Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1870-06-29
lcoMNUNTcATEDl
knoxvilbe-Its Future AZ Manufacturing
City.

oeheNe uhat hnoxville rs finished and with
commendable zeal, through their Industrial
Association and other means present to the
world the unrivalled advantages of our CITY
These advantages it is believed should gain
the preference and draw into our limits thousands
of that floating class of capitalists manufacture
ers and solid business men who are looking
about for a new location-a location which com.
bines the advantages of cheap land good eli
mate productive SOIL abundance of the raw
materials for manufactures, sure market for all
the products of labor together with good rail
road connections; and these in connection with
our good society, schools and churches might
ne considered sufficient to settle the question in
the mind of any man and cause him TO select
Knoxville Tennessee, above all other places ~
the true location.
Knoxville was founded sometime in the last
century. Other cities, whose sites had not been
surveyed forty years ago now number their
hundred thousand population, while Knoxville
counts its ten thousand Why this difference?
Many good, honest-thinllng men will say il is
the working of Providence or that "it All
happens by chance and suppose that Knox
vile has been unfortunate in having her real
merits and advantages overlooked The writer
having had some fair opportunity for observa
ton in such matters, cannot accept this view of
the case The rapid growth, the amount of
manufactures thdi important railroad connec-
tons, and the consequent large and profitable
trade and increasing wealth and population of
any city, depends more than any other one thing |
on the character and public spirit of the men |
who own the property, give tone to the business |
and control the municipal affairs of such city.
Thore are two classes of men found in every |
community; The one is represented by the old |
fogy mot always old in years. who fights against |
everything new He is, opposed to the
public Improvement gets his approval.
He wants everything to go on as his grand |
father had it, and is forever croaking about tax
es the ruinous taxes. His money! is secure
ly locked up-if. not in old stocking in such in
yestmcnts as he is sure safe against all risks
investments in vacant lots or unproductve lands,
which generally do no one any good. Tho con-
trolling motto of his whole life is every man
for himself and the devil take him who is in
the rear"
The other class is represented by "Young
America. He Is public-spirited and adventu-
rousi ambitious to head some great enterprise
to lead out in some great manufacturing bust
ness or build new line of railroad He has
the nerve for anything and will risk his pile
when once committed to II iavorite scheme He !
sometimes makes and sometimes loses but the
public are generally the gamer by his move
nents. 1t is possible that Knoxville has been
too much under the control of the former and
had too little of the latter element to make
her what she should be. 1t certainly has bad
look, whenwe find in one of our leading DaiIes
an article saying, in substance, we want no
more emigrants coming into our city We have
too many already for our own good" AL
though this expression is not generally endorsed
there Is certainly too much Indifference on the
part of our citizens, to the fact that we are sta
tto'td1y. We are not adding to our population
trade and wealth az we should be. Mr.. Wells
Commissioner of the Revenue in speaking of
the true tests of National prosperity and of
our great advantages as a Nation says: mot to | ,
increase, therefore, is to rstrogrddc" When
we compare our progress with other sections of
the country, we should become alarmed in !
view of our retrograde condition. Take Ohio {
for example. She has erected l06,45 nov struc- {
lures, IN the last ten years-the average the last
two years being 1000 per annum. OF the for c
mer there were 800 mills factories, founderies
furnaces, &C. The growth of towns in every | Z
part of the State and ron1 L,
Cleveland Toledo, Akron, Kenton, Pomcroy i
and Others, have doubled in the last ten years. /
One manufacturer of agricultural implements C
IN Ohio, returned last year an income of $780,
coo. There is no good reason why we cannot $
take hold and share in such prosperity We o
can manufacture these agricultural implements n
cheaper than they in Ohio, besides saving the n
freight. So of everything else-all that is re- v
quired is to take hold and do it. n
Every man has the right to spend his own 4
money in his own way and it may seem piece Il
of impertinence to dictate in the matter If he "
has accumulated capital by hard industry and e
careful saving, he certainly should be free to in
vest 1t in his own way. Grant this; but all =
members of society owe certain duties TO that
society, and we have the right to call to account
any who fail in this regard. Those who have
the means and the ability are under n public
obligation to meet the necessities of the case +
They should understand that if they are selfish
indifferent neglectful of the public welfare
the public will hold them responsible 1t is a
mistake to suppose that private and public in
tcIcats orc nol iueHllCul Inc puDllc should
all proper means to make private interests sue =
cessful and prosperous, and being Interested in n
the good or bad, thewise unwise acts of every NJ
citizen, should at least take cognzance of their I'M
acts. On the other hand, individual citizens In,
should be watchtul in promoting the public in sv
terests. If, then, we have any citizens possessed
Of one latent spark ofambtion or desire for pub
lie appreciation for having done the public some i
service, let them launch out with their money,
and embark in some one of those great manufac-
turing enterprises which have so oftea been
as insuring "big profit to whomso- la
ever will start them in Knoxville. Such enter
prises will not only inure Ia the profit of those
who Invest their capital, but also to their honor J"
as valuable citizens in the community, where =
business benefits all classes and tends to the rapid
increase of the wealth and prosperity of our city l.
Let US then, inquire what the public interests y
Of our city require of the citizens of Knox -,
Vile. naViI
For the present il requires no more buildings an
FOR stores or business houses. We now have n | no
urplus, and any built in addition will prove WI WI
ietrment to the city in giving it bad appear er
lnce and so depreciatng the price of rents as OBJ
10 make present investments in such property ~
Improbable. We want no more large hotels XII
It is a hard matter to find tenants for those we
low have that can keep them up and pay fair ID
'ent on the property We want no more dwell ID
ng houscs-nIany are nov vacant. There be- Ea
hg no call for mechanics laoorers, business ~
5 dull and many are in search of employment ella