USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > A history of the city of Cleveland: its settlement, rise and progress, 1796-1896 > Part 40
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59 " Precious Records."-" Cleveland Plain Dealer," May 20, 1895.
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stone and flint implements from Ohio and other parts of the world, which money could not purchase. Among them is a unique collection of paleolithic implements, from Europe, and Trenton, N. J., including the celebrated Newcomerstown paleolith, presented by Mr. Mills. A good authority has estimated that $1,000,000 would not gather so valuable a collection and library as that which is now owned by the society, while much of it is of mate- rial which could not be duplicated."
The society has also gathered, from various sources, the publications of the United States Government, to the number of thirty-three thousand volumes. It has recent- ly been made a United States depository, and will here- after regularly receive all such publications. 60
60 The Society is still in able hands, the officers (April, 1896) being as follows: President, Henry C. Ranney ; corresponding secretary, Albert L. Withington; recording secretary, Wallace H. Cathcart; treasurer, Horace B. Corner; librarian and curator, Peter Neff. Mr. Neff is industriously and intelligently devoted to his responsibilities as executive officer, and the writer is under obligation to him, in connection with various points of information in the present work.
CHAPTER XVIII.
IN GREATER CLEVELAND.
In the record of 1848, mention was made of the found- ing of the Cleveland Board of Trade, and the time has come to redeem the promise there made, and show to what useful extent that humble association has grown. A law was passed by the Ohio Legislature, in 1866, recognizing such organizations and providing for their government. The Board of Trade, accordingly, on April 5th of the year named, surrendered its articles of association, and reor- ganized under the new law, becoming a chartered institu- tion, with the name of the "Board of Trade of the City of Cleveland." The objects of this association were de- clared to be the promotion of integrity, good faith and equitable principles of business; "to discover and correct abuses; to establish and maintain uniformity in commer- cial usages; to acquire, preserve and disseminate valuable business statistics and information; to prevent or adjust controversies and misunderstandings which may arise be- tween persons engaged in trade, and generally to foster, protect and advance the commercial, mercantile and manufacturing interests of the city."
Daily meetings were held at that time in the Atwater Building, on Superior street. There were but twenty members in the new organization.61 By 1892, its mem-
61 The names attached to this charter of 1866 were as follows: Philo. Chamberlain, A. V. Cannon, R. T. Lyon, E. D. Childs, J. C. Sage, W. F. Otis, A. Hughes, M. B. Clark, C. W. Coe, W. Murray, H. S. Davis, S. F. Lester, J. E. White, A. Quinn, J. H. Clark, George W. Gardner, S. W. Porter, E. C. Hardy, H. D. Woodward, and George Sinclair. Mr. Weath- erly held the office of president from 1848 to 1864, when he was succeeded by S. F. Lester. The presidents of the board, and of the Chamber of Commerce, its successor, from 1848 to 1896, with the year of election, have been as follows: 1848, Joseph L. Weatherly; 1864, S. F. Lester; 1865 Philo Chamberlain; 1867, W. F. Otis; 1868, George W. Gardner; 1869,-
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bership had grown to 485, and a surplus of $20,000 had been laid aside, for the purchase of a site and the erec- tion of a building.
