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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m6thode. rata elure, J )2X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ^m THI DlTROIT COMMHRCUL Convention OF 1865, "™™'^"" II K^mimmmifmn V* - ^^^m S^^^P^SSt^j^^S^^mS^^^^S^SS^^^^^^^St^A ■ .-■■-/ty?W.J^^S'S'*^i*.^-i?-^i^isTi^f^'i''*AS--.^^^ WB^^^^mmM THE DETROIT COMMERCIAL CONVENTION O F 1865 AN ADDRESS BY HAMILTON ANDREWS HILL DETROIT JUNE IG 1880 BOSTON GEO E CROSBY & CO PRINTERS 383 WASHINGTON STREET 1886 ADDRESS. Mb. PREaiDiNT AND Gestlemen ■ I have „o offlcial report to present at this ti»e .„ the Executive Councl of the National Board of Trade, farther than to , ! tta rz h7 :' "^ "°""' '^"•' "'" "' Washington r.i lli have been printed and widely eircuiated. With your pern„ss,„„, however, I wii, occupy a few moments with Ttu ~:r' ::: "' '"-'"'' "^"^ '"« ^^ "■ c: 1.7 yea« ago, wh.ch, with many of „,, e„„es vividly to mind as ■ ene ':«;rr ,'r ^''•" "^ *' »"*»- -^""o- "^ * S tio' "s °, •• ""' '"" "■'"^'' ="-"« *^ -«-l .sstrbTed " -«--«»- it is our honor today to be The Detroit Convention of 1865 marks an epoch in the commer : h'euT T' '"'""''■ " ™' '"■' «- ^-' -^rx and held for hns.ncs, purposes, and controlled by men delegated by the leadmg Boards of Trade and Chambers of Commer e Tw popular conventions had previously met in Chicago, to Isle hIo cT T""" °' '"''"'" ™P— n.s,-the Kiver and lZ:r ""■" ~"'""'"' "J- P"""" """n «■"' politicians th r arlrV" '"* '''°^""*"="' '' "-'"- -"- " ■ and unde th "• ^"^ "'""■"^ °' '««' "" ""--" "3- , "" °"'P'°'» <" "■« Detroit Boart of Trade and the ..e ma ority of those who attended it were member o nd ^ eTpect dTol "r "" "'"""' ''"'™'» -'"-". »»^ "-" expected to keep other considerations for the time in abeyance About five bundled delcirates wpro in ow i 4. ... '^'tfewies were m attendance, reDresentin-r twenty o,,„t «„„.„ „, ■,„„„, ,,,„„,„^,„, „, (.„„„„„'„„„ ; :^ 77" "" »:«--"«»- in .l,e Unued State., „„,, „,toe„ i„ l>nZ North Americ. To a ,.,.,t.i„ extent, tfe „oea„„„ „., .„ ^ na .o,,„, one, it „„„ Won intended to „e so in the oHgina, p. ,:<;:: "" ", t °' '"- ^-^ °^ ""™"""- -^ ««"'-e„ : of the debates, was concerned. I)„t the hesitancy of these gentle- men to accept otaee in the „^„ni.ati„n of the eonventior d thor ahsolute refnsal to vote, placed then, in the position of .nest, rather than n,en,bers, and ™de the convent.™ national! „d naZT' Z T ""^ ""'"'" "" "' *"' "-"• ■■■"'» «- ■>-" nahonnl, and American, in its broader significance. Jt wUl be interesting to recall the names of some of the dele- g^a^s. From the State of New York, there were present, ntl Walbrtdge, ,ra™es S. T. Stranahan, W. K. Strong, L, .1. N Stark .nd Edward Hineken. of New York; DeWitt C Littlej!hn, an d ' Henry l,t.hngh, of Oswego; Oavid L. Seymour, and Mar i, Townsend, of Trov • John V T v> ,, ^^"nui i. Albany ; Israel P. Hatch, P. S Marsh ^ -"^ • o. itiarsn, ts. b. Guthrie, Georffe S Sam P *';;™*'/-^-»^ ^■■'"»^. John Welsh, A. G. Catte.l Samuel E. Stokes, Geo,«e L. Buzby, Joseph S. Perot, and C J H^maj. o, Philadelphia; audGeorgeH.Thurs.on,ofktsb'rgh Jror. Massachusetts, James C. Converse, Joseph S. Kope. Ham, ton A. H,ll, of Boston. From Maine, T. C. Hersev A K — n,,.,.ir:':/cS:„d:r.r:v:yio: Wa,te, Den,so„ B. Smith, and M. D. Carrington, of Toledo from M,ch,gan, Joseph Aspinwall, Henry P. Bridge Jame^F Joy, Duncan Stewart, Franklin M«,re, and Richard Hawlev, of Detroit. From Illinoia, Charles Walker, John V, Farwell,:\V. F. Cnolliaiifrli, B. F. Culver, Mnrry Nelson, J. C. Dore, Charles Kandolph, IJngh McLennnn, N. K. Fairbank, and J. Young Scam- mon, of Chicago; William H. Green, and William Barker, of Cairo. From Wisconsin, William Yonng, William P. McLaren, and John Johnston, of Milwaukee. From Missouri, Barton Able, J. O, Broadiiead, Nathan Cole, Samuel Treat, Samuel Plant, and J. H. Alexander. Among the distinguished Canadians present, were Joseph Howe, IMalcolm Cameron, Hugh Allan, Thomas Ryan. C. J. Brydges, Peter Redpath, and Isaac Bu Jmnan. Hiram Wal- l>nts