The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1889-12-19

supercede them"
Our last quotat on is from q cor
respondent who has evidently n phiio,
sophical mind. lie says: Oar rich
men hold back from any and cvcry-
thing we propose, and we caHnos go
ahead without them. We wished to
build a cotton mill, and al! who felt
able subscribed for shares Some
took but one. Others more. but none
subscribed for moe than they could
conveniently pay, and from all we
secured a fair capital, hut not
enough for carrying out our inten
ton. We have half dozen citizens
who are wealthy. Everyone OF them
has become so since the war, and
has acquired it all from business
done here. OF course we expected
that after we small fry had doue
what we could, they would furnish
The balance. but when we applied to
them, they refused, saying in sub
stance, when we wish to go into cot
ton manufacturing we will do it our
selves, and not have every clerk,
mechanic and farmer shareholder
with US. with right to dictate
how and by whom the business
shall be managed. Now I, for one
don't blame those gentlemen; their
money is their own; it has been
honestly earned. The judgment
they used in getting it must tell
them how to invest it. They need
not have put their declination to us
quite so rudcly, but there is force in
it after all, for I can see that men
who have made money by their own
exertions must necessarily be timld
about becoming shareholders with a
miscellaneous number Of people OF
diverse opinions and JUDGMENT
The Manufacturers Records ad.
wise to all our correspondents OF
this character, and to all our readers
WHO have met with similar obstacles
to the furtherance Of the enterprises
they have planned, is: Never mind
your rich men! Do what you can'
be it little or much, without them
Most of the successful enterprises
of our day we're begun by poor men,
alone or in association, and when
they were made profitable and re-
quired enlargement, the wealthy
we're always ready to be shareholders
We remember an incident that &C.
Cured in Georgia in 1881 that Illus
trates our advice. About midsum-
mer a young gentleman of only few
Years business experience went from
a certain place in that State to AT
lanta to confer with the officials of the
Cotton Exposition. lie represented
others of his age who were trying to
get ahead in the world, and who
thought that fine exhibit from
their town and county would attract
attention to it, and increase its busl-
ness and prosperity. The obstacles
to that were the mayor and wealthy
citizens. They had been asked to
cooperate with the young men and
had refused absolutely. They said
that everybody was doing we'll
enough in their locality, and that
The proposal of the young men was
foolish. The latter were much dis
couraged by this rebuff, but finally
sent bin to Atlanta to ascertain if
something could not be done. He
was advised to 60 home and see lns
associates, and get them to join him
in collecting exhibits of the agrlcul.
tural products, the minerals, ores
and timbers of his district, and
forward them to the State Depart
ment of Agriculture for the Georgia
display. He was cautioned to say
nothing to the persons who had dis
approved of his action, but to exer.
else the more energy and persever-
ance, for that success would win the
greater approval from them ifit was
a surprise also. The envoy went
home encouraged. The young men
worked with a will. Their collec'
ton surpassed their expectations
and contributed materially to the
success of the Georgia exhibit The
fame of it reached the wealthy old
fogies. One excursion day they all
went with their townsmen to the
exposition, and no feature of it was
of such interest to them as that from
their own county. The mayor, his
thumbs in his vest hole, a benign
smile on his face, spent most of tsS
dav at. that. spctr, inyitsfhs 'aH who
came that way to stop and "see
what our city can do, sir. and what
our farmers produce, Sir" There
has been no lack of enterprise since
in that place. Its young men gained
the confidence Of their wealthy fel.
low.citizens, and have put them up
to many new undertakings. Popue
lation has more than doubled. and
the once sleepy old town is alive
with progress.
Never mind your rich men if they
are conservative and slow. They
will wake up when enterprise has
achieved success. Find something
to do by concerted eadeavor that
comes within the funds at your COM
mand, then 60 ahead.
Don't abandon good thing be-
I0r