Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-07-16

To the Tobacco Leaf-Chronicle.I


If all our citizens would road and
ponder the excellent points made by
your CORRESPONDENT "H. M. M" from
Kansas City, which was published in
Tuesdays paper, it does seem as if
they could come to but one cOnclu-
sion on this subject. We must open
our doors if we expect to prosper.
Conservatism is a good thing-an
excellent thing-I am a conservative
myself, and do not believe in reck-
lessly increasing expenses or cutting
off income. But at the same time
there are some things that are neces
sary. II city wants to do business
it is necessary to offer to the outside
world good facilities. Human nature
rebels at the toll-gates and toll
bridges, and we will avoid them il
we can, often even though it may
cost more than the toll to do it. We
say we cannot afford 10 make the
bridges free or to build others. but
the truth is we cannot afford not TO do
ID. Let us retrench somewhere else,
or even add a few mills to the tax
rate Though l do not think this will
be necessary, as free bridges will in
crease values in the city and thus
hrinO On innraaoaI innnnna \ What
should we think of one of our pro-
gressive merchants who would say
that he could Dot afford to pay the
high rental of a good store room on a
prominent street, but would hire the
third story of building on "back
street," and put his fine stock there,
because the rent is low? The point is,
that to succeed, either city or bus
mess firm must have some faith in
itself, and must look little further
than the end of its nose, and must
not he afraid of some preliminary ex-
penses, which are to he looked upon
AS an investment.
Some years since / was travelling
through the country and passed
through Chattanooga and Knoxville.
| found that they had no tolI-gates or
bridges to prevent entrance, but in
stead had built out in varions direc.
tions and extending five miles from
the city, splendid turnpike roads,
which invited and facilitated en-
trance. Do you suppose these cities
lost anything by their investments?
Look at their growth since that time.
The fact is city, like a firm, if it
expects to do business Eust get ready
to do it, even if it has to borrow the
money to do 50. Otherwise it will
remain Zone horse town."
1t is undoubtedly true that now is
our opportunity. The best kind of
immigrants are looking southwark.
These are our American born North
ern brethren, and we need them
rather than the scum of Europe and
Asia, which have been pouring into
the North and West these many
years. We have one great advan-
tage over the West in the possession
of our negro labOrers, whose presence
tends to deter the influx of the hordes
of Hungarians, Poles, Italians, etc,
which are cursing some parts of our
land. And as for me, give me
"Sambo'' with all his faults, in pref
erence to these communists, anar-
chists and assassins. | verify believe
that we ought to fill up our rolling
mills, furnaces, etc, with these native
colOred laborers and thus keep out
this foreign scum. But this is a big
subject ana l have no time to more
than hint al 1T. Let us have the
paItry $500 for one free bridge at
once. Let us economic on some
thing else if necessary.
Yours truly, JAMES A. LYON.