name indicates? Sir, in this country, there is no Sover- eign but the people, and all who are placed in olQce by them, from the Chief Magistrate down, are bnt their servants, and there are none so humble in all this broad land that they may not approach boldly the highest of.lcial, and respectfully prolfcr their petitions. Ihe right of petition in this country is a sacred right." Mr. Hnmlin was not the first public man to call business men to account for undertaking to deal with matters of governmental pol- icy. Lord George Germain, in a si,eech in the British Parliament '" 1 ' '4, m support of the measures introduced by Lord North for be punishment of the people of Massachusetts, spoke as follows: Nor can I think he will do a better thing than to put an end to their town-meetings. I would not have men of a mercantile cast every day collecting themselves together and debating about polit- •cal matters. I would have them follow their occupations as mer- chants,^and not consider themselves as ministers of that countrv. Ihe whole are the proceedings of a tumultuous and notous rabble, who ought, if they had the least prudence, to fol- ow their mercantile employments, and not trouble themselves with politics and government which they do not understand." At the cbse of this remarkable speech. Lord North rose and said: "j tbank the noble lord for every proposition he has held out. They are worthy of a great mind, and such as ought to be adopted." rUo object for which the Detroit Convention was called, was 8 the consideration of " Commerce, Finnnce, Communications of Transit from the W^est to the Seaboard, lleciprccal Trade between tlie United States and the British Provinces, and such other busi- ness as may come before the Convention, not of a purely' local or political character." Tiie chief interest centered in the delates on the multiji'llcation of transportation facilities, and the renewal of reciprocal trade relations with Canada, lieferriug to the former, it is interesting to notice how much stress was laid in all the dis- cussions, upon the necessity' which existed for the enlargement and multiplication of canals, and how little was said about the transportation of the products of the country by rail. A very large majority of the delegates voted for a resolution asking from the General Government the immediate construction of a ship- canal, round the Falls of Niagara ; and the enlargement of the Erie Canal was most earnestly urged upon the State of New York. It is difficult ror us today to realize how imperfect were the means then furnished by the raih'oad corupanies for the convey- ance of freight. Speaking for Boston, the city from which I come, our raih-oad to Albany w-^s only partially do' " le tracked in I860, the bridge across the Hudson at Albany was not completed until that year, and our tracks did not reach the steamship wharves until two or three years later. Other seaboard cities were not quite so badly off, but none of them possessed such connections and terminal accommo^lations as the}' now enjoy. The truth is, the members of that Convention had no conception of the marvelous railroad development which was to come in the near future. Tlie railroiid mileage of the United States, at tl e close of 18G4, was 33,908, of which only 738 miles nad been com- pleted in that year. Who among us then, could have foreseen that in one year, 1882, 11,568 miles would be completed,— more than the totrd mileage in 1851,— and that at the close of 1884. there would be 125,379 miles of railroad in operation in the United States? And who could then have foreseen, that in 1884, 390,074,749 tons of freight woull be carried by the railroatis of 9 the United States, at an average charge of a cent and one-eighth (1.124) a ton a mile? The second question of paramount interest at the meeting in 1865, was that of the continuance of reciprocal trade relations with Canada. Notice b--^ been given by the Government of the United States, for the termination of the arrangement of 1854, and our business men generally