With the growth of the city, and a realization of the needs of Greater Cleveland, came the desire to make this. commercial organization more useful, and to increase the scope of its work. "In August of this year," says the report for 1892, "the Committee on the Promotion of In- dustry began the collection of what is known as the busi- ness men's fund, and the organization of a movement, within the Board of Trade, made up of subscribers to this. fund." Through earnest work on the part of a few active members of the board, this fund ran up to a considerable sum of money in a short period. Seven business men, from among the subscribers to the fund, were added to the original Board of Trade committee, and a new general committee formed, as follows, to conduct the industrial work: Wilson M. Day, Chairman; L. E. Holden, Vice- Chairman; George T. McIntosh, Secretary; H. R. Groff, Treasurer ; A. J. Wright, Michael Baackes, Myron T. Herrick, C. C. Burnett, L. W. Bingham, L. McBride, D. A. Dangler, Geo. Deming, J. B. Perkins, S. M. Strong and W. J. Morgan. This committee, representing nearly one hundred of the most substantial and progressive business concerns of the city, met on September 24th and appointed Ryerson Ritchie to the position of superintendent of indus- try. " 62 The special labors of this able official were the
R. T. Lyon; 1870, A. J. Begges; 1871, Thomas Walton: 1872, Charles Hickox: 1873, B. H. York; 1874, F. H. Morse: 1875, H. Pomerene; 1877, B. A. De Wolf; 1879, Daniel Martin; 1886, William Edwards; 1888, George W. Lewis; 1889, William Edwards; 1893, Henry R. Groff; 1894, Luther Allen : 1895, Wilson M. Day; 1896, J. G. W. Cowles. The treasurers have been: 1848, R. T. Lyon; 1865, J. H. Clark; 1867, J. F. Freeman; 1870, J. D. Pickands; 1871, A. Wiener; 1872, S. S. Gardner; 1879, Theodore Sim- mons; 1884, X. X. Crum; 1887, A. J. Begges; 1894, Geo. S. Russell; 1896, Samuel Mather. The secretaries: 1848, Charles W. Coe; 1849, S. S Coe; 1854, H. B. Tuttle; 1860, C. W. Coe; 1862, H. B. Tuttle; 1864, Arthur H. Quinn; 1865, J. C. Sage; 1879, Theodore Simmons; 1884, X. X. Crum; 1887, A. J. Begges; 1893, Ryerson Ritchie (present incumbent).
62 "Annual Report of the Trade and Commerce of Cleveland," 1892, p. 151.
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encouraging of new manufacturing and mercantile estab- lishments to locate in Cleveland, the securing of advan- tageous freight facilities for shippers, the collection and dissemination of statistics, a study of the Ohio tax laws, with a view to reformation of the same, the watching of State and municipal legislation having reference to Cleve- land, and the general co-operation of business men, in all questions relating to the city's interests.
The active and able committeemen named above, and their associates in the Board, had not studied the condi- tions surrounding them, and the possibilities lying before them, very deeply, before they were led to the conclusion that a radical change in the base of operations was a mat- ter essential to the largest degree of success. As a result, the Cleveland Board of Trade was legally reorganized, its name changed to the Cleveland Chamber of Com- merce, and its functions greatly enlarged. At a meeting of the older organization, on February 6, 1893, held in conformity with the laws of the State, a resolution was adopted, as follows: "That the name of the Board of Trade of the City of Cleveland be changed to the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce." In explanation of this movement, we quote as follows from the report 63 of the board of directors of the Chamber, made on April 17, 1894: "To the enterprise and untiring efforts of the Board of Trade Committee on Promotion of Industry is due the successful organization of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce. The persistent energy of that committee resulted in crystalizing a sentiment among business men in favor of a wider interest in progressive measures, a stronger faith in the advantage to the city of united work, and the necessity of having an organization so well equipped that it would invite the active interest of busi- ness men."
Soon after the change of name and character, above de- scribed, was accomplished, a new set of by-laws went into
63 " The Cleveland Chamber of Commerce: Reports"and"Proceedings," 1894, P. II.
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operation. Those which had governed the older organi- zation were, says the report above quoted, "suited particu- larly to an organization where dealing in grain, provis- ions, etc., was carried on; they were not appropriate for a deliberative body, representing equally every trade in- terest, and embracing within its membership a large num- ber of professional men." The new laws adopted by the Chamber contained, among many others, the distinctive features here summarized : There were to be active, honorary and associate members. "Men of good standing, interested in the commercial, industrial and municipal ad- vancement of the City of Cleveland," were eligible for the first-named class. A membership fee of twenty-five dol- lars, and annual dues of twenty dollars, were required of each active member. Three classes of membership seats were provided: Regular membership seat, at a cost of one hundred dollars; special membership seat, at a cost of five hundred dollars; a life membership seat, at a cost of one thousand dollars. The government of the Chamber was to be vested in a board of fifteen members, elected annually, the officers to consist of a president, two vice-presidents, a treasurer and a secretary. Committees were to be ap- pointed on arbitration, boards and associations, building, education, entertainment, executive, legislation, library, manufactures, membership, municipal, navigation, trade- extension and transportation. It was further decreed that : "Any number of members who may desire to be associated together as a board, exchange, society, or association, for the purpose of promoting more effectively the special trade, industry, business or profession in which they are interested, may form a board of the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce." A sinking fund was created, for the erec- tion of a Chamber of Commerce building.
