The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1891-1893, 1892-08-06
PROGRESS OF RALEIGH.
ANNUAL ADDRESS BY THE RE-
TIRING PRESIDENT.
Before the Chamber of Commerce
The Movements Forward Inter-
estfngly Cited.

To the Members Of the Raleigh Chamber Of
Commerce and Industry,
GENTLEMEN:-Wit Within the past two
years while have been acting as your
president, it is gratifying to me to be
able to state that through the efforts of
your organization and its several stand
ing committees, many important enter
prises have been established in our city |
and community, and there have been in
stilled in the midst Of our people gener-
ally a spirit of industrial activity. 1t
might be considered presumptious for
our organization to claim the credit or
honor of having been directly instrument
tai i'll the establishment of several impor-
tant industries that nave been so success
fully inaugurated during the period GOV
cred by this report, such as the "Com-
mercial and Farmers Bank" with a
capital of 500, 900, the "Caraleigh Cot
cotton Mills, the ''Caraleigh Phosphate
Co., the new and elegant ''Park Hotel"
the "Page Opera House, or ''Auditori
um, the new cotton mills being built by
Messrs. Williamson and Foster, the open
critics, the building Of another large to-
bacco factory and other enterprises
of less Importance. 1t is per
fectly fair, however, to claim that the
chamber of commerce and industry and
its committees have been earnestly solici-
tous and have given aid and encourage
ment to the promotion of these enter
prises The fact of the existence of this
chamber has quickened and aroused
among our people general spirit of ag
gressiveness and it is not presumptuous
to conclude therefore that some of the
important enterprises above alluded to
would not have been established but for
the existence of this chamber and the aid
and encouragement of its members. 1t
| will be generally admitted [ believe
that almost directly through its
efforts the new and attractive Union de-
its committee was very earnest in its
efforts to induce our railroad managers
to abandon the old unsightly, unsafe
and unhealthy structure so long used as
a passenger depot and provide
for the city depot facilities commen-
surate with its importance; and their
efforts have at last been abundantly sue
cessful; perhaps no city in the South can
boast of more unique and commodious
depot. One of our greatest needs and
one that our chamber has been greatly
interested in has been system Of public
road improvements. This chamber
recognized the fact that good and sub
stantial roadways leading into the city
from every quarter was an all important
factor in the upbuilding of the city and
it's general business interests You want
to work, therefore, towards inaugurating
a method of road Improvements that
would be permanent and that would
/ afford to the patrons of the city easy ac-
cess to and fro. Your efforts in this mat
ter have been wonderfully successful
, notwithstanding at first some were
, disposed to throw cold water on the
2 scheme. They opposed building or work
ing roads in any other way than the ole
t and worthless system of summoning s
few negroes along the roads once o.
: twice year to do the work, while thos'
e who ere most interested in good road
e and use them most are generally for on
/. reason or another exempt from roa(
e duty. The system you inaugurated is t.
= make and maintain the public roads b.
: taxation, the only just and fair way, ant
e the only way our public roads will eve
v be made good and desirable. If thi
organization from its incipiency till tn
present time. had done nothing else, it
:. efforts in this direction would justify m
in saying that it was not organized i
vain; and if in retiring as your pres
dent l may be allowed a suggestion,
y would earnestly urge that you continu
~ your efforts at public road improvement
= until all the roads in the county hav
~ ~ been thoroughly improved. With you
" CO. o-operation, and mainly through you
a efforts, the Southern Interstate expos
- tion was held in this city last fall, Will
y, it was not in all respects what we ha
~ ~ hoped for, still it brought man
- people to our city, and in man
= ways contributed to the business of th
city; it brought to our city many impo
. tant personages, Alex. K. McClur
Richard Gatling and Others The Wis
of the Fifth Maryland Regiment is sti
u and will long be pleasantly remembere
al by our people; the extension of our pre-
s. ent admirable system of street railwa..
al to the exposition grounds was direct
N due to the holding of this expositio
to therefore, indirectly due to the chamb
r. of commerce and industry. l have e
X deavored to mention few of the me
cs important results of your organizati'
es without going into tedious detail and
ed trust that my successor, year henC
of may be able to point to other results
still more Importance. Your chamb
has much important work already ma
ped OUT under your auspices and tt
of the board of aldermen the city pl
poses, during the coming autumn
lff celebrate its Tooth anniversary; your co
W. mittee on railroads have in hand an i
De- portant matter looking to largely incre
a ed railway facilities for our city. Un6
ed the direction of special committee
W. Gently appointed this chamber, togetl
is. with the different business enterprises
ar, the city and some of our public spirit
his citizens, have arranged with a staff C
TO respondent of the Baltimore Manufac
rers' Record to have the business and
dustral interests of the city and its g
ID eral industrial opportunities truthfully p
trayed through the columns of the Rec
in series of articles, which is cal
The lated to be of great benefit to our {
the and county. At the suggestion of I
ter chamber a meeting is to be held in Nj