The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1884-03-08
WON'T RIP OR RAVEL.
THAT'S THE KIND OF A TOWN
ASHEVILLE BOASTS OF BEING.
Evidences of it's Cosmopolitan Charac-
ter and Metropolitan Tendencies---
Going Straight Ahead.

AsHEyIIIE. March 5.-We've got a coun-
try that Is warranted not TO rip, ravel nor
tear, spring a leak nor run down at the
heel-and don't you forget II Ne are
willing 10 back Asheville against any other
town in North Carolina as the Invest town
Prom the sleepy mountain village of a few
years ago We have grown To a bustliug lit
tie city, with crowded streets. water works,
street lamps, - Niger" policeman and
bonded debt. The tobacco trade, an in
fant industry Of five wears growth. is in
fusing new greenbaek blood into our cir
culation at the rate of 800, 900 per month
The barren fields that lay in the western
and northern part of the town are being
rapidly covered with cosy cottages of the
working men, and more stately mansions
OF their employers. Our population in
1870 was ,450. in 1880 1900, in 1888 g.
500, and will this spring border on
! 5000, and we are growing faster every
day. This winter alone there have been
erected one four-story, two three story and
| six twostory business houses, all substan-
tial brick edifices, besides dwellings too
| numerous to count. We support five drug
! stores, two hardware stores, one exclu-
sively wholesale dry goods house, besides
scores of retail establishments of all
| kinds.
| We have military company, and also
q cornet band, which will soon be able to
''blOw the socks right off " of any other
in the State. Their new uniforms for ten
men cost $35O-but they don't mind that,
for last week they held fair and bazar
| III conjunction with the soldier boys, and
| our citizens turned out en- mdsse, and in
four rainy, muddy nights they showered
| the shekels in the contribution box to the
tune Of 81 200. That's the kind of pants
we wear. They come high, but we must
! have 'em.
This is the most thoroughly cosmopoli-
tan town in the South Outside the ranks
OF those "native and to the manner
born" you will find about equal proper
tions of old Confeds and blue-bellied
Yanks, with a sprinklng of all civilized
| nations Of the earth, except John China
| man.
/ We catch in these waters two distinct
| species of Yanks: one who realizes that
| humanity is about the same the world
| over that few years ago we Tar-heels
| had no money, no credit, no frinds-'' no
| nOthin' ," /; that we have done fairly well
, for the start we had, and that "a mans a
| man for a that He makes himself one
Of us, and is welcome. The other fellow
believes there is no fit place for a man to
be born south of New England he sneers
at our poverty and says it is too good fer
us, and if you slap him in the face
tt--s co,a-blooaes---een=r i1f1- III go and get
a warrant for you. He tells us that a
darkey is just as good as he is, (and so he
is y and at last when he has made him
self a universal nuisance, so that, like
hunch-back Richard, the dogs bark at him
when he goes by, he goes back home and
makes a great outcry about social ostra-
cism, and hates us because we dare to ex-
ist without his permission. The only
course to pursue with these cattle is tc
give them rope enough, and they hang
themselves. CAPTAIN JACK.