WAR RECORDS COMMISSION: MINNEAPOLIS CIVIC & COMMERCE
ASSOCIATION:
An Inventory of Its Records at the Minnesota Historical Society
Government Records
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Minneapolis Civic & Commerce Association. | |
| Title: | Records. | |
| Dates: | 1916-1919. | |
| Abstract: | Correspondence and miscellany relating to the activities of the association in promoting World War I mobilization and homefront enterprises. | |
| Quantity: | 5.5 cubic feet (6 boxes). | |
| Location: | See Detailed Description section for shelf locations. |
HISTORICAL NOTE
The origins of the Minneapolis Civic & Commerce Association can be traced back to the organization of the Minneapolis Commercial Club in 1892. This club numbered more than 5000 businessmen and their firms among its membership, ranging from the influential Pillsbury and Dayton companies to neighborhood hardware stores. Many of the group's civic and industrial goals were similar to those followed today by any large city's chamber of commerce. In 1903, however, labor agitation led the Commercial Club to form the Citizens Alliance of Minneapolis, which managed to break every strike in the city from that time through the United States' entry into World War I.
In 1911 the Commercial Club merged with two minor civic groups to form the Minneapolis Civic & Commerce Association (MCCA). The Citizens Alliance faded into the background for a number of years as the MCCA refined its intelligence and paramilitary functions during World War I. Membership in the Citizens Alliance, which in later years became the better known anti-labor-union group, was derived almost exclusively from the ranks of the larger MCCA.
The outbreak of World War I presented the perfect opportunity, fueled by patriotic fervor, for the MCCA to solidify its control of the city's labor force. Threats from the left included the Nonpartisan League (NPL), which had captured both the executive and legislative branches of government in North Dakota in 1916. Early in 1917, the Nonpartisan League moved its national headquarters from Fargo to St. Paul and increased its efforts at infiltrating both the Democratic and Republican parties in hopes of gaining power in Minnesota. Another threat was posed by the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), which organized strikes for higher wages, shorter hours, and union recognition throughout many western states in 1916-1917. Particularly violent strikes occurred on the Mesabi Iron Range in northern Minnesota during 1916. The MCCA considered labor conditions in Minneapolis to be perfect breeding grounds for both the political threats from the NPL and the structural threats from the IWW, and acted vigorously to counter them.
The MCCA's role in crushing the Twin Cities streetcar strike of 1917 has been well chronicled (see William Millikan, "Defenders of Business....," Minnesota History 50 (Spring 1986): 2-17. While the records of the MCCA held by the War Records Commission do not provide many clues to this incident, they include several examples of MCCA operations during World War I and its immediate aftermath (1917-1919). During that period, opposition to MCCA operations (primarily defined as union activity) was viewed as traitorous, un-American, and a threat to the war effort.
SCOPE AND CONTENTS
The World War I records of the Minneapolis Civic & Commerce Association comprise correspondence, printed materials, and miscellany relating to its activities in promoting all manner of wartime homefront enterprises, including training camp activities, war industries, war chest campaigns, Red Cross work, sales of Liberty Bonds and War Savings Stamps, food conservation, employment of veterans, Americanization work, recruiting, and the draft. There is a considerable amount of material relating to war industries and the federal War Industries Board.
Major topics include conversion and mobilization of Minneapolis industries to war contract work; recruiting of men for the military and for war industry work; and the raising of money among the populace for liberty bonds, war savings stamps, and for the Red Cross. Other files deal with providing entertainment programs for soldiers awaiting orders and providing employment opportunities for returning soldiers. Another interesting program offered returning soldiers cheap farm land in the cut-over timber lands of northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. Other files document the Four Minute Men program, via which local businessmen gave short speeches (mainly in movie theaters) supporting conservation measures, the sale of liberty bonds, contributions to the war chest, and other wartime activities of the government.
A large part of the collection consists of files of the War Industries Board, Resources and Conversion Section, Region Number Sixteen, Sub-Region Two. This area included Minneapolis and Minnesota north of the Minnesota River, except the Duluth area. The War Industries Board files concern efforts to attract government war contracts and supplies to the region, as well as containing inventories of various Minneapolis industries. These inventories provide detailed descriptions of location, plant layout, products, labor requirements, and the like, with photographs of some, giving a good glimpse of industries in Minneapolis (and a few other Minnesota towns) during World War I. Metal products, wood products, and the clothing and textile industries form the majority of firms represented.
Some other files concern Americanization programs for foreign born residents, river development of the Mississippi River, municipal markets in Minneapolis, municipal comfort stations (public toilets), as well as thin files on the MCCA's police arm, the Civilian Auxiliary, and on other organizations such as the League to Enforce Peace and the American Protective League.
