by
the Manufacturers' Association, Charles N. Chadwick, also
a member of the Chamber; and by the Fire Underwriters,
Charles A. Shaw. Mr. Simmons was elected president of
the commission and resigned in January, 1908, when John A.
Bensel, a member of the Chamber, was appointed by Mayor
McClellan in his place and was elected president of the com-
mission. Mr. Bensel resigned at the close of 1910 and Mr.
Shaw resigned in January, 1911. Their places were filled by
Charles Strauss and John F. Galvin. Mr. Chadwick by his
untiring devotion to the work justly earned the title of
'* Father" of the great enterprise, which, to quote the verdict
of the Chamber, "was brought to a successful conclusion by
the foresight, vision, administrative ability and engineering
skill of those who first conceived it."
The Chronicle closes with the nation fighting side by side
with its European allies in the most stupendous struggle for
human freedom that the world has ever known. In this
crisis, the Chamber, true to its traditions, places patriotism
above all other considerations and makes whole-hearted sup-
port of the National Government its first duty, subordinating
all others to it. It thus follows in the footsteps of the founders
and proves itself steadfast in the faith which was their in-
spiration a century and a half ago.
APPENDIX
u
FOUNDING OF THE CHAMBER
WhereaSf mercantile societies have been found very useful in
trading cities for promoting and encouraging commerce, support-
ing industry, adjusting disputes relative to trade and navigation,
and procuring such laws and regulations as may be found necessary
for the benefit of trade in general;
For which purpose, and to establish such a society in the city
of New York, the following persons convened on the first Tuesday
in, and being the 5th day of, April, 1768:
John Cruger,
EHas Desbrosses,
James Jauncey,
Jacob Walton,
Robert Murray,
Hugh Wallace,
George FoUiot,
WiUiam Walton,
Samuel Verplanck,
Theophylact Bache,
Thomas White,
Miles Sherbrooke,
Walter FrankUn,
Robert Ross Waddle,
Acheson Thompson,
Lawrence Kortright,
Thomas Randal,
WiUiam McAdam,
Isaac Low,
Anthony Van Dam.
Who agreed that the said Society of Merchants should consist of
A President,
Vice-President,
Treasurer,
Secretary,
and such a number of merchants as already, or hereafter may be-
come members thereof, to be called and known by the name of
The New York Chamber of Commerce.
The Members present unanimously chose the following Gentle-
men their officers for this year, to commence the first Tuesday in
May next:
229
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230 APPENDIX
John Cruger, President,
Hugh Wallace, Vice-President,
EUas Desbrosses, Treasurer,
Anthony Van Dam, Secretary.
Then the following resolutions, being read, were agreed to.
That the members of the Chamber of Commerce shall meet the
first Tuesday in every month, to transact such business as may
come before them; and estabhsh such rules for the order and
good government of the Society as they may think proper and find
necessary.
That the first Tuesday in May, August, November, and February
in every year are declared to be the Grand Quarterly Meetings, at
which times the accounts of the Chamber are to be settled, and any
new members who desire it and are chosen by ballot are to be ad-
mitted.
The officers of said Chamber of Commerce to be chosen yearly
by ballot on the first Tuesday in May, and to continue for one
year.
Every member of the Society who now is or hereafter may be
admitted into the same, shall pay unto the Treasurer for the use
of the said Chamber of Commerce five Spanish dollars on his ad-
mission, and shall also pay unto the said Treasurer for the afore-
said use the further sum of one Spanish dollar on each of the four
quarterly days before mentioned, and such members shall faith-
fully and truly keep, obey, and conform to all rules and regulations
made and entered into by said Chamber of Commerce, which are
to be entered into the Books of the said Society to be kept for that
purpose, on pain of being dismissed the said Chamber of Commerce,
and having his or their names struck off the list.
Any merchant choosing to become a member of this Chamber
of Commerce must give in his name to the President for the time
being on the first Tuesday in the month preceding the Quarterly
meeting, and the person proposed is to be balloted for, and if three
nays appear he cannot be admitted during the government of the
President in whose year he was so refused, but may be proposed
the succeeding or any year after, and if not again opposed by three
nays then to be admitted, but if any person is three times refused,
he is never to be admitted.
A proper room for the meeting of the members of the Chamber
of Commerce is to be provided at the expense of the members so
4
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APPENDIX
231
that it doth not exceed one shilling per man, which each person
is to pay to the Treasurer at their respective meetings.
The members of the Chamber of Commerce doth agree that the
Treasurer shall provide for their use a strong chest, wherein shall
be deposited their cash, books, and papers, which is to have three
different good locks and keys— one key to be kept by the President,
one by the Treasurer, and the third by the Secretary; the chest for
the present to be kept at the Treasurer's.
No business to be done by the said Chamber of Commerce un-
less there be twenty-one members present, of which the President
or Vice-President to be always one (unless by committees to be
appointed for particular purposes), the meeting on the first Tuesday
in May next only excepted, when thirteen or more members may
do business, and everything proposed or transacted to be by vote
of the members present, and the opinion of the majority of votes to
be conclusive and binding on the members, except in admitting
new members, which is to be done as is hereinbefore directed.
The President, with the advice of the members of the Chamber,
is to appoint the place of meeting, nothing to be done but by appli-
cation to him, who is to examine and sign the Treasurer's accoimts,
and in general to superintend all the Society's affairs.
The Vice-President in the absence of the President to have the
same power and authority as if the President was personally pres-
ent, who is to keep the President's key when absent.
The Treasurer to provide a proper book, at the expense of the
said Chamber, for keeping the receipt of all money paid to him,
and all money laid out by him for the use of the said Society,
which are to be fairly entered at the meetings held from time
to time, and which are to be audited on the first Tuesday in May
in every year, and signed by the auditors to be appointed for that
purpose, when he is to deliver over the cash remaining in hand,
books, and his key to the Treasurer elected, or in the absence of
the Treasurer so elected, then to the President, or in his absence to
the Vice-President.
The Secretary is to keep a fair register of all proceedings, orders,
rules, and regulations of the said Chamber of Commerce, which are
to be entered in a proper book to be provided for that purpose at
the expense of the said Society. In tiie absence of the Secretary,
the President to appoint one of the members to officiate in his
place for the time being, to whom, by a written order from the
President, the Secretary is to deliver his key.
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232
APPENDIX
Every member not attending the monthly meeting, to forfeit
and pay to the Treasurer two shilUngs, and such who do not attend
the quarterly meeting, to pay four shillings for non-attendance,
unless some cause, judged reasonable by the Society, is admitted
by them as sufficient. Sickness, and being absent at least six
miles from the city, to be always allowed sufficient reasons for non-
attendance.
The President is to appoint a proper person, to be approved
of by the Society, as their Doorkeeper and Messenger, who is to
be paid by the Treasurer such sums as may be hereafter directed
by the President for his services.
It is agreed that no new rules, regulations, or orders for the
government of this Society shall be made, unless proposed at a
preceding meeting, that there may be time for tiie general sense
of the Society to be known.
The President, or in his absence, the Vice-President, hath power
on any emergency to call a meeting of the said Chamber, and
aU meetings to be at six o'clock in the evening of every day that
their attendance may be required.
The following gentiemen, who are of the Society, not being pres-
ent, assented to the same:
John Alsop,
Henry White,
Philip Livingston,
James McEvers.
ORIGINAL CHARTER
Charter of the Corporation of the Chamber of Commerce
IN THE City of New York
George the Third, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain,
France and Ireland, King, Defender of tiie Faith, and so fortii-
To all to whom tiiese presents shall come, Greetmg:
Whereas, a great number of merchants in our City of New ^.f-itg^^
York, in America, have, by voluntary agreement, associated them- w petmon«i
selves for the laudable purpose of promoting tiie trade and com- aor Coiden.
merce of our said province; and whereas, John Cruger, Esq.,
tiie present President of the said Society, by his humble petition
presented in behalf of the said Society, to our trusty and well-
beloved Cadwallader Colden, Esq., our Lieutenant-Governor
and Commander-in-Chief of our said Province of New York, and
tiie territories depending thereon in America, and read in our
Council for our said Province, on the twenty-eightii day of Febru- tbe^.sth Feb-
ary, last past, hath represented to our said Lieutenant-Governor,
tiiat the said Society (sensible that numberless inestimable benefits
have accrued to mankind from commerce; that they are, m pro-
portion to tiieir greater or lesser appUcation to it, more or less
opulent and potent in aU countries; and that the enlargement of
trade will vastly increase the value of real estates, as well as tiie
general opulence of our said colony) have associated togetiier for
some time past, in order to carry into execution among them-
selves, and by their example to promote in others, such measur^
as were beneficial to those salutary purposes; and tiiat the said
Society having, with great pleasure and satisfaction, expenenced
the good effects which the few regulations already adopted had
produced, were very desirous of rendering them more extensively
useful and permanent and more adequate to the purposes of so
benevolent an institution; and therefore the petitioner, in behalf
of tiie said Society, most humbly prayed our said Lieutenant-
233
to incorporate
them
/
by the name
of "The Cor-
poration of the
Chamber of
Commerce in
the City of
New York, in
America."
;l.
234
APPENDIX
Governor to incorporate them a body politic, and to invest them
with such powers and authorities as might be thought most con-
ducive to answer and promote the commercial and, consequently,
the landed interests of oiu: said growing colony; which petition
being read as aforesaid, was then and there referred to a Committee
of our said Council, and afterwards, on the same day, our said
Council, in pursuance of the report of the said Committee, did
hmnbly advise and consent, that our said Lieutenant-Governor,
by our letters patent, should constitute and appoint the petitioner,
and the present members of the said Society, a body corporate
and politic, by the name of "The Corporation of the Chamber
OF Commerce in the City of New York, in America," agreeable
to the prayer of the said petition: Therefore, we being willing to
further the laudable designs of our said loving subjects, and to
give stability to an institution from whence great advantages may
arise, as well as to our kingdom of Great Britain as to our said
province,
Know ye, That of our special grace, certain knowledge and
mere motion, we have willed, ordained, given, granted, consti-
tuted and appointed, and by these presents for us, our heirs and
successors, do will, ordain, give, grant, constitute, and appoint,
that the present members of the said Society, associated for the
piupose aforesaid, that is to say, John Cruger, Ellas Desbrosses,
James Jauncey, Jacob Walton, Robert Murray, Hugh Wal-
lace, George Folliot, Wm. Walton, John Alsop, Henry White,
Philip Livingston, Samuel Verplanck, Theophylact Bache,
Thomas White, Miles Sherbrooke, Walter Franklin, Robert
Ross Waddell, Acherson Thompson, Lawrence Cortwright,
Thomas Randal, William M'Adam, Isaac Low, Anthony Van
Dam, Robert Watts, John Harris Cruger, Gerard Walton,
Isaac Sears, Jacobus Van Zandt, Charles M'Evers, John
Moore, Lewis Pintard, Levinus Clarkson, Nicholas Gouver-
NEUR, Richard Yates, Thomas Marston, Peter Hassencliver,
Alexander Wallace, Gabriel H. Ludlow, Thomas Buchannan,
Wm. Neilson, Sampson Simpson, Peter Kettletas, Gerard W.
Beekman, Jacob Watson, Richard Sharpe, Peter Remsen,
Henry Remsen, junior, William Seton, Edw. Laight, John
Reade, Robert Alexander, Thomas W. Moore, Abraham
Lynson, Isaac Roosevelt, Nicholas Hoffman, Hamilton
Young, Thomas Walton, John Thurman, John Weatherhead,
APPENDIX
235
Garrit Rapelye, Gerard Duyckinck, William Stepple, Wil-
liam Imlay, Augustus Van Horne, Henry C. Bogert, George
W. Ludlow, Joseph Bull, Leonard Lispenard, Thomas Miller,
Jas. Beekman, Samuel Kemble, Alexander M'Donald and
Samuel Bayard, jun., all of our City of New York, m our said
province of New York, merchants, and their successors, to be
elected by virtue of this our present Charter, shall for ever here-
after be one body corporate and politic in deed, fact and name,
by the name and style, "The Corporation of the Chamber of
Commerce in the City of New York, in America," and them
and their successors, by the same name, we do by these presents
really and fully make, erect, create, constitute and declare one
body politic and corporate, in deed, fact and name for ever; and
will give, grant, and ordain, that they and their successors, the
Corporation of the Chamber of Commerce in the City of New
York, in America, by the same name, shall and may have perpetual
succession, and shall and may by the same name, be persons capa-
ble in the law to sue and be sued, implead and be impleaded, answer
and be answered, defend and be defended, in all courts and else-
where, in all manner of actions, suits, complaints, pleas, causes,
matters and demands whatsoever, as fully and ample as any other
of our liege subjects of our said province of New York may or can
sue or be sued, implead or be impleaded, defend or be defended,
by any lawful ways or means whatsoever; and that they and their
successors by the same name, shall be for ever hereafter persons
capable and able in the law to purchase, take, receive, hold and
enjoy to them and their successors, any messuages, tenements,
houses and real estates whatsoever, and all other hereditaments of
whatsoever nature, kind and quality they may be, in fee simple,
for term of life or lives, or in any other manner howsoever, and also
any goods, chattels or personal estate whatsoever, as well for en-
abUng them the better to carry into execution, encourage and pro-
mote, by just and lawful ways and means, such measures as will
tend to promote and extend just and lawful commerce, as to provide
for, aid and assist, at their discretion, such members of our said
Corporation as may hereafter be reduced to poverty, and their
widows and children; Provided always, the clear yearly value of
the said real estate doth not at any time exceed the sum of three
thousand pounds sterling, lawful money of our Kingdom of Great
Britain. And that our said Corporation of the Chamber of Com-
merce in the City of New York, in America, and their successors for
To have per-
petual succes-
sioa.
To sue and
be sued in all
manner of ac-
tions.
May be ca-
pable in law to
purchase and
enjoy real es-
tate.
To promote
and extend
c om merce,
and assist dis-
tressed mem-
bers.
Provided
their clear
yearly income
does not ex-
ceed ;^3. 000
sterl. per ann.
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II
Power to
lease or dispose
of real estate,
&C.
And have a
common seal,
which may be
altered.
May bmid
any house or
homes.
For ever to
have one Presi-
dent, one or
more Vice-
Presidents,
one or more
Treasurers;
and one Secre-
taiy.
Appointment
of J. Cruger,
Esq., Presi-
dent; Hugh
Wallace, Vice-
President ;
Ellas Des-
brosses, Trea-
surer; Anthony
Van Dam, Sec-
retazy.
On the first
Tuesday in
May in every
year, to meet
and choose of-
ficers.
236
APPENDIX
ever, by the same name, shall and may have full power and author-
ity to give, grant, sell, lease, demise and dispose of the same real
estate and hereditaments whatsoever, for life, or lives, or years,
or for ever; and all goods, chattels and personal estates what-
soever at their will and pleasure, according as they shall judge to
be most beneficial and advantageous to the good ends and purposes
aforementioned. And that it shall and may be lawful for them and
their successors for ever hereafter, to have a common seal, to serve
for the causes and business of them and their successors, and the
same seal to change, alter, break and make new from time to time
at their pleasure. And also that they and their successors, by the
same name, shall and may have full power and authority to erect
and build out of their common funds, or by any other ways or means,
for the use of the Corporation hereby erected, any house, houses or
other buildings, as they shall think necessary and convenient.
And for the better carrying into execution the purposes aforesaid,
our royal will and pleasure is, and we do hereby give and grant to
the Corporation of the Chamber of Commerce in the City of New
York, in America, and theu: successors for ever, that there shall be
for ever hereafter belonging to the said Corporation, one President,
one or more Vice-President or Vice-Presidents, one or more Trea-
surer or Treasurers, and one Secretary; and for the more immediate
carrying into execution our royal will and pleasure herein, we do
hereby assign, constitute and appoint the above named John
Cruger, Esq., to be the present President; the above named Hugh
Wallace to be the present Vice-President; the above named
Ellas Desbrosses to be the present Treasurer, and the above
named Anthony Van Dam to be the present Secretary of our
said Corporation hereby erected, who shall hold, possess and enjoy
their said respective offices until the first Tuesday in May now
next ensuing; and for keeping up the succession in the said offices,
our royal will and pleasure is, and we do hereby for us, our heirs
and successors, establish, direct and require, and give and grant
to the said Corporation of the Chamber of Commerce in the City
of New York, in America, and their successors for ever, that on the
said first Tuesday in May now next ensuing, [and for the keeping
up the succession in the said office, our royal will and pleasiu-e is,
and we do hereby for us, our heirs and successors, establish, direct
and require, and give and grant to the said Corporation of the
Chamber of Commerce in the City of New York, in America, and
their successors for ever, that on the said first Tuesday in May now
APPENDIX
237
next ensuing,] and yearly, and every year for ever thereafter, on
the first Tuesday in May in every year, they and their successors
shall meet at some convenient place in our said City of New York,
to be fixed and ascertained by some of the by-laws and regulations
of our said Corporation, and there, by the majority of such of them
as shall so meet, shall by ballot or in such other manner and form
as shall be regulated by the by-laws or regulations of our said
Corporation, elect or choose one President, one or more Vice-Presi-
dent or Vice-Presidents, one or more Treasurer or Treasurers, and
one Secretary, to serve in the said offices for the ensuing year,
who shall immediately enter upon their respective offices, and hold,
exercise and enjoy the same respectively from the time of such elec-
tion, for and during the space of one year, and imtil other fit per-
sons shall be elected and chosen in their respective places, according
to the laws and regulations aforesaid. And in case any of the said
persons by these presents nominated and appointed to the respec-
tive offices aforesaid, or who shall hereafter be elected and chosen
thereto respectively, shall die, or on any account be removed from
such offices respectively before the time of their respective appointed
services shall be expired, or refuse or neglect to act in and execute
the office for which he or they shall be so elected and chosen, or is
or are herein nominated or appointed, that then, and in any and
every such case, it shall and may be lawful for the members of our
said body corporate hereby erected to meet at such time and times,
and at such place and places within our said City of New York,
and upon such notices and sununons as shall for that purpose be
established and directed by the by-laws or regulations of our said
body corporate, and there, by the majority of such of them as shall
so meet, elect and choose other or others to the said offices respec-
tively in the place of him or them so d)dng, removing, neglecting or
refusing to act in manner and form, and after the same method to
be observed in the annual elections of the like officers respectively,
by virtue of these our letters patent, and the said by-laws or regula-
tions of our said Corporation, hereby giving and granting that such
person or persons as shall be so elected and chosen by the majority
of such of the said members as shall meet in manner aforesaid, shall
have, hold, exercise and enjoy such the office or offices to which he
or they shall be so elected and chosen, from the time of such election
until the first Tuesday in May then next ensuing, and until other
or others be legally chosen in his or their place and stead, as fully
and amply, to all intents and purposes whatsoever, as the person
And elect one
President, one
or more Vice-
Presidents, one
or more Trea-
surers, and one
Secretary, for
one year.
And until
other fit per-
sons be chosen.
In case any
of the present
or future offi-
cers shall die or
be removed.
others may be
elected,!
upon notice
given,
by a majority
of votes.
who shall exer-
cise the offices
until the first
of May follow-
ing.
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238
APPENDIX
Iff!
r
Officers to
take an oath or
affirmation be-
fore the Presi-
dent or Vice-
President, for
the faithful dis-
charge of their
duty.
•The first Tues-
day in May in
every year.
The President
or any one of
the Vice-Presi-
dents, with
such a number
of the members
as the by-laws
direct, to be a
legal meeting
to adjourn
from day to
day,
and transact
business,
1
or persons in whose place he or they shaU be chosen might or could
have done by virtue of these presents. And our will and pleasure
is and we do hereby for us, our heirs and successors, ordain, direct
and require, that every President, Vice-President, Treasurer and
Secretary to be elected by virtue of these presents, shall, before
they act in their respective offices, take an oath or affirmation to be
to them administered by the President, or in his absence, by one
of the Vice-Presidents of the preceding year, (who are hereby
authorized to administer the same,) for the faithful and due execu-
tion of their respective offices during their contmuance in the same
respectively. And we do further, for us, our heirs and successors,
give and grant to the Corporation of the Chamber of Commerce
in the City of New York, in America, and their successors for ever,
that besides the annual meeting of our said Corporation herem
before directed and appointed to be held on the first Tuesday m
May in every year, it shall and may be lawful for them, their heirs
and successors, for ever hereafter, for promoting and carrying into
execution the laudable intents and designs aforesaid, and for the
transacting the business and concerns of our said Corporation, to
meet together on the first Tuesday in every month, for ever, at
such place or places in our said City of New York as shall for that
purpose be estabUshed, fixed, ascertained and appointed by the by-
laws and regulations of our said corporation; and that the members
of our said Corporation being so met, or so many of them in number
at the least as shall by the by-laws or ordinances of our said Cor-
poration be for that purpose from time to time estabUshed, directed,
ordained or appomted, shaU, togetiier witii the President or any
one of the Vice-Presidents of our said Corporation for the time be-
ing be a legal meeting of our said Corporation; and they or the
major part of tiiem so met, shaU have fuU power and autiionty
to adjourn from day to day, or for any otiier time, as tiie business
of our said Corporation may require, and to do, execute and per-
form aU and every act and acts, thing and things whatsoever which
the said Corporation of the Chamber of Commerce in the City of
New York, in America, are or shall by these letters patent be au-
thorized to do, act or transact, in as full and ample manner as
if all and every of the members of the said Corporation were pres-
ent. And that at any such legal meeting of the said Corporation,
they shaU and may in writing, under the common seal, make, frame,
constitute, establish and ordain, from time to time, and at all times
hereafter, such laws, constitutions, ordinances, regulations and
APPENDIX
239
statutes, for the better government of the officers and members of
the said Corporation, for fixing and ascertaining the places of
meeting of our said Corporation as aforesaid, and for regulating
all other their affairs and business as they, or the major part of
them so legally met, shall judge best for the general good of the
said Corporation, and profitable for the more effectually promoting
the beneficial designs of their institution; — all which laws, constitu-
tions, regulations, ordinances and statutes so to be made, framed,
constituted, established and ordained as aforesaid, we will, com-
mand and ordain by these presents for us, our heirs and successors,
to be from time to time and at all times hereafter, kept, obeyed and
performed in all things as the same ought to be, on the penalties
and amercements in the same to be imposed and Umited, so as the
same laws, constitutions, regulations and statues be reasonable
in themselves, and not repugnant or contrary to the laws and stat-
utes of that part of our kingdom of Great Britain called England,
nor of our said province of New York. And for the keeping up and
preserving forever hereafter a succession of members for the said
Corporation, our will and pleasure is, and we do hereby for us, our
heirs and successors, ordain and give and grant to the said Corpora-
tion of the Chamber of Commerce in the City of New York, in
America, and their successors for ever, that at any of the stated legal
meetings of the said Corporation, to be held on the first Tuesday in
every month for ever hereafter, but at no other meeting of our said
Corporation, it shall and may be lawful for them and their suc-
cessors forever, to elect and choose, in such manner and form, and
upon such terms and conditions, as shall be directed, ordained and
established for that purpose by any of the said by-laws, statutes,
constitutions or ordinances of the said Corporation, such and so
many persons to be members of the said Corporation as they shall
think beneficial to the laudable designs of the said Corporation;
which persons, and every of them so from time to time elected and
chosen, shall, by virtue of these presents and of such election, be
vested with all the powers, authorities and privileges which any
member of the said Corporation is hereby invested with. And in
case any other extraordinary meeting or meetings of the said Cor-
poration shall at any time or times be judged necessary for the pro-
moting the interest and business of the said Corporation, we do
hereby for us, our heirs and successors, will, declare and ordain,
that it shall and may be lawful for our said corporation to meet
from time to time, at such days and times, and at such places in
and be obeyed.
so that they are
not repugnant
or contrary to
the laws of
Great Britain
and New. York.
For the suc-
cession of
members,
at stated'meet-
ingsonly.
to elect and
choose,
who are to
have all the
privileges that
any member is
hereby invest-
ed with.
Extraordi-
nary meeting
I
V i
h
w
240
APPENDIX
to meet upon
DOtke,
to be legal,
but not to elect
members, make
laws.or dispose
cd reial estate.
To be held in
the Exchange.
No act done
in any meeting
to be valid (un-
less a given
number be
present).