The general plan of labor laid down for this great and powerful commercial organization is outlined in the above. How thoroughly, and with what success, that work was commenced and has been carried forward, only the com- pleted history of Greater Cleveland will be able to show.
1
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An examination of the able reports of the Chamber for 1894 and 1895 furnishes some interesting information.
New rooms in the Arcade were occupied on June I, 1893, and formally opened on the evening of the 20th. So useful did these become, as a center of business Cleve- land, that between January 1 and April 17, 1894, 108 meetings of various kinds were held within them. Some of the strictly public questions which the Chamber took into consideration, and concerning which it made its in- fluence felt, were the location of the new armory, the proposed opening of Bank street, various measures in which Cleveland was interested in connection with the World's Fair, the question of transportation as bearing on Cleveland business, the securing of a new Federal building, a series of excursions by representatives of wholesale and manufacturing establishments into territory outside of Cleveland, for the purpose of fostering a closer personal relationship between the country and the city merchants; concerning city taxes, the establishment of a branch hydrographic office in Cleveland, action looking to a reduction of insurance rates, the raising of funds for the relief of suffering caused by the industrial depression, action looking to a due observance of Cleveland's Centen- nial of 1896, the improvement of the street railway serv- ice, the agitation of general municipal improvement, the adoption of a new system of recording receipts and ship- ments of freight, harbor improvement, the extension of manufactures, State taxation, the improvement of the city's park system, and other points of a less important nature. The report of the secretary, on April 9, 1894, showed total receipts for the year of $49,560.92 ; a balance in the treasury of $30,569.61 ; a membership of 901.
A special work of great importance is thus referred to in the report: "The Chamber should be especially proud of the successful issue of its efforts to bring together, in one organization, the local commercial associations of the State, to promote by unity of action the commercial, in- dustrial, financial and general business interests of Ohio.
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The commercial conference called by the Chamber, on November 15th, was attended by fifty-five representative business men, delegated by the leading commercial bodies of the State. The report of the board of directors, recom- mending that a conference be called for the purpose of organizing a State board of commerce, was submitted and adopted by the Chamber, on the evening when its new rooms were formally opened. The formative work, and subsequent meetings of the State Board and its council, indicate that it has already become an influential factor, and that it has prompted local organizations and business men generally to take a greater interest in ques- tions which affect the welfare and prosperity of the people of Ohio. The Chamber may well congratulate itself that the Ohio State Board of Commerce was conceived and founded through its efforts."
The annual report for 1895 showed that there were held in the rooms of the Chamber, during the year, 524 meet- ings, of which 337 were related directly to the work of the organization, 159 of local affiliated associations, and 28 of conventions and delegates. A point of exceeding interest is found in this statement, made by the directors : " Standing out prominently in the public eye, over and above the quiet, regular work of the Chamber, is the splendid achievement of having, within a few months, made certain the early building of a permanent home for the Chamber, by the accumulation of a fund of almost $200,000." 64 A great many measures had been set in motion, discussed or approved by the Chamber, for the advancement of the general interests of Cleveland, all of which were clearly and fully set forth in the report re- ferred to above. The report of the treasurer showed that the net cash resources of the Chamber, on April 9, 1895, amounted to $108,629.96. The sinking fund showed $188,292.88 assets and no liabilities. The total member- ship was 1, 10I.
64 " The Cleveland Chamber of Commerce: Reports and Proceedings," 1895, P. 43.
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Since that report was made, active and effective steps have been taken to make good the promise of a structure which should not only furnish the Chamber with a home, but also stand as a material representative of what that great body actually is. The block of land on the north side of the Public Square, running eastward from the new Society for Savings Building to Park place, and taking in the site of the Western Reserve Historical Society Build- ing, has been purchased, and plans made for the early con- struction of a building which, with the land, shall cost not less than a half million dollars.