ARRANGEMENT
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and folder title here]. Minneapolis Civic & Commerce Association. Records. Minnesota Historical Society. State Archives.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: None
Processing Information:
Catalog ID No.: 1704151
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| 103.K.9.1B | American City Bureau Literature, January 1918-January 1919. | ||||||||||
| American Protective League, October 1918-September 1919. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence with the League, which was the civilian auxiliary to the U. S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Investigation. Its goal was to monitor and report seditious or radical activities, meetings, speeches, etc. | |||||||||||
| American Red Cross Peace Program, December 1918-June 1919. | |||||||||||
| Americanization, November 1917-September 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence dealing with Americanization of foreigners who were candidates for citizenship. This was a campaign, under the Bureau of Naturalization, to teach citizenship responsibilities, the English language, etc. | |||||||||||
| Americanization Committee Appointments, November 1917-May 1918. | |||||||||||
| Annual Report, Sixth Year, October 1917. | |||||||||||
| Aviation School, March 1919. | |||||||||||
| Concerning the Curtiss Co.'s plan for a flying field in connection with an aviation school. | |||||||||||
| Civilian Auxiliary and Home Guards, April 1917-June 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence relating to the Civilian Auxiliary with Howard Strong (MCCA Secretary) as the main correspondent. The Civilian Auxiliary, created by the MCCA, was made up of citizen volunteers who undertook military training and received commissions as special deputy sheriffs. The Home Guard, in this period an arm of the Minnesota Public Safety Commission, is mentioned periodically. The correspondence relates mainly to enrollment and attempts to secure the use of guns and uniforms. | |||||||||||
| Civilian Relief, February-July 1918. | |||||||||||
| Regarding attempts to secure relief, usually in the form of employment, for disabled veterans. | |||||||||||
| Clothing Questionnaire, May-July 1918. | |||||||||||
| Public Comfort Stations, 1916, June-July 1919. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Contains numerous questionnaires sent out to other cities to survey their public toilet facilities. The work was done by the Association's Committee on Municipal Affairs and culminated in a report on Minneapolis' situation with recommendations to the Board of Directors of the Association. | |||||||||||
| Comfort Stations: Blueprints, undated. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Commercial and Industrial Economy, November 1917-March 1918. | |||||||||||
| Letters concerned about the ban on new building construction during the war. | |||||||||||
| Committee on Benevolent Associations: Report on War Chest Funds, September 1918. | |||||||||||
| Committee on Municipal Affairs: Report of Subcommittee on Markets, 1917-1918. | |||||||||||
| Committee on Municipal Affairs: The Substitute for the Saloon, June 23, 1919. | |||||||||||
| Commission on Municipal Markets (Mayor's): Report, August 30, 1918. | |||||||||||
| Bureau of Municipal Research: Summary of Answers to Questions on Municipal Markets, December 1916. | |||||||||||
| Committee on Public Information (national); George Creel, chairman. War Information Series, The German-Bolshevik Conspiracy, No. 20, October 1918. | |||||||||||
| Committee on Sheet Metal Shops: Report to Committee on War Orders, undated. | |||||||||||
| Committee of Thirteen, February-June 1919. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence relating to the Association's Committee of Thirteen, a group of business and professional men whose goal was to assist law enforcement against vice and crime. Includes significant correspondence with the League of Civic Organizations of Southern Minnesota. | |||||||||||
| Committee on Unemployment: Report of Sub-committee on Local Conditions, 1914-1918. | |||||||||||
| Conservation, December 1918. | |||||||||||
| Regarding the conservation and utilization of rainfall and a bill in the U. S. House of Representatives to create a National Board of Water Conservation. | |||||||||||
| Co-operative Delivery, October 1917-June 1918. | |||||||||||
| Detailing the work of the Association's Committee on Deliveries in ushering in a new system of cooperative retail delivery (one delivery per day to each customer). | |||||||||||
| Council of National Defense, Women's Committee, January-July 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence and reports relating to the Women's Committee of the Council of National Defense and women's various efforts in war work. Includes numerous pamphlets. | |||||||||||
| Department of Labor, Public Service Reserve, November 1918. | |||||||||||
| Information on a war program that removed workers from non-essential industries and relocated them in more essential work. | |||||||||||
| Dues Waived on Account of Military Service, April 1917-September 1918. | |||||||||||
| Employment Division, October 1918-September 1919. 3 folders. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence of the Citizens' Committee on Readjustment, founded upon the close of World War I. The correspondence deals mainly with questions from returning soldiers and from other cities regarding employment availability in Minneapolis. The file also includes some correspondence relating to Bolshevism and radicalism in America's labor force. Of special note is a large chart comprised of four listings: firms not engaged in war work, firms engaged in government contracts or subcontracts, labor shortage, and introduction of women into industry. | |||||||||||