I!''
I
!
our said City of New York, and upon such notices or summons as
shall for that purpose from time to time be settled, established,
directed, ordained and appointed for that purpose, shall, together
with the President, or one of the Vice-Presidents of the said Cor-
poration for the time being, be a legal meetmg of the said Corpora-
tion; and they, or the major part of them so met, shall have full
power and authority to act, transact, do and perform all and singu-
lar whatsoever may be transacted, done and performed at any of
the hereby stated meetings aforesaid of the said Corporation, saving
and except the electing members, making laws, ordinances and
statutes, and disposing of the real estates of the said Corporation.
And our will and pleasure is, that until the same shall be otherwise
regulated as aforesaid, that the meetings of the said Corporation
shall be held in the great room of the building commonly called the
Exchange, situate at the lower end of the street called Broad-street,
in the said City of New York; and that until the same shall be also
otherwise regulated as aforesaid, that no act done in any meeting
of the said Corporation shall be legal, good or valid, unless the
President, or one of the Vice-Presidents, and twenty others of the
members of the said Corporation at the least be present, and the
major part of them consenting thereto. And we do further give
and grant to the said Corporation of the Chamber of Commerce
in the City of New York, in America, that it shall and may be law-
ful for the President of the said Corporation, at all times hereafter
for ever, to appoint a door-keeper, one or more messenger or mes-
sengers, and all such other inferior officers as shall by him be thought
necessary for the said Corporation, and to displace them, and any
or every of them, at his will and pleasure. Provided, nevertheless,
that no such door-keeper, messenger or other officer shall hold his
or their office or offices by virtue of any such appointment longer
than until the then next lawful meeting of our said Corporation,
imless such person or persons so appointed shall be then approved
of by the majority of such of the members of the said Corporation
as shall then be met. And we do further, of our special grace, cer-
tain knowledge, and mere motion, for us, our heirs and successors,
grant and ordain, that when and as often as the President, or any
Vice-President, Treasurer or Secretary of the said Corporation shall
misdemean himself in his or their said offices respectively, and there-
upon a complaint or charge in writing shall be exhibited against
him or them, by any member of the said Corporation, at any legal
meeting or meetings of the said Corporation, that it shall and may
APPENDIX
241
be lawful for the members of the said Corporation then met, or the
major part of them, from time to time, upon examination and due
proof, to suspend or discharge such President, Vice-President,
Treasurer or Secretary, from their offices respectively, although
the yearly or other time for their respective services shall not be
expired, any thing before in these presents contained to the con-
trary thereof in any wise notwithstanding. And further, we do by
these presents for us, our heirs and successors, give and grant
unto the said Corporation of the Chamber of Commerce in the
City of New York, in America, and their successors for ever, that
this our present Charter shall be deemed, adjudged and con-
strued in all cases most favorably, and for the best benefit and ad-
vantage of our said Corporation, and for promoting the good inten-
tions and designs hereinbefore expressed, inducing us graciously
to grant the same; and that this our present grant, being entered
on record as hereinafter is expressed, or the enrohnent thereof,
shall be for ever hereafter good and effectual in the law, according
to our true intent and meaning hereinbefore declared, without any
other license, grant or confirmation from us, our heirs and suc-
cessors, hereafter by the said Corporation to be had or obtained,
notwithstanding the not reciting or misrecital, or not naming or
misnaming of the aforesaid offices, franchises, privileges, immuni-
ties or other the premises, or any of them, and although no writ
of ad quo damnum, or other writs, inquisitions or precepts hath been
upon this occasion had, made, issued or prosecuted, any statute,
act, ordinance or provision, or other matter or thing to the con-
trary thereof in any wise notwithstanding. In testimony whereof,
we have caused these our letters to be made patent, and the great
seal of our said province to be hereunto affixed, and the same to
be entered on record in our Secretary's office, for our said province,
in one of the books of patents there remaining.
Witness our trusty and well-beloved Cadwallader Colden,
Esquire, our Lieutenant-Governor and Commander-in-Chief of
our said province of New York and the territories depending
thereon, in America, by and with the advice and consent of our
Council for our said province, at Fort George, in our City of New
York, this thirteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord one
thousand seven hundred and seventy, and of our reign the tenth.
} •
) ]
W«W-^ft-»-a IL^ .
r-*-..
Preamble.
(
in
REAFFIRMED CHARTER
Act of Re-incorporation of the Chamber of Commerce
AN ACT
to remove doubts concerning the corporation of the cham-
ber OF COMMERCE, AND TO CONFIRM THE RIGHTS AND PRIVI-
LEGES THEREOF.
Passed the 13th April, 1784.
Whereas, George the Third, King of Great Britain, did, on
the thirteenth day of March, one thousand seven hundred and
seventy, grant certain letters patent to the persons therein named,
under the great seal of the then colony of New York, which said
letters patent are in the words following, that is to say:
(Here follows a recital of the preceding Charter.)
Reciting the And whcicas, Samuel Broome, Jeremiah Platt, John Broome,
TreSSofthe BENJAMIN LeDYARD, ThOMAS RANDALL, ROBERT BOWNE, DANIEL
c^S)ration. * Phcenix, Jacob Morris, Eliphalet Brush, James Jarvis, John
Blagge, Viner Van Zandt, Stephen Sayre, Jacobus Van Zandt,
Nathaniel Hazard, Thomas Hazard, Abraham P. Lott, Abra-
ham DuRYEE, William Malcolm, John Alsop, Isaac Sears,
James Beekman, Abraham Lott, Comfort Sands, Joseph
Blackwell, Joshua Sands, Lawrence Embree, George Em-
bree, Gerardus Duyckinck, Jun., Cornelius Ray, Anthony
Griffiths, Thomas Tucker, John Berrian, Isaac Roosevelt,
John Franklin, John H. Kip, Henry H. Kip, Archibald Cur-
RiE David Currie, and Jonathan Lawrence, all of the said city,
merchants, have by their humble petition set forth, that the said
letters patent, and the powers and privileges exercised and en-
joyed under the same, have greatly promoted the commeraal in-
terests of this State, and that great and daily inconveniences and
injury are suffered by the suspension thereof, and have prayed
that the said letters patent, with all and singular the powers and
242
>
APPENDIX
243
Charter of the
Chamber of
Comm erce
oonfiimed.
notwithstand-
ing any noo-
user, between
the 19th of
April,i775.and
the date of this
Act.
Members of
the present
Chamber of
Commerce.
franchises therein contained, may be revived, confirmed and
established:
1, Beit therefore enacted by the people of the State of New York,
represented in Senate and Assembly, and it is hereby enacted by the
authority of the same, That the said letters patent, and all and singu-
lar the powers, rights, privileges, franchises and immunities therein
and thereby granted, shall be, and the same are hereby ratified and
confirmed; and the said letters patent, and all and every other
former rights, privileges, franchises and immunities therein and
thereby granted, shall be and remain in full force and efficacy,
notwithstanding any non-user or mis-user of any of the said powers,
rights, privileges, franchises and immunities heretofore had, com-
mitted, done or suffered, between the nineteenth day of April,
one thousand seven hundred and seventy-five, and the day of the
passing of this Act. And the said Samuel Broome, Jeremiah
Platt, John Broome, Benjamin Ledyard, Thomas Randall,
Robert Bowne, Daniel Phcenix, Jacob Morris, Eliphalet
Brush, James Jarvis, John Blagge, Viner Van Zandt, Stephen
Sayre, Jacobus Van Zandt, Nathaniel Hazard, Thomas
Hazard, Abraham P. Lott, Abraham Duryee, Willmm Mal-
colm, John Alsop, Isaac Sears, James Beekman, Abraham
Lott, Comfort Sands, Joseph Blackwell, Joshua Sands, Law-
rence Embree, George Embree, Gerardus Duyckinck, Jr.,
Cornelius Ray, Anthony Griffiths, Thomas Tucker, John
Berrian, Isaac Roosevelt, John Franklin, John H. Kip,
Henry H. Kip, Archibald Currie, David Currie and Jona-
than Lawrence, shall and may for ever hereafter remain, con-
tinue, and be a body corporate and politic in deed, fact and name,
by the name of "The Corporation of the Chamber of Com-
merce OF the State of New York," and by that name to sue,
plead and be impleaded, and to answer and to be answered.
2. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid. That the ^f |»^J^/
said John Alsop shall be the present President, and the above vfce-Presi-'
named Isaac Sears the present Vice-President; that the above ^d^seSwf
named John Broome, the present Treasurer, and the above named
John Blagge, the present Secretary of the said Corporation, who
shall hold, possess and enjoy their said respective offices, until the
first Tuesday in May now next ensuing; and in case any or either
of the said persons hereby nominated and appointed to the re-
Name erf the
E resent Cham-
er of Com-
merce.
Their omtixH
uance in office*
4
A
t'
1>
244
APPENDIX
I ■
A .snective offices aforesaid, shaU happen to die, or shall neglect or
■"^^"'^ rS to Sun or execute, or shall be removed from such office
^.tc'.yS,"!? ;f Xls re^ctively, befo;e the said first Tuesday in May next,
P^idency.^c. ^^^^ ^^ j„ Jery such case, it shaU and may be lawful for
theTembers of the said body corporate to meet at suA fame
and times, and such place and places within the said aty as tiiey
shall for that purpose appoint, and upon such notices or summons
as have heretofore been used and esUblished by the said body
corporate, and then and there, by the majority o suA as shaU ^
mS to elect and choose other or others to the said office or offices
respectively, in tiie place of him or tiiem so dymg, or neglecting
o%Sg to act, or being removed, in the manner heretofore
used in the amiual elections of tiie Uke officers, which person or
persons so elected and chosen, shall enjoy and exerase tiie said office
Offices, and aU and singular tiie privileges and Pojers thereto
belonging or appertaining, until tiie said first Tuesday in May
next.
.„ , ■>. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That The
r^Z. ITZ co^rSon of tiie Chamber of Commerce of tiie State of New
Jj.'Tetn^t YoA!and tiieir successors, shaU and may for ever hereafter, peace-
corporation. . ' ^^ ^^^ ^^j ^ ^nd every tiie rights, powei^,
Uberties, privileges, franchises, usages, lands, tenement, estates
and h«;<maments which have heretofore, by virtue of tiie above
redted Ch^ter, been given or granted unto tiie said Corporation,
by Se namJof'The Corporation of tiie Chamber of Commerce m
the City of New York, in America.
AMENDMENTS
AN ACT
TO AMEND AN ACT ENTITLED "AN ACT TO REMOVE ^^^'^''^'^^
ING THE CORPORATION OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, AND
TO CONFIRM THE RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES THEREOF, PASSED
THE 13TH DAV OF APRIL, 1 784.
Passed January 25th, 1854-
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and
Assembly, do enact as follows:
SECTION I Such part of tiie letters patent under George the
Third, King of Great Britain, bearing date istii March, 1770,
I I
I '^\
APPENDIX
24s
confirmed by act of the Legislature of the State of New York,
comirmea Dy as required the Chamber of Commerce
under date 13th Apnl, 1 7»4, ^^^^^^^ ^ ^ ^^^^ ^haU be Meetings to
of New York to meet on the first iuesaay 01 edcn "*""";» be held on such
so altered or amended as to permit of the regular monthly meet- a.^sin^he^t
mg being held on the first week in f ^h,^;^^^>;^^^^^^^ ^ F^^enfsia^S
such week as the President or other duly authorized members ot ^^^^^^^
said Corporation may designate.
Section 2. This act shaU take effect immediately.
Election and
AN ACT
TO AMEND AN ACT ENTITLED "AN ACT TO REMOVE DOUBTS CONCERN-
ING THE CORPORATION OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, AND TO
CONFIRM THE RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES THEREOF, PASSED
APRIL 13TH, 1784.
Passed April 15th, 1861.
The People of the State of New York, represented in SenaU and
Assembly do enact as follows:
SECTION I. The Chamber of Commerce of the State of New
York shall have the power to elect, by ballot, in conformity with
the by-laws adopted by the said Chamber, a committee to be ^^'^^-—^
known and styled the "Arbitration Committee of the Chamber committees.
of Commerce," and shaU have power also to appoint a Committee
of Appeal: and the duly elected members of the said Chamber, and
all persons claiming by, through, or under them, may, under the lim-
itations, and subject to the restrictions unposed by the provisions
of the statutes of the State of New York relative to arbitration,
submit to the decision of the Committees of Arbitration and Ap-
peal, as the same may be constituted by tiie said Chamber, any con-
troversy existing between them which might be tiie subject of an
action, and may agree that a final judgment, in a court of record,
to be by them designated, shaU be rendered on any award made
pursuant to such submission.
SECTION 2 The Committee of Arbitration and Appeal, elected or
appointed as aforesaid, shall possess the same powers be subject
to^e same duties and disabiUties as appertam to^ arbitrators by
the laws of the State of New York, and awards made by tiiem must
be made, and may be enforced, as tiierein and thereby directed;
u
Powers and
duties.
246
APPENDIX
I
f i
n
and all the provisions contained in title fourteen, part third, chap-
ter eight of the Revised Statutes of the State of New York, and aU
acts amendatory or in substitution thereof, shall apply to the pro-
ceedings had before the said Committees of Arbitration and Appeal,
as if speciaUy incorporated herein; except that the judgment, to be
rendered in the manner therein directed, on any award made by
In regard to them as aforesaid, that is to say by the Committee of Arbitration,
r e V e r sal of ^^ J f ^om its action being taken by either party to the contro-
judgment. ^^^^^^ ^^ ^y ^^ confirmatory action of the Committee of Appeal
shall kot be subject to be removed, reversed, modified or appealed
from by the parties interested, in such submission as aforesaid.
Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
AN ACT
TO AMEND AN ACT ENTITLED "AN ACT TO AMEND AN ACT ENTITLED
'AN ACT TO REMOVE DOUBTS CONCERNING THE CORPORATION
OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, AND TO CONFIRM THE RIGHTS
AND PRIVILEGES THEREOF,' PASSED APRIL THIRTEENTH, SEVEN-
TEEN HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FOUR," PASSED APRIL FIFTEENTH,
EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND SIXTY-ONE.
Passed April 22, 1865.
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
bly j do enact as follows:
Section i. Controversies submitted to the Committee of
Arbitration of the Chamber of Commerce of the State of New
York under the Act entitled "An act to amend an act entitled
*An act to remove doubts concerning the Corporation of the
Chamber of Commerce, and to confirm the rights and privileges
thereof,' passed April thirteenth, seventeen hundred and eighty-
' four " passed April fifteenth, eighteen hundred and sixty-one, may
be heard and decided by a majority of the members of the said
Committee.
Section 2. The members of said Committee of Arbitration shall
shau take oath not be obUged to be sworn after the manner of Arbitrators but shall,
afrea/usTice before assumiug the duties of their office, take an oath before a
ofjjhe supreme ^^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ faithfully and fairly to hear and ex-
I
i
\
)
APPENDIX
247
amine all matters in controversy submitted to them ^der the
act aforesaid, and make a just award according to the best of their
understanding. Such oath shall be filed with the Secretary of
the Chamber of Commerce.
Section 3. The Chairman for the time being of said Committee ^^^c^fi^^J"
of Arbitration shaU have power to administer the oath to all wit- ^r jo^du
nesses produced before said Committee in matters of controversy ^ witnesses,
submitted to said Committee.
Section 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
AN ACT
TO AMEND THE CHARTER OF THE CORPORATION OF THE CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
Passed April 6th, 1878.
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and
Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section i. The Corporation of the Chamber of Commerce of
the State of New York, re-incorporated by an act of the Legisla-
ture of the State of New York, passed on the 13th day of April,
1784 is hereby empowered to take and receive from the Umted
States of America, or from any Corporation, or from any person, or
persons, any real or personal estate, also to take by devise or pur-
chase any real or personal estate, for the purposes of said Corpora-
tion, and to convey, lease or mortgage the same, or any part thereof,
the net annual income of which real estate shaU not exceed one
hundred thousand dollars.
Secteon 2 It shall be lawful for the said Corporation to elect,
from among its members, at its first meeting caUed for the purpose
after the passage of this act, six Trustees, who, with the Presi-
dent of said Corporation, shall constitute a Board, and have the
charge and control of the real estate of said Corporation; said
Trustees, at said first election, shaU be classified so that two of
Chamber of
Commerce to
receive irom
the United
States, or any
Corporation or
person, real or
personal es-
tate, and may
convey or lease
the same.
Income of
which real es-
tate not to ex-
ceed $100,000
per annum.
Election of a
Board of Trus-
tees.
Trustees to
irUSteeS, at sam mau ^-iv-v,i^v^x», ^..^^^ -w _. . have control of
them be elected for one year; twoof them for two years; and two of j^^ute^-^
them for three years; and at each annual election after the first,
two Trustees shall be elected to fill the class of those whose terms
V
i
\ ''\
^i.
« > ' <• «
■l!i
I
i
248
APPENDIX
Conveyances,
Mortgages,
Leases and
Contracts au-
thorized by
Trustees under
seal of the Cor-
po rati on, at-
tested by Presi-
dent and Sec-
retary.
expire; and said Corporation, at any regiilar meeting of the
Chamber, shall have power to fill any vacancy in said Board of
Trustees.
Section 3. All conveyances, mortgages, leases or contracts, of,
or affecting, any real estate of said Corporation, shall be author-
ized by said Board of Trustees, and President of the Chamber, or
of a majority thereof; and shall, when so authorized, be executed
under the seal of the Corporation, attested by the signatures of
the President and Secretary of the Chamber.
Section 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
H
:'»..y,.fvV
IV
BY-LAWS
By-Laws of the Corporation of the Chamber of Commerce
OF the State of New York, in Force May, 191 7
Article I
officers and their election
The officers of the Chamber shall be a President, twelve Vice-
Presidents, a Treasurer, an Executive Officer and a Secretary, all of
whom shall be chosen by baUot, and a majority of the votes cast at
each election shaU be necessary in each instance to elect.
At the first regular meeting in May, 1894, all of the foregomg
Officers shaU be chosen, and they shall hold office for one year, ex-
cept as hereinafter provided.
As soon as convenient after the election aforesaid, the Vice-
Presidents so elected shall meet and divide into four classes, by al-
lotment, of three to each class. The first class to serve for one
year; the second class for two years; the third class for three
years, and the fourth class for four Xf;^; ^^er the expiratioii of
their respective terms of office they shaU be mehgible for re-elec-
tion until one year has intervened. „ J „ ti,„,.^
At the first regular meeting in May, 189S, and annuaUy there-
after, there shall be chosen a President, a Treasurer, an ExeoiUve
Officer and a Secretary, to serve for one year, and three Vice-Presi-
dents, to serve for the term of four years, m place of those whose
terms of office shall then expire.
All persons elected to office shall take the oath or affirmaUon
required by the Charter, and shall continue in office as above pro-
vided, or untU their successors shall have become duly quahfied
according to the Charter. .
Should any person so elected decline to serve, or resign his office,
or his office become vacant by his death, or disabiUty, the vacancy
shall be filled by an election at the next regular or any subsequent
meeting of the Chamber, held after such declination or resigna-
tion shall have been reported to the Chamber.
249
i\
.^jjpMlMaBta^ii MiiiriTTi
250
APPENDIX
V
No person shall hold the office of President for more than three
successive yearly terms, unless he shall be re-elected by a vote of
three-fourlis of the ballots cast at the election; and the same vote
shall be necessary for each succeeding re-election of the same
person to the same office thereafter.
Article n
MEETINGS
The regular meetings of the Chamber for the transaction of
business shall be held in the Hall of the Chamber on the first
Thursday in each month, (the summer vacation only excepted,)
at twelve o^clock noon. When the first Thursday in any month
shall fall on a legal holiday, the regular monthly meeting shall be
held on the Thursday following, imless otherwise ordered by a
vote of the Chamber.
Special meetings may be held at such other places, and at such
other times as the President, or, in his absence, one of the Vice-
Presidents, according to seniority, may designate, upon the written
requisition of ten members; provided that one day's notice of the
time, place and object of the meeting shall have been pubhcly
given; and also provided, that no other business except that desig-
nated in such call and notice shall be acted upon.
Article III
MEMBERS AND THEIR ELECTION
No persons shall be admitted members of this Corporation but
merchants or others resident of this or contiguous States engaged
in trade or commerce, or in pursuits directly connected therewith.
All nominations for membership of the Chamber must be made
in writing, signed by one member, seconded by another member,
together with a statement of the occupation and qualification of
the candidate, and be addressed to the Executive Conmaittee for
consideration.
If the Executive Committee approve the nomination, they shall
report the same to the Chamber at the first regular meeting there-
after. The candidate shall be then balloted for; and if five or
more negative ballots appear, he cannot be admitted a member,
nor be again proposed until after the expiration of a year from the
time of such rejection.
it'
TtVA
APPENDIX
251
The Chamber may expel any member for dishonorable conduct
or dealings, but only after a hearing of such member at a regular
meeting, and by a two-thirds vote of the members present. Proj^
vided that the Executive Committee shall have recommended
such expulsion, and that due notice be given by the Secretary of the
Chamber, both to the accused member and to the Chamber at
large, of the day when such hearmg may be had; and also provided,
that if the accused member do not appear for such hearing, in per-
son or by proxy, the vote may be taken on his expulsion as though
he had appeared. ,1.
The Secretary of the Chamber shall f urmsh to each member who
may apply therefor, and who shaU have paid his admission or
annual fees, an engraved certificate of membership, duly signed
and authenticated.
There shall be two classes of members; resident, who reside or
do business in the City of New York; all others shall be classed as
non-resident. 1 j ^ ^u
When the number of the former shall have reached two thou-
sand (exclusive of Honorary members,) and that of the latter two
hundred and fifty, no more shall thereafter be admitted, except to
fill vacancies.
Article IV
HONORARY MEMBERS
Honorary members may be elected at any meeting of the Cham-
ber whether regular or special, on the nomination of the Executive
Committee, and without baUot, unless called for. They shaU be
entitled to all the privileges of regular members, and be exempt
from payment of any fees whatever. , ,. 1 j
The Secretary shall furnish each honorary member, thus elected,
with a certificate of membership, duly signed and authenticated.
I
Article V
FEES
Each member elected to the Chamber shall pay a fee of fifty
dollars, which shall be in full for all dues until the first of January
next succeeding his election, and thereafter shall pay an annual fee
of fifty dollars on the first of January in each year. For members
•fi
I
t^
1)
252
APPENDIX
not residing or doing business in the City of New York the fee shall
be one-half the above amounts, payable in like manner.
Every new member shall pay upon election an initiation fee of
fifty dollars.
The Executive Committee may, in its discretion, for reasons satis-
factory to itself, remit the annual dues of any member; and it may
accept the resignation of any member, at any time, if the annual
fees of such member, to the date of such resignation, shall have been
paid or remitted.
If the fees of any member remain unpaid for a term of two years,
the name of such defaulting member may be stricken from the rolls
of the Chamber by order of the Executive Committee.
Article VI
DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Of the President, — ^The President shall exercise a general super-
vision of the affairs and interests of the Chamber. He shall pre-
side at all meetings of the Chamber, regular and special, and all
motions of business and adjoiurnment shall be addressed to him.
He shall appoint all Special Committees, except where the Cham-
ber shall otherwise order. He shall sign all official documents of
the Chamber. He shall countersign the annual accoimts of the
Treasurer, when duly audited. He shall call special meetings of
the Chamber, on the written requisition of not less than ten men-
bers, stating the object thereof, and shall designate the time and
place at which such special meeting may be held, and direct the
due notification thereof.
Of the Vice-Presidents.— The Vice-Presidents, in the order of
seniority, shall, in the absence of the President, have the same
power and authority as the President.
Of the Treasurer. — ^The Treasurer shall have the charge of all
moneys collected or received for the use of the Chamber, except
money arising from or in any way connected with its real estate, or
appropriated for, or received to acquire or improve the same. He
shall disburse the same whenever not otherwise provided for by
these by-laws, only upon the written warrants of the Executive
Committee. He shall keep books of account of all receipts and
disbursements, and the vouchers therefor, in the usual form, and
shall produce a copy of the same, fairly stated, for the inspection of
APPENDIX
253
the members, at each annual meeting. Such a copy of accounts
shall be duly audited by auditors appointed for the purpose by the
Chamber, and be signed by them and countersigned by the Presi-
dent, on or before the Tuesday next preceding the annual meeting.