The Cleveland Chamber of Commerce is unique among institutions of its kind. It is said to be the first successful attempt to combine all of the interests of a great city into one strong, powerful organization, that should guard and foster them all. In its list of members may be found not only the merchants and the bankers, but vessel owners, manufacturers, builders, lawyers, physicians, editors, brokers, railroad men,-in short, all lines of labor and all the professions.
In a more material sense, the new structure is to be- come the center of the commercial and business interests of Cleveland, and a home, not only for the Chamber, but for its allied associations as well. It is intended to house such bodies as those of the coal men, the iron men, the builders, the manufacturers, the marine men, etc.
Because of the wide range of labor and opportunity fur- nished by this great commercial body, other interests of a similar nature have been merged into it. By a concert of action, the Cleveland Board of Industry and Improve- ment, the Committee on Promotion of Industry, the Pro- duce Exchange and the Manufacturers' Board, simultane- ously went out of existence, leaving a clear field for the Chamber. The work done by these bodies is now in the hands of separate boards and committees. These, so far as organized, are the Transportation Board, Maritime Board and Manufacturers' Board.
The Chamber's trip to Atlanta, Ga., was the first that
PROPOSED CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUILDING.
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body took outside the State, although it had previously visited the principal Ohio cities, on a tour of a similar nature. This State trip was so successful in a social way, gave such a fillip to the zeal of the members, and, most of all, brought such valuable practical results, that the Chamber thought that even greater good would result from this more extended excursion. So, therefore, on No- vember 12, 1895, two hundred members of the Chamber took a special train for Atlanta. When that city was reached, the tourists occupied the Illinois headquarters, where a reception was tendered them on November 14. Speeches of welcome were made by Mayor Porter and J. D. Courtney, of the Cap- ital City Club. Mayor Mc- Kisson, President Day, of the Chamber of Commerce, and Col. J. J. Sullivan re- sponded for the Cleveland visitors. After that, the time until November 16th was given up to sight-see- ing, and, as was most nat- ural, to advertising Cleve- land and a laudable attempt to extend its business inter- MAYOR B. D. BABCOCK. ests in this new quarter. On November 16th, the party left Atlanta, and arrived in Cleveland November 17th, very well satisfied with the trip, from every point of view.
There are also in existence in Cleveland a number of organizations of lesser note, devoted to fields of special labor, that largely and effectively supplement the more public work of the Chamber of Commerce. Among these, mention should be made of the Cleveland Builders' Exchange, composed of builders, merchants and manu- facturers engaged in the building lines; the Real Estate Board, incorporated in 1892, to improve the standing of
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the brokers in real property, and to stimulate activity in that line of business; the Wholesale Grocers' Association, and the Hardware Jobbers' Association. '
"Commodore Perry," as the marble memorial to the hero of Lake Erie is popularly called, stood calmly through the rains and storms of the years, in the very center of the Public Square, until increasing traffic and the demands of travel caused his removal to the middle of the southeastern section of that public breathing place. Had some visitor returned to Cleveland, after a long ab- sence, in the year 1894, and sought the familiar figure, he would have been directed by the nearest policeman to seek it in an attractive corner of Wade Park, while a mass- ive structure in stone and bronze would have been seen standing proudly upon the spot that had been the Com- modore's most recent resting place.
This is the Cuyahoga County Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, erected by a patriotic people, in memory of those who fought in defense of the Union. It was dedi- cated, with impressive ceremonies, on the 4th of July, 1894.
There was little difference of opinion among the people of Cleveland as to the erection of this memorial, but there was opposition to its location upon the Public Square, and much discussion was had, accompanied by no small measure of litigation, before a decision was reached. It is possible, of course, in this connection, to give only the salient points of record regarding this great and patriotic memorial.65
The idea of erecting some commemorative monument, in honor of the soldiers and sailors who represented Cuy- ahoga County in the great contest for the Union, was sug- gested by an ex-soldier, William J. Gleason, at a meeting of Camp Barnett Soldiers' and Sailors' Society, on the
65 The story is told, in all its details, in the valuable work to which refer- ence has heretofore been made. This is the "History of the Cuyahoga County Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument," by William J. Gleason, presi- dent of the Monument Commission.