| Entertainment for Soldiers, September 1917-July 1919. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence detailing soldiers' entertainment in areas such as welcome home celebrations, Army and Navy memberships for Fort Snelling officers at the Minneapolis Club and the Minneapolis Athletic Club, and a proposal to purchase the Calhoun Boat Club for conversion into an Army and Navy Club. | |||||||||||
| Entertainment (Christmas), October 1917-December 1918. | |||||||||||
| Various plans for Christmas entertainment for soldiers, both at homer and abroad, such as Christmas packages, trees, dinners, and celebrations. | |||||||||||
| Food Conservation, November-December 1918. | |||||||||||
| Four Minute Men, September 1917-September 1919. 7 folders. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence regarding the local chapter of a national program that provided speakers to local organizations (mostly movie theaters), who gave short talks on various topics related to the war effort, self-sacrifice and conservation, patriotism, creation of the proper war spirit, etc. | |||||||||||
| Fourth Liberty Loan, August-September 1918. | |||||||||||
| Mainly regarding the setting up of the Fourth Liberty Loan Campaign. | |||||||||||
| Government Plant, November 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence regarding the construction of a government plant with designs to employ mainly women. | |||||||||||
| Hennepin County Red Cross: Second War Fund: | |||||||||||
| Correspondence, April-June 1918. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Includes lists of workers and their quotas, correspondence of county chairman with various local organizations, circular letters, and miscellany. | |||||||||||
| Cash Reports, May-July 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence and lists detailing expenses, payrolls, and subscriptions. | |||||||||||
| Solicitations, April-May 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence covering a range of solicitation activities; meetings, personal correspondence, advertising/publicity, auctions (of donated items), and solicitation booths. | |||||||||||
| 103.K.9.2F | Solicitations, May 1918. | ||||||||||
| Literature and Lists, May 1918. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Includes literature such as campaign information and solicitors' information (manuals, talking points) and lists such as cash collections and pledges, meeting schedules, fund officials, and precinct and district information. | |||||||||||
| Parade, April-May 1918. | |||||||||||
| General information pertaining to the Red Cross parade on May 18, 1918; also correspondence involving groups slated to participate in the parade. | |||||||||||
| Program, May 1918. | |||||||||||
| Relating to several meetings, including correspondence with prospective speakers. | |||||||||||
| Letters of Appreciation, May-June 1918. | |||||||||||
| Sent to various people involved with the campaign. | |||||||||||
| Pledges, May-August 1918. | |||||||||||
| Mainly concerns pledges which could not be collected and those who would not pledge a contribution. | |||||||||||
| Land for Returned Soldiers: | |||||||||||
| Correspondence, February 1918-March 1919. 3 folders. | |||||||||||
| Concerns proposals to encourage demobilized soldiers to settle on farms in the cut-over forest lands of Wisconsin and Minnesota via loans and grants, etc. | |||||||||||
| Conference, August 1918. | |||||||||||
| Publications, 1918-1919. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Langdon, Cavour, October 1917-October 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence of Langdon (MCCA President) regarding speeches, appointments, and the like; often through his secretary. | |||||||||||
| League to Enforce Peace, November 1918-August 1919. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence relating mainly to efforts aimed at the establishment of the League of Nations, covering areas such as the organization of state branches, and including statements by Woodrow Wilson and William Howard Taft. | |||||||||||
| Legal Advisory Board, Assistant to Draft Boards, September 1917-October 1918. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence detailing attempts to find the ward locations of certain enlisted men and dealing with delinquents. Also present is extensive correspondence on efforts to procure lawyers who would give free legal advice to draftees in filling out questionnaires. | |||||||||||
| Liberty Loans, November 1918-April 1919. | |||||||||||
| Regarding subscriptions and pledges for Liberty Loans. | |||||||||||
| Mail Schedule, November 1917-October 1918. | |||||||||||
| Regarding aspects of the postal service such as the introduction of airplane delivery between major cities, inefficiency due to the war, and delays caused by the Thrift Stamp Drive. | |||||||||||
| Manufacturers Council of the State of New York: Constitution and Bylaws, undated. | |||||||||||
| Merchant Marine, November 1918-February 1919. | |||||||||||
| Report of the merchant marine committee of the National Foreign Trade Council (November 1918), resolutions, shipping rates. | |||||||||||
| Military Affairs, February-August 1919. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence concerning a rumored War Department plan to station a Black cavalry unit at Fort Snelling. Includes correspondence of Senators Knute Nelson and Frank B. Kellogg. | |||||||||||
| Military Information Bureau, October 1918-June 1919. | |||||||||||
| Consists mainly of requests by companies for special discharges for needed employees serving in the military. Also includes various issues relating to soldiers' homecoming. | |||||||||||