desired the negotiation of a new treatyi. Almost the only opposition to such a treaty in the Con- vention came from tlie lumber interests of Maine, but so over- whelming was the opinion on the other side, that the representa- tives of those interests were silenced if not conviuced, and the final vote was unanimous as well as most enthusiastic. It should be added, that the absolute unanimity reached at the last stage in the proceedings, was m consequence of the conciliatory spirit mrnifested by the delegates from Pennsylvania, and particularly the remarks of Mr. Frale3', and his recommendation that the proposed treaty should not only be " just and equitable to all par- ties " in its provisions, but that it should be negotiated " with reference to the present financial condition of the United States." In the paper which I had the honor to present at the meeting of the Council in Chicago a year ago, the policy of our Govern- ment with reference to Canadian Reciprocity, and the results of that policy, were considered at some length, and I will not advert to them again ; but, perhaps, I may be excused for a personal rem- iniscence. In the spring of 1867, I was crossing the Enaligh Channel from New Haven to Dieppe, and on the passage made%he acquaintance of . gentleman who proved to be the British Consul at Chicago (Mr. Wilkins). In the evening, at the hotel in 10 Weppe, our conversation turned upon the Detroit C„„ve„tiou and -- to Bar, ...„, oatriu::: otrrtraraiT expressing the opin.ou that it had assumed, both in the British "J.. Ameriean press, an importance to which it was not cum! Nafoual feeling „n the subject of reeiprocit,, the co- s„ tl th ' ~s not correct,, rejected b, the Det.it .esoiutions. I pp fets proceed- V, „nd,„thatqua,„toldtow„,so far away and so different f.om the scene of action in the United States, we exchangedTo uments with each other. uiangea doc- In .865, the national debt >;hich overhung the national prosperity he a pall, amounted to three thousand million dollars. ThcHou from he Commutee on Finance, in which it was said: " Everv la'r 'f°'r °d T' '"'' '"" "^' '"''"' "-""* «■"' ever th '.be , r" '""' Of the American people, who doubts th at t„e statesn,an or party who breathes the word Repudiation w.ll he mdignantly repudiated and condemned by the people of the country... Oue of the resolutions which accom'panied .!. e r^p! and were unanimously adopted, was as follows : '■That, regarding such national debt as a pecuniary obligation. 1 , . 7 "" "' ""'■'■''"^ "■"'"' «"" ""J- "' "«--^3- to mamtam the national credit unimpaired, at all times and nndei all circumstances, and that every dollar of such debt, principal .and . .erl'TSelLt .7;;.*SS; C'*'"" '" "^' """"■ "■' ""P^^^^e^^^^^^n 11 interest cn„ and „„, be discharged „.l,o„. re.ardtag, i„ fte slightest degree, the „„„.„, progress „, the nation in its eareer of procpenty, greatness and glory." The most prominent, and perhaps valuable, result which came from the Detroit Convention of 1865, was one thac was hardly thought of by most of the delegates when they came together. It was demonstrated that the business men of the country could organise effectively, and deliberate and act intelligently and har- nion,ously, with reference to great questions like transportation, finance, and the extension of trade, and it was seen to be exceed- ingly important that some plan should be devised for their meeting at stated intervals and in a representative capacity, to define and concentrate public opinion upon such questions, and to bring that pubhc opinion to bear upon Congress and the National Executive. Ihe Boston Board of Trade was charged with the duty of prepar- •ng a plan, and of submitting it to the various Boards of Trade and Chambers of Commerce, for their consideration. It was also aut ;onzed to take all necessary steps for the organisation of a Nat,onal Chamber of Commerce, as it was then proposed to call It; and, as one step in this direction, the Boston Commercial Con- vent.on was called, and was held in February, 1868. The