Mexico weekly ledger., 1885-11-12
BOARD OF TRADE.
10 be Organized Tonight
MEXICO WILL NOW BOOM IN coon
HARD EARNEST.
One OF the Prayers Of the Ledger Answered

One of the Prayers of the Ledger Answered.
The meeting at the City Hall
tuesday nightto takeinto considera-
ton the necessity of e~ffecting a
business mems organization was
well attended. William Pollock
called the meeting to order and on
his motion, Mayor Emmons was
elected Chairman. F. H. Mitch
ell was made Secretary. The OBJ
Ject of the meeting was then briefly
explained by the Chairman who
stated that Mr.. Mitchell had been
very active in getting the move
ment on foot and requested that he
would state its objects fully. Mr..
Mitchell stated that he had been
c%anvassing the city and found
the merchants and business men
generally unanimously in favor of
any movement that promised the
substantial advancement ofourma-
terial interests. The City was al
most exclusively a town of mer-
chants and the necessity of secu-
ring manufacturing interests here
was apparent to every intelli-
gent observer. Mr.. Pollock was
running a mill, Mr.. Thomas was
working his hoop pole factory and
a few other enterprises were strug-
| Cling along, but these alone could
not make a city prosper. Weneed
to strengthen the enterprises we
| have and to secure more. at the
very earliest date. This Mr.. Mitch
ell believed could be done if the
right course was pursued and he
believed the first thing to be done
was to get the business men inter
ested and organized, not only to
take hold of every thing that of
fered substantial prosperity to the
city, but to reach out after it. l..
Phillip and A. C. Houston both
urged the necessity of waking up,
and stated that they were cordially
in favor of the organization. Joel
| Guthrie stated that he had come to
Mexico 26 years ago when the
trains ran no farther than Pollock's
mill, and had seen the infant enter
prises spring up and then go
down one after another, all because
of the lack of proper encourage
ment. The carriage factory went
down and then the carding mill fol-
lowed and anumber of other enter
prises that would have added great
ly to the prosperity of the city had
they been maintained, struggled
along and finally died. Men who
had the enterprise did not have the
money and the men who had the
money didn't have the enterprise.
| We want financial aid to make
Mexico a fourishing town. We
are producing comparatively moth
ing. The country is producing cat
tie and other stock and the mer-
Ichants are making a living selling
their goods, but there is no pros
Iperity whatever. Mr.. Guthrie ia
vored the appointment of a COM
mittee of substantial citizens to
see what manufacturing interests
could be gotten here.
Mr.. Mitchell was opposed to the
committee plan. Had had enough
of that. He wanted a permanent
organization, a Board of Trade
or some similar organization to
take official advantage of any
thing and everything that could
be reached by systematic work.
Col. Hutton then moved with the
view of getting things in shape,
that an organization be effected at
once. In support of the motion
Col. Hutton said he had written
and talked organization at Mexico
until he was almost sick of the
term, but that he felt we should
make a strong effort now to revive
business in ourtown. Mexico was
not doing the business to-day that
she did Is years ago for the simple
reason that we send all our money
away and create no values a. home.
We are looking seedy and need to
be up and doing. We need to get
out of the old ruts. Property is
going down, and while other towns
like Louisiana and GAINESVILLE,
that have manufacturing establish
ments, are forging ahead we are at
a dead stand still, or still worse on
the decline. Vandalia and the
other small towns around us are
growing right ahead and are sap
ping Mexico. They are taking our
trade and we are quietly letting
them do it. Col Hutton spoke at
length on the advantages to be de-
: rived from manufactures and the
; necessity of our people going te
8 work to bring these enterprises te
our city.
Y John J. Steele being called for:
stated that he was heartily in &C
cord with the sentiment expressed