| Military Training Camps Association, September-December 1918. | |||||||||||
| Regarding the association's requests for contributions, the arrangement of a summer training camp for civilians, and the obtaining of newspaper advertising space. | |||||||||||
| Minneapolis Concerns Engaged or Interested in Government Work, May 1918. | |||||||||||
| Minneapolis Heroic Dead, January-March 1919. | |||||||||||
| Contains a plan to draw up a list of Minnesota men who lost their lives in World War I. There is also correspondence about an omission from this list. | |||||||||||
| Minneapolis Manufacturers, Jobbers, and Wholesalers: List, undated. | |||||||||||
| Miscellaneous Lists. 14 folders. | |||||||||||
| Alphabetical files. | |||||||||||
| Subjects appearing in each folder are noted below. | |||||||||||
| B: Business magazines. | |||||||||||
| C: Colleges, commercial clubs/organizations/secretaries, confectionery, contractors. | |||||||||||
| E: Enterprises. | |||||||||||
| H: Hennepin County delegation representatives. | |||||||||||
| I: Illinois/Indiana/Iowa commercial organizations, improvement associations and secretaries. | |||||||||||
| L: Lumber concerns. | |||||||||||
| M: Mailing list, manufacturers, ministers, Minnesota Organizations (for a convention in Philadelphia by the League to Enforce Peace). | |||||||||||
| N: North Dakota commercial organizations. | |||||||||||
| O: Ohio commercial organizations. | |||||||||||
| P: Parochial organizations, printers. | |||||||||||
| R: Retail Credit Association members. | |||||||||||
| S: Schools, South Dakota commercial organizations. | |||||||||||
| T: Theaters. | |||||||||||
| W: Wholesalers, Wisconsin commercial organizations, firms employing women. | |||||||||||
| Miscellaneous Program, September 1918-September 1919. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence mainly relating to offers for entertainment services received from various groups (typically speakers or musicians). | |||||||||||
| Program, A-W. 20 folders. | |||||||||||
| Arranged alphabetically by speaker. | |||||||||||
| Relating to speakers, luncheon programs, arrangements made for visitors; includes copies of addresses. Names/subjects appearing extensively in each folder are noted below. | |||||||||||
| A: Alfred L. Aiken, president of National Shawmut Bank, Boston; John R. Allen, dean of the College of Engineering, University of Minnesota. | |||||||||||
| B: Julius H. Barnes, president of U. S. Grain Corporation; Lt. Maurice Boyer, French High Commission. | |||||||||||
| C: D. Thomas Curtain, special correspondent for The London Times and Daily Mail. | |||||||||||
| D: Richard H. Dana, president of the National Civil Service Reform League; Edward T. Devine, prominent social worker and Chief of the Bureau of Refugees and Home Relief of the Red Cross during World War I. | |||||||||||
| E. | |||||||||||
| F: Homer L. Ferguson, president of the U. S. Chamber of Commerce. | |||||||||||
| G: J. Paul Goode, professor of geography, University of Chicago; Edgar A. Guest, poet. | |||||||||||
| H: Ole Hanson, mayor of Seattle, Washington; Walker D. Hines, Director General of Railways. | |||||||||||
| I: Speakers relating to the industrial question; there is also a list of speakers for 1916-1917. | |||||||||||
| J. | |||||||||||
| K: N. C. Kingsbury, vice president of American Telephone & Telegraph Co.; M. Marcel Knecht, director, Bureau of French Information. | |||||||||||
| L: Harry Lander, Scottish comedian; Colonel George E. Leach, 151st Field Artillery. | |||||||||||
| M: Dr. Amaury Mars, alleged former German prisoner; Harry M. Merrick, president of Chicago Association of Commerce; Mexican journalists. | |||||||||||
| N/O. | |||||||||||
| P: Dr. C. Prosser, Federal Board of Vocational Education. | |||||||||||
| R: S. K. Ratcliffe, English editor and labor expert; Louis C. M. Reed, U. S. Chamber of Commerce; Lt. Emil Ricaud: French High Commission; Major Cushman A. Rice; Theodore Roosevelt. | |||||||||||
| S: Scandinavian journalists; Swiss journalists. | |||||||||||
| T: William Howard Taft. | |||||||||||
| V: Nicholas Van der Pyl, national industrial expert; Hon. Charles D. Vasaly, Minnesota State Board of Control; J. J. Virgo, general secretary of the London YMCA. | |||||||||||
| W: Major Stanley Washburn, U. S. Army, expert on Russian conditions; Harry A. Wheeler, president of U. S. Chamber of Commerce; Captain H. A. Wilsdon, British Royal Air Force; Woodrow Wilson; Winnipeg Board of Trade. | |||||||||||
| 103.K.9.3B | Newspaper Clippings, 1917-1918. | ||||||||||
| Public Safety Appointment, November 1917. | |||||||||||
| Contains letters of acceptance for appointments to the MCCA's Committee on Public Safety, as well as rosters for 1916-1917 and 1917-1918. | |||||||||||
| Public Safety, October 1917-September 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence of the Committee on Public Safety, including correspondence with and pamphlets produced by the National Safety Council and committees/programs dealing with industrial safety and safety in public schools. There is also a blueprint of the Committee's links to other organizations and institutions. The majority of the correspondence deals with traffic ordinances, complaints about drivers, and contacting those drivers (the association formed a complaint bureau). | |||||||||||
| Publicity: Civic and Commerce, October 1917-October 1918. | |||||||||||
| This correspondence deals exclusively with questions and inquiries from various Chambers of Commerce, Civic and Commerce Associations, and other such organizations aimed at the MCCA, and the association's responses. These responses provide a wealth of information on its membership, activities, and goals. Also included is an eight page report entitled: Summary of War Activities of the MCCA. | |||||||||||
