Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1890-06-18

A u N TON SPE
An Important Movement.
REPRESENTATIVE MEN IN ooUNcIL-cATTLE
THE BAsIs-sLAUGBrKRED BEEF TRADE
OTHER DEVELOPMENTS TO FoLLow-GooD
WORDS FOR sTAUNToN.
Representative men in rearing and grazing.
in buying and selling, and Strengthening and
selling beef from wide section OF country
think the time has arrived and Staunton the
center for a new and large development and q
great and growing commerce based upon the
cattle resources OF our section of the Valley
and parts of West Virginia. Such q scheme
has been well and quietly considered and good
shape given to 1t, as the meeting held at the
Court.House in Staunton on the 18th instant
| revealed. 1t was purely business meeting,
| and held by men from Augusta. Rockbrldge,
Rockingham, Allegheny. Bath and Highland
counties in Virginia, and Greenbrier and
other sections Of West Virginia present in per-
| son and by correspondence. and gave the
keynote to one of the most important and
valued movements which has ever been set
| on foot in this section Of the Old Dominion
There was an air about it which carried conf
dence in every word uttered and every state.
ment made.
THE MEETING.
| The scribes Of the Press who had been re-
quested to attend at the Court House at 10
o'clock were in place. and Judge Charles Graf
| tan was entertaining them and q few of the
| court officials with some of his amusing
pastime sayings. scarcely knowing what they
were there for. Presently sturdy farmers and
cattle graziers from the different counties
begun to walk In and quietly take seats with
| In the bar, and then as some were strange
| faces the question was asked, who Is that one
and who is another and so on. and finally
| som ething like roll Of the visitors was made
up. Among them were Col. Jno. I. Bird and
Mr.. John ]. Hiner. Of Highland; Mr.. D. E.
East, Rockbridge; and Messrs. VIM. Brown
Patterson. Chas. 8. Patterson, Joseph L.
Pelter, Dabney G. Ramsey. DR.. NJ. Hildsbrand
E. T. Dudley, Thompson, ". N. Wilson.
Of Augusta; and Reeves Gait. of Staunton.-
There were other business men of Staunton as
well as of the country present who were inter-
ested in the proceedings as they were de-
veloped.
Mr.. Gait called Judge Grattan to the chair,
and Mr.. Jno. j. Hiner. of Highland, was APP
pointed Secretary.
Judge Grattan stated that he was not fully
informed of the objects of the assemblage. but
presumed it was for consultation on important
interests connected with the cattle industry Of
this section OF the country.
MR.. Cats REMARKS.
Mr.. Gait said the meeting was called by in.
vitations sent out through the country inter
ested in establishing at Staunton slaughter
houses which would not only introduce a
large development as such, but other and
valuable industries would follow such prog
ress. He regretted that MIR. o. K. Lapham,
who was SO largely interested in business here,
and who really had originated the scheme,
had been Unexpectedly called to Chicago; for,
If here. as intended, the whole plan would be
much better presented to the meeting.
Continuing and referring to those with
whom he had been in council, he remarked
that. in their opinion, the time had arrived to
make some strong effort to help our own COM
munity in building up market for the
abundant products of our prolific country.-l
An experience of twenty years had proven to
him that the lack of facilities of mark citing our
livestock took from the income when sold a
sufficiency to pay interest on the cost of large
establishments for working 1t up. Not only
that. but with such establishments located
heavy expense of transportation of cattle, and
thus receive more net value for his product |
He gave some strong and striking examples OF |
the advantages local dealers in meat would |
have in buying from wholesale establish |
ment here. as compared with the expensive |
establishment each had now to keep up. He !
gave instances in which his own concern had |
conducted the business of shipping dressed |
meat to other points without the advantage |
OF refrigerator cars Whatever drawback there |
was about 1t, was on that account, and when |
the whole shipment was salable after reaching |
distant market the profits were very good. |
and decidedly encouraging to the practical |
bility Of this movement. Mr.. Gait continued |
at some length on this line of facts and de- |
monstrated conclusively that great saving |
would come to the cattle-raisers, as well as |
those who handled the stock and product for |
market.
MISUNDERSTANDING HIDES, &C. |
The remarks of Mr., Gait in which he said he |
also expressed the views of Mr., Lapham in |
relation to the industries, seven or more in |
number. as result of large Strengthening here,
impaired much valuable information. All
these interests would grow up and the ma
terials tor fertilizers and a tannery would be
immense interests. 1t was a new talk on new
sentence and the liveliest interest was mani
tested as he proceeded. He showed how we'll
1t would pay capital. and the advantages and
saving slaughter-houses here would be to the
drovers relieved of the cost of railroad trans-
portation to the East. He gave assurances too
that the capital would be forthcoming, but
agreed with Mr.. Lapham, who had freely dis
cussed that feature Of the enterprise that the
more stock held here, the better it would be
for all interests.
There should. he said, be no apprehension or
annoyance to the city, as the slaughter-houses
would be without its limits, and on a large
space of ground which could be secured for
that purpose. He read letters, in concluding,
from many different gentlemen who could not
attend. but who would most heartily sustain
the movement. Among them were Mr.. Jno.
T. Dunlop. of Buena Vista. Rock bridge; Mr.
Fred. Fultz, of Fort Lewis, Bath; Mr.. Jno. D.
Sterrett, Bells Valley, Rockbridge; and others.
These letters discussed much that pertains to
the cattle interest, such as transportation and
the advantages "a great establishment in the
center of the cattle country would bring about.
A letter from Mr.. Balivar Williams, a large
grazier in Greenbrier, W. Va, estimated that
there would be driven annually to Staunton
from the country west of the city from ~. 600 to
100 600 head. For himself, he would greatly
prefer to drive here than ship by rail East.
COLONEL JNo. t. BIRD. OF HIGHLAND,
| followed Mr.. Gait and expressed himself de.
cidedly In favor OF the enterprise. He dwelt
| upon the condition of the farming interests,
and the difficulties they had to meet. He said
Staunton was the best, and really the location
for the building up of large city of Industries
| and commerce which would receive the sup~
port Of a wide section Of the State. He wanted
to see staunton grow, and let Its streets extend
out, end its dwellings expand In every di-
rection, and. to the west he wonld be glad to
see them as far out as Valley Mills. He pre-
| sented some good views about the saving of
the expense OF frei ght which Mr.. Gait had ad-
verted to- ii the people could sell their cattle at
Staunton, as well other products OF our
ranges aud fields. MIR. Bird entertained the