The Treasurer shall deliver over to his successor the cash remaining
in his hands, as also any certificates of stock or other securities,
the property of this Chamber, together with the books of account,
chest and key, and may require a receipt therefor. In the absence
of the Treasurer-elect, the same shall be delivered to the President.
In the absence of the Treasurer, the Chairman of the Executive
Committee shall perform the duties assigned to the Treasurer.
Of the Executive Officer. — ^The Executive Officer shall have the
supervision and representation of the Chamber in its correspon-
dence, publicity work and external relations.
He shall have charge, imder the general guidance of the Execu-
tive Committee, of the publications of the Chamber, such as the
Monthly Bulletin, special reports, and the Annual Report, and in
general shall have the editing of all documents that are to be pub-
lished or to be given to the Press.
He shall, as far as is practicable, be in attendance at the meetings
of the Standing and Special Committees, and when desired, assist
in their deliberations.
He shall give all of his time to the business of the Chamber.
He shall conduct researches and assist the Chamber and its Com-
mittees in obtaining complete information on all subjects upon
which they may be called upon to report and act, and shall keep
constant watch for those subjects and opportunities for usefulness
which may fall within the general scope of the Chamber's activities
and direct the attention of the Officers and Chairmen of the vari-
ous committees thereto.
In the absence of the Secretary he shall act in his place and shall
exercise his powers.
Of the Secretary. — ^The Secretary shall devote himself entirely to
the affairs of the Chamber. He shall be the custodian of the Hall
and other rooms, and other property of the Chamber, except its
real estate, and shall have the general care of the furniture, library,
pictures, portraits, and of all docmnents and correspondence be-
longing to the Corporation. He shall keep such property insured
against fire. He shall attend all meetings, and keep a fair and
correct register of all proceedings, rules and regulations of the
Chamber, which shall be regularly entered in the book of minutes,
1
ijdi
II
III'
I
I
APPENDIX
254
. ^ ^ TT- 5i,„ii also attend upon and keep min-
tSTt'.TXSonl^lS^^^^-i ot^er Standing Com-
Sl and shaTas'ist the Special Conunittees as ar as m h.s
™Jer He shall have charge of the office «taff and shaU see Jat aU
Xfr; and Comnuttees of the ^^f^^'^l'^^^^^^t,^^
clerical assistance as they may need. He f'^'y^^'l^^Xs
of the President, conduct the co««f'!^<^ence °f the »er,^
related to its internal and local adnunistraUon. He shaU amy
clTthltci;^ s3, after'reasonable delay, adjourn the
""nel^rset'to the collection of aU dues from members, and
rejLrt return the same to the Treasurer and shall render hrm
Xqui^red assisunce in the clerical P^ft °£ »"f ^f^^^^^,, com-
A« AQd«;taTit Secretary may be appointed by the l^xecuuve ^om
J^ee SslalSsTthe'secretary in 1?>e P^rf™- " ^^^
T£t and in the Secretary's absence act m his place. He shaU
hold office durmg the pleasure of the Committee.
Article VII
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE WEAL ESTATE
Flection -At each annual meeting of the Chamber there shall be
''^- tJ.^ SSIo el«rf Ml, with tta Pr.»d«l, con-
Slu Sed atthe next regular or any subsequent meeting of the
X'";.n. P./.-.s.-The President of the Chamber shaU^^^^^^^
Chairman of the Board of Trustees ex.offic^o, and sa d ^o^^^^l
Sect a Treasurer and a ^e-taxy;^^^^^^^^^
S:dy, lu^aX^naglm:^^^^^^^^^^^ estate of tl. Co^^^^^^^
S' and of all funds and other property appropriated or received
nil
APPENDIX
255
for the purchase, improvement, or any other purpose affecting real
estate, and shall have full power in the name of the Chamber to
contract for and acquire such real estate as it may deem wise,
and to improve the same by demolition, alteration or erection
of buildings or otherwise, adopt plans, modify the same from time
to time, and make all appropriate contracts therefor and for the
management of said real estate. The Board may provide for such
compensation to its appointees and assistants as it may deem wise,
and pay the same from any funds in its control. No sale or mort-
gage of the real estate shall be made, except by authority of the
Chamber by resolution adopted at a regular meeting or special
meeting called for that purpose. All conveyances, mortgages,
leases or contracts of, or affecting the real estate of the Chamber,
shall be authorized by said Board and the President, or a majority
thereof, and shall, when so authorized, be executed under the
seal of the Corporation, attested by the signatures of the President
and Secretary of the Chamber.
The Hall shall be used exclusively for meetings of the Chamber,
unless consent for other temporary use be given by a two-thirds
vote of the Board of Trustees of the Real Estate and the President
of the Chamber at a regular meeting or special meetmg called for
that purpose.
The Board shall annually, and from time to time as it deems wise,
make reports to the Chamber.
The Board is authorized and empowered in the name of the
Chamber to execute, issue and deliver certificates of indebtedness
for subscriptions to the building fund received under letter of the
Building Committee of May 7th, 1897, or under any other plan for
providing funds to erect a building for the use of the Chamber,
which certificates shall be of such form and contain such provisions
as the Board may from time to time prescribe.
The Board is authorized and empowered to receive from the
Treasurer of the Chamber all gifts and bequests of money or se-
curities given to the Chamber in trust in the way of endowment or
otherwise, for any object connected with the operations of the
Chamber, except the Charity Fund, and to invest, control, manage
and disburse the same as provided by the donors thereof.
Duties of Officers.— The President shall preside at the meetings
of the Board of Trustees when present, and shall perform the usual
duties of that office. The Secretary shall keep true and careful
minutes of the meetings, and perform such other duties as shall be
lih
■1 ^
I
256
APPENDIX
assigned to him by the Board; the Treasurer shall be the custodian
of all funds under control of the Board, shall collect and receive all
money arising from rents or otherwise, make such disbursements
and payments as the Board shall direct, and keep accurate books of
account therefor. All cheques against said funds shall be signed
by the Treasurer and President, (or, in his absence, the senior mem-
ber of the Board,) and appropriate vouchers shall be taken for all
disbursements. The Treasurer shall, under the direction of the
Board, be the general manager of the real estate.
Article VIII
STANDING COMMITTEES
The Standing Committees of the Chamber shall be
An Executive Committee, which shall consist of a Chairman to
be elected by the Chamber at the regular Annual Meeting in May
of each year, the Chairman of the Committee on Finance and Cur-
rency, the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Commerce and
the Revenue Laws, the Chairman of the Committee on Internal
Trade and Improvements, the Chairman of the Committee on the
Harbor and Shipping, the Chairman of the Conmiittee on In-
surance, the Chairman of the Committee on State and Municipal
Taxation, the Chairman of the Committee on Arbitration, the
Chairman of the Committee on Commercial Education, the Presi-
dent of the Chamber, the senior Vice-President, the Treasurer and
the Ex-Presidents of the Chamber.
A Committee on Finance and Currency.
A Committee on Foreign Commerce and the Revenue Laws.
A Committee on Internal Trade and Improvements.
A Committee on the Harbor and Shipping.
A Committee on Insurance.
A Committee on State and Mimicipal Taxation.
A Committee on the Charity Fund of the Chamber of Commerce.
A Committee on Arbitration.
A Committee on Commercial Education.
Each of these Standing Committees, except the Executive Com-
mittee, shall consist of a Chairman and six members, who shall be
elected at the regular annual May meeting. The Chairman shall
continue in office during the pleasure of the Chamber. The mem-
bers shall be elected for a term of three years, except at the election
held in 1902, when six members shall be elected, two for a term of
APPENDIX
257
one year, two for a term of two years, and two for a term of three
years. No member of a Standing Committee, except the Executive
Committee, shall be eligible for re-election to the same Committee
until one year from the expiration of his term. Vacancies occur-
ring in any Committee may be filled at any regular meeting of the
Chamber.
Three members of any Committee shall constitute a quorum for
the transaction of business.
Article IX
DUTIES OF STANDING COMMITTEES
Of the Executive Committee. — ^The Executive Committee shall,
under the direction of the Chamber, have a general control of the
property and affairs of the Chamber. It shall act as an advisory
committee to the Secretary, and direct the preparation of the
Annual Report of the Chamber. It shall audit all bills and claims
against the Corporation and direct their payment, if approved,
except bills for salaries and rent, which shall be approved by the
President, and paid upon his order, or that of one of the Vice-Presi-
dents, in his absence, and except all bills affecting the real estate or
funds under control of the Board of Trustees. It shall fix the
amount of all salaries and compensation for service. The Execu-
tive Committee shall submit at the regular meeting preceding the
annual election the names of seven members for appointment by
the Chamber to nominate Officers and Standing Committees for
election to serve for the ensuing year. It shall have power to accept
resignations and remit fees as hereinbefore provided by Article V.
Upon the complaint by any member charging dishonorable con-
duct or dealings on the part of any other member, it may, in its
discretion, report the complaint to the Chamber, with recommenda-
tion to expel the offending member, but not otherwise; always pro-
vided that it give to the member complained of an opportunity
for a hearing, either in person or by proxy, before making such
report.
Of the Committee on the Charity Fund. — ^This Committee shall
take charge of the moneys and securities received from Mrs. John
C. Green, and from any other source, for benevolent purposes,
and invest and re-invest the same from time to time, and shall have
pKJwer to make distribution of the income thereof among those in-
tended to be benefited. The Committee shall have power to fill
258
APPENDIX
Its ^
any vacancies that may occur in their number by death, resignation
or otherwise. . int.
Of the CommUtee on Arbitration.-T\As Committee shaU have
complete supervision of aU matters of arbitration referred to the
Chamber and shaU make rules and regulations for the conduct and
disposition of aU matters submitted in arbitration; it shaU provide
a form of agreement not inconsistent with existing provisions of
law by which, so far as practicable, the decision of the arbitrator
or arbitrators shall become as effective as a judgment of the Su-
preme Court. . V 4. c
It shall compile and from time to time revise and keep a hst ot
quaUfied persons, not less than fifty, wiUing to act as arbitrators
under these rules, who shall be members of the Chamber. This
list shaU be known as— "The List of Official Arbitrators
of the Chamber of Commerce.
Any matter in controversy may be referred by the disputants
signing the form of agreement provided by the Committee, together
with a stipulation to the effect that they wiU abide by the deasion
of the arbitrator or arbitrators, by them selected, and waiving any
and all right to withdraw from such submission after the acceptance
of their appointment by their arbitrator or arbitrators selected,
and designating at their option either . ^^ . , * u-.
(a.) One of the persons named in said "List of Offiaal Arbitra-
tors," who shall act as sole arbitrator; or
(b ) Any two persons to act as arbitrators, who in turn shaU
designate from said "List of Official Arbitrators" a third person to
be associated with them as arbitrators; or
(c.) The Committee on Arbitration of the Chamber of Com-
merce or a quorum thereof. ^ ^
In any case the Committee on Arbitration may, m its discretion,
decUne to entertain a matter submitted for arbitration, in which
event the selection of special Arbitrator or Arbitrators shall be void.
The Committee on Arbitration shaU, from time to time, estabhsh
a schedule of moderate fees to be paid in all matters submitted,
which fees shall be chargeable as decided by the arbitrators.
The Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce shall be the Clerk
of the Committee on Arbitration.
OF OTHER STANDING COMMITTEES
Their duties shall be to examine into and make report upon such
subjects as may be referred to tiiem by tiie Chamber, or tiiey may
APPENDIX
259
originate and report to the Chamber such views as tiiey may deem
proper for its consideration. ^
They shall, respectively, keep regular minutes of their meetings
and proceedings, in which tiie Secretary shall give tiiem aU re-
quired assistance, and they shall make an annual written report to
the Chamber at its regular annual May meeting.
Article X
OF ELECTION OF SPECIAL OFFICERS UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE
The Chamber shall elect, in conformity with the laws of the State,
the following named officers:
Commissioners of PUots— There shall be elected by ballot, to
serve for two years, at a special meeting called for the purpose,
three members of the Chamber to act as Commissioners of Pilots.
Whenever any vacancy shall occur by death, resignation or other-
wise, of either of such Commissioners so elected, the vacancy shall
be filled at a special meeting of the Chamber, and the term of ser-
vice of the member so elected shall date from the day of such elec-
tion, [as by law of the State of New York, passed June 28, 1853].
Commissioner for Licensing Sailors' Boarding Houses or Hotels.^
There shall be elected by ballot, to serve for one year, at the annual
meeting of the Chamber in May, a member of the Chamber to act
as Commissioner for Licensing Sailors' Boarding Houses or Hotels
in the Cities of New York and Brooklyn, [as by law of the State of
New York, passed March 21, j866].
Whenever any vacancy shall occur in the above named offices by
death, resignation or otherwise, except in that of the Commissioners
of Pilots, the same shall be filled at the regular meeting of the Cham-
ber next following.
Article XI
QUORUM AND ADJOURNMENT
t
Twenty-five members of the Chamber, of which number the
President or one of the Vice-Presidents must always be one, shall
be necessary to form a quorum for the transaction of business, or
to ballot for members.
In case a quorum shall not be present at the time fixed for any
regular meeting of the Chamber, the President, or, in his absence,
the senior Vice-President present, may adjourn the meeting to
M
I) i
1 1
n
260
APPENDIX
such other day in the same month as he may judge proper; but in
case there be no quorum present at the time fixed for any special
meeting, such adjournment shall not be made, except by consent
of two-thirds of the members present.
If there fail to be a quorum from the absence of the prescribed
officers, it shall be the duty of the Secretary to declare the meeting
adjourned sine die.
Article XII
RULES OF ORDER
At all regular meetings of the Chamber, the regular order of
business shall be:
1. Reading of the minutes.
2. Report of the Executive Committee on nominations for
membership.
3. Ballot for members.
4. Report of the Executive Committee.
5. Reports of Standing Committees, in their order.
6. Report of Trustees of Real Estate.
7. Reports of Special Committees.
8. Unfinished business.
9. New business.
Members having any motion or remarks to make shall rise and
address the Chair. All resolutions or propositions, of whatever
nature, must be reduced to writing before they can be entertained.
The time to be taken by any member in debate may be limited by
the presiding officer at the request of the Chamber. Each mem-
ber shall be entitied to the floor, without interruption, for such
time as may be allowed to him. Where reports of Committees are
submitted to debate, the Chairman of the Committee introducing
such report may open and close the debate.
At special meetings called to hear and consider reports of Com-
mittees ordered by the Chamber, no new propositions or resolu-
tions in the nature of substitutes, (except the report of the minority
of the Committee, if any,) shall be introduced or debated until after
final action shall have been taken upon the report of such Com-
mittee; when, if it be rejected, such new propositions or resolu-
tions may be entertained, but no business other than that named in
the requisition and call for the special meeting shall be entertained,
even though unanimous consent be had.
APPENDIX
261
Members having appeared in the Chamber shall not withdraw
previous to adjournment, except by permission from the President.
Whenever any resolution shall be proposed in tiie Chamber
which calls for the immediate expression of its opinion or action
touching any public matter, and if the same be objected to by any
member present, it shaU be the duty of the President to state the
objection, and to call upon those who sustain the same to rise, and
if one-fourth of the members present rise in support of such objec-
tion, then such resolution shall be referred to a Standing or Special
Committee, who shall report thereon at the next meeting of the
Chamber; and upon the presentation of such report, the same, and
the original resolution, and the subject referred to, may then be
acted upon without further right of such objection.
Article XIII
PRIVILEGES OF STRANGERS
Members may, by ticket, introduce to the Rooms of the Cham-
ber and the use of the Library, Newspapers and Magazines, any
stranger, and such ticket shall be available for one month from date.
Article XIV
POWERS OF DELEGATIONS
Delegations or Committees, which may be appointed by this
Chamber at any time to represent it at any meeting of Chambers of
Commerce or Boards of Trade, or at any other Convention, meeting
or Assembly whatever, shall have no authority, by virtue of such
appointment, to bind this Corporation to concur in the action of
any such body; but such Delegations or Committees shall report
to the Chamber all propositions or actions of such body for its
concurrence or dissent.
/,
U
I
Article XV
All proposed amendments to the By-Laws shall be submitted in
writing, at a regular meeting of the Chamber; but no such amend-
ments shall be acted upon before the next regular meeting.
i
4':
i i i.
OFFICERS OF THE CHAMBER
Officers of the Chamber of Commerce from Its
Organization, 1768
presidents
elected
RETDIED
1768. John Cruger 1770
1770. Hugh Wallace 1771
1771. Elias Desbrosses 1772
1772. Henry White 1773
1773. Theophylact Bache. 1774
1774. William Walton 1775
1775. Isaac Low 1784
1784. JohnAlsop 1785
1785. John Broome 1794
1794. Comfort Sands 1798
1798. John Murray 1806
1806. Cornelius Ray 1819
1819. William Bayard 1827
1827. Robert Lenox 1840
1840. Isaac Carow 1842
1842. James De Peyster
Ogden 1845
1845. James G. King 1847
1847. Moses H. Grinnell.. 1848
elected retired
1848. James G. King 1849
1849. Moses H. Grinnell. . 1852
1852. Elias Hicks 1853
1853. Pelatiah Perit 1863
1863. AbielA. Low 1867
1867. William E. Dodge. . 1875
1875. Samuel D. Babcock. 1882
1882. George W. Lane. . .
1884. James M. Brown. . .
1887. Charles S. Smith .. .
1894. Alexander E. Orr. . .
1899. Morris K. Jesup. . . .
1907. J. Edward Simmons 1910
1910. A. Barton Hepburn. 1912
1912. John Claflin 1914
1914. Seth Low 1916
1 91 6. Eugenius H. Outer-
bridge
1883
1887
1894
1899
1907
VICE-PRESIDENTS
ELECTED RETIRED
1768. Hugh Wallace 1770
1770. Elias Desbrosses 1771
1770. Henry White i773
1 77 1. Theophylact Bache. 1774
1772. William Walton 1774
1773. Isaac Low i775
1774. JohnAlsop 1779
1775. William McAdam. . 1780
1779. Thomas Buchannan 1783
ELECTED RETIRED
1779. Hugh Wallace 1781
1 781. Jacob Walton 1783
1783. William Walton 1784
1783. Gerard Walton 1785
1784. Isaac Sears 1785
1785. William Constable. . 1788
1785. Pascal M. Smith. . . 1788
1788. Theophylact Bache. 1792
1788. John Murray 1798
262
\ i
APPENDIX
263
ELECTED RETIRED
1792. Gerard Walton i793
1793. Comfort Sands i794
1794. JohnBlagge i797
1797. John B.Coles 1817
1798. George Barnewall. . . 1800
1800. Archibald Grade. . . 1825
1817. William Bayard 1819
1819. Robert Lenox 1827
1825. William W. Woolsey 1839
1827. Isaac Carow 1840
1839. James Boorman 1841
1840. James De Peyster
Ogden 1842
1841. James G. King 1845
1842. Henry K. Bogert. . . 1846
1845. Stewart Brown 1847
1846. David S. Kennedy.. 1847
1847. Moses H. Grinnell. . 1847
1847. William H.Macy... 1849
1848. Moses H. Grinnell. . 1849
1849. James De Peyster
Ogden 1851
1849. Prosper M. Wetmore 1850
1850. Charles H. Russell. . 1852
1851. EUas Hicks 1852
1852. Caleb Barstow 1855
1852. Samuel L. Mitchill.. 1854
1854. George Curtiss 1856
1855. Royal Phelps 1862
1856. Abiel A. Low 1863
1863. WiUiam E. Dodge . . 1867
1863. Jonathan Sturges. . . 1867
1867. George Opdyke 1875
1867. Simeon B. Chitten-
den 1869
1869. R. Warren Weston.. 1870
1870. Walters. Griffith... 1872
1870. WiUiam M. Ver-
milye 1875
1870. Samuel D. Babcock. 1874
1873. Solon Humphreys... 1874
1875. James M. Brown. . . 1884
1875. George W. Lane 1882
1882. WiUiam H. Fogg .. . 1884
ELECTED RETIRED
1884. Charles S.Smith... 1887
1884. Josiah M. Fiske. . . . 1889
1887. Cornelius N. Bliss.. 1889
1889. Alexander E. Orr. . . 1894
1889. Morris K. Jesup. ... 1898
1894. Wmiam E. Dodge
(2d) 189s
1894. ComeUusVanderbUt 1895
1894. WiUiam L. Strong. . 1895
1894. JohnSloane 1896
1894. John Crosby Brown. 1896
1894. Richard T. WUson. . 1896
1894. CorneHus N. BUss. . 1897
1894. J. Pierpont Morgan. 1897
1894. WilUam H.Webb... 1897
1894. J. Edward Simmons. 1898
1894. Horace Porter 1898
1895. D.WUlis James 1899
1895. John A. Stewart. . . . 1899
1895. John Claflin 1899
1896. Henry Hentz 1900
1896. Augustus D. Juil-
liard 1900
1896. JohnL. Riker 1900
1897. Seth Low 1901
1897. Woodbury Langdon. 1901
1897. Anson W. Hard 1901
1898. Abram S. Hewitt. . . 1902
1898. Charles S. FairchUd. 1902
1898. Jacob H. Schiff 1902
1899. J. Edward Simmons. 1903
1899. WUUam E. Dodge
(2d) 1903
1899. Levi P. Morton 1903
1900. J. Pierpont Morgan. 1904
1900. John D. RockefeUer. 1904
1900. Andrew Carnegie. . . 1904
1901. John T. Terry 1905
1901. James T. Woodward 1905
1901. John Claflin 1905
1902. Whitelaw Reid 1906
1902. Clement A. Griscom 1906
1902. Charles Lanier 1906
1903. John S. Kennedy. . . 1907
I
4
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264
APPENDIX
1903.
1904.
1904.
1904.
1905.
1905.
1905.
ELECTED RETIRED
1903. Alexander J. Cassatt 1906
Marshall Field 1906
Chauncey M. De-
pew 1908
Vernon H. Brown. . 1908
Isidor Straus 1908
Cornelius N. Bliss. . 1909
WiUiam Butler
Duncan 1909
Seth Low 1909
1906. J, Pierpont Morgan. 1907
1906. John Crosby Brown 1909
1906. D. Willis James. . . . 1907
1906. William Bayard
Cutting 1910
Joseph H. Choate. . 191 1
Gustav H. Schwab. 191 1
George F. Seward. . 1910
Edward King 1909
Cleveland H. Dodge 191 2
James J. Hill 1912
George F. Baer 1912
Stewart L. Wood-
ford 1910
John S. Kennedy. . . 1909
J. Pierpont Morgan. 191 3
Jacob H. Schiff 1913
A. Barton Hepburn. 19 10
Cornelius N. Bliss. . 191 1
Otto T. Bannard. . . 1914
1907.
1907.
1907.
1907.
1908.
1908.
1908.
1909.
1909.
1909.
1909.
1910.
1910.
1910.
ELECTED
RETIRED
910.
Arthur Curtiss James
1914
910.
William A. Nash . . .
1913
911.
JohnClaflin
1912
911.
A. Foster Higgins. . .
191S
911.
James Talcott
191S
911.
Philip A. S. Frank-
lin
1914
912.
William D. Sloane. .
191S
912.
John I. Waterbury. .
1916
912.
T. DeWitt Cuyler..
1916
912.
Frank K. Sturgis. . .
1916
913.
J. Pierpont Morgan
(2d)
1917
1914
913-
Paul M. Warburg . .
913.
George B. Cortelyou
1917
914.
Jacob H. Schiff
1917
914.
James G. Cannon . .
1916
914.
Anton A. Raven
1918
914.
William Skinner
1918
915-
Cleveland H. Dodge
915.
Henry Hentz
915.
Eugene Delano
916.
Alfred E. Marling. .
1918
916.
Philip A. S. Franklin
916.
James A. Farrell
916.
Samuel Rea
917.
Frank K. Sturgis. . .
917.
Henry P. Davison. .
917.