| Questionnaires A-Z. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Volunteer registration forms giving name; address; telephone; draft eligibility; preference for Red Cross, military, or civilian position; pay requirements; U. S. or abroad; and ability to speak French. | |||||||||||
| Letters of Recommendation, November 1917-October 1918. | |||||||||||
| Contains letters of recommendation written by president Cavour Langdon, secretary Howard Strong, and other officers on the part of members and employees of the association. | |||||||||||
| Reconstruction Hospital, October-December 1918. | |||||||||||
| Regarding a controversial plan to transform the Leamington Hotel in downtown Minneapolis into a government reconstruction hospital. The association supported this proposal. | |||||||||||
| Recruiting and Draft, June-July 1919. | |||||||||||
| General correspondence of committee. | |||||||||||
| Recruiting and Draft: C-Z, 1917-1918. 21 folders. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence is alphabetical by name of registrant/inductee. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence of J. E. Tatum, executive secretary of Local Draft Boards (or Consolidated Draft Board of Minneapolis), relating to local procedures, exemptions and other classifications, maintaining contact with registrants who move, and delinquent inductees. Includes correspondence with other local draft boards. | |||||||||||
| Recruiting and Draft Appointment, November 1917-January 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence regarding appointments to serve on the committee on recruiting and draft. | |||||||||||
| Rehabilitation of Soldiers, Handicapped Men, October 1917-January 1919. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence both on vocational education for returning able-bodied soldiers and on rehabilitation for returning disabled soldiers. There is also an 111-entry bibliography on the subject. | |||||||||||
| Resignations, August 1917-September 1918. | |||||||||||
| Contains resignations of members (both individuals and companies) from the association, as well as some correspondence of members who reconsidered and withdrew their resignations. | |||||||||||
| Resolutions, June 1917-October 1918. | |||||||||||
| Various resolutions adopted by the association, as well as correspondence with numerous other cities' chambers of commerce. The U. S. Chamber of Commerce is also referred to frequently. | |||||||||||
| Retail Trade, October 1917-September 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence dealing with the interests of various retail businesses, such as putting local retail stores on a war basis (limiting consumption, etc.) and the competition in North Dakota between retail businesses and mail order businesses. | |||||||||||
| River Development, October 1917-November 1918. 4 folders. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence of the River Development Committee on matters concerning Mississippi River water transportation, including an inland waters provision to a railroad bill (expanding water transportation due to WWI) and the United States Shipping Board's establishment of a federal barge line on the Mississippi River. | |||||||||||
| River Development Pamphlets, 1916-1918. | |||||||||||
| Pamphlets relating to river development issues, especially materials produced by the Mississippi Valley Waterways Association. | |||||||||||
| River Development: Hearing Before the U. S. Railroad Administration Relating to Navigation of Inland Waterways Transcript, June 17, 1918. | |||||||||||
| St. Paul Association Bulletins, July-October 1918. | |||||||||||
| Contains Bulletins Nos. 27, 35, 36, 38, and 42 of the St. Paul Association, St. Paul's Civic and Commerce Association. | |||||||||||
| Smoke Prevention, October 1917-June 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence concerning the reduction of smoking chimneys and smoking train engines, and the associated fuel conservation benefits. | |||||||||||
| Soldiers Memorial Fund (subscriptions), May-December 1919. | |||||||||||
| Sons of Members Dinner, December 1917. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence concerning the annual banquet held by the association to develop interest in young men in the civic organization. | |||||||||||
| Speakers Bureau, November 1917-September 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence on the association's attempts to provide speakers for other towns and organizations. Appearing extensively are Chicago, Illinois; Des Moines, Iowa; Faribault, Minnesota; and Marshfield, Wisconsin, along with numerous other small towns. | |||||||||||
| Requests for Speakers, October 1917-September 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence, mainly with prospective speakers on speaking engagements. | |||||||||||
| Speakers Suggested, September 1917-September 1919. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence dealing with speakers suggested to the association by other groups, various people connected to the association, and the prospective speakers themselves. | |||||||||||
| 103.K.9.4F | Speeches or Utterances Made by Public Officials, October 1917-May 1918. | ||||||||||
| Concerns speeches given by Minneapolis Mayor Thomas Van Lear and Wisconsin Senator Robert M. LaFollette. | |||||||||||
| Specifications: | |||||||||||
| Aviation Mechanics School, May-August 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence relating to grocery bids at the school. | |||||||||||
| Jeffersonville Specifications, 1914-1915. | |||||||||||
