A thumb-nail history of the city of Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1836 to the year 1912 Page: 160

160 A THUMB-NAIL HISTORY OF
other cotton market in the South. Now when to
this saving in local charges is added the further
saving of from 10 cents to 12 cents through the
absence of drayage, it is readily seen why so much
cotton is shipped here and why Houston stands so
prominently forward as a great cotton market.
Mention has been made of the Chamber of Commerce
that was organized in Houston in 1840, but
the present magnificent body of that name has
no direct nor indirect connection with that early
body. The Chamber of Commerce of today is for
today and looks more to future accomplishments
than to traditions of the past.
The immediate forerunner of the Chamber of
Commerce was the Houston Business League,
which was organized in 1895 by about forty gentlemen
who had for their object the formation of an
association to look after the best interests of Houston.
Col. R. M. Johnston, editor of the Houston
Post, and Mr. W. W. Dexter, at present editor
and proprietor of the Bankers' Journal, were prime
movers in the organization and did much to insure
its success. The constitution adopted declared
the following to be the object of the association:
"The object of the Houston Business League is
to promote immigration, to create and extend
and foster the trade, commerce and manufacturing
interests of Hoston; to secure and build up
transportation lines; to secure reasonable and equitable
transportation rates; to build up and maintain
the value of our real estate, progressive, ef-