T. DeWitt Cuyler..
TREASURERS
ELECTED RETIRED
1768. Elias Desbrosses. . . . 1770
1770. Theophylact Bache. 1771
1771. William Walton. . . . 1772
1772. Isaac Low 1773
1773. John Alsop 1774
1774. William McAdam. .. 1775
1775. Charles McEvers. . . 1780
1780. Robert Ross Wad-
dell 1784
1784. John Broome 1785
1785. Joshua Sands 1789
ELECTED RETIRED
1789. Cornelius Ray 1806
1806. Henry I. Wyckoff... 1839
1840. John J. Palmer 1858
1858. Augustus E. Silli-
man i860
i860. Edward C. Bogert. . 1865
1865. Francis S. Lathrop. . 1878
1878. Solon Humphreys... 1900
1900. James G. Cannon.. . 1908
1908. William H. Porter. .
r
APPENDIX
265
SECRETARIES
ELECTED RETIRED
1768. Anthony Van Dam . 1784
1784. JohnBlagge 1785
1785. Adam Gilchrist, Jr. . 1786
1786. William Shotwell... 1787
1787. William Laight 1796
1796. William W. Woolsey 1801
1 801. Jonathan H. Law-
rence 1803
1803. John Ferrers 1813
1817. John Pintard 1827
1827. John A. Stevens 1832
1832, John R. Hurd 1834
1834. Jacob Harvey 1838
ELECTED RETIRED
1838. E. A. Boonen Graves 1841
1841. John D. Van Buren. 1843
1843. John L. H. Mc-
cracken 1843
1843. Prosper M. Wetmore 1849
1849. Matthew Maury. . . 1853
1853. Edward C. Bogert. . 1859
1859. Isaac Smith Homans 1862
1862. John Austin Stevens 1868
1868. George Wilson 1908
1908. Sereno S. Pratt ... . 19x5
19 1 5. Charles T. Gwynne.
ASSISTANT SECRETARIES
Si
ELECTED RETIRED
1909. Charles T. Gwynne. 1915
ELECTED RETIRED
191 7. Jere D. Tamblyn. . .
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
ELECTED RETIRED
1915. JoliD^ Franklin Crowell 1917
»tl
].
ft
1/1
1 ^.
■'J I
VI
OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES OF THE CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE FOR THE YEAR ENDING MAY, 1918
Elected by the Chamber
Eugenius H. Outerbridge, President
vice-presidents
To serve until May, igi8
Alfred E. Marling
Anton A. Raven
William Skinner
To serve until May, IQIQ
Cleveland H. Dodge
Henry Hentz
Eugene Delano
To serve until May, ig20
Philip A. S. FrankUn
James A. Farrell
Samuel Rea
To serve untU May, ig2i
Frank K. Sturgis
Henry P. Davison
T. De Witt Cuyler
William H. Porter, Treasurer
Charles T. Gwynne, Secretary
Jere D. Tamblyn, AssH Secretary
Frank A. Vanderlip
Henry A. Caesar
Samuel W. Fairchild
Irving T. Bush
Darwin P. Kingsley
Alfred E. Marling
executive committee
Welding Ring, Chairman
Charles L. Bemheimer
Howard C. Smith
Eugenius H. Outerbridge
WiUiam H. Porter
A. Barton Hepburn
John Claflin
COMMITTEE ON FINANCE AND CURRENCY
Frank A. Vanderlip, Chairman
Members to serve until May, 1918
George F. Baker, Jr. Samuel Sachs
Members to serve until May, 1919
Albert H. Wiggin James S. Alexander
Members to serve until May, 1920
William Woodward George B. Cortelyou
266
APPENDIX
267
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN COMMERCE AND THE REVENUE LAWS
Henry A. Caesar, Chairman
Members to serve until May, 191 8
WiUiam E. Peck Charles A. Schieren
Members to serve imtil May, 19 19
Lincoln Cromwell John V. Jewell
Members to serve until May, 1920
W. Tyrie Stevens I. Osgood Carleton
COMMITTEE ON INTERNAL TRADE AND IMPROVEMENTS
Samuel W. Fairchild, Chairman
Members to serve until May, 1918
WiUiam R. WiUcox Burns D. CaldweU
Members to serve untU May, 1919
James O. Bloss Charles A. Sherman
Members to serve untU May, 1920
Charles E. Peck EUhu C. Church
COMMITTEE ON THE HARBOR AND SHIPPING
Irving T. Bush, Chairman
Members to serve imtU May, 1918
Lloyd B. Sanderson Albert Strauss
Members to serve untU May, 1919
John F. WaUace Clarence H. Kelsey
Members to serve untU May, 1920
George S. Dearborn Joseph P. Grace
COMMITTEE ON INSURANCE
Darwin P. Kingsley, Chairman
Members to serve until May, 1918
John B. Lunger
Members to serve until May, 191 9
Ellis G. Richards
Members to serve untU May, 1920
Isaac B. Johnson
w
Hendon Chubb
Frank E. Law
WiUiam J. TuUy
ft!
>i
i<
268
APPENDIX
COMMITTEE ON STATE AND MUNICIPAL TAXATION
Alfred E. Marling, Chairman
Members to serve until May, 191 8
Edwin W. Coggeshall James H. Post
Members to serve until May, 1919
William C. Demorest Leonor F. Loree
Members to serve until May, 1920
James Brown William H. Wheelock
COMMITTEE ON ARBITRATION
Charles L. Bernheimer, Chairman
Members to serve until May, 1918
Frank A. Ferris Victor Koechl
Members to serve until May, 1919
George A. Zabriskie Thomas F. Vietor
Members to serve until May, 1920
W. Gerald Hawes Edward O. Stanley
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCIAL EDUCATION
Howard C. Smith, Chairman
Members to serve until May, 191 8
Julio F. Sorzano J. Louis Schaefer
Members to serve until May, 1919
Alexander C. Humphreys Lionel Sutro
Members to serve until May, 1920
Joseph H. Sears WiUiam W. Heroy
COMMITTEE ON THE CHARITY FUND OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Eugenius H. Outerbridge, President of the Chamber,
Chairman, ex-officio
Eugene Delano Welding Ring Alfred E. Marling
BOARD OF TRUSTEES HAVING CHARGE OF THE REAL ESTATE OF THE
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Eugenius H. Outerbridge, President of the Chamber,
Chairman, ex-officio
Members to serve until May, 1918
Jacob H. Schiff A. Barton Hepburn
APPENDIX
269
Members to serve until May, 191 9
George F. Baker Augustus D. Juilliard
Members to serve until May, 1920
T. De Witt Cuyler Clarence H. Kelsey
COMMISSIONERS OF PILOTS, ELECTED BY THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
To serve until October, 1919
Marcus H. Tracy Jacob W. Miller Arthur M. Smith
- COMMISSIONER FOR LICENSING SAILORS* HOTELS OR BOARDING-
HOUSES
Eben E. Olcott
Special Committees Appointed by the President
committee on the national guard and naval militia
Francis G. Landon, Chairman
i\
Union N. Bethell
William C. Le Gendre
Anson W. Burchard
Henry C. Swords
Alfred R. Whitney, Jr.
James W. Lane
COMMITTEE ON WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION LEGISLATION
Edmund Dwight, Chairman
Frank E. Law
Waldo H. Marshall
William Sloane
Otto M. Eidlitz
COMMITTEE ON CONSERVATION OF STATE WATERS, LANDS, AND
FORESTS
Charles N. Chadwick, Chairman
H. Hobart Porter Charies W. Carpenter
Franklin P. Duryea Lincoln CromweU
COMMITTEE ON PROBLEMS OF SHIPMENTS DURING THE EUROPEAN
Eugenius H.
Jacob H. Schiff
J. Pierpont Morgan
Frank A. Vanderlip
Anton A. Raven
William G. Willcox
Philip A. S. Franklin
T. Ashley Sparks
Frank Trumbull
Walter B. Pollock
WAR
Outerbridge, Chairman
James A. Farrell
Welding Ring
J. Parker Kirlin
Charles C. Burlingham
Hendon Chubb
J. Temple Gwathmey
Samuel Rea
Alfred H. Smith
I
(
I
270
APPENDIX
COMMITTEE ON THE AMERICAN MERCHANT MARINE
Irving T. Bush, Chairman
William Hams Douglas George S. Dearborn
Jacob W. Miller J. Temple Gwathmey
COMMITTEE ON INDUSTRIAL PROBLEMS AND RELATIONS
Edward D. Page, Chairman
George W. Perkins
William Hamlin Childs
Otto M. Eidlitz
William L. Saunders
COMMITTEE ON FOOD-SUPPLY AND PRICES
Harry Balfe, Chairman
Gustave Porges
John W. Nix
George A. Zabriski
William Mc Carroll
COMMITTEE ON CELEBRATION OF 150TH ANNIVERSARY
Lewis L. Clarke, Chairman
James Brown Lincoln Cromwell
Welding Ring
Samuel W. Fairchild
R. A. C. Smith
John I. Waterbury
COMMITTEE ON INVESTIGATION OF CAMP WHITMAN AND
OTHER CAMP SITES
John I. Waterbury, Chairman
Leonor F. Loree H. de Berkeley Parsons
Alfred R. Whitney, Jr. Michael Friedsam
Julio F. Sorzano
COMMITTEE ON SAFETY-FIRST PROBLEMS
Franklin P. Duryea, Chairman
Charles W. Leavitt Allen Merrill Rogers
Charles L. Bemheimer George E. Molleson
VII
ROLL OF MEMBERS
Corrected to March 7, 1918
honorary members
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Edison, Thomas A 1889
Hanna, Hugh H 1900
Porter, Horace 1905
Peary, Robert E 1910
Roosevelt, Theodore 1910
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Carnegie, Andrew 191 1
Root, Elihu 1915
Goethals, George W 1917
Morton, Levi P 1917
^
h
MEMBERS
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Abercrombie, David T 191 5
Achelis, Fritz 1894
Acheson, E. G., Niagara
Falls, N. Y 1902
Ackerman, Ernest R 1899
Ackerman, Marion S 1903
Adams, Edward D 1902
Adams, James W 1910
Adams, Robert F 1915
Adler, Jerome C 1915
Adsit, Charles, Homell,N.Y. 1901
Agar, John G 1906
Agnew, Cornelius R 191 5
Agnew, George Bliss 1909
Ahlstrom, Carl F 1913
Aldrich, Spencer 1909
Aldridge, Darwin R 1898
Alexander, Charles B 1915
Alexander, James S 191 2
Allen, Frederic W 1914
Allerton, David D 1906
Allison, WiUiam O 190S
Alvord, Andrew P 191 5
Ambrose, Harry T 1891
Ames, Edwin A 1912
Ames, Louis Annin 1913
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Anderson, Abraham A 1903
Anderson, Charles W 1890
Anderson, John 1908
Anderson, Lathrop, New-
ark, N. J 1901
Andrews, Horace E 1908
Andrews, James K 1914
Andrews, William H., Buf-
falo, N. Y 1897
Appleton, Francis R., Buf-
falo, N.Y 1894
Aral, Rioichiro 1918
Arents, George, Jr 191 5
Armstrong, Collin 191 2
Armstrong, James Sinclair. 1892
Aron, Jacob 1913
Ashforth, Albert B 191 1
Aspegren, John 1913
Astor, Vincent 1915
Astor, William Waldorf 1890
Atterbury, William W.,
Philadelphia, Pa 1915
At water, Theron S 1909
Atwater, William C 1909
Austin, Chellis A 191 7
I Ayres, Howard 1905
271
>
272
APPENDIX
B
* 1
iiii
I
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Babb, George W 1908
Babcock, F. Huntington. . . 1916
Bache, Jules S 1903
Bacon, George W 1915
Bacon, Robert 1912
Bacon, Robert Low 1913
Bailey, Benjamin F 191 7
Bailey, Frank 1901
Baker, Edwin H 1902
Baker, George F 1880
Baker, George F., Jr 1913
Baker, James B 1897
Baldwin, Leroy W 191 1
Baldwin, William D 1897
Baldwin, William H 191 7
Baldwin, William M 1897
Balfe, Harry 1907
Balfe, Thomas F.,
Newburgh, N. Y 1906
Ball, Alwyn, Jr 1901
Ball, Ancell H 1909
Ball, T. Arthur 1913
Ballard, Charles W 1916
Ballard, Edward L 1916
Ballard, Seymour M 1914
Bamberger, Maurice 1903
Bancroft, Joseph 1913
Bangs, Francis Sedgwick. . . 1895
Banks, Theodore H 191 7
Bannard, Otto T 1895
Barber, James 1910
Barbour, W. Warren 1917
Barker, Harold O 1915
Barlow, DeWitt D 1916
Barnum, William M 191 5
Barr, Edward 1881
Barrett, John D 1901
Barrett, William M 1909
Barron, George Davis, Rye,
N. Y 1916
Barrows, Ira 1911
Barry, Charles D 1897
Barry, John T 1916
NAME DATE OP ELECTION
Bartow, Charles S 1897
Bates, Edgar A 1917
Bates, Lindon W 191S
Bausher, Charles L 1897
Baylies, Edmund L 1902
Bayne, Howard 1909
Beall, Turner A 1913
Beatty, A. Chester 191 2
Bechstein, Augustus C 1889
Bedford, Alfred C 1917
Belding, Milo M 1891
Belmont, August 1891
Benedict, Henry H 1898
Benedict, James 1893
Benedict, Lemuel C 1909
Benedict, Seelye 1910
Benedict, Theodore Hudson 1902
Benedict, William L 191 2
Benjamin, George P 1891
Benjamin, William Evarts.. 1916
Bennett, Walter H 1910
Bennett, Walter Mills 191 7
Bensel, John A 1903
Berlin, Henry C 1891
Bemheim, Eli H 1910
Bemheim, Isaac J 1913
Bemheim, Julius C 1907
Bemheimer, Charles L 1902
Berolzheimer, Emil 1901
Bertram, H. Henry 1914
Bertron, Samuel R 1901
Berwind, Edward J 1897
Bethell, Union N 1910
Bettle, Samuel 1902
Billqvist, C. Edward 1891
Bird, John W 1911
Birdsall, Daniel 1909
Bissell, Arthur D., Buffalo,
N. Y 1901
Black, Harry S 191S
Blackiston, Harry C 191 7
Blagden, George 191 1
Blanchard, Isaac H 1916
APPENDIX
273
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Bliss, Cornelius N., Jr 1899
Blood, Samuel S 1901
Bloss, James O 1884
Blum, Edward C 1909
Bogert, Henry Myers 1909
Boker, Hans R 1916
Bondy, Maurice S 1906
Bonties, Harry P 1916
Boody, David A 1887
Borden, Bertram H 1910
Borden, Spencer, Jr., Fall
River, Mass 1908
Boskowitz, Adolph 1891
Bourne, Frederick G 1889
Bouvier, Maurice 1915
Bowen, Clarence Winthrop. 1887
Bowne, Samuel W 1914
Bowring, Charles Warren. . 191 2
Bradlee, John R 1912
Brady, Nicholas F 1913
Brainard, Frank 1900
Brainerd, Frederick A 1903
Braman, Willard 1894
Brett, George P 1902
Brewer, WiUiam A., Jr.,
South Orange, N. J 1902
Brewster, Henry C,
Rochester, N. Y 1899
Briesen, Arthur v 1904
Briesen, Richard v 1909
Bright, Osborn W 1902
Brinckerhoff, Elbert A., Jr. 1911
Broadway, William G 1910
Brodmerkel, Charles, Jr 191 5
Broenniman, Edward G 1912
Bronner, Harry 1915
Brooker, Charles F 1897
Brooks, Charles M 191 7
Brown, Edward W 1916
Cabot, Francis H 1897
Caesar, Harry 1 1917
Caesar, Henry A 1890
I
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Brown, Elmer E 1912
Brown, Franklin Q 1903
Brown, J. Adams 1913
Brown, James 1913
Brown, James Crosby,
Philadelphia, Pa 1906
Brown, Samuel T 1905
Brown, Thatcher Magoun. . 1909
Brown, Vernon Carleton. . . 1897
Brown, Walston H 1889
Brown, Willard Stanbury. . 1908
Browning, John Scott 1890
Bruere, Henry 1916
Bnindrett, Hart B 1890
Bruning, Henry F 1913
Bucknall, Henry W. J 1916
Buckner, Mortimer Norton. 191 7
Buckner, Thomas A 1910
Budge, Henry, Hamburg,
Germany 1898
Bulkley, Edwin M 1899
Bulkley, Jonathan 1894
Bunce, H. L., Hartford,
Conn 1902
Burchard, Anson W 1910
Burgess, Edward G 1903
Burke, John 1904
Burns, Walter F 1918
Burr, Winthrop 1904
Burroughs, James S 191 2
Burton, Theodore E 191 7
Bush, D. Fairfax 191 7
Bush, Irving T 1904
Buswell, Frederic C 1913
Butler, Charles Stewart 191 7
Butler, Nicholas Murray. . . 1908
Buttenwieser, Joseph L 191 2
Butterworth, Frank S 191 7
Calder, William M 1915
Caldwell, Burns D 1913
Caldwell, George B 191 7
y
'i
n
i
274
APPENDIX
. t
u
ill
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Caldwell, Robert J 1906
Cammann, Edward C 19 16
Cammann, Henry L 1899
Cammann, Hermann H 1894
Camp, Hugh N., Jr 1908
Campbell, Palmer 191 1
Campbell, Peter, Kearny,
N.J 1915
Campbell, Samuel S 1910
Cannon, Henry W 1886
Carey, Stephen W 1859
Carhart, Edward R 191 7
Carlebach, Emil 1903
Carleton, I. Osgood 1897
Carlisle, Jay F 1910
Carlton, Newcomb 191 5
Carpenter, Charles W 1899
Carse, Henry R 1904
Cartledge, Charles F 1902
Carty, John J 1916
Case, Albert C 1902
Case, Charles L 1905
Case, Clinton P 1910
Cauchois, Oscar R 1916
Chadwick, Charles N 1906
Chamberlin, Emerson,
Summit, N. J 1907
Chambers, Frank R 1889
Chase, Austin C, Syra-
cuse, N. Y 1902
Chatillon, George E 191 2
Cheney, Orion H 1917
Chew, Beverly 1899
Childs, Eversley 1916
Childs, Harris R 1910
Childs, Samuel S 1910
Childs, William Hamlin 191 4
Chisolm, George E 1903
Chubb, Hendon 1910
Chubb, Percy 1910
Church, Elihu C 1913
Cillis, Hubert 1902
Claflin, John 1878
Clapp, Edward E 1902
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Clark, Charles Martin 19 10
Clark, Edward Severin 1914
Clark, George C 1907
Clark, J. William 1907
Clark, William A 1902
Clarke, Lewis L 1910
Clarke, Thomas B 1888
Clayburgh, Albert 191 2
Clews, Henry 1865
Clews, James B 1910
Clowry, Robert C 1903
Clyde, Thomas 1900
Clyde, William P 1873
Cochran, Thomas 191 5
Coe, William R 1910
Coffin, Charles A 1902
Coggeshall, Edwin W 1903
Cogswell, Ledyard, Albany,
N. Y 1901
Cogswell, W. B., Syracuse,
N. Y 1902
Cokefair, Isaac W 1913
Cole, Edward F., Yonkers,
N. Y 1917
Coler, Birds 1898
Colgate, James C 1898
Collins, Clarence Lyman. . . 1879
Cone, Charles Arthur 19 14
Cone, Frederick H 1914
Conklin, William G 1897
Conley, Louis D 191 2
Conlin, Frederick 1916
Connett, Ernest R 190S
Conrow, Theodore 1897
Content, Harry 1902
Cook, Henry F 1897
Cooke, Delos W 1916
Cooke, William G 1910
Coombs, James Bliss 1911
Cooney, John J 1910
Copeland, Charles C 1907
Coppell, Arthur 191 7
Corey, Clarence T 191 2
Corey, William E 1910
i»
APPENDIX
275
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Coriell, WiUiam Wallace .. . 1905
Corliss, Charles A 1909
Corning, Christopher
Robert 1905
Corning, Edward 1893
Comwell, William C 191 7
Cortelyou, George B 1909
County, Albert J., Phila-
delphia, Pa 1916
Cowl, Clarkson 1897
Cowl, Donald Heam 191 7
Cowles, Justus A. B 191 7
Cowperthwait, J. Howard. . 1909
Coykendall, Frederick 1913
Cozzens, Stanley T 1902
Cranford, Frederick L 191 1
Cranford, Walter V 1911
Crawford, Everett Lake.. . . 1907
Dahl, Gerhard M 1917
Daniels, Lorenzo 1916
Daniels, William Cooke,
London, England 191 2
Darlington, Thomas 1907
Darrell, Edward F 1916
Davenport, William B 1907
Davey, William N 1916
Davidge, William H 1904
Davison, Henry P 1900
Day, Arthur M 1904
Day, Clarence S 1895
Day, Horace L 1917
Day, Joseph P 1908
Day, William A 1910
Deal, Edgar 1901
Dean, Herbert H 1907
Dearborn, David B 1865
Dearborn, George S 1900
Debevoise, George 1906
Debevoise, Thomas M 191 2
De Bost, William L 1917
De Cordova, Charles 1882
Deeves, J. Henry 1897
Deeves, Richard 1896
D
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Crimmins, Thomas 1902
Cromwell, David, White
Plains, N. Y 1901
Cromwell, James W 1892
Cromwell, Lincoln 1905
Cromwell, Seymour
LeGrand 1915
Crook, Edward K 1912
Cruger, Bertram 1904
Cumnock, Arthur James. . . 191 1
Cunningham, James W 1904
Currey, Jonathan B 1900
Curtis, Sidney W 1912
Cutler, Otis H 1913
Cutter, Ralph L 1878
Cutting, R. Fulton 1896
Cuyler, Thomas De Witt,
Philadelphia, Pa 1902
Degener, John F 1891
Degener, John F., Jr 191 5
DeGraff, James W 191 2
Delafield, Maturin L., Jr.,
Paris, France 1897
Delano, Eugene 1900
Delano, Moreau 191 2
De Lanoy, William C,
Washington, D. C. . . . 1911
De Lima, Elias A 1897
De Lima, Elias S. A.,
Mexico City, Mex 1897
Demorest, William C 1899
De Mott, Harry M 1916
Denby, Isaac 1890
Depew, Chauncey M 1885
De Rham, Charles 1900
Despard, Walter D 1904
Dick, J. Henry 1904
Dickerman, George W 1911
Dickerman, Watson B 1907
Dickey, Charles D 1913
Dickinson, Edwin E 1905
Dickson, James B 1897
Dickson, Joseph B 1905
i
276
APPENDIX
|i
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Dieterich, Charles F 1897
Dimse, Henry 1907
Dix, John A., Jr. 1906
Dodd, Louis F 19"
Dodge, Cleveland E 191 5
Dodge, Cleveland H 1883
Dodge, Marcellus Hartley. . 1905
Dominick, George F 1903
Dommerich, Otto L 191 2
Donald, John A 1912
Donovan, Walter J. M 1913
Dormitzer, Walter 1909
Doubleday, Frank N 1913
Doubleday, George 1918
Douglas, Edward D 19^4
Douglas, William H 1897
Douglass, Robert Dun 1897
Dow, Charles M., James-
town, N. Y 1901
Dowd, Joseph 1917
Eames, John C iQiS
Eastman, Joseph 1904
Eastmond, Joseph Famham 191 7
Eckardt, Clarence W 1913
Ecker, Frederick H 1917
Eckert, John A 1910
Eddy, Jesse L 1905
Edmister, Willard Earl 1906
Edwards, George E 191 2
Eidlitz, Otto M 1901
Eiseman, Samuel 1903
Eisman, Max 1901
Elliman, Douglas L 1914
Elliman, Lawrence B 1914
Elliott, Ashbel R 1912
Elliott, Howard 191 S
Ellis, W. Dixon 1909
Ellison, Bennett 1918
Faber, Eberhard 191 2
Faber, Rudolph C 1913
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Dowler, Arthur E 1901
Dowling, Robert E 1908
Downey, John 1 1912
Dreher, Harold J 1916
Dreicer, Michael 1909
Drexel, John R.,
Philadelphia, Pa 1902
Dryden, Forrest F 1916
Drysdale, Robert A 1909
Dudley, John L., Jr 190S
Duer, Edward R 1918
Duke, James B 1893
Dumbell, Henry T 1915
Duncan, Stuart 1902
Dunn, Henry E 1906
duPont, T. Coleman 191 5
Duryea, Franklin P 1906
Duval, George L 1900
Dwight, Edmund 1906
Elms, James C 1906
Ely, George W 1900
Emanuel, John H., Jr 1914
Emery, John R 1903
Emery, Joseph H 1909
Englis, Charles M 1889
English, William H 1904
Ernst, AlwinC.,Cleveland,0. 191 7
Erstein, Moise L 1914
Estee, Tully C 191S
Estes, Webster C 1897
Etherington, William F 1911
Ettlinger, Louis 1897
Eustis, John E 1910
Evans, Henry 1892
Ewart, Richard H 1907
Ewing, Blaine 1917
Exton, Brudenell N 1917
Fahnestock, Harris 1908
Fahnestock, William 1898
'?
