The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-04-12

gave him the work and instruction
i'm manufacturing that was the founda-
stion Of his success. He did anything
sand everything to be done, learning
THE business from the bottom up. Ev-
.ery employe he mad knew that the own
Ter of the mills understood every part
.of the business from buying cotton and
Flyeing it up to the most difficult TECH
|nical knowledge. This fact tended to
give them double respect for their emI
Iployer; and likewise knowing the labor
required for excellent work, made him
Imore appreciatiye Of their skill and inI
dustry.
a man who has never put his hand toI
.hard work can rarely know what ii isl
land therefore the best and most iustI
are those who have mastered
.tfleir business in all its branches. YonI
hardly ever hear Of any disagreenlesSa
between employer and empIoye whenI
leach recognizes the others worth and
There is mutual respect and
Ia feeling Of mutual interest IN ain
Ithe years that have passed since Coil
.Iloit and his father made Haw Rive1
ia manufacturing centre, there hadI
snever been a strike, a lockout. or anI
serious disagreement between EMPLOY
.ers and employe. Things always rum
.along smoothly, and even in hard
times land they come in all businesses
|Colonel Holt strained every pointI
Ito keep his mills running in order toI
furnish work for those whose daiiyI
Ibread was dependent upon the labogI
yof their hands. He had done this as
times at a loss.
Up to 1860, Col. Holt was i'm business
with his father, In that year. in ii
brick building 3Gx64. with ONLY 52a
,spindles, he began on his own account
|This small building Is now a wing cd
Ithe immense factory known through
Iout the country as the Granite MilIsl
THE story of how, step by stepI
Through business sagacity and unre1
uniting industry, Col. Holt added brick
ION brick, spindle to spindle, acre toI
Iacre, stock to stock. until, at the timeI
Iof his death he stood among the richest
lmen in the State. His OreatI
establishment grew steadily and gradI
Iually, as the needs Of the trade andI
|the expansion of business justified. It'll
was a solid growth. Col. Holt was al
|man who never put his foot down until.
|he saw where it would fall. He Inherit
Ied from his German ancestry muchi
prudence and care in making invest
Iments, and was among the safest menI
pa the State In business. in politics.
~ feiiglon, he was by temperament
conservative in the true meaning Of.
that word He did not believe in trv-l
ing 70 ma quick road to fame or toI
Iortune. lie followed the beaten paths
winch the successful men of all ages
have had to tread, blazing gout new roads,
only when he had made his surveys and
was satisfied that it would be n wiseI
departure.
Nhlle devoting his energies and his
talents to building up his manufacture
ing plant, Col. Holt was not indiffer-
ent to his duties as a citizen. He SER
yed as magistrate, settling disputes
between his neighbors with wisdom
and justice and kindness. Afterwards
he was twice elected chairman of the
Board of County Commissioners of Al
amance county, giving to his people
the benefit OF his practical wisdom in
the management of county affairs, and
directing the progressive movements
That put Alamance county affairs in
excellent condition. In 1876, the year
that Iebulon Baird Vance was elected
Governor, Colonel Holt accepted the /
Democratic nomination for State Sena-
tor and was elected to represent the
district composed of Guilford and Ala
nance. This was an important period
IN the political history of the State,
calling for the highest wisdom of its
wisest men. Col. Holt was prominent
in the counsels of the party, his adj
vice being sought by the Governor,
Senator's, Congressman, and the great
est men in the State. In 1882 and
again in 1884 and in 1886 he was elected
70 the House from Alamance county,
serving as Speaker at the session Of
1885. He was a safe, progressive and
useful legislator, conserving all the
interests of the State with the same
care that he had conserved \
his own interests. He never had am
bition TO go to the Legislature, ac-@