NINETEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART 111 189 



our program we were assisted materially by the Chamber of Commerce, 

 and we have with us tonight Mr. Ralph Faxon, secretary of the Des 

 Moines Chamber of Commerce, who we would like to hear from at this 

 time. 



Ralph H. Faxon: Mr. President and Gentlemen: I don't know pre- 

 cisely why you should add to such a splendid program by planning other 

 features still, as the hour grows late. It is perhaps only right and proper 

 that everybody should have some sort of manager and without that man- 

 ager something might go amiss, even at a meeting of managers, and I 

 thought when I saw Mr. Hamilton so conspicuous here tonight that we 

 were properly and amply represented in that capacity. Mr. Hamilton 

 is manager of events, and as such it is, of course, consistent that he 

 should be present with any group of managers. He has a show of his 

 own tonight down at the Coliseum, and I think probably he has already 

 said something about it to you today. I don't know how to add anything 

 to this wonderful evening that we have had. I know that all of you, 

 as I, have drunk it all in and have been considerably benefited by every- 

 thing that has occurred here tonight. 



Personally I came tonight because I believe in this gathering, because 

 Mr. Lauer asked me to, because up in the Chamber we have had some- 

 thing to do with your convention, and because I came to see my old 

 friend, Al Sponsler of Kansas, and I came to hear Jim Weaver, and I 

 came to mix with you boys. It is a wonderful evening we have had, 

 wonderful in this one respect at least, that we have taken ourselves out 

 of the ordinary cares of our humdrum, everyday existence, and have re- 

 lieved ourselves somewhat of the pleasure and the tedium of the busi- 

 ness sessions of the association, and we have given ourselves over to a 

 little better and a little loftier thought and the absorption of the good 

 things of life by this great body of men gathered here together — the 

 welcome of the mayor in his happy, pleasing way, the statistics and the 

 meat in the governor's short, timely address, the music by the Glee Club 

 of the Chamber of Commerce, the quartet work of these men in uni- 

 form, with a little touch in these closing days of the great conflict, and 

 then that wonderful talk by Mr. Weaver. It seems to me that this is 

 an evening filled with everything that is good and that it sort of bal- 

 ances up the consideration of our everyday program, our everyday proc- 

 esses, the business sessions, the planning of the fairs, the getting ready 

 for tomorrow, and all that sort of thing, and it affects us slightly in a 

 different sphere, for the time being, as it were, so that we can think of 

 a few other things than the sordid and the mercenary of everyday life, 

 and that is good for us all. And if it has been beneficial to you and the 

 Chamber of Commerce has contributed anything to this evening, or to 

 the two days' sessions, just let it be remembered that that is what such 

 organizations are for, particularly in a center like this, and that it is 

 merely a part of a better sort of life, a little more rounding-out of things 

 in this wonderful day and generation that Mr. Weaver has pointed out, 

 and that such evidences in times to come, in such gatherings as this, or 

 others of a like character, will continue to be seen. 