APPENDIX
277
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Fahys, George Ernest 1897
Fairchild, Charles S 1889
Fairchild, JuUan D 1893
Fairchild, Samuel W 189S
Falk, Kaufman S 1898
Fancher, Bertram H 19"
Farrell, James A 1910
Farrell, Maurice L 1916
Farrelly, Stephen 1897
Fassett, J. Sloat, Elmira,
N. Y 1901
Faulkner, Edward D 1890
Felsinger, William 19"
Ferguson, Walton 1901
Ferris, Frank A 1894
Ferry, E. Hayward 1907
Finley, JohnH 1916
Fisher, Edwin A., Sayre-
vUle, N. J 1906
Fisher, Irving R 1901
Fisher, Walter G 1917
Fisk, Pliny 1902
Fisk, Wilbur C 1912
Flagler, John H 1897
Fleischmann, Charles M. . . 191 1
Fleischmann, Udo M 191 1
Fleitmann, Frederick T 1907
Fleitmann, Hermann C 1914
Fletcher, Andrew 1914
Fletcher, Austin B 1906
Gage, Baron W 1916
Garabrant, David G 1917
Garrigues, William A 191 5
Gary, Elbert H 1902
Gawtry, Harrison E 1902
Gawtry, Lewis B 190S
Gaynor, Philip B 1914
Geer, George J 1890
Gelshenen, WiUiam H 1916
Gerhard, Paul F 1883
Getty, Hugh 1909
GibUn, WiUiam 19"
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Fletcher, Henry 191 S
FUnt, Charles R 1877
Folger, Henry C, Jr 1913
Forbes, Allen Boyd 1906
Forgan, James B.,
Chicago, 111 1902
Forrest, Richard E 1916
Foss, Wilson P 1916
Foster, Nathaniel R 19^7
Foster, Scott 1891
Fowler, John F 1916
Fox, Frederick P 1909
Francis, David R.,
St. Louis, Mo 1902
Frank, Charles A 191 2
FrankHn, Philip A. S . . 1907
Fredrick, Leopold 1909
Freeborn, James L 1916
Freeman, Charles D 1898
Frelinghuysen, Joseph
Sherman 1908
Frenkel, EmU 1911
Frew, Walter E 1903
Frick, Henry C 1905
Friedman, Sol 1911
Friedsam, Michael 1898
Frissell, Algernon S 1887
Frost, Russell, South
Norwalk, Conn 1907
Fullerton, Henry S 1916
Gibson, Robert 1906
Gibson, Robert W 1897
Gibson, William H 1910
Gilbert, Alexander 190S
Gilbert, Charles P. H 1901
Gillies, Edwin J 1907
Gilpin, William J 1897
Gintzler, Morris 191 5
Gips, Adrian, Rotterdam,
Holland 1908
Glazier, Henry S 1910
Gleason, Marshall W 1910
\
II
t)
t
[t 11
278
APPENDIX
\
! !
iiii
'
if!
■|=
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Glover, Charles C, Wash-
ington, D. C 1902
Glyn, William E 191 7
Goelet, Robert 1906
Goepel, Carl 1901
Golding, John N 1906
Goldman, Henry 1895
Goldschmidt, Samuel A 1902
Goodhue, Charles E 1909
Gough, William T 1917
Gould, Edwin 1905
Gould, George J 1894
Grace, Joseph P 1903
Graham, James Lorimer. . . 19 10
Graham, Malcolm 1897
Grant, RoUin P 1913
Gray, Olin D 1908
Gray, William S 1900
Greeff, Bemhard 1908
Greeff, Bernhard, Jr 191 1
Haas, Kalman 1890
HafiEner, Jacob H 1917
Hagedom, Hermann 1906
Hagemeyer, Frank E 191 6
Hagerty, George V 1906
Haggerty, J. Henry 1897
Haigh, George C 1917
Hale, Henry 1916
Hall, A. Mitchell, 2d 1909
Hall, Albert C 1894
Hall, Edward E 1910
Hall, William Webster 191 7
Halle, Stanley J 1917
Halls, William, Jr 1897
Halm, William E 1916
Halstead, J. Morton 1916
Halsted, Gilbert C 191 7
Hamilton, Carl W 1916
Hammer, G. Adolph 1905
Hammond, John Hays 191 5
Hanan, John H 1910
Hanauer, Jerome J 191 2
H
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Greenhut, Benedict J 1906
Greenhut, Joseph B 1910
Greer, Louis Morris 191 1
Greims, Herbert S 1907
Grifl5n, Francis B 1899
Grifl&th, Edward 1902
Griffith, Percy T 1909
Griscom, Clement A., Jr. . . 1897
Guerrlich, Francis 1916
Guggenheim, Daniel 1891
Guggenheim, Isaac 1891
Guggenheim, Morris 1895
Guggenheim, Solomon 1895
Guggenheim, William 1914
Guiterman, Percy L 191 7
Gunther, Bernard G 1893
Gunther, Franklin L 1889
Guye, Charles H 1907
Gwathmey, J. Temple 1903
Gwyniie, Charles T 1907
Hance, John A 1909
Hare, J. Montgomery 1895
Harrington, Walter E 191 7
Harris, Arthur M 1913
Harrison, George F 1911
Hartshorn, Stewart 1890
Harvey, George 1900
Harvey, Raymond 1915
Hasler, Henry 1903
Hasslacher, Jacob 1903
Hastings, Courtland E 1916
Hatch, Arthur Melvin 1898
Hatfield, Joshua A 191 5
Hathaway, Charles 1896
Hatzel, John C 1918
Haven, George G 1912
Hawes, W. Gerald 1916
Hawkes, McDougaU 1903
Hawkins, George F 1900
Hawley, Robert B 1916
Hay, Louis C 1911
Hays, David S 1913
APPENDIX
279
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Hazard, WiUiam A 1892
Hazen, George H 1913
Healey, Warren M 1904
Healy, A. Augustus 1891
Hegeman, John R 1910
Heide, Henry 1909
Heidelbach, Alfred S 1888
Hemphill, Alexander Julian 1905
Hendricks, Harmon W 1896
Henry, James 1908
Hentz, Henry 1858
Hepburn, A. Barton 1893
Heroy, William W 1910
Herrick, Parmely W 191 5
Hester, William 1902
Hetzler, Theodore 1911
Hewitt, Erskine 1902
Hicks, Frederick C 1901
Higgins, Eugene 1889
Higgins, John D.,
Oswego, N. Y 1909
Higgins, Richard H 191 7
Hill, Louis W., St. Paul,
Minn T.gi6
Hill, Percival S 1915
Hillas, Robert J 1912
Hilles, Charles D 1913
Hilliard, John Gerald 1910
Hillman, William 1898
Hiltman, John W 1911
Hilton, Frederick M 1916
Hine, Francis L 1892
Hirsch, Richard 1910
Hirsch, Robert B 191S
Hirschland, Franz H 1916
Hobart, Henry L., East-
hampton, N. Y 1907
Hochschild, Berthold 191 2
Hodenpyl, Anton G 1904
Hodge, Henry W 1909
Hodges, Alfred 1909
Hodgman, George B 1895
Hodgman, S. Theodore 1905
Hoe, WiUiam J 191S
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Hoffman, Charles F., Jr 1897
Hoffman, Samuel V 1902
Hoffstot, Frank N 1918
Holbrook, Edward 1889
Holbrook, John Swift 1907
Holden, Arthur Bates 1910
Holland, Charles H 1913
HoUister, George C 191 2
Holmes, Edwin T 1897
Homan, Benjamin H 1915
Homer, Francis T 1914
Hooker, Elon Huntington. . 191 7
Hopkins, Eustis Langdon. . 1901
Hopkins, George B 1891
Hopkins, Jesse L 191 7
Horowitz, Louis J 191 S
Horr, L. William 1907
Hoskier, Herman C,
South Orange, N. J 1897
Housman, Frederick 1909
Howard, WiUiam C 1897
HoweU, Thomas A 1916
Howland, W. WaUace 1891
Hoxie, WUHamD 1912
Hoyt, Colgate 1898
Hoyt, Edward C 1889
Hoyt, John Sherman 1913
Hubbard, Samuel T 1899
Hubbard, Walter C 1906
Hubbs, Charles Francis 191 7
Hubert, Conrad 191 2
Hudnut, Alexander M 1896
Hudnut, Richard Alex 1917
Huffer, H. C, Jr., Paris,
France 191S
Hughitt, Marvin,
Chicago, lU 1902
Hume, Frederic T 1897
Humphreys, Alexander C. . 1902
Humphreys, Frederick H.. . 1902
Humstone, Walter C 1902
Huntington, Archer M 1902
Huntington, Henry E 191 2
Huntington, Samuel V. V. . 191 7
I
!1
280
APPENDIX
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Hurdman, Frederick
Harold iQOQ
Hyatt, Abram M 1901
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Hyde, E. Francis 1891
Hyde, James H., Paris,
France 1899
^ti
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h ,
i!»ir.vi
Ichinomiya, Reitaro 191 7
Ickelheimer, Henry R 1892
Ide, George E 1897
Ilsley, Silas A 1889
Iselin, Adrian 1894
Jackson, George J 1908
Jacobs, Ralph J 1890
Jacot, William 1916
Jadwin, Stanley P 1917
James, Arthur Curtiss 1893
Jameson, Edwin C 19^3
Jarvie, James N 1894
Jeanne, Frank 1917
Jeffery, Edward T 1906
Jenks, Jeremiah W 191 7
Jennings, Walter 1915
Jesup, Charies M., White
Plains, N.Y 1883
Jesup, Frank W 1901
Jewell, John V 1903
Job, William C 1917
Iselin, Arthur 1910
Iselin, Emest 1918
Iselin, WilHam E 1893
Isham, PhiUips 1917
Israel, Leon 1913
Johnson, Alba B.,
Philadelphia, Pa 1909
Johnson, Frank Coit 1903
Johnson, Frederick M 1914
Johnson, Isaac B 1913
Johnson, Joseph French 1909
Jones, E. Clarence 1901
Jones, Frank S 1899
Joost, Martin 1891
Jourdan, Edward R 191 6
Jourdan, Franklin B 191 5
Jourdan, James H 1916
Jourdan, William B 1914
Joyce, William B 1917
Judson, William D 1912
Juhring, William L 1916
I Juilliard, Augustus D 1875
K
Kahn, OttoH 1897
Kaley, Frank E 1916
Kathan, Reid A 1910
Kaufman, Louis G 19"
Keiser, James R 1912
Kelley, Cornelius F 1917
Kelly, Richard B 1901
Kelsey, Clarence H 1897
Kemp, Edward CM 1910
Kemp, William H 1916
Kent, Fred 1 1910
Kent, Thomas B 1893
Keppler, Rudolph 1899
Kerr, John B 190S
Kerr, Walter 1907
Kessler, George A 1898
Keys, Charies H 1907
Keys, WilUam A 1907
Kies, William S 191S
Kiesewetter, Louis F 1916
Kilduff, Thomas H.,
Boston, Mass 1906
King, R. Courtney 1912
King, Willard V 1909
Kingsbury, Nathan C 1916
Kingsley, Darwin P 1907
\ 1
APPENDIX
281
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Kingsley, William M 1901
Kinnan, Alexander P. W. . . 1909
Kinnear, Wilson S 1916
Kirkbride, Franklin Butler. 1906
Kirkpatrick, George Under-
wood 1918
Kirkpatrick, John 1910
Klinck, Jacob C 1909
Klingenstein, Charles 191 S
Kneeland, Yale 1903
Knight, William 1903
Knoedler, Roland F 1887
Knox, William Henry 1906
Koechl, Victor 1889
LaBoyteaux, W. Harvell. . . 1916
Labrot, Sylvester W 191 7
Lafrentz, Ferdinand W 191 5
Laidlaw, James Lees 1907
Laing, Edgar H 1908
Lamont, Thomas W 190S
Landon, Francis G 1910
Landstreet, Fairfax S 1910
Lane, James W 1902
Langdon, Charles S 1915
Langdon, Woodbury,
Portsmouth, N. H 1877
Langford, Herbert E 1918
Langley, William C 191 7
Lanier, Charles 1865
Lanier, James F. D 1917
Law, Frank E 1912
Leach, Arthur B 1902
Leavitt, Charles W 191 1
Lee, Arthur P 1917
Lee, Charles N.,
Farmington, Conn. . . . 1903
Lee, Ivy L 191S
Le Gendre, William C 1892
Legg, George 1895
Lehman, Arthur 1903
Lehman, PhiUp 1898
Lehman, Sigmund M 1898
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Kohn, Arnold 1914
Kohns, Lee 1891
Kopper, PhiUp W., Jr 1910
Kops, Daniel 1909
Kountze, Luther 1869
Kracke, Frederick J. H 191 5
Krech, Alvin W 191S
Kremer, William N 1899
Kridel, Samuel 1902
Kuh, Charles E 1917
Kuhne, Percival 1897
Kunhardt, Henry R 189S
Kunz, George F 1917
Kuttroff, Adolf 1889
Leland, Arthur S 19"
Lenci, Thomas A 1917
Lesher, Arthur L 1884
Leverich, Charles D.,
Corona, L.I 1891
Levy, Charles E 1904
Levy, Jefferson M 1898
Lewis, Edward L 1902
Lewisohn, Adolph 1902
Lewisohn, Sam A 1916
Lilienthal, Joseph L 1909
Lincoln, Frederic W 1897
Lindenthal, Gustav 1909
Lindsay, L. Seton i9i<5
Linton, George 1916
Lisman, Frederick J 1902
Litchfield, Edward H 1899
Littauer, Lucius N 1899
Lloyd, Francis G 1890
Lockett, Arthur Hobart 191 2
Lockhart, Frederick C 1916
Loeb, CariM 19"
Loeb, William, Jr 1917
Loeser, Vincent 191S
Loines, Stephen 1897
Look, David M 1894
Loomis, Edward E 191 5
Loomis, Edward N 1902
I!
t,
{
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III
!ti )-'
282
APPENDIX
KAME DATE OF ELECTION
Loree, Leonor F 1912
Lorsch, Arthur 1917
Lovejoy, Frederick B 191 7
Lovett, Robert S 1909
Low, WiUiamC 1917
Luckenbach, Edgar F 1901
Lunger, John B 1912
1
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
LyaU, WiUiam L 1912
Lybrand, William M 1910
Lyman, Frank 1900
Lynch, John Hampton 1903
Lyon, Emory S 1910
Lyons, Edward 1916
Mc
McAlpin, D. Hunter 1916
McAlpin, George L 1913
McAlpin, WilUam W 1907
McAneny, George 19^4
McCaU, John C 1910
McCarroll, WiUiam 1897
McCoUough, Charies A 1913
McComb, David J 1908
McCutchen, Charles W 1906
McDonald, Willis, Jr 1914
McDougall, Walter 1907
McFadden, George H 1903
McGarrah, Gates W 1899
McHugh, John 1916
Mclntyre, William H 1902
McKenna, WiUiam L 1902
McKenzie, Herbert C 191 2
McKesson, John 1889
McKinney, Henry N 191 2
McLane, Guy Richards 1909
McLean, James 1900
McManus, Edward F 1916
McMuUen, John 1914
McNeir, George 1896
McWhorter, Charles F 1917
M
Mabon, James B 1901
MacArthur, John R 1916
Macdonald, James A 1897
Mackay, Clarence H 1903
MacKay, Frederic D 1909
Mackay, Malcolm S 1913
MacLean, Charles F 191 2
MacYeagh, Franklin,
Chicago, lU 1902
Macy, George H 1891
Macy, Nelson 1913
Macy, V. Everit 1902
Magoffin, James R 1908
MaH, Pierre 1889
Manning, John B 1890
ManvUle, T. Frank 1904
Marden, Francis S 1904
Markle, John 1902
Marks, Marcus M 1903
Marling, Alfred E 1897
MarUng, Charles E 1916
Marsh, Henry W 1909
Marsh, Joseph A 1903
Marsh, MelviUe A 1910
MarshaU, Waldo H 1909
Marston, Edgar J 1912
Marston, Edgar L 1902
Marston, Edwin S 191S
Martin, Bradley 1912
Martin, Henry C 1911
Martinez, Aristides 1897
Masury, JohnW 1904
Mather, Samuel,
Cleveland, 1902
Matheson, WUUam J 1902
MaxweU, Howard W 191 1
MaxweU, Robert 1901
May, George OUver 1916
Mayer, Morris 1902
Maynard, Duff G 191S
APPENDIX
^^Z
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Maynard, Edwin P 1913
Meade, Richard W 1915
Megargel, Roy C 1915
Mehren, Edward J 1917
Meinhard, Morton H 191 2
Melcher, Josiah R 1913
Mendelsohn, Sigmund 191 2
Merck, George 1905
Meredith, WUUam T 1897
MerriU, Edwin G 1910
MerriU, Wm. WiUis 1906
Metcalf, Manton B 1909
Mettler, John Wyckoff . ... 1911
Metz, Herman A 1899
Meurer, Jacob 1907
Meyer, Abraham B 1904
Meyer, Harry H 1902
Meyer, Henry C 1875
Meyer, John Henry 1904
Meyer, Joseph E 1906
Meyer, Julius P 1912
Meyer, Leopold,
Newark, N. J 1907
MiUer, Andrew J 1917
Miller, Edward C 1912
Miller, Jacob W 1893
MiUer, John DouU 1899
MiUett, Stephen C 1917
Milliken, Gerrish H 191 7
MiUiken, Seth M 1882
MiUs, Abraham G 1887
MiUs, Andrew 1892
MiUs, JohnT 1895
Mills, Ogden 1906
MiUs, W. McMaster 1905
Minton, Francis L 1901
Mitchel, Ormsby M 1903
MitcheU, Francis B.,
Rochester, N. Y 1888
MitcheU, John J.,
Chicago, lU 1902
Moen, Leclanche 1915
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Molitor, Frederic A 1916
MoUenhauer, Henry F 1906
MoUeson, George E 1905
Monks, John, Jr 1900
Monroe, RoUand G 1916
Montgomery, James Moore. 1901
Montgomery, Richard M. . 1881
Montgomery, Robert H 1909
Moody, Harry A 1916
Moore, Charles A., Jr 1905
Moore, John C 1906
Moore, WiUiam H 1902
Moran, Robert G 1912
Morgan, J. Pierpont 1894
Morgan, James L 1906
Morgan, WiUiam F 1896
Morgenthau, Henry 1901
MorreU, Joseph B 1912
Morris, Effingham B.,
Philadelphia, Pa 1902
Morrison, David M 1891
Morrison, Louis W 1904
Morrow, D wight W 1915
Morse, Daniel P 1900
Morse, James R 1893
Moseley, Mercer P 191 7
Mosle, George R 1903
Mott, Howard S 1916
Mott, Jordan L 1913
Mott, WiUiam C 1914
MuUer, Carl 1897
Munger, Henry C 191 7
Munn, John P 1909
Munro, Robert F 191S
Munroe, Henry Whitney. . . 1897
Munsey, Frank A 1899
Munson, Frank C 1915
Murphy, Patrick Francis.. . 1915
Murphy, WiUiam D 1899
Murray, Thomas E 191 S
Myers,' Theodore W 1896
)•■
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1
t
.7,
wk
Mi^
284
APPENDIX
N
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Nash, Walter H 1916
Nash, William A 1891
Nathan, Alfred 1905
Nathan, Max 1891
Naumburg, Aaron 1897
Naumburg, Elkan 1879
Naumburg, George W 1899
Naumburg, Max 1889
Naumburg, Walter W 1895
Neuhoff, Karl W 1915
Newbold, Arthur E.,
Philadelphia, Pa 190S
Newcomb, James G 1904
Newington, Harry M 191 5
Nichols, Acosta 1899
Nichols, George,
Boston, Mass 190S
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Nichols, John W. T 1900
Nichols, WiUiam H 1894
Nicol, Robert A 1916
Nissen, Ludwig 1900
Niven, JohnB 1912
Nix, John W 1910
Nixon, Lewis 1898
Noonan, William T.,
Rochester, N. Y 1913
Norden, Hermann,
Pasadena, Cal 190^
Norton, Charles Dyer 191 1
Norton, Edward N 1910
Norton, SkeflSngton S 1913
Nugent, Frank Louis 1901
Nutting, J. Frank 1916
O
Oakman, Walter G
Obermayer, Charles J .
O'Brien, Edward C...
Ochs, Adolph S
Oddie, Orville, Jr
Odell, Benjamin B., Jr.
O'Donohue, Charles A.
Olcott, Eben Erskine. .
Oler, Wesley M
Ollesheimer, Henry
Olney, Charles
Olyphant, Robert
Packard, Edwin
Page, Edward D.,
Oakland, N.J
Page, Frank C. B
Page, J. Seaver
Pagenstecher, Albrecht, Jr.
Paine, Augustus G., Jr
Paine, Willis S
Palmer, Nicholas F
1897
191S
1900
1902
1911
1912
189s
1902
1912
1906
1909
1882
1890
1903
1909
1886
1912
1913
1890
1888
O'Neil, David W 1910
Oppenheimer, Julius 191 1
O'Rourke, John F 1909
Orvis, Edwin W 1902
Osbom, Herbert 1909
Osborne, Loyall Allen 1907
Ottley, James Henry I9<59
Outerbridge, A. Emilius 191 2
Outerbridge, Eugenius H.. . 1903
Outerbridge, Frank R 1916
Owen, Raymond M 1909
Owens, WiUiam W., Jr 1902
Parker, Forrest H 1891
Parr, Benjamin 191 S
Parson, Hubert T 1916
Parsons, Frank H 191?
Parsons, Harry de
Berkeley 1902
Parsons, William H 1885
Pate, William C 1902
Patrick, Charles H 1897
V]
APPENDIX
285
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Patterson, William A 191 6
Peabody, Charles A 1910
Peabody, George Foster — 1886
Pearce, Edward E 191 1
Peaslee, Edward H 1901
Peck, Charles Edmund 1909 |
Peck, Wallace F 1916
Peck, William E 1904
Perkins, George W 1902
Perkins, Robert P 1903
PerMns, WiUiam H 1888
Perkins, WiUiam M 1906
Perry, John Moore,
St. James, L. 1 1916
Peters, Ralph 1913
Peters, Samuel T 1887
Peters, WilHam R 1897
PhUips, WiUiam P 1912
PhUUps, John B 1902
Pierce, WaUace L.,
Boston, Mass 1907
Pierson, Lewis E 1909
Pinkus, Frederick S 1882
Pirie, Samuel C 1910
Piatt, Abner H 1917
Piatt, WiUard H 1897
Piatt, WiUard Rice 1914
Platten, John W 1910
PUmpton, George A 1895
PoUock, Walter B 1909
Pomeroy, Daniel E 191 1
Poor, J. Harper 1911
Poor, Ruel W 1897
Porges, Gustave 191 2
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Porter, H. Hobart 1904
Porter, WiUiam H 1893
Post, Charles H 1898
Post, George A 1912
Post, George B 1908
Post, James H 1902
Potter, Frederick 1901
Potter, James Brown 1895
Potts, Charles E 1916
Potts, WUUam B 1905
Potts, WilUam R 1895
Pratt, Charles M 1885
Pratt, DaUas B 1901
Pratt, Edward Ewing 191 7
Pratt, Frederic B 1898
Pratt, Harold 1 1907
Prendergast, WUUam A 1909
Prentiss, John Wing 1909
Presbrey, Frank 191 2
Pressprich, Reginald W 1915
Price, Joseph M 1911
Price, Walter W 1917
Probst, Arthur O 1906
Probst, John D 1902
Prosser, Seward 191 5
Prosser, Thomas 1906
Pniyn, Robert C,
Albany, N. Y 1901
Pugsley, ComeUus A 1897
PuUeyn, John J 1912
Putnam, WiUiam A 1891
Pyne, M. Taylor 1902
Pyne, Percy R 1902
I (
I
•I
I
IV
Quinlan, James ,
1907
Rainey, Paul J 1906
Ramsay, Dick S 1891
Ramsey, George 1909
Rand, Charles F 1903
RandaU, Henry M 1909
Randle, Arthur E.,
Washington, D. C 1902
Raven, Anton A 1897
Rawitser, Herman 1914
Raymond, Arthur B 191 2
•1
-'•iMiBI
4
.1
il
u
V.