Phila- delphia Convention followed in June of the same year, and the National Board of Trade was then brought into existence But the Detroit Convention not only declared itself in favor of a Nafonal Chamber of Commerce or Board of Trade ; it also expressed the opinion that there ought to be a department of tl.e national government, answering more or less to the Board of Trade of Great Britain, and the Ministry of Commerce in several of the countr.es of Continental Europe. It adopted, unanimously, the following resolutions : " That in order to relieve some of the Departments of the Gen- eral Government, and especially the Treasury, from many of the V 12 details with which they are now crowded, and in order to secure for the various industrial interests of the country the benefits of a systematim], experienced and permanent Board, it is the judc.- ment of this convention that a Government Board of Trade shouFd be formed, for the espepiul oversight and care of all questions relating to our agricultural, manufacturing- and commercial inter- ests, for the compilation of statistics, for inquiry into casualties, and for such other objects as may properly be included in such a department. "That the Secretary of the Board of Trade of Boston be requested to prepare and present, in behalf of this convention, a memorial to the Congress of the United States, asking, in view of the numense industrial and mercantile interests involved, its early consideration of, and action upon, the subject." The National Board of Trade has urged the establishment of such a department as was re'commended in this cily in 1865, upon Congress and the General Government, almost every year since it came into beinor. Our retrospect today would be incomplete, if we failed to make mention of our friends-how large the number-who were our fellow members in the Detroit Convention, and who have passed on before us "to the land of tne great Departed, into the Silent Land." We might name them one by one, and recall what was accomplished by each in his own Board of Trade or Chamber of Commerce, in his own community, and in tiie country. The record would be an honorable and an inspiring one. Two have d.ed since the annual meeting in January, who assisted at the formation of the National Board of Trade in 1868, and took part in Its earlier proceedings, and to whom it will be proper to refer particularly. Theophilus C. Ilersey, of Portland, was a modest, quiet, self-possessed, intelligent man, and a leader in the c^-oup ot enterprising and far-seeing merchants, who, by their indomita- ble energy and will, did much for fie beautiful city by the sea of 13 which they were so proud, and which is so proud of them. ' John Welsh, of Philadelphia, stood among the foremost, in a city where distinguished men in all the professions abound, and added dignity and lustre to his calling, as a merchant, by his broad culture, his generous sympathies and his public spirit. His appointment a, ambassador to the Court of St. James was more than a compli- ment to him personally; it was an honor to his profession, and a credrt to his country. Wheaton says of the art of negotiation, in h.s Elements of International Law: '^t depends essentially on personal character and qualities, united with a knowledge of the world and experience in business." Mr. Welsh's qualifications for the h,gh mission entrusted to him could hardly have been more exactly stated, and they became only the more conspicuous during his official residence in Euffland H!a f.ii^ -.• ^ »hin«..pn, • '"/""Siand. His fellow-citizens of Philadel- phia aie proposing to place a statue in their public park, to com- .nemorate Ins name, and character, and services. ' WiUirE Dodge has been thus commemorated in New York, and George Peabody in London. It is fitting that John Welsh should b e^embere i„ the same way, in the city in which he was bo and where he lived and died ; and upon his pedestal, the words of Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings ; he shall not stand before obscure men."