| For commissary chests and for field safes, Jeffersonville, Indiana. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence Mainly Regarding Mailing Lists for Government Bids, December 1917-August 1918. | |||||||||||
| Alphabetical by bidding subject. | |||||||||||
| The association acted as a clearinghouse for all of its member companies in an effort to more effectively deal with specifications for government bids. | |||||||||||
| Specifications, September 1917-September 1918. 19 folders. | |||||||||||
| Pertaining to federal bid solicitations, for which the specifications were transmitted to Minnesota industries. Subjects appearing extensively in each folder are noted below. | |||||||||||
| A: Aircraft. | |||||||||||
| B: Bags, belts, blankets, boilers, boxes. | |||||||||||
| C: Chests (surgical/medical), coats. | |||||||||||
| D: Desks. | |||||||||||
| E: Electrical supplies. | |||||||||||
| F: Flour. | |||||||||||
| G: Gloves, grease. | |||||||||||
| H: Hoses. | |||||||||||
| I: Branding irons. | |||||||||||
| J. | |||||||||||
| L: Lumber. | |||||||||||
| M: Macaroni. | |||||||||||
| O: Oats, oil. | |||||||||||
| P: Paint, paper, pickles, pipes/plumbing, potatoes. | |||||||||||
| R: Railway, rubber goods. | |||||||||||
| S: Steel, stoves. | |||||||||||
| T: Tables, tags, tires, tobacco, tractors. | |||||||||||
| U: Undertaking. | |||||||||||
| V/W: Wagons, wheels. | |||||||||||
| Unemployment Appointment, November 1917. | |||||||||||
| Appointments to serve on the association's Committee on Unemployment. | |||||||||||
| U. S. Chamber of Commerce, September 1917-December 1918. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence with the U. S. Chamber of Commerce on numerous topics, including various resolutions, membership lists, and The Nation's Business (the Chamber's official publication). | |||||||||||
| U. S. Naval Reserve Force, February-June 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence on applications for positions in the U. S. Naval Reserve, which were redirected to Lieutenant B. C. Getsinger of Chicago, who was in charge of enlistments in the Naval Auxiliary Reserve. | |||||||||||
| War Activities of Other Organizations, October 1917-April 1919. | |||||||||||
| Materials relating mostly to the War Emergency and Reconstruction Conference held in Atlantic City, N.J., by the U. S. Chamber of Commerce (December 3-6, 1918). Also included is correspondence with the Seattle and Buffalo chambers of commerce, the Newspaper Enterprise Association, and the United War Work Campaign; as well as correspondence pertaining to British and French reconstruction. | |||||||||||
| War Camp Community Service, December 1918-June 1919. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence on the activities of the War Camp Community Service of the U. S. War Department and Navy Department. Also included is the Mayor's Welcome Committee for Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines. | |||||||||||
| War Chest, September 1918-February 1919. 4 folders. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence covering all aspects of the association's War Chest Campaign (over 50 local war funds in one), such as promotions, finances, and administration. There is also correspondence with numerous other cities on their War Chest campaigns, especially Detroit, Cleveland, and Columbus, Ohio. | |||||||||||
| War Committees (Various Lists), November 1918. | |||||||||||
| War Department, Ordnance Department, November 1918. | |||||||||||
| War Industries Board: Resources and Conversion Section, Region Number Sixteen, Sub-Region Number Two (Minneapolis District): | |||||||||||
| Files on the District's industrial mobilization activities. | |||||||||||
| Bids and Government Work Requests, August-November 1918. | |||||||||||
| Contains requests from the United States Indian Service, among many others. | |||||||||||
| Brewer Capacity, July-September 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence with the Hennepin Brewing Co. and the Minnesota Brewers Board regarding brewing capacity, including a list of brewers in Sub-Region No. 2. | |||||||||||
| Building Materials, August-October 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence with member firms of Division M and a list of prospective members. | |||||||||||
| Building Permits, September-November 1918. | |||||||||||
| Regarding information on a building permit for Glenwood Sanatorium and requests to obtain building permits for various structures. | |||||||||||
| Clapper, J. S., August-November 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence to/from Clapper, the Washington representative of Region No. 16 with Alexis Caswell, secretary of Sub-Region Two (Minneapolis District). | |||||||||||
| Classification, October 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence relating to the fact that Sub-Region No. 2 of the Resources and Conversion Section decided that all companies that subscribed $100 or more to the Guaranty Fund would be entitled to free membership in the organization. It therefore sent out to those companies membership blanks and a schedule showing the classification of industries. Each company was to return the membership blank along with an indication of how the company should be classified. | |||||||||||
| Clothing and Textile Division, January-November 1918. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence mainly dealing with questionnaires sent out by the association, which were used to compile a yearbook for the textile, garment, and allied trades, intended to show the size of the American industries. Also contains lists of prospective members and those that actually joined. | |||||||||||