286
APPENDIX
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Raymond, George H 191 1
Raymond, Irving E 1906
Raynor, Forrest 1900
Rea, Samuel,
Philadelphia, Pa 1903
Read, George R 1905
Reid, A. Duncan 1917
Reid, Daniel G 1903
Reid, David C 1917
Reid, Ogden Mills 1910
Reid, Wallace 1909
Reimer, Otto E 1907
Remington, Franklin 1910
Renken, Frederick 1912
Renshaw, Charies 1914
Rhoades, John Harsen 1903
Rhodes, Bradford 1899
Richard, Edwin A 1913
Richard, Oscar L 1903
Richards, Charles A 1916
Richards, E. Ira 1906
Richards, Ellis G 1902
Richards, Eugene Lamb. . . 1914
Richards, Lowell L 1913
Richardson, Dwight S 1897
Richmond, Stacy C 1916
Richter, Charies J 1896
Ridgely, William Barret,
Washington, D. C 1907
Riker, John J 1912
Ring, Welding 1897
Rionda, Manuel 1916
Ris, Bernard 1917
Ritchie, Ryerson,
Detroit, Mich 1914
Robert, Francis B 191 7
Robert, Samuel 1909
Robertson, Louis J 191 7
Robinson, Allan 1917
Sabin, Charles H 191S
Sachs, Arthur 1911
Sachs, Harry 1900
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Robinson, Andrew J 1897
Robinson, Douglas 1901
Robinson, Drew King 1906
Robinson, George N 1902
Robson, Theodore 1889
Rockefeller, John D 1889
Rockefeller, John D., Jr. . . 1900
Rockefeller, William 1888
Roe, Frank O 1916
Roebling, Washington A.,
Trenton, N.J 1902
Rogers, Allen Merrill 1906
Rogers, Charles B.,
Utica, N. Y 1901
Rogers, Edgar W 1916
Rogers, Edward L 1905
Rogers, Hubert E 1916
Rogers, Noah C 1904
Rohaut, Albert 1917
Romer, Alfred 1896
Rosen, Walter T 191 S
Rosenbaum, Henry C 1898
Rosenfeld, William 1 1902
Rossiter, Clinton L 1912
Rossiter, Edward L 1904
Rothschild, Simon F 1902
Rothschild, V. Sydney 1897
Rousmaniere, John E 19 16
Rowe, Frederick W 1914
Ruhl, Louis 1917
Runyon, Carman R 1906
Runyon, Edward Wheelock 191 7
Runyon, Walter Clark 191 7
Rusch, Henry A 1917
Rushmore, Townsend 1903
Russell, Archibald D 1896
Ryan, John D 1915
Ryan, Thomas F 1897
Ryle, Arthur 1899
Sachs, Paul J.,
Cambridge, Mass 191 1
Sachs, Samuel 1886
APPENDIX
287
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Sachs, Walter E 191 1
Salomon, Arthur K 191 7
Salomon, William 1886
Salt, Albert L 1916
Sampson, Charles E 1910
Sanchez, Ricardo,
Liverpool, England 1914
Sanderson, Lloyd Bo wen. . . 1903
Satterlee, Ernest K 191 7
Satterlee, Herbert L 1904
Saunders, WilUam L 1907
Savage, Edward S 191 2
Sawyer, PhiUp 1910
Scammell, Frederick E 191 7
Schaefer, Edward C 1905
Schaefer, Henry 1906
Schaefer, J. Louis 1909
Schaffer, Frank 1910
Schall, William, Jr 1897
Schanck, George Edgar 1890
Schenck, Edwin S 1907
Schenck, Henry A 1909
Scherer, Oscar 1900
Schieffelin, William Jay 1894
Schieren, Charles A 1909
Schierenberg, August 1908
Schiflf, Jacob H 1889
Schiff, Mortimer L 1899
Schlesinger, Leo 1902
Schmelzel, James H 1907
Schnakenberg, Daniel 1899
Schniewind, Heinrich 1910
Schoonmaker, Sylvanus L. . 1904
Schreiber, Otto A 1910
Schuster, Richard 1904
Schwab, Charles M 1902
Schwab, Gustav 1909
Schwarz, Paul 1893
Scott, Donald 191 1
Scott, Walter 1913
Seagrist, Francis K 191 2
Seaman, Henry B.,
Washington, D. C. . , . 1909
Seaman, Howard C 1916
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Sears, Joseph D 1917
Sears, Joseph Hamblen . 19 10
See, Alonzo B 1903
Seed, John H 1890
Seggermann, Frederick K . . 191 1
Seko, Konosuke 191 7
Selig, Arthur L 1917
Seligman, Henry 1899
Seligman, Jefferson 1902
Seligman, Joseph L 191 1
Semler, George 1905
Senff, Frederick W.,
Newburgh, N. Y 191 1
Shainwald, Ralph L 1902
Shallcross, Cecil F 1904
Shattuck, Albert R 1897
Shaw, Munson G 1914
Shaw, Robert Alfred 1915
Shaw, Walter W.,
Bournemouth, England 1907
Shaw, William N 1910
Sheldon, Edward W 1907
Sheldon, George R 1894
Sherer, William 1891
Sherman, Charles Austin. . . 1909
Shibley, Fred W 1917
Shoninger, Bernard J 1903
Shoninger, Charles 1903
Shonts, Theodore P 1915
Sicher, Dudley D 1918
Sickel, William G 191 2
Sidenberg, Charles 1903
Siedenburg, Reinhard 1893
Siegbert, Julius 1909
Simmons, Charles H 1897
Simmons, Francis R 1904
Simmons, John S 1903
Simmons, Joseph F 1900
Simmons, Wallace D.,
St. Louis, Mo 1905
Simmons, Wil\iam 1918
Simmons, Z. G.,
Kenosha, Wis 191 1
Simonson, William A 1902
s •>
\
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¥\
\ I
\
v
1
ll
! '
II
1 \
1
! 1
1
!■
I
\
288
APPENDIX
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Simpson, Ernest L 1906
Simpson, William L. H 1909
Sisson, Francis H 1917
Sizer, Robert R 1902
Skinner, William 1898
Skougaard, Jens C. L 1905
Slade, Francis Louis 191 3
Slater, John 1906
Slee, J. NoahH 1906
Sleicher, John A 1909
Sloan, Benson Bennett 1915
Sloan, Samuel 19"
Sloane, Henry T 1899
Sloane, John 1906
Sloane, Malcolm Douglas. . 191 5
Sloane, William 1897
Slocum, Thomas W 1901
Smith, Alfred Gilbert.
1906
Smith, Alfred H 19^4
Smith, Arthur L. J 1913
Smith, Arthur M 1915
Smith, Augustine J 1906
Smith, Charles Herbert 1902
Smith, Elijah P 1891
Smith, Freeborn G 191S
Smith, Howard C 1894
Smith, J. Waldo 1909
Smith, James A 1905
Smith, Joseph K 191?
Smith, MerrittHaviland... 1909
Smith, Robert A. C 1889
Smith, WiUiam Frothingham 1906
Smithers, Francis S 1890
Smull, J. Barstow 1917
Snook, Thomas Edward. . . . 191 2
Snow, Elbridge G 1902
Snyder, Valentine P 1902
Soper, George A 1912
Sorenson, John S 1916
Sorzano, Julio F 1889
Southwick, Francis H 1901
Spadone, Henry 1916
Sparks, T. Ashley 1912
Sparks, WiUiam J 1917
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Speers, James M 1910
Spence, Lewis H 1901
Sperry, William M 19H
Speyer, James 1891
Spiegelberg, Isaac N 1900
Spiegelberg, William 1 1897
Spofford, Charles A 1914
Sprague, Frank J 1910
Stanley, Edward O 1906
Starbuck, Charles A 1909
Stauffen, Ernest, Jr 19"
Stearns, John N 1918
Stebbins, Horace Chase 191 1
Steele, Charles 1912
Steele, Sanford H 1903
Steers, Henry 1910
Stein, Fred M 1902
Steinway, Charles H 1897
Stern, Leopold 1897
Stem, Louis 1889
Stembach, Morris 1902
Stemfeld, Theodore 191 2
Sterrett, Joseph E 191 2
Stettinius, Edward R 1916
Stevens, John P 1913
Stevens, W. Tyrie 1915
Stewart, Duncan M 1917
Stewart, James C 1916
Stewart, John A 1891
Stewart, John W 1918
Stewart, Lispenard 1899
Stewart, Louis 191 1
Stewart, William Rhine-
lander 189s
Stillman, Charles 1909
Stillman, James 1886
Stoddard, Henry L 1915
Stoddart, Laurence B 1912
Stokes, James 1873
Stone, Charles A 1916
Stone, I. Frank 1906
Stotesbury, Edward T 1902
Stout, Andrew Varick 1906
Stout, Charles H 1899
APPENDIX
289
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Stout, Joseph S 1906
Straight, Willard 1914
Stratton, E. Piatt 191 5
Straus, Herbert N 1906
Straus, Jesse Isidor 1897
Straus, Nathan 1889
Straus, Percy Selden 1900
Strauss, Albert 1902
Strauss, Frederick 1902
Strauss, Jacob 1901
Strickland, William R 1917
Strong, Benjamin, Jr 191 2
Sturgis, Frank K 1905
Taintor, Charles N 1913
Talcott, J. Frederick 1916
Talmadge, Henry P 1887
Talmage, John F 1906
Tams, J. Frederic 191 7
Tarbell, Gage E 1900
Tatanis, Petros P 1910
Tatnall, Henry,
Philadelphia, Pa 1903
Taussig, Walter M 1909
Taylor, George C 191 5
Taylor, James W 1907
Taylor, Willard U 191 7
Taylor, William A 1913
Taylor, WilUam H 1905
Tenney, Charles H 1884
Tenney, Daniel G 1897
Terry, John T 1913
Thayer, Harry B 1904
Thayer, J. Warren,
Scarsdale, N. Y 1909
Thom, WiUiam B 1895
Thomas, Edward Russell,
Paris, France 1897
Thomas, Eugene P 1913
Thomas, Ransom H 1902
Thomas, Seth E., Jr 1910
Thompson, Henry Burling,
WUmington, Del 1907
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Suffem, Robert A.,
London, England 19 13
Sulzberger, Cyrus L 1897
Sumner, Charles P 1909
Surbrug, John W 1898
Sutphen, Henry R 191 7
Sutro, Lionel 1901
Sutro, Richard 1901
Swenson, Eric Pierson 1901
Switzer, Frederick E 1913
Swords, Henry C 1894
Sylvester, A. L 1902
Symington, Robert B 191 5
Thompson, Henry S 1910
Thompson, J. Walter 1903
Thompson, WiUiam B 191 5
Thomson, James,
New Bedford, Mass. . . 1916
Thorburn, Alfred M 1909
Thome, Gilbert G 1906
Thome, John W 1917
Thome, Jonathan 1885
Tiemann, Louis S 191 7
Tierney, Myles 1905
Tilford, Frank 1889
Tilney, John S 1887
Tim, Louis B 1902
Timms, Walter B 191 7
Timolat, James Guyon 1910
Tingue, WiUiam J 1907
Toch, Henry M 1916
Toch, Maximilian 1916
Tod, J. Kennedy 1891
Tomkins, Calvin 1897
Towne, Henry R 1896
Townsend, Edward 1905
Townsend, J. Henry 1904
Tracy, Marcus H 1910
Treadwell, Harry Hayden. . 1901
Tremaine, Harry B 1916
Trevor, John B 1906
Tripp, Guy E 1914
\
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290
APPENDIX
NAME DATE OP ELECTION
Trowbridge, Charles A 1910
Trowbridge, Edmund Q. . . 19 10
Trowbridge, George F 1905
TnimbuU, Frank 1913
Tuck, Edward,
Paris, France 1876
TuUy, WiUiam J 19U
Turnbull, Frank S 191?
Ullmann, Samuel 1914
Ulman, Julien Stevens 1913
Underwood, Frederick D . . . 1901
Vail, Theodore N 1915
Van Antwerp, William C . 191 5
Van Buskirk, De Witt,
Bayonne, N. J 19^7
Van Cleaf , John C 1906
Vanderbilt, Cornelius 1900
Vanderhoef , Harman B 1898
Vanderlip, Frank A 1903
Van Dusen, Samuel C 1902
Van Inwegen, Charles F.,
Port Jervis, N. Y 1901
Van Norden, Warner M . . . 1897
Van Tuyl, George C, Jr. . . 1915
VanVleck, Joseph, Jr 191 2
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Turner, John M.,
San Juan, P. R 1912
Turnure, George 1907
Tuttle, William P 191 5
Tuttle, Winthrop M 1917
Twining, Edmund S 1916
Twitchell, Herbert K 191 1
Tyner, Charles L 1912
U
Underwood, John T 1910
Urban, George, Jr.,
Buffalo, N.Y 1901
Vickers, H. Mountague 191 5
Vickers, Thomas L 1877
Viet, Richard C 1917
Vietor, Cari L 1913
Victor, Ernest G 1917
Vietor, George F., Jr 1912
Vietor, Thomas F 1906
ViUa, Alfonso P 1912
Vogel, Martin 19^4
Vogelstein, Ludwig 191 2
Von Dohlen, Lawrence M. . 1916
Von Stade, Frederick H — 1897
Vreeland, Herbert H 1902
w
Walker, Alexander 1906
Walker, Elisha 1917
Walker, Richard L •• . 1913
Wallace, James N 19^5
Wallace, John F 1909
Wallis, Frederick A 19^7
Walter, William 1 1897
Walton, David S 1897
Walworth, Charles W 1916
Wanamaker, John 1901
Wanamaker, Rodman 191 2
Warburg, FeUx M 1897
Warburg, Paul M 1903
Ward, George Gray 1894
Ward, John G 1913
Warden, David T 1917
Waring, Arthur B 1897
Warner, Charles Blaine 1913
Warner, Franklin H 1916
Warner, George H 1916
Warner, James Ward 191 S
Warner, Lucien C 1886
APPENDIX
291
NAME DATE OP ELECTION
Warren, Charles H 1911
Warren, Dorman T 1881
Warren, William R 1900
Waterbury, John 1 1895
Watson, Arthur W 1894
Watson, John J., Jr 1911
Watson, Thomas L 1915
Watts, Ridley 1907
Weaver, S. Fullerton 1915
Webb, H. St. John 1915
Webb, Silas D 1899
Weil, Edmond 1915
Welch, Alex. McMillan. ... 191 5
Weld, Francis M 1911
Wells, William Storrs 1901
Welsh, S. Charles 1897
Wertheim, Jacob 191 1
West, William T 191 2
Whalen, John 1905
Wheeler, Schuyler S.,
Ampere, N. J 1894
Wheelock, William E 1910
Wheelock, William H 1901
Whicher, Louis E 1915
White, Alfred T 1897
WTiite, Francis F 1909
White, James G 1897
White, Major A 1913
White, William Augustus. 1897
Whitehouse, J. Henry 1894
Whitman, Clarence 1897
Whitman, C. Morton 1914
Whitman, Nathaniel 1890
Whitmarsh, Theodore F. . . 1910
Whitney, Alfred Rutgers, Jr. 1909
Wickes, Edward A 1872
Wickham, William Hull.... 1883
Wiggin, Albert H 1904
Wilkinson, James 1910
Willard, LeBaron Sands... . 1913
WiUcox, William G 1910
Willcox, William R 1904
Willets, Howard,
WhitePlains, N. v.... 1892
NAME DATE OP ELECTION
Williams, Arthur 1911
Williams, Benjamin A 1907
Williams, Clark 1902
Williams, Frank S 1888
Williams, Henry K. S 1910
Williams, John J 1906
WiUiams, Richard H 1887
Williams, William H 1914
Williams, William Henry.. . 191 7
Willis, Grinnell 1904
Wills, Charles Sinclair 1902
Wilson, George 191 7
Wilson, George T 1896
Wilson, Henry R 1901
Wilson, John A.,
Tenafly, N. J 1902
Wilson, Marshall Orme 1890
Wilson, Richard T., Jr 1890
Wimpfheimer, Adolph 1897
Wimpfheimer, Charles A. . . 1909
Wingate, Roy W 1913
Winslow, Clarion B 191 7
Winter, Edwin W 1909
Winter, Hermann 191 2
Witherspoon, Charles G... . 1913
Wittenberg, Charles J 1905
Wolf, Edwin H 1905
Wolfe, Henderson M 1909
Wollman, William J 1909
Wood, John H 1887
Wood, Otis F 1898
Wood, William S 1917
Wood, Willis D 1907
Woodin, William H 1902
Woodward, Hedley R 191 2
Woodward, W^illiam 1904
Woolley, Clarence M 191 7
Woolverton, Samuel 1899
Woolworth, Frank W 1904
Work, Bertram G 1915
Wotherspoon, William
Wallace 1912
Wray, Alexander H 1903
Wright, Solomon 1917
1
.,1
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292
APPENDIX
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Yardley, Farnham 1913
Yoakum, Benjamin F 1908
Zabriskie, Elmer T 191 5
Zabriskie, George A 191 1
Zehnder, Charles H 1908
NAME DATE OF ELECTION
Yohe, John W 1917
Young, Richard 1891
Ziegler, William, Jr 1913
Zinkeisen, Max 1913
Zittel, Frederick 1904
There are three classes of members, resident, non-resident, and
honorary. Those whose addresses are given are non-resident.
The total membership on March 7, 1918, was as follows:
Resident members
Non-Resident members
Honorary members
Total membership
1,527
91
9
1,627
vm
CATALOGUE OF PORTRAITS AND SCULPTURE
Portraits
William H. Fogg.
Josiah M. Fiske.
Cornelius N. Bliss.
WiUiam E. Dodge (2d).
Cornelius Vanderbilt (2d),
J. Pierpont Morgan.
William H. Webb.
J. Edward Simmons.
John D. Rockefeller.
Andrew Carnegie.
John S. Kennedy.
Henry I. Wyckoff.
John A. Stevens.
Matthew Maury.
George Wilson.
Alexander Hamilton.
Daniel D. Tompkins.
Albert Gallatin.
John Sherman.
Carl Schurz.
General Ulysses S. Grant.
General WiUiam T. Sher-
man.
General Philip H. Sheridan.
Admiral David G. Farragut.
De Witt Clinton.
De Witt CUnton.
John A. King.
Edwin D. Morgan.
John A. Dix.
Enoch L. Fancher.
Cadwallader Colden.
Francis Egerton.
Richard Cobden.
NO.
NO.
I.
John Cruger.
35.
2.
Hugh Wallace.
36.
3.
Elias Desbrosses.
37.
4.
Henry White.
38.
5.
Theophylact Bache.
39.
6.
William Walton.
40.
7.
Isaac Low.
41.
8.
John Alsop.
42.
9-
John Broome.
43-
10.
Comfort Sands.
44.
II.
John Murray.
45.
12.
Cornelius Ray.
46.
13.
William Bayard.
47.
14.
Robert Lenox.
48.
15-
Isaac Carow.
49.
16.
James De Peyster Ogden.
SO-
17.
James Gore King.
51.
18.
Moses H. Grinnell.
52.
19.
Elias Hicks.
53-
20.
Pelatiah Perit.
54.
21.
Abiel Abbot Low.
55-
22.
William E. Dodge.
56.
23-
Samuel D. Babcock.
24.
George W. Lane.
57.
25.
James M. Brown.
58.
26.
Charles S. Smith.
59.
27.
Alexander E. Orr.
60.
28.
Morris K. Jesup.
61.
29.
James Boorman.
62.
30.
Royal Phelps.
63.
31.
Jonathan Sturges.
64-
32.
George Opdyke.
65.
33.
Simeon B. Chittenden.
66.
34.
Solon Humphreys.
67.
■i>
ll
si"
293
V
(<
294
NO.
68.
69.
70.
71-
72.
73.
74-
75-
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87.
88.
89.
90.
91.
92.
93.
94.
95.
96.
97.
98.
99.
100.
lOI.
102.
103.
104.
105.
106.
107.
108.
109.
no.
III.
APPENDIX
John Bright.
Samuel Moriey.
Gideon Lee.
Ambrose C. Kingsland.
William F. Havemeyer.
Cyrus W. Field.
Cyrus W. Field.
George Peabody.
Junius S. Morgan.
John Jacob Astor.
William B. Astor.
John Jacob Astor (2d).
Cornelius Vanderbilt.
William H. Vanderbilt.
Kinloch Stuart.
Robert L. Stuart.
Robert McCrea.
Peter Cooper.
John David Wolfe.
Preserved Fish.
David Leavitt.
Francis Skiddy.
Gustav Schwab.
ElUot C. Cowdin.
Anson G. Phelps.
George T. Hope.
Jeremiah P. Robinson.
Thomas B. Coddington.
George W. Blunt.
Walter R. Jones.
Loring Andrews.
Joshua Bates.
Samuel B. Ruggles.
Robert Ray.
John C. Green.
Charles H. Marshall.
James Stokes.
Marshall O. Roberts.
John Jay Phelps.
Paul Spofford.
Thomas Tileston.
Rufus Prime.
George T. Trimble.
, Isaac Sherman.
NO.
112.
113-
114.
115-
116.
117.
118.
119.
120.
121.
122.
123.
124.
125.
126.
127.
128.
129.
130.
131.
132.
133.
134-
135.
136.
137-
138.
139-
140.
141.
142.
143.
144.
145-
146.
147.
148.
149-
150.
151.
152.
153.
154.
155.
Horace B. Claflin.
Jeremiah Milbank.
Robert H. McCurdy.
John Caswell.
Jacob Barker.
Daniel Drake Smith.
Alfred S. Barnes.
James Brown.
Andrew V. Stout.
John S. Williams.
George L. Nichols.
George Jones.
Ezra Nye.
Benjamin H. Field.
EUhu Spicer.
Casper Meier.
Elliott F. Shepard.
William Walter Phelps.
Luman Reed.
Joseph Francis.
Eugene Kelly.
Benjamin B. Sherman.
Ambrose Snow.
John D. Jones.
Henry F. Spaulding.
Hugh N. Camp.
Jackson S. Schultz.
Christian G. Gunther.
F. Frederic Gunther.
Frederick A. Conkling.
John P. Paulison.
John Roach.
Richard Kelly.
William Denning.
Henry B. Hyde.
Charles Butler.
Henry Casimir De Rham.
James S. T. Stranahan.
Hanson K. Coming.
Moses Taylor.
Edward K. Collins.
Richard Irvin.
Silas Holmes.
David Dows.
1;
[• >
APPENDIX
29s
NO.
156.
157-
158.
159.
160.
161.
162.
163.
164.
165.
166.
167.
168.
169.
170.
171.
172.
173.
174.
175.
176.
177.
178.
179.
180.
181.
182.
183.
184.
185.
186.
187.
188,
Frederick S. Winston.
Thomas Dunham.
Jacob Lorillard.
John Jay Knox.
James Lenox.
Richard Lathers.
Collis P. Huntington.
Charles King.
Jesse Seligman.
Joseph Seligman.
Theodore A. Havemeyer.
Henry E. Nesmith.
Shepherd Knapp.
George Bliss.
George S. Coe.
Josiah Orne Low.
Edward H. R. Lyman.
Theophylact Bache.
Charies Lewis Tiffany.
Hugh H. Hanna.
Amos R. Eno.
Alexander T. Stewart.
Austin Corbin.
Walter T. Hatch.
Francis A. Palmer.
James M. Constable.
Alfred Van Santvoord.
Daniel C. Robbins.
William Cullen Bryant.
Samuel F. B. Morse.
Lieutenant Otway H. Ber-
rjrman.
