Vice-President Haines - Mr. President and Gentlemen: I thank you for the honor you have conferred upon me by electing me to the vice-presidency of this Club. Had I been present at the meeting at which the election was held, I think I should have objected. You all know I am a broker, and I think it would have been better if someone else had been elected as Vice-President of this Club. Still, I assure you, I understand and appreciate the honor; and I will do my best for the interests of the Club. In my regular routine of business, I think I can further the interests of this Club as regards missionary work. I have been acquainted with it from its infancy, and have taken great interest in it. I think our city can well support a club to further the interests of the paint, oil, and varnish trade. I wish to again thank you, gentlemen, for the honor you have conferred upon me, and you can rest assured that I will do all in my power to deserve it. [Applause.] I would suggest that our friend, Mr. Cox, now address the meeting.

Mr. Cox - Mr. President: I do not know that I have anything to say on this occasion, except to express my satisfaction at the election of our present officers. I am satisfied that they have not only the desired knowledge, but also the willingness, to subserve the interests of this Club, which I hope will be a success, not only this year, but in the years to come.

Vice-President Haines - I would suggest that we hear from our valued friend, Mr. Senour.

Mr. Senour - I hope you will excuse me this evening. I did not come prepared to say anything.

Mr. Hall - if you will allow me to make a suggestion this evening - Mr. Kotzenburg is one of us.

Mr. Kotzenburg - Mr. Chairman: Since our last meeting, I was a citizen of the Town of Lake, the great Town of Lake - in the Stock Yards, But now I am happy to say that I am a citizen of the good City of Chicago. I think the people can thank me for bringing the Town of Lake into Chicago. If it hadn't been for me, I guess it would not have come in. But I run my little politics there. It came in with 600 majority, because I said it should. If I had told the people not to come in, they would have stayed out. [Laughter.] I must tell the members here that Bridgeport is the greatest place for grinding paint. You want to buy Bridgeport river-water, to mix paint I will supply it to you for 50 cents a barrel. I hope you present will give me a little order right now. I must take an exception to Mr. Vice-President. He don't seem to know that the brokers are the glory and beauty of our Club.

The Vice-President - We would be very much pleased to hear from our worthy young friend, Mr. Andrews.

Mr. Andrews - Gentlemen, I beg to be excused.

The Vice-President - Gentlemen: We have with us the representative of one of the largest and oldest houses of the City of Chicago - Mr. Heath. I know we should all like to hear from him.

Mr. Heath - Mr. President and Gentlemen: Fourteen years ago, when 1 went into the paint business, I knew nothing about it. Thirteen years ago, I thought I knew a great deal about it. At the present time, I think I know a great deal more about the paint business than I do about public speaking I have had some curiosity, being one of the outsiders, to know how the meetings of the Paint Club were conducted, and I am very much pleased indeed to meet the class of gentlemen who are here this evening.

and notice the manner in which the meeting has been conducted. There are a great many points which ought to be brought up for general discussion among the manufacturers and jobbers of goods in our line, particularly at the present time - linseed oil and white lead. Both these subjects have been discussed to the point. And, if it will not be going beyond the limits, as it were, and if you will permit an outsider to express an opinion, I would like to say one or two things in regard to the system of rebates to the jobbers.

I think you will all agree with me that in the past, where there has been a provision made with a jobber for a profit, there has been more or less anxiety on the part of some of the jobbers to divide that profit, with the idea of increasing sales, and, as I have looked upon the subject, the manufacturers have never before been in the position where they could go to the jobbing trade and absolutely enforce their system of rebates. We have all been called upon at times in the past to sign agreements to uphold certain prices made by the manufacturers, and we have all willingly gone into such agreements in good faith; but something has come up whereby a little inducement has been offered and before a great time had elapsed, it was quite general on the part of the trade to divide the rebate, and before long it amounted to nothing.- Now, as I understand the matter, both these industries are conducted in such a manner that the manufacturers are in a position to absolutely enforce a price and hold jobbers strictly to the enforcement of that price. In other words, jobbers who agree to maintain the prices fixed by the manufacturers under the penalty of having supplies cut off, can now be held rigidly to the enforcement of prices.

I hope that the committee, which has been appointed to-night, will present these facts to these manufacturers, and use their utmost endeavors to have the provisions of same secured in such a way as to adequately compensate the jobbing trade for pushing these ideas. (Applause)

The Vice-President - I think the members of the Club would be only too happy to hear from our venerable friend, Mr. Coffin.

Mr. Coffin - Mr. President and Gentlemen: I have listened to the remarks of our President, and the advice that was given to him by some good friend not to talk too much. Why, it seems as though he hit my case. For the past year, or during the last season, it seems to have fallen upon me to present various subjects for discussion, and to do more or less talking at these Club meetings, and I feel as though I ought to be excused. I feel confident that we have in our Club a number of gentlemen who are able to stand up here and present subjects for discussion much better than I have ever done in the past; but I think to-night we can congratulate ourselves upon the outlook for the future.. I think I express the sentiment of every gentleman present when I say that we feel highly honored to-night by the presence of Hon. Judge Gresham. I think a few meetings of this kind, with guests that are so able, so competent to talk to us upon the subjects of the day, is what we need as business men, and the social features of our Club meetings can go right along with it. We are learning together how to properly handle the subjects that should come before us. I can not say very much to-night, Mr. President, after the eloquence we have listened to; but I will say this - that I had fully made up my mind to resign from the Committee on Entertainment, but we have started under such auspicious circumstances that I will try to do the best I can. I think also I express the sentiment of all the members when I say that we have listened with a great deal of pleasure to the remarks of Mr. Heath, that there are subjects for us to take up of vital importance, so that we can accomplish more the coming season than we did the past one. We surely accomplished something the past year, and we can accomplish a good deal more this year. I think, as Mr. Cox said, that we are to be congratulated upon the selection of our officers, and with the help of every member of the Club coming to our meetings regularly, it seems to me that the success of the Paint, Oil, and Varnish Club is assured. [Applause.]