| Committee on War Contracts, January-November 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence mainly on an August 2, 1918 meeting of Sub-Region No. 2 of the War Resources Committee, at which H. S. Gregg was elected general chairman. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence, October 1917-October 1918. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Executive Committee of Sub-Region Two, August-November 1918. | |||||||||||
| Mainly regarding proposed meetings. | |||||||||||
| Food Products, August-December 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence with member firms of Division N, usually in reference to government bids. Includes a list of members. | |||||||||||
| Forging and Stamping, August-October 1918. | |||||||||||
| Government bids for member firms of Division D, concerning stoves/ovens, metal weapons' parts, metal containers, etc. | |||||||||||
| Form Letters, July-October 1918. | |||||||||||
| Gregg, H. S., November 1918-February 1919. | |||||||||||
| Gregg was chairman of Sub-Region No. 2 and president of the Minneapolis Iron Store Company. Much of the file deals with the Manufacturers' Club of Minneapolis. | |||||||||||
| Guaranty Fund, August-December 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence concerning the fund which was set up in order to finance the operations of the Sub-Region No. 2. | |||||||||||
| Gun Carriages, August-October 1917. | |||||||||||
| Specifications and contracts for gun carriages. | |||||||||||
| Industrial Inventory: | |||||||||||
| Correspondence, July-September 1918. | |||||||||||
| Minneapolis Firms, A- L. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| 103.K.9.5.B | Minneapolis Firms, M-W. 3 folders. | ||||||||||
| Greater Minnesota. | |||||||||||
| Industrial Power Available, August-September 1918. | |||||||||||
| This file contains responses by the state's industrial communities to questionnaires sent out by the War Resources Committee. The intention was to get an idea of the nature of the industrial conditions in these towns. Specifics referred to are the amount of skilled and unskilled labor, housing facilities (in case it was necessary to import labor), the power situation (whether a shortage or an excess), and any large or important facilities available for war work. The War Industries Board in Washington, which was ultimately interested in this information, had in mind the production of war materials, particularly ordnance. | |||||||||||
| Industrial Training, June-July 1918. | |||||||||||
| Inquiries Sent to Departments, November 1918-February 1919. | |||||||||||
| Inquiries about specifications received mainly form Minneapolis companies (such as the Minneapolis Heat Regulator Co. and Northern Fire Apparatus Co.), but also from other companies and government agencies. | |||||||||||
| Iron and Steel, August-November 1918. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Mainly government bids for member firms of Division A. There is also correspondence involving various firms' stocks, as well as lists of companies involved in various lines of work. | |||||||||||
| Leather and Rubber Products, February-November 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence on government bids for member firms of Division G. Also included are lists of prospective members and those firms that became members. | |||||||||||
| Meetings, August-November 1918. | |||||||||||
| Mostly minutes from various organizational meetings. | |||||||||||
| Membership, August-December 1918. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence on various aspects of membership, such as payment of membership dues, waived dues for those subscribing to the Guaranty Fund, and classification of each company as to its product. | |||||||||||
| Metal Products Division: | |||||||||||
| Correspondence, January-November 1918. 4 folders. | |||||||||||
| Alex Caswell, January-March 1918. | |||||||||||
| War bids on metal products, mostly telegrams. | |||||||||||
| Alex Caswell: Specifications, February-June 1918. | |||||||||||
| Mainly to and from B. K. Postlethwaite concerning specifications on war contracts. | |||||||||||
| Miscellaneous, June 1916, September 1918-February 1919. | |||||||||||
| Includes such topics as government bids, logistics of mail delivery, and a proposal that Fort Snelling be the site of a government-owned nitrate plant. | |||||||||||
| Organization: General Files, June-September 1918. 3 folders. | |||||||||||
| Includes materials on organizational aspects of the War Industries Board, especially of Region No. 16, Sub-Region No. 2 of the Resources and Conversion Section. Included are organizational diagrams, membership lists, and much correspondence involving large organizational meetings and official appointments. | |||||||||||
| Oils, Drugs, Paints, and Chemicals, August-December 1918. | |||||||||||
| Bids for members of Division K. The file includes several member lists and also covers medical and dental supplies. | |||||||||||
| Out of Town, July-November 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence with firms in greater Minnesota, and sometimes other states, on issues such as government bids and the official Industrial Inventory. | |||||||||||
| Paper Products, August-November 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence on government bids for member firms of Division H. Also includes lists of prospective members and those firms that became members. | |||||||||||
| Planer Capacity, September 1918. | |||||||||||
| Responses from various granite and stone companies to the War Resources Committee's query concerning the availability of stone and marble planers, which could be retooled to produce heavy base pieces for large guns. | |||||||||||
| Printing and Lithography, August 1918. | |||||||||||
| Includes members lists for Division L, but minimal correspondence. | |||||||||||