The Atlantic Cable Pro
jectors.
Howard Potter.
NO.
189.
190.
191.
192.
193-
194.
195.
196.
197.
198.
199.
200.
201.
202.
203.
204.
205.
206.
207.
208.
209.
210.
211.
212.
213.
214.
215.
216.
217.
218.
219.
220.
221,
Samuel Marsh.
Horace B. Claflin.
Levi P. Morton.
Daniel F. Appleton.
Oswald Ottendorfer.
Charles Lanier.
General Winfield Scott.
Abraham Lincoln.
William B. Dana.
James B. Colgate.
Charles G. Landon.
George Washington.
Chester A. Arthur.
J. F. D. Lanier.
Robert Ainslie.
D. WiUis James.
George F. Vietor.
William F. Havemeyer.
Major- General Alexander
McDougall.
John Sloane.
Grover Cleveland.
A. Barton Hepburn.
Charles M. Leupp.
Vernon H. Brown.
Gustav H. Schwab.
John Crosby Brown.
Isidor Straus.
William Butler Duncan.
Sereno S. Pratt.
James J. Hill.
George Wilson.
George A. Heam.
James Talcott.
I
\
Sculpture
Alexander Hamilton.
De Witt CUnton.
John Jay.
Abram S. Hewitt.
Jonathan Goodhue.
George Griswold.
George Washington.
Benjamin Franklin.
Robert B. Potter.
,1,.
i
i
U
rr
'I »
I r
I i
I f
IX
|t ! i .
,. \
I
PUBLICATIONS BY THE CHAMBER
In addition to Annual Reports published regularly since 1858,
the Chamber has issued the following special publications:
Colonial Records of the New York Chamber of Commerce, 1768-
1784, by John Austin Stevens, Jr.
History of the Chamber of Commerce, 1 768-1856, by Charles
King.
Arbitration Records of the Chamber of Commerce, 1 779-1 792.
Commercial Arbitration, 191 1.
Rules for the Prevention of Unnecessary Litigation, 191 7.
Opening of Building of the Chamber of Commerce of the State
of New York, 1 768-1902. (Contains also 1902 Annual Ban-
quet.)
Unveiling of the Statues of the Chamber of Commerce, 1903.
(Also contains 1903 Annual Banquet.)
Presentation of the CUnton Vases and Stuart's Portrait of Wash-
ington, 1908.
Rapid Transit Report, 1905.
A Pledge of International Friendship, 1901.
One Hundred and Thirty-second Anniversary of the Founding of
the Chamber of Commerce, April 5, 1900.
The Atlantic Cable Projectors, 1854-1895.
Portrait Gallery of the Chamber of Commerce, 1890.
Unveiling of the Statue of William E. Dodge, 1885.
Banquet to Honorable Whitelaw Reid, Minister to France, 1892.
Banquet to Foreign and United States Naval Officers, 1893.
Banquet to Honorable Carl Schurz, 1899.
Proceedings at Annual Banquet, 1890-1913 inclusive, and 1915-
191 6 inclusive.
Monthly Bulletins, April, 1909, to date.
296
INDEX
h
:
iii
I
I.*
INDEX
II ii
„ {
Adams, Henry, on American and Brit-
ish shipping, 48 . __
Adams, John, 147; his picture of New
York in i774, 25-27; reply of, to
Chamber's declaration of loyalty, 50
Adams, John Quhicy, 55
Admission fee, 3, 7, 230, 251, 252
Alabama, the, acts of piracy of, 81, 82;
destroyed by Kearsarge, 83, 84;
claims, awarded United States, 85
Alaska boundary question, 206
Alaska- Yukon Exposition, 215
Albany Chamber of Commerce, 175
Algerines, 41 ^ . -j 4.
Alsop, John, 25, 34; first president
under revived charter, 40
Alverstone, Lord, 141
Ambassadors, at annual banquets, 213
American Seaman's Friend Society,
176
Anderson, Major," 73, 74 ^
Anglo-French Finance Commission,
216 ,
Anniversary of founding of Chamber,
looth, 91; committee on celebra-
tion of isoth, 270
Annual report of the Chamber, first,
68-70
Appeals, Committee of, 123
Arbitration, Committee of, 30, 53, S°t
60, 62, 120-127, 268; election of,
122, 123; proposals for compulsory,
121,122; records of, found and pub-
lished, 120, 121; Court of, created,
124; international, 126
Arthur, Chester A., gratitude of, for
Chamber's confidence, 97; hon-
orary member of the Chamber, 97;
tribute to, 97, 98; address of, at
dedication of Washington statue,
133; address recognizing services of
Chamber, 135, 136; portrait of, 158
Atlantic cable, 69; laying of, 128^131
Austria, Chambers of Commerce in, 2
Avebury, Lord, 141
Bache, Mr., 14
Bakers, regulations concemmg, 31
Balfour, Rt. Hon. Arthur James, 216;
his address at reception to War
Commission, 217; speech of, at
luncheon, 218
Bank, Federal Reserve, report and
resolution on, 223, 224
Bank, memorial favoring a national,
62
Bank of England, 141
Bank of New York, 43, 52, 62; orgam-
zation of, 44 . ,
Bank of the United States, memorial
against repeal of charter of, 53
Bankruptcy, request for national law
concerning, 53, 54 , . _
Banquets of the Chamber of Com-
merce, commemorating evacuation
of New York, 135, 136; eariiest an-
nual, 179, 180; ambassadors at, 213;
civil and military ofl&cers at, 179;
annual, abandoned in 1773, 180;
Fourth of July, 181; to Washington,
35-37 147, 182; to merchants, 182;
resumed in 1873, as permanent in-
stitution, 182; the modem annual,
182; influence of modern, 183; earh-
est of the modem, 184-188; York-
town centennial, 186, 187; to French
delegation, 189-193; oi 1887, 194-
196; of 1888, 197-199; of 1889, i99»
200; of 1890, 201-204; of 1892 and
1893, 205; of 1896, 205, 206; of
1898, 206; of 1901, 207, 208; of
1902, 208; of 1904, 210, 211; of
190S, 211-213; of 1906 to 1913, 213;
omitted in 1914, 213; of 191S. 213
Barge canal construction, 223
Baring Brothers, 201
Bartholdi, A., speech of, at banquet,
192; letter from, presenting Sevres
vase, 192 ^ . e
Battenberg, Prince Louis of, reception
to, 215
Beck, James M., 213
Beecher, Henry Ward, 136
Beekman, Henry R., 106
Belgium, fund for relief of sufferers m,
171
299
l)
\
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W'^ i
300
INDEX
' if
lu
h
in
Bellows, Rev. Dr. H. W., 185
Bensel. John A., 226
Benson, Egbert, 37
Berlin Chamber of Commerce, 161
Bigelow, John, 185
Bills of exchange, 21
Blackballing, 7, 59
Blackwell, Thomas L., 143
Blagge, John, 40
Blaine, James G., tribute to Chamber
by, 185
Blair, John, 148
Bliss, Cornelius N., 137; his tribute
to President Arthur, 97, 98
Blunt, Mr., 63
Bolton & Sigel's restaurant, 144, 145
Bonded Warehousemen, 176
Boston, 22, 26, 27
Bradford's CoflFee House, 181
Brady, Judge, 185
Brassey, Lord, 143; his tribute to the
Chamber, 140; reception given by,
142
Bread, regulation of price and quality
Bread casks, construction and price
of, 18, 19
Bright, John, resolution concerning,
78; letter from, 78, 79; portrait of,
158
Bristow, Caleb, 129
British, occupancy of New York, 28-
33; evacuation of New York, 3St 34>
13s, 136; privateering, 32, 33
British Ministry of Munitions, Com-
mission of, 219
British Peace Commission, 194
British War Commission, 216-218
Broome, John, 40
Bryce, James, 213
Buckminster, Mr., 202
Buffalo Chamber of Commerce, 175
Building, permanent Chamber of
Commerce, subscription of fund for,
157; description of, 157, 158; dedi-
cation of, 158-161
Buildings, height of, 223
Burrstones, French, importation of, 20
Business men, to aid government, 167
Butler, Governor Benjamin F., 136
Butler, Nicholas Murray, 213
By-Laws of Chamber of Commerce,
249-261; revision of 1787, 43;
changes in, in 1818, 52, 53; revised
in 1828, 58; motions to amend 4th
article of, 59; amended in 1854, 67
Cable, Atlantic, 69; laying of, 128-131
Cambon, Jules, 158, 161
Camp Whitman, Committee on in-
vestigation of, 270
Canada, commercial union with, 197,
198; fisheries controversy with, 194,
197; treaty of reciprocity with, 68
Canal, construction, 95, 223; Panama,
101-103; Ring frauds, 94, 95
Canal Act of 191 2, 102
Cape, John, his bill for banquet, 36,
37
Cape's Tavern, 35-37
Carnegie, Andrew, 141, 143, 213
Carroll, Dr., 49
Cartaret, the, 32
Carter, James C, 196
Casks, bread, construction and price
of, 18, 19
Catskill Water Supply System, the,
225, 226
Chadwick, Charles N., 226
Chagres River, 55, 56
Chamber of Commerce of New York,
oldest institution of its kind, i; in-
dependence of, I, 2; purpose and
plan of, 2, 3; founding of, 2-4, 229-
232; first home of, 4; 2d and 3d
meetings of, 6; 2d home of, 8; atti-
tude toward British taxation, 10, 11;
royal charter granted to, 12; public
service of, during colonial period,
17-24; stand for sound money, 17,
18, 23, 42, 114-119; devotion to
welfare of the community and fair
dealing in trade, characteristics
of, 18-22, 29, 40; during Revolu-
tion, 28-33; loyal to British, 29-33;
reorganization of, as patriotic body,
39-5 1 ; petition of, for confirmation
of charter, 39, 40; name changed un-
der State charter, 40; first meeting
under revived charter, 40; address
to Congress on subject of advance-
ment of commerce, 41 ; readmission
of former members, 43; indifference
among members, in 1788, 43; Pur-
chase of one share of bank stock by,
44; action concerning Jay treaty,
47; declaration and resolution as to
misunderstandings with France, 50;
no meetings between 1806 and 1817,
51; assets of, in 1817 and 1818, 52;
purchase of shares in Eagle Fire
Insurance Company, 52; rental of
room in Tontine Coffee House, 53:
INDEX
301
memorials to Congress on various
trade and commerce matters, 53;
attitude toward tariff, 53, 62, 63;
many memorials to Congress in
1822 and 1823, 54; attitude toward
free trade, 54, 55, 63; first meeting
in Merchants' Exchange, 55; ex-
penses of, in 1827, 57; suggests can-
didates for Court of Common Pleas,
57; consulted as to changes in judi-
ciary system, 57; petitions of, to
Congress regarding harbor improve-
ment, 60; steps taken in 1840 to
extend usefulness of, 61, 62; assets
in 1841, 62; action to improve trade
and commerce, 65; effort, in 1854,
to extend usefulness, 65, 66; mem-
bership in 1856, 68; annual report
published by, 68-70; support of
government in 1861, 71-76; resolu-
tion concerning government loans,
74; resolution concerning legal-
tender, 76; resolutions of 1863, on
state of the country, 77; resolution
concerning John Bright, 78; reso-
lutions in praise of Farragut, 79;
memorials on subject of harbor de-
fense, 85; resolutions on receiving
news of Lee's surrender, 86, 87;
memorial to Lincoln, 88; support
pledged to President Johnson, 89;
efforts to restore friendly relations
between North and South, 90, 91;
resolutions of 1865, pledging re-
newed support to government, 90;
one hundredth anniversary of
founding of, 91; efforts to advance
trade and commerce, 92; reforms in
city government accomplished by,
92-95; a non-political body, 92;
fund raised by, to investigate Tam-
many misrule, 93; action in Canal
Ring frauds, 94, 95; addresses and
resolutions on death of Garfield, 96,
97; support pledged to President
Arthur, 97; support of government
on question of war with Spain, 99-
loi; services of, in creating an un-
derground railway, 106-113; atti-
tude toward specie payments, 114;
support of President Cleveland, 117,
118; opposition to free silver, 115-
117, 119; in campaign of 1900, 119;
services in presidential campaign of
1896, 117, 118; success of system of
arbitration, 1 20-1 2 7 ; project of lay-
ing cable supported by, 1 28-131;
Washington and Sherman statues
presented to city by, 132-138; en-
tertained by London Chamber of
Commerce, 139-143; early tem-
porary homes of, 144-154; need of
permanent home felt, 155; building
fund subscribed by, 157; resolu-
tions pledging support of govern-
ment in war with Germany, 165,
166; patriotic services in war with
Germany, 164-168; relief funds
raised by, 169-172; first annual
banquets of, 179, 180; first dinner
in honor of government of United
States given by, 180, 181; banquets
given by, from 1787 to 1805, 181,
182; modem banquets given by,
184 et seq.; influence of modem
banquets of, 182, 183; formal re-
ceptions given by, 215-219; vari-
ous reports of, on subjects of special
interest, 223, 224; services of, in
construction of water-supply sys-
tem, 225, 226
Chamberlain, Rt. Hon. Joseph, at
annual dinner of Chamber, 194; his
address, 195, 196
Chambers of Commerce, European,
I, 2
Chambrun, Comte de, 215
Champlain monument, 215
Charity Fund, Committee on, 268
Charleston, S. C, fimd for earthquake
sufferers in, 171
Charter, the original, 12-14, 57; de-
scription of, 13; disappearance of,
14; text of, 233-241 ; confirmation
of, 39, 40; text of the reaflirmed,
242-248
Chest, treasurer's, 6, 231
Chicago, relief of fire sufferers in, 170
China, consular agents to, 64; treaty
with, 69
Chinese Military and Naval Mission,
216
Chittenden, S. B., 91
Choate, Joseph H., on Alabama award,
85; on Hay-Pauncefote treaty, 102,
103; speech at banquet commemo-
rating evacuation of New York, 136;
official reception given by, 139; at
London banquet, 140-142; his ad-
dress, 142; comment of, on London
visit, 143; compliment paid by, to
Mr. Jesup, 143; address of, in pre-
1 1
y
302
INDEX
INDEX
: >
I
if
\i ' i
senting vases and portrait, 162, 163;
at preparedness meeting, 165; at
banquet of 1879, 185; his tnbute to
Chamber, 212, 213; reception to,
216; last speech of, 218, 219
Cholera scare of 1892, the, 95
Cigars, early use of, 9
City cleaning, 30
City College, i77 , , , . ^ ^ ,
City Hall, meeting held m, 61; Park,
City Magistrate Courts, establishment
CivU War, the, 71-86
Claflin, John, 107 , , ^ , ,
Clarke, Bishop, of Rhode Island, 211
Clay, Henry, 55
Clayton-Bulwer treaty, the, loi
Clearing House Loan Committee, no
Clerk, duties of, 61 ^ , _,
Cleveland, Grover, and the Sherman
Act 116; Washington statue un-
veiled by, 133; at commemoration
of British evacuation, 130;. nis
recognition of Chamber's services in
sound-money fight, 117; letter of,
declining to accept banquet, 118,
119; his message to the Chamber,
194, 195; speech of, at banquet of
1889, 199; at banquet of 1890, 201;
speech of, at banquet of 1892, 205;
address of, at dedication of Cham-
ber of Commerce buildmg, 159;
portrait of, 158
CUnton, De Witt, portrait of, 158,
statue of, 58, 161, 162; tnbute to,
c8' vases presented to, 102, 103
Clmton, Governor George, banquets
given to Washington by, 35-38, 147
CUnton Hall, meetings in, 68
Cobden, Richard, portrait of, 158 .
Coins, fixed value for, 21, 23, 40; cir-
culation of foreign, 23; pluggmg
CoUector of the Port of New York , 1 76
College of Commerce and Admmistra-
tion, 177 ,T 1
College of tiie City of New York, 177
Collyer, Rev. Robert, 186
" Colonial New York," quoted, 5, 9, 27
Colonies, letter suggesting umon ot
the, 147, ISO ^ ^ . ^
Columbus, descendants of, 215
Columbus Centennial ExposiUon, 205,
215
Commerce, 41, S3. 54, 65, I9S, iQ^,
European Chambers of, t, 2; French
Minister of, i; Paris Council Gen-
eral of, I , . . ^' r" 1
Commerce and Admimstration, Col-
lege of, 177 _ _ ,
Commerce and Civics, Museum ot,
Commerce and manufactures, ad-
dresses on, 141, 142
Commercial arbitration, 120 et seq.
Commercial Education, 177; Com-
mittee of, appointed, 178, 268
Commission, rates of, 21, 43
Committee of Appeals, 123
Committeeof Arbitration, constituted,
12^- first refusal to abide by de-
cision of, 123; act of Legislature
concerning decisions of, 124; re-
established in 1910, 124, 125; vari-
ety of disputes settled by, 125; ef-
fectiveness of, 126; wide influence
of, 126, 127
Committee of Seventy, 93 , ^
Committees of the Chamber of Com-
merce, 256, 266-270; duties of, 257-
259
Commodities, regulation of, 31, 43
Common Pleas, Court of, 57
Congress, banquet in 1785 to, 180, 181
Conservation of State Waters, L^ds,
and Forests, Committee on, 269
Constabulary, a State, Chamber s ad-
vocacy of, 224, 225
Constitution, the, 171 ^ ,
Continental Congress, first, 150; ban-
quet to Massachusetts delegates to,
25, 26, 147
Cooper, Mayor Edward, 185
Cooper, Peter, 128-130
Cornwallis, Lord, 191 .
Correspondence, Committee of, ap-
pointed, 147 . ^ f «j
Coudert, Frederic R., 191; his ad-
dress at Statue of Liberty banquet,
189, 190 _ .
Council General of Commerce, Pans, i
Court of Arbitration created, 124
Cowper, William, 196, , . ., ^
Cox, S. S., on the Smitii family, 198
CrSgw, John, first president of Cham-
ber of Commerce, 3, 10-12; autiior
of "Declaration of Rights and
Grievances," 10; speaker of the
Assembly, 1 1 ; remained out of New
303
\
■ I !
York during British occupancy, 28;
portrait of, 91
Cuba, relief fund for poor in, 171
Currency, gold and silver, efiforts to
improve character of, 23 ; fixed rates
for, 23, 43; paper, in the colonies,
17, 18; memorial against paper, 42,
43
Curtis, George William, 196, 201 ; ora-
tion of, at Washington statue dedi-
cation, 133-135; speech of, at
Statueof Liberty banquet, 191; his
tribute to Washington Irving, 202,
203
Gushing, William, 147
Custom-house, 58, 59
Darien, Isthmus of, 55
"Declaration of Rights and Griev-
ances of the Colonists in America,"
10
Delafield, Colonel Richard, 85
De Lancey, Etienne, 36, 144, 145
Delegations, powers of, 261
Delmonico's, banquets at, 135, 186,
189, 201
Democracy, John Morley on, 210
Depew, Chauncey M., address of, on
presentation of picture of projectors
of Atlantic cable, 130
De Saune, Commander, 190
Desbrosses, Elias, 3
Dewey, Commodore, 100
Diplomacy, Secretary Hay on, 207, 208
Diplomatic and consular efficiency,
223
Disloyal utterances, report on, 168
Disputes, Committee on, 30, 53, 58,
60, 62, 120
Dix, John A., 185, 213
Dock Street, 145
Dodge, William E., 91, 16a
Doorkeeper, 8, 232
Dorchester, Lord, 46
Duane, James, 37, 150; John Adams's
estimate of, 25
Dues, amount of, 3, 61-63, 65, 66, 251,
252; unpaid, in 1788, 44; collected
in 1856, 68
Dunmore, Lord, 180
Durand, Sir Mortimer, 213
Dutch Church, the old, 154
Eagle Fire Insurance Company, 52,
60, 62
Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, 2
Edison, Thomas A., 213, 214
Edson, Franklin, 133
Education, Board of, 174, i75. '78
Edward VII, King, 139
Elections, John Morley on, 210; mu-
nicipal, state, and national, 93
Elevated railway system, 105
Eliot, Charies W., at banquet, 201;
his address, 202
Ely, Mayor, 185
Engines, steam, 68
England, A. B. Hepburn's tribute to,
142; Bank of, 141
Englishmen in New York, 5
Erie Canal, 42, 65, 162
Erie railroad, building of, 59, 60
Estimate and Apportionment, Board
of, 177
European, Chambers of Commerce,
126; mercantile associations, i, 2;
War, 164-168, 213, 226
Evarts, William M., 185; his address
at first of modern banquets, 184;
address at Yorktown anniversary
banquet, 187; address at Statue of
Liberty banquet, 190
Everett, Mr., 129
Executive Committee, 266
Ex-Presidents, Cleveland on, 199
Fagnani, J., portraits by, 158
Fairchild, Secretary Charles S., 162,
194
Fancher, Judge Enoch L., 124
Farley, Archbishop, 138
Farragut, Admiral, resolutions extol-
ling, 79; letter of acknowledgment
from, 79, 80
Federal Reserve Bank, report and
resolution on, 223, 224
Federal Shipping Board, 167
Fees, amount of, 3, 7, 230, 251, 252
Field, Cyrus W., 128; dinner to, 129;
painting as memorial to, 129-131
Field, David Dudley, 130
Field, Justice Stephen J., 130
Finance and Currency, Committee on,
266
Financial crisis of 1890, 201
Fines, for tardy and absent members,
6, 7, 30, 232; for non-attendance
discontinue, 44; amount of, col-
lected from 1822 to 1836, 60
Fire Department, 68
Fire insurance, first company organ-
ized in New York, 24
I
\
Vi
m
:/
1 1
I
1
m\
304
INDEX
INDEX
305
Fire of 1835, the, 153
Fire Underwriters, Board of, 225, 226
Fisheries question, the, 194, 197, 198
Fishery, appropriation to encourage,
23, 24; effect of privateers on, 33
Floods, Western, relief of sufferers in,
171
Florida, the, 81
Flour, regulation of price and quality
of, 18-20, 31; inspection system,
20; efforts to improve, 53
Folger, Charles J., 133
Food-Supply and Prices, Committee
on, 270
Foreign Commerce and the Revenue
Laws, Committee on, 267
Forest conservation, 223; Committee
on, 269
Fort Pickens, 73
Fort Sumter, 71, 73
Foster, Secretary Charles, 205
Fourth of July banquets, 181
France, Chamber of Commerce in, i;
Minister of Commerce in, i; duties
levied by, 53; mercantile associa-
tions in, i; relations between United
States and, in 1798, 50; fund for
flood sufferers in, 169; relief of
Franco-German War sufferers in,
170; Treaty of Alliance with, 186,
187; delegates from, bringing Rodin
bas-relief, 215; Statue of Liberty
delegation from, 189-193; visitors
from, at Yorktown anniversary ban-
quet, 186
Francis, Samuel, tavern of, 145-149;
in Washington's service, 146
Franco-German War, 170
Franklin, Benjamin, 208, 212; stove
invented by, 8
Franklin House, the, 146
Fraimces, Samuel, 35
Fraunces's Tavern,first homeof Cham-
ber, 4; banquet in, 35; history of,
144-149; sessions of Third Provin-
cial Congress held in, 147 ; Washing-
ton's headquarters, i47> ^49; mem-
orable events in, 146, 147; dimen-
sions of Long Room, 148; damaged
by fire, 148; restoration of, 148;
atmosphere of, 149
Free silver, opposition to, 115-117,
119
Free trade, 54, 63
Fremont, General, 214
Freneau, Philip, 146
Front Street, store in, where records
were found, 14
Gage, General, 179
Galveston flood, fund for sufferers
from, 171
Galvin, John F., 226
Garfield, President, assassination of,
96; fund raised for family of, 96, 1 7 1
Gaynor, Mayor, 213; report on rapid-
transit problems requested by, 223
Gerard, Ambassador James W., re-
ception to, 216
Germany, Chambers of Commerce in,
2; war with, 164-168, 213, 226
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, 2
Gold, 43; standard, 115
Grant, General, 87; address of, at
banquet, 187, 188; portrait of, 158
Granville, Lord, 47, 48
Grasse, Count de, descendants of, 186
Great Britain, Boards of Trade in, 2;
taxation of colonies by, 10, 11; com-
mercial treaty with, 42, 45-48; re-
strictions upon commerce by, 41;
controversy with, 51; and the Ala-
bama piracy, 81-85; John Morley
on relations between United States
and, 211
Greater New York charter, 108
Greer, Bishop, at banquets, 210, 213;
his anecdote of Bishop Clarke, 211
Gregory, Attorney-General, 214
Griggs, Governor John W., at ban-
quet, 205; his tribute to the Cham-
ber, 206
Griscom, Clement A., 141
Grocers' Guild, banquet in hall of, 140
Guerriire, the, 172
Gulf of Mexico, 54, 55
Halifax explosion, fund for sufferers
from, 171
Hall, Mayor Oakey, 93
Hamilton, Alexander, Bank of New
York organized by, 44; defense of
Jay Treaty by, 47; and Captain
Randall's will, 174; invited to
Fourth of July banquet, 181; por-
trait of , 15, 16, 114, 158; statue of,
58; statue of, lost in fire, 153; un-
veiling of statue, 161, 162
Hancock, General Winfield S., at ban-
quets, 184, 185; portrait of, 158
HaQcock, John, 42
Hanotaux, Gabriel, 215
Harbor, fortification of, 49; report of
Committee on Defenses, 85; De-
velopment Commissions, 167; im-
provements, 65, 223
Harbor and Shipping, Conunittee on,
267
Harrison, Benjamin, 197
Harrison, Robert, 148
Harvard graduates, Dr. Eliot on, 202
Havemeyer, Mayor, 185
Hay, Secretary John, 102, 103; on
diplomacy, 207, 208; tribute to
McKinley, 207
Hay-Pauncefote Treaty, the, 101-103
Hayes, President, 185
Heckmann, Paul, 161
Hell Gate Channel, 64
Hepburn, A. Barton, at London ban-
quet, 141; his tribute to England,
142
Herbert, Sir Michael Henry, 158, 161
Herschell, Lord, address of, 206, 207
Hewitt, Mayor Abram S., 196; ser-
vices of, in construction of subway,
105-111; on war with Spain, 100;
medal presented to, no, in;
statue of. III
Higgins, A. Foster, 141
Hill, James J., portrait of, 158
Homberg, Octave, 216
Howard, General O. O., 199
Hudson, Captain, 128, 129
Hudson-Fulton celebration, 215
Hughes, Ball, statue by, 153
Hugot, M. v., 161
Hunt, Wilson G., 130
Huntington, Daniel, painting by, 129
Hyde, John, 152
Hydrographic Department in Na-
tional Observatory, 64
Importations, taxation of, 40
Income-tax collection methods, 223
Independent New York Gazette, 34
Industrial Problems and Relations,
Committee on, 270
Inman, John H., 107
Insurance, Committee on, 267; fire,
first suggestion of, in New York, 24;
War Risk, 165
Internal Trade and Improvements,
Committee on, 267
Interstate Commerce Commission, 224
Iron, duty on railroad, 64
Irving, Washington, genius of, 202,
203
Irving Hall, 91
Isere, French national ship, 189, 190
James, Thomas L., 186
Japan, treaty with, 69
Japanese, Commissioners to Alaska-
Yukon Exposition, Finance Com-
mission, and Imperial War Missions,
receptions to, 215
Jay, Fred., 37
Jay, John, 147, 150; envoy to Great
Britain, 45, 46; governor of New
York, 48; statue of, 58, 161, 162
Jay Treaty, the, 45-48; provisions of,
Jersey, paper currency of, 17, 18
Jesup, Morris K., President of Cham-
ber, 107; formal presentation by,
of Atlantic cable picture, 129; guest
of London Chamber of Commerce,
139-143; his speech at banquet, 141 ;
his speech at Lord Mayor's recep-
tion, 143; Mr. Choate's compliment
to, 143; at dedication of building,
158; Clinton statue presented by,
162; vases and Washington portrait
bequeathed to Chamber by, 162,
163; tablet commemorating ser-
vices of, 163
Jesup, Mrs. Morris K., vases and por-
trait presented by, 162
Johnstown flood, relief of sufferers
from, 171
Jones, Major-General Daniel, 29
Journal of Commerce, 63
Judiciary system, 57
Jusserand, J. J., 213, 215
Kearsarge, the, 83, 84
Kennedy, John S., 162
Kent, Chancellor, 174
Kent, Sir Stephenson, luncheon to, 219
King, Charles, 67
King, James Gore, 141
Knox, John Jay, 133
Lacombe, Admiral, 189, 190
Lafayette, descendants of, 186; G. W.
