The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-04-29
RoANoKE's CHANCE.
How Atlanta Secured the Great
Piedmont Exposition.

| W SClcOIalc lnc bcCCuHidl VI VIZ
founding of Roanoke is timely. Tho
suggestion itself is practical.
The writer, who for twenty years
| lived in and about the city of Atlanta,
Ga, which has borne the reputation Of
being the most aggressive and progress
i've city of the South, remembers well
when tie idea of the Piedmont EXPOSE
ton emanated from tho fertile brain of
tho lamented Henry w. Grady. With
him conception was but the precursor of
vigorous action-whatever plan he had
wrought out in his fruitfully resourceful
mind. he at once sought to carry into
effect, and what he had determined
upon he invariably accomplished.
The time had come, he thought, when
Atlanta should advertise herself through
the medium of an Exposition. But how
could it be held-there were no
grounds-oglerthope Park, the seat Of
the Cotton Exposition, had been sold and
the buildings transformed into cotton
factory. Further, there was no organiza-
ti0n, not even the nucleus ofune. Di1lcrl-
ties like these, Watch to ordinary minds
appeared insurmeuhtable,b but stimulated
his energy and strengthened his deter
mination. Casting his eyes about he
saw at the distance of three miles from
the city's center, on the line of the Rich.
mond and Danville railway, what was
called by courtesy driving park. The
grounds were ample in size, but alto
gether unfit by natural inequalities for
his purpose. Yet these grounds he de-
termined to procure.
In a slugged editorial he invited at
tention to his plan, and summoned a
committee of citizens to meet him in
his office. The conference was held
and the plan adopted. but with many
misgivings. Another meeting was held
in the same place; an organization was
effected, and in the morning paper at
the head of the editorial column it was
stated that SO many minutes would
elapse before tho gates of tho Piedmont
Exposition would open.
| Not lick of work had been done.
but before another day had passed these
grounds were alive with laborers, with
plough and pick and spade, busily en-
| gagged in cutting down hills, filling up
ravines, shaping terraces here and there
and making thing of artificial beauty
of what had been a rough and Jagged
landscape.
| Never for moment did his energy
relax. the columns of his paper were
daily filled with the wonders OF tho
coming expedition, and daily tho public
we're informed of the mum Der of minutes
intervening between that day and the
minute on which the gates would open.
To be brief. the work was accom-
plished, the gates were opened at the
appointed time, and the Piedmont Elk
position was glorious reality. Visit.
ors fiocked to it from all quarters, and
though the committee on public COM
fort had been able to open nearly every
suitable private dwelling as a public
boarding house, the capacity of the city
to entertain her guests was so overbur-
dened that the churches and public
school houses had to be thrown open to
afford shelter to the public.
| stated at the beginning that your
suggestion is practical. / cite the incl
dent of the building up of the Pied mont
Exposition to sustain my statement
Roanoke can do what Atlanta did She
is located in the heart of country
1 NJ tph Nf
forest arc as ten is TO one in comparison
with the country tributary to Atlanta
She has greater need of the Exposition
than Atlanta had. Atlanta then had a
population of $4,000 souls, she was the
terminus OF numerous railways radiat-
ing in every direction. She was firmly
established-she was fifty years old.
Roanoke needs advertising in the way
that only the Exposition can give. Shall
she have it?
What gave the Piedmont Exposition
to Atlanta? Three things-brains,
energy, Observation-Disclosures things
not only gave the Piedmont Exposition
to Atlanta, but they gave Atlanta itself
to Georgia and the South.
Roanoke has brains. she has energy;
has she the determination that laughs
at obastcles and treads on impossi-
bilities? II so, she will win in the race
for supremacy, and become as she ought
to be one OF the bright test jewels in Vir-
ginia's crown.
Let the Exposition be held.
c. HOLMES CLARK.