| Priorities Division, January-November 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence dealing with the Priorities Division of the War Industries Board in Washington, D. C., often concerning the Division's numerous circulars, bulletins, etc. Also included is a classification of the various types of war work and orders based on priority. | |||||||||||
| St. Paul Office, August-November 1918. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence with St. Paul manufacturers involving government bids and war contracts. | |||||||||||
| Shearer, James D., July-December 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence dealing with the War Industries Board (mainly bills) and Shearer's legal advice concerning B. K. Postlethwaite and representation of the MCCA's Metal Products Division. | |||||||||||
| Sheet Metal Division, January 1918. | |||||||||||
| Mainly plant inventories. | |||||||||||
| Specifications, Miscellaneous, November-December 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence on government bids and specifications for various companies and relating to various products. | |||||||||||
| Storage Space, September 1918. | |||||||||||
| Regarding the storage capacity of the North Star Malting Co.'s plant, which had discontinued its previous use. | |||||||||||
| Telegrams, September-November 1918. | |||||||||||
| Traffic Association, September 1918. | |||||||||||
| Contains two freight traffic documents: Regulations governing disposition of inter-road freight claims for loss and damage and Statement of freight received and forwarded at Minneapolis via all roads (July 1917 and July 1918). | |||||||||||
| 103.K.9.6F | Washington Correspondence, October-November 1918. | ||||||||||
| Correspondence mainly from B. K. Postlethwaite pertaining to government bids. | |||||||||||
| Wood Products Division: | |||||||||||
| Correspondence, February-December 1918. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Government bids for member firms of Division I, on such items as desks, tables, boxes, and lumber. Also contains administrative correspondence, details such as meetings and classification of member firms. | |||||||||||
| Company Statements, Bylaws, Miscellaneous, 1918. | |||||||||||
| Dry Kiln Capacity, undated. | |||||||||||
| Includes a list of the members of the Wood Products Section and a document entitled: Data concerning dry kiln capacity, factory space, equipment, etc., of woodworking plants which might be used for production of gun stocks. | |||||||||||
| Dry Kiln Questionnaire, June 1918. | |||||||||||
| Kernan, Thomas F., March-July 1918. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence from Kernan, representing the Wood Products Division in Washington, D.C., dealing mainly with government bids and proposals for the association. | |||||||||||
| War Material, Miscellaneous, November 1917-August 1918. | |||||||||||
| War Recreation Fund, Training Camp Activities, undated. | |||||||||||
| Correspondence of the War Camp Community Service on attempts at providing social activities and entertainment for the troops. There is significant correspondence relating to a bill in the U. S. Congress for the incorporation of the Recreation Association of America. | |||||||||||
| War Relief, November 1917-July 1918. | |||||||||||
| War Risk Insurance, December 1918. | |||||||||||
| Brief letter with enclosure. | |||||||||||
| War Savings Stamp Campaign: | |||||||||||
| Correspondence, December 1917-August 1919. 4 folders. | |||||||||||
| On the association's War Savings Stamp Campaign and its efforts to obtain certain levels of success. There is much correspondence with businesses, employers, and the military in an effort to expand the campaign. There is also significant correspondence with Edward A. Purdy, local postmaster, on residents who refused to pledge or who failed to fulfill previous pledges to buy War Savings Stamps. | |||||||||||
| Cash Reports, May-November 1918. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Includes weekly cash reports of the War Savings Stamp Campaign, as well as geographical breakdowns of stamp-buying. There are also various handbooks and pamphlets relating to the campaign included. | |||||||||||
| Record of Subscriptions to War Savings Certificates, June 1918. | |||||||||||
| War Work Volunteers, October 1917-June 1918. | |||||||||||
| Miscellaneous correspondence. | |||||||||||
| [0.5 cubic feet full] | |||||||||||
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- Draft -- Minnesota.
- Savings stamps -- Minnesota.
- World War, 1914-1918 -- War work -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis.
- World War, 1914-1918 -- Finance -- Minnesota.
- World War, 1914-1918 -- Minnesota -- Charities.
- World War, 1914-1918 -- Economic aspects -- Minnesota.
- War tax stamps -- Minnesota.
- World War, 1914-1918 -- Food supply -- Minnesota.
- Americanization.
- Veterans -- Employment -- Minnesota.
- Military service, Voluntary -- Minnesota.
- World War, 1914-1918 -- War work -- Minnesota -- Red Cross.
- Military training camps -- Minnesota.
- Food conservation.
- Commercial associations -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis.
- Industrial mobilization -- Minnesota.
- Industrial surveys -- Minnesota -- Hennepin County.
- Business enterprises -- Minnesota -- Hennepin County.
- Persons:
- Langdon, Cavour Smith, 1861-1945.
- Strong, Howard.
- Organizations:
- United States. War Industries Board.
- United States. Army -- Recruiting, enlistment, etc. -- World War, 1914-1918.
- Four Minute Men (Society).
- Minnesota War Records Commission.
- American National Red Cross. Hennepin County Chapter.
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