Curtis's address on, 191
La Flore, French flag-ship, 189
Lamar, Secretary L. Q. C, address of,
at annual dinner, 194, 195
Lancashire, relief sent to, 169
Lancey, Etienne de, 36, 144, 145
Lane, George W., 133
Lane, Secretary, 214
4",
fi ,
ii »
si' I
p:i
\»
306
INDEX
Lang, Lord Archbishop Cosmo Gor-
don, reception to, 219; address of,
220, 221
Langdon, Woodbury, 107
Lansdowne, Lord, 102, 140
Lazear, Dr., 49
Lee, surrender of, 86
Legal tender, resolution concerning,
76
Lesseps, Count Ferdinand de, 191
Lexington, battle of, 28
Lighthouses, 60
Lincoln, President, 71, 72; assassina-
tion of, 87; memorial to, 88; funeral
ceremonies of, 89; portrait of, 158;
anecdote of, 214
Livingston, Philip, John Adams's esti-
mate of, 25
Loan of 1861, subscriptions to, 73
Loans, government, resolution con-
cerning, 74
Lodge, Senator, 213
London, bankers, 201, 202; commer-
cial education in, 177; Lord Mayor's
reception, 142. 143; seal found in, 14;
Washington portrait found in, 162
Ijmdon, the, 146
London Chamber of Commerce, 2,
161; banquet given by, 139-142;
luncheon given by, 143
Low, Abiel A., 91, 128, 187; protest
of, against Alabama acts, 82; sug-
gestion of, for Chamber of Com-
merce building, 156
Low, Isaac, 150; loyal to British, 28,
29, 34; John Adams's estimate of,
26; protest against privateering,
32; motion of, for compulsory ar-
bitration, 121
Low, Seth, 107, 133, 137, 138; Presi-
dent of the Chamber, 151; services
of Chamber acknowledged by, 159;
address of, at banquet, 213; anec-
dote of Lincoln told by, 214
Lower Wall Street Business Men's
Association, 151
Luzerne, Chevalier de la, 36
Maine, eastern boundary of, 47
Mansion House, London, reception at,
142
l^Ianufacturers' Association of Brook-
lyn, 225, 226
Marine Society, 174-176
Maritime Association of New York,
i75» 176
Mass-meetings in Union Square, 76, 77
Massachusetts delegates to Conti-
nental Congress, 25, 147
Maury, Lieutenant, 130
McClellan, Mayor, 210, 225, 226
McCuUoch, Hugh, 185
McDougall, Alexander, 150
McKinley, President, Chamber's sup-
port of, 99, loi; letter of appreci-
ation from, 99; Secretary Hay's trib-
ute to, 207; tariff bill of, 201
Meat, regulation of price of, 30
Meath, Earl of, 199
Medals distributed by the Chamber,
73, 74, III, 112, 129
Meetings of Chamber of Commerce,
account of, 9; dayof, 66, 67; daily,
61; bimonthly, 52; quarterly, 3;
hour of, 43, 44, 52, 58; time and
place of, 230, 250; reported in news-
papers, 63
Members of Chamber of Commerce,
election of, 230, 250, 251; honorary,
251; roll of, 271-292
Membership of Chamber of Com-
merce, 6, 8; persons eligible to, 7,
58, 62; in 1849, 64; in 1853, 65; in
1856, 68; in 1858, 70
Memphis, fund for sufferers in, 171
Mercantile Associations, European, 1, 2
Mercantile Library Association, estab-
lishment of, 54
Merchant Marine, American, Com-
mittee on, 270; report of, 222; train-
ing of ofl&cers in, 175
Merchants, New York, agreement of,
concerning trade with Great Britain,
10
Merchants' Association, 176
Merchants' Bank, the, 60, 153; cost
of new structure, 153
Merchants' Coffee House, banquets in,
147, 150, 151, 180; Governor Col-
den's portrait in, 15; a famous his-
toric building, 150; rent of room in,
29; destroyed by fire, 151; tablet
commemorative of, 151
Merchants' Exchange, 57, 62; proj-
ect for building, 53; first meeting
in, 55; Governor Colden's portrait
in, 15; destroyed by fire, 14, 16, 60,
153; description of, 152, 153; cost
of, 153
Mersereau, William H., 148
Messina, Italy, fund for earthquake
sufferers in, 171
INDEX
307
Military training, universal, 165
Miller, Attorney-General, W. H. H.,
205
Miller, Jacob W., 176
Miller, Justice, 199
Mitchel, Mayor, 214
Morgan, J. Pierpont, portrait of,
158
Morley, John, address of, 210, 211
Morse, Professor, 130
Morton, Levi P., 186
Municipal credit in subway construc-
tion, 106
Museum of Commerce and Civics, 177
Mutual Life Building, the, 154
National Guard and Naval Militia,
223, 224; Committee on, 269
Nautical School, organization of, 174;
Council of the, 175; prizes for, 175;
under State control, 175; Board of
Governors of, 175
New Jersey, Harbor Development
Commission, 167; paper currency,
17, 18 ^
New York, in colonial times, 3, 5, 22
et seq., 144; John Adams's views of,
25, 26; during British occupation,
28-33; British evacuation of, $$,
34; fortification of harbor of, 49;
Harbor Development Commission
of, 167; War Board for Port of, 167,
168
New York Central Railroad Company,
105
New York City Central Underground
Company, 105
New York City Rapid Transit Com-
pany, los
New York State Bar Association, 126
Newman, Captain Charles, 32
Newspapers, acts of Chamber adver-
tised in, 22, 23; disputant's names
in, 53, 122; files of, kept, 61; meet-
ings reported in, 63; early banquets
not reported in, 179, 180, 182; no-
tice of dinner to Congress in, 180;
Fourth of July banquet advertised
in, 181
Niagara, the, 128
Niagara Falls, ship canal around, pro-
posed, 59
Noble, Secretary, 199
Northcliffe, Lord, 213
Northwest, fund for fire sufferers in,
170
Observatory, National, at Washing-
ton, 64
O'Conor, Charles, 185
Odell, Benjamin B., Jr., 162
Ofl&cers of Chamber of Commerce,
first, 3; duties of, 231, 252-254;
election of, 230, 249; election of
special, 259; list of, 262-266
Ogden, James De Peyster, 91
Olney, Richard, 210
Opdyice, George, 91
Opdyke, Mayor, 184
Order, rules of, 260
Oreto, the, 82
Orr, Alexander E., 107, 109, no, 131,
157; on municipal credit, 106;
speech of thanks for medals, 112;
letter of, to Cleveland, 118; tablet
commemorating services of, 163
Outerbridge, E. H., address of, to
British War Commission, 216, 217;
address at reception to Archbishop
Lang, 219, 220
Panama, Canal tolls, T01-103; city
of, 55; Isthmus of, 49, 55, S6
Panic, of 1837, 141; of 1893, 116
Paper currency, 17, 18; memorial
against, 42, 43
Paris, Chamber of Commerce, 161;
Council General of Commerce, i;
Treaty of Peace of, 212
Parker, Alton B., 162
Parsons, William Barclay, 107
Pauncefote, Lord, 102, 103^
Peace, arbitration, international, 126,
223; Commission, British, 194
Pearl Street, 145
Pennsylvania, paper currency of, 17
Pension bill, 201
Perit, Pelatiah, address of, 71, 72;
Seward's letter to, 73; John Bright's
letter to, 79
Phelps, Hon. E. J., address of, 199,
200
Phelps, Royal, 133
Philadelphia, 19, 20, 22, 147, 150;
Chamber of Commerce, 55; con-
vention of 1820 in, 53
Philippine independence, resolution
on, 224
Physical training, universal, 165
Pierrepont, Edwards, 185
Pilots, 60, 65; Board of Commission-
ers of, 173, 269
Pintard, John, 24
•r^,
308
INDEX
INDEX
309
I
I*
ml
1
Pirrie, William J., speech of, at Lon-
don banquet, 141
Pitt, William, and the Jay Treaty, 46-
48
"Pledge of International Friendship,
A," 143
Police, a State, 224, 225
Police-court system, abolition of the,
94
Police Department, investigation of,
93
Port of New York, War Board for,
167, 168; pilots for, 173
Porter, General Horace, 185; speech
of, 190, 191, 212; reception to, 216
Portland, Maine, fund for fire suffer-
ers in, 170
Portraits, collection of, 157, 158, 293-
295
Postal facilities, improved, 223
Post-ofl&ce, building, erection of, 59;
in Merchants' Exchange, 153
Potter, Bishop H. C, 138, 185, 201
Pratt, Matthew, portrait by, 15, 158
Preble, Captain Edward, dinner to,
182
Preparedness, national, 165
Presidential campaign of 1896, 117,
118; of 1900, 119
Privateering, American and Bntish,
31-33; captures in, 150; memorial
against, 67
Profits, restriction of war, 167
Proposals, regulations regarding, 6, 7
Province Arms, the, 36
Provincial Congress, Third, sessions
of, 147
Public Service Commission, 108, 125
Publications by the Chamber of Com-
merce, 296
Quarantine, 60; a national, 95
Queen Charlotte's Tavern, 145
Queen Street, 145
Queen's Head Tavern, the, 145, 146
Quorum and adjournment, 64, 231,
259
Railroad labor arbitration, 223
Railway War Council, 168
Randall, Captain Richard, 173, I74
"Rapid Transit, Chamber of Com
merce of the State of New York,'
}t
112
Rapid Transit Commission, appomt-
ment of, 105, 106; personnel of,
107; subway constructed by, 107,
108 ; medals presented to, in , 1 1 2 ;
additional routes proposed by, 108
Rapid transit problems, report of
committee on, 222, 223
Rapid Transit Subway Construction
Company, 108
Ray, Cornelius, 52
Reading, Earl of, 216
Receptions, formal, given by the
Chamber, 215-219
Records, findmg of, early, 14
Red Cross, contribution to, 213
Redfield, Secretary, 213
Refreshments, provision for, at sixth
meeting of Chamber, 6
Reid, Whitelaw, 205
Report of the Chamber, Annual, 68-70
Reporters, newspaper, 63
Revenue, memorial on collecting, 53
Revolution, the, 13, 15, 25, 28-33, 4i
Rice, George S., 107
Richmond, Va., fund for sufferers in,
170
Rives, George L., 107
Roberts, Marshall O., 130
Robertson, General, 33
Rochambeau, descendants of, 186,
187
Rodin, bas-relief by, 215
Rollit, Sir Albert K., 158, 161
Room, first meeting, 3, 4
Roosevelt, Colonel Theodore, com-
ment of, on bill for dinner to Wash-
ington, 36-38; at dedication of
Chamber's building, 158; welcome
to foreign guests, 159; address of,
at dedication banquet, 160, 161;
his tribute to the Chamber, 161;
letter from, 208, 209
Roosevelt, Isaac, 28, 34-37, 44
Root, Senator Elihu, 138, 158, 213,
214; on Panama Canal tolls, loi;
bill of, repealing toll-exemption
clause, 102-104; reception to, 216
Rosen, Baron, 213
Royal Exchange Building, 8, 10, 15;
erection of, 149 ; the Great Room in,
150; Governor Colden's portrait in,
IS
Ruggles, Samuel B., 95, iiS
" Rules for the Prevention of Unneces-
sary Litigation," 126
Russia, reception to commissioners to,
216; fund for famine sufferers in,
171
Safety-First Problems, Committee on,
270
Sailors, fund for relief of destitute, 176
Sailors* hotels and boarding-houses.
Board of Commissioners for licens-
ing of, 176, 269
Sailors' Snug Harbor, 173, 174
Saint Gaudens, Augustus, Sherman
statue by, 136, 137
St. Mary's, school-ship, 175
St. Peter's Union for Catholic Seamen,
176
St. Pierre, Martinique, fund for suf-
ferers in, 171
Salisbury, Lord, 218
San Domingo, relief of fugitives from,
169
San Francisco earthquake, fund for
sufferers from, 171
Sandeman, Albert G., 141, 143
Sandy Hook, 32
Saune, Commander de, 190
Savannah, fund for yellow-fever suf-
ferers in, 170
Schofield, General, 201
School-ships, 175
Schurz, Cari, 99, 185, 187, 199, 201
Scofield, General, 214
Scott, General, portrait of, 158
Sculpture owned by Chamber, 295
Seal of Chamber of Commerce, the
original, 14; finding of, 14
Seamen, protection of American, 49
Seamen's Christian Association, 176
Seamen's Church Institute, 176
Sears, Isaac, 40
Secretary, a corresponding, appointed,
67
Semmes, Captam, 81
Sevres National Manufactory, 192
Seward, William H., letters of ac-
knowledgment from, 73, 90
Shaw, Charles A., 226
Sheridan, General, 87; portrait of, 158
Sherman, General W. T., 87, 170; at
banquets, 185, 199, 201; addresses
of, 197, 203, 204; portrait of, 158;
statue of, 132, 136-138
Sherman, Secretary John, 185; por-
trait of, 114, 158
Sherman Act, the, 115, 201; repeal of,
116
Ship purchase bill, 222
Shipments during War, Committee on
Problems of, 164, 165, 269
Shipping, American, 222; effects of Jay
Treaty on, 46-48; Federal Board,
222
Shubrick, Lieutenant John F., gift to
family of, 171, 172
Siam, treaty with, 69
Silver, bill, Sherman, 201; free coin-
age of, 114-1 17, 119; standard rate
for, 43
Simmons, J. Edwards, 226
Slaves, sold in Merchants' Coffee
House, 150
Slemmer, Lieutenant, 73
Smith, Charles Stewart, 107; Cham-
ber's attitude in municipal affairs
stated by, 94; address of, 201, 202
Smith, Goldwin, address of, 197, 198
Smith, Sidney, 203
Smuggling, resolution concerning, 41
Social insurance, 223
Society for Promoting the Gospel
among Seamen, 176
Sons of Liberty, the, 146
Sons of the Revolution, Society of the,
Fraunces's Tavern restored by, 144,
148
South, the, relief funds sent to, 170
Southwest, fund for yellow-fever suf-
ferers in, 171
Spain, war with, 99-101
Specie payments, resvunption of, 114,
141
Spring-Rice, Sir Cecil, 216
Stagg, John P., 59
Stamp Act, the, 10, 150
Starin, John H., 107
State, constabulary, 224, 225; road
improvement, 223
State and Municipal Taxation, Com-
mittee on, 268
State elections, 93
Staten Island, 173
Statue of Liberty, banquets on arrival
and on dedication of, 189-192
Statues owned by Chamber of Com-
merce, 295
Steam-engines, 68
Steam Navigation, National Board of,
175
Steinway, William, 107
Steuben, Baron de, descendants of,
186, 187
Stevens, John Austin, 79, 187
Stevens, John Austin, Jr., historian of
the Chamber, 91 ; his " Colonial New
York" quoted, 5, 9, 27
Storing of food, 30
I
i i
< ,'
./i
i!
11
! >
\
310
INDEX
Storrs, Rev. Dr. Richard S., 185, 187
Stove, the Franklin, 8
Strangers, privileges of, 261
Strauss, Charles, 226
Street cleaning, 94
Strong, Mayor William L., 94
Stuart, Gilbert, Washington portrait
by, 158, 162, 163
Sturges, Jonathan, 91
Subway, route and plans determined
up)on, 107; completed in 1904, 108;
charter of 1868 for, 105; municipal
credit in construction of, 106; tablet
in City Hall station of, in, 112
Supreme Coiirt of the United States,
entertainment in honor of, 147
Tablets, commemorative, in, 151, 163
Tammany rule, abuses under, 93
Tariff, bill of 1820, 53; the Clay bill,
55, 62, 63; McKinley bill, 201;
Commission, 223
Taxation, 54; of the colonies, 10, n;
of importations, 40; State and mu-
nicipal, 223; Committee on, 268
Taylor, Moses, 130
Tea, accounts as to English cargoes
of, 146, 147
Tea-drinking in early New York, 5
Tennessee, East, relief sent to, 170
Thurman, Mr., motion of, concerning
fire insurance, 24
Tilden, Governor, 94, 185
Times, New York, 93
Ton, a standard, 21
Tongue, William , license of, restored, 3 1
Tonti, Lorenzi, 151
Tontine Association, the, 151
Tontine Building, the, 152; Governor
Colden's portrait in, 15
Tontine Coffee House, 54, 57; meeting-
room in, 53; erection of, 151; Eng-
lish traveller's description of, 152;
banquet in, 182
Trade, commission rates in, 43; ef-
forts to advance, 22, 23, 92; fair
dealing in, 18, 20-22
Treasurer, chest kept by, 6, 231; first
audit of accounts of, 7
Troy, N. Y., relief fund for, 169
Trumbull, John, portraits by, 15, 158
Trustees of the Real Estate, Board of,
254-256; members of, 268
Tweed Ring frauds, the, 93
Underwood, Mr., 129
Underwriters, Board of, 176
Underwriters' Building, 67, 154
Union Defense Committee, 73
United States Bank, 52
Universal physical and military train-
ing, 165
Valeniine^s Manual, 148
Van Dam, Anthony, 3
Vase, Sevres, presented by French
delegates, 192
Vases, presented to De Witt Clinton,
162, 163
Venezuela question, the, 140
Venta Cruz, 55
Veragua, Duke of, reception to, 215
Victoria, Queen, 139
Vigilance Committee, the, 146
Volunteers, funds in aid of, 73
Von Pless, Prince Hans Heinrich, 158,
161
Wakayama, M., 184
Wakeman, Abram, 151
Waldorf-Astoria, banquet at, 160; re-
ception at, 215
Wall Street, portraits foimd in garret
in, 16; Lower, 151
Wallace, Hugh, 3
Waller, Thomas W., 136
Walton, Jacob, 14
Walton, William, 13
Walton House, die, 13, 14; Bank of
New York in, 44
War, European, 164-168, 213, 226
War Board for Port of New York,
formed, 167; membership of, 168
War Council of the Protestant Epis-
copal Church, 219
War of 1812, 51
War profits, restriction of, 167
War Risk Insurance, Bureau of, 165
War-ships, banquet to officers of, 205
Ward, J. Q. A., 133, 136
Warehouses, 65; joint commission for
regulation of, 176
Waring, Colonel George E., 94; fund
for family of, 171
Washington, President, banquets to,
35-37, 147, 151, 180; reception to,
by New York officials, 151; posses-
sion of New York taken by, 34;
reasons of, for sending Jay to Eng-
land, 45-47; attitude of, toward
preparedness, 46; neutral policy
adopted by, 50; his liking for
Samuel Francis, 146; farewell of,
INDEX
311
to his officers, 147; his recognition
of debt to France, 186; and Lafay-
ette, 191; death of, 51; statue of,
132-135; Stuart portrait of, 158,
162, 163
WaterSupplySystem,Catskill, 225,226
Waterfront improvements, 223
Waters and Lands, Conservation of,
223; Committee on, 269
Webster, Daniel, 55
Welles, Gideon, 83
Wells, David A., 185
West Indies, 46, 48, 54
Wetmore, Prosper W., early records
found by, 14; portraits found by, 16
Wheat, 18-20, 53
White, Andrew D., 185
Whitman, Governor, 225
Wilson, George, 158
Wilson, Henry, 185
Wilson, James, 148
Wilson, Postmaster-General WiUiam
L., 205
Wilson, President, and repeal of toll-
exemption clause, 103, 104; reso-
lutions endorsing action of, toward
Germany, 165, 166; pledge of sup-
port to, 166
Windom, Secretary William, 186
Windsor Castle, 139
Winn, Captain Isaac L., 14
Winslow, Captain John A., rewarded
for destruction of the Alabama, 83-
85
Wood, General Leonard, at prepared-
ness meeting, 165; at banquet, 214;
on a State police. 225
Wood, William P., 161
Woodhouse, Mr., 129
Workmen's Compensation Legisla-
tion, 223; Committee on, 269
Yellow fever, in New York, 48, 49;
fund for sufferers in South, 170, 171
Yorktown, celebration of victory at,
186, 191
1«
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