Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-26
Factories for Washington.

To the Editor Of The Evening Star:
Every one possessed with a spark of local
pride will rejoice in last nights action OF
the board Of trade.
1t marks the beginning Of new era In
Washington's development, and IL the work
as outlined is carried vigorously forward
our beautiful city will soon have left the
position of the water boy and be up In the
first four of the procession, where she be-
longs. 1t Is matter Of great gratlllca-
ton If the people of this city have at last
awakened to a realization of the fact that
they cannot sit with folded hands and ex-
pect prosperity to shower riches In their
laps. They must get up and hustle for
them, just as the people of other cities
do. All our growing commercial cities Of
fer Inducements, such as renting taxes
furnishing power, or holding out some
other allurement to manufacturing plants
to locate in their midst. They do this for
the same reason that business man ad-
vertises, to increase the volume Of their
business through the thousands of ad-
dtional dollars put in circulation.
Suppos1ng that through the efforts Of the
board of trade new factories would locate
here employing say 5000 men "a very mod
crate number) the wages of these men
would average $7O0 per year, and since 1t
Is safe to count five persons to each work.
man IT would mean that the population
would be increased by about $4,000 people,
who would spend here every year 81, 500 600
Think how many times this would reim-
burse the city for the inducements Of
fered.
No one takes greater pride than the
writer in the fact that Washington Is a
beautiful residential city, and that ii Is
every year becoming more and more the
POLITICAL social and literary center of the
country. But please tell me what is there
inconsistent In Washington being all these,
ana yet being of some commercial import
ance? AS long as Washington remains only
residential city 1t will bear about the
same relation to the other large cities of
the country that China does to the prin-
c1pal countries Of the world-that of an
over-grown baby. 1t will be a magnificent
baby, L admit, but what's the matter with
giving the baby chance to reach a still
fner american maturity? To those persons
who fear having Washington become a
horribly noisy city like New York; let me
recommend joining the next Peary expedi-
tion-there is no solitude (this side of the
SraVe) equal to that Of the arctic regions.
Paris has the reputation of being the
most beautiful city in the world (present
company. of course. excepted). but have you
ever heard the complaint made that fac
tories begrimed her glories You do not
ma these workshops clustered around the
race de FOpera norrlining the Champs
Elysee, but they are all around Paris at
st. Denis and other nearby places With
all her wealth Paris has not the natural
advantages that Washington possesses For
the purposes of commerce the Seine cannot
be compared with the Potomac, therefore
than In the source of the Seine; we find II
In her encouragement of Industrial estab-
lishments.
In conclusion let me suggest that WASH
ington emulate her example, and 1 predict
that prosperity will be smiling our
American queen when her French sister is
wall-flower. HUSTLER.
October 25, 1894, D.