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evening of October 22, 1879. In accordance with a reso- lution introduced by him, a committee of three was ap- pointed, to take the matter into consideration. The sug- gestion was so approved in all quarters, that early in April, 1880, a law was passed giving the commissioners of Cuyahoga County authority to levy a tax for the erec- tion of "a monument or memorial tablet," in honor of those who had died in defense of their country. As time went on, and the money for the purpose began to accumu- late in the county treasury, the question of a site came up. The monument committee favored the southeast section of the Public Square. Levi T. Scofield was re- quested to submit a plan for a monument. In May, 1887, application was made to the city park commissioners for permission to occupy the space above referred to. Such permission was withheld. Steps were taken by the monu- ment committee toward a fulfillment of their plan, and in April, 1888, a law was passed by the General Assembly, setting aside such section of the Public Square for monu- ment purposes, excluding the county commissioners from further voice in the matter, and creating the Cuyahoga County Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument Commission. Under the provisions of that act, Governor J. B. Foraker appointed the commission as follows: William J. Gleason, Edward H. Bohm, Emory W. Force, Levi T. Scofield, Levi F. Bauder, James Barnett, Charles C. Dewstoe, J. J. Elwell, Joseph B. Molyneaux, James Hayr, R. W. Walters, and M. D. Leggett.
Plans were prepared and arrangements forwarded for practical work, when efforts were made by the park com- missioners and owners of certain property abutting upon the Public Square to prevent the erection of the monu- ment at the place named. The aid of the Cuyahoga Courts, and finally of the State Supreme Court, and the United States Courts was invoked, but the decisions were in favor of the Monument Commission. Some exciting scenes were enacted, from time to time, and in various places, in which ex-soldiers, city officials, lawyers, and the
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public generally figured, with picturesque, if not always dignified, effect.
The outcome was that the monument was begun, and finished, within due time, and stands to-day upon the site originally chosen. A tall granite shaft is surmounted by the figure of Liberty. Massive stone and granite walls rise about its base. " The eagle, with wings extended," writes Mr. Gleason,66 " stands guard over the portal; the realistic scenes of the war, in the different branches of the service, reproduced in heroic bronze groups, are in place; the old army corps badges, gracefully carved in stone, entwined in laurel wreaths, adorn each of the four sides of the memorial room; the Nation's beautiful em- blem of liberty and justice, the glorious Stars and Stripes, floats majestically in the breeze from handsome flag- staffs on the four corners of the structure ; while between the finely constructed walks and the monument are beds of lovely flowers, arranged in form and color representing the corps badges of the different divisions of the army and the badges of the Grand Army of the Republic, Loyal Legion, Women's Relief Corps, Union Veterans' Union, and the Sons of Veterans, bordered with wreaths of im- mortelles and forget-me-nots." Within the structure are commemorative panels, bronze busts, colored marble walls, stained glass windows, the names of Cuyahoga's soldiers and sailors cut in marble, a mosaic floor, bright lights-a temple indeed, fittingly adorned for the ex- pression of that patriotic gratitude that called it into exist- ence.
The dedication occurred on Independence Day, 1894. The city arrayed itself in holiday garb, in honor of the occasion. The day was ushered in by the booming of cannon, the ringing of bells, and the blowing of steam whistles. A Federal salute was fired at sunrise. A yacht race, and a grand band concert on the Public Square, occurred in the morning. Then came the dedicatory ex-
66 " History of the Cuyahoga County Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument," William J. Gleason, p. 346.
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ercises. William McKinley, Governor of Ohio, the pres- ident of the day, delivered an address. There was music by a great chorus from the public schools. Virgil P. Kline read the Declaration of Independence. Hon J. B. Foraker delivered an eloquent oration. There was a na- tional salute of forty-four guns, a grand procession, and general illuminations after nightfall. The whole city, and much of the country roundabout, seemed to have sent all the people thereof as witnesses to the splendid celebra- tion of the event; the procession was one of the greatest and most comprehensive ever seen in the streets of Cleveland; the monument was declared worthy of all this honor, and the strife and discussion that had been of the past were forgotten and forever buried, in the pa- triotic achievements of the present. 67
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