Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-03-20
IN HOTEL CORRIDOR S

John c. Winthrop of st. Paul is at the
Cochran. Talking about Washington, he
said: cit has grown to be magnificent city,
and am glad to see the wonderful develop
ment toward making it the center Of art and
education in the United States. No less
than three great universities to be added to
those already here will place 1t at the head
Of cities in point of educational advantages.
There is one thing remarkable to me, the
lack Of wholesale business and manufacture
ing enterprises. Ever since I can remem-
Der 1t has been said that Washington is not
a business town, and that reiterated state
ment is all that has prevented 1t from be-
coming one. Baltimore Is so close to Phila-
delphia on the north and Washington on
the south thai it is hemmed in. but it has
large trade. Washington has to the south,
southwest and west a territory naturally
tributary to 1t; that, If developed and
worked, would make it Of much more i'm
portance than Baltimore as a jobbing CEN
ter. AS for manufacturing, it Is well To-
Gated. except for the price Of coal, and why
coal should cost double what 1t does in New
York or st. Louis. that are as far, or farther,
from the mines than Washington, do not
know. Coal Is close enough to the west,
northwest and southwest to command as
low price as Is obtained elsewhere. I
would not be surprised to see the city be-
and Industrial standpoint"
Newspapers in the country constantly
publish accounts Of the large profits to be
made at truck farming and urge the poor
farmers who own but little land to go into
it," said c. r. Benbow at the Howard. "As
a matter Of fact trucking requires more
capital to make it successful than is needed
in any other branch Of farming, and, for
that matter, more than would be used in
an ordinary mercantile business. The prof.
its per acre sound much larger than where
land Is planted in corn or wheat. but the
risks and expenses are so much greater
that the margin Is really very small one,
and poor man would lose every dollar he
possessed in case Of a failure Of crops
single year One trucking firm in North
Carolina expends $4,000 year making
crop. and requires nearly double that
amount Of capital to insure success. They
years together, but some seasons they lose
heavily. From $4,000 to $4,000 cash CAPT.
tal is required to make trucking ordinarily
safe as business, and with that amount
great care has to be; taken that an attempt
Is not made to work too much land
Col. E. r. Snowden Of Natchez, Miss, is
at Wizards Speaking of cotton, he said:
1--WE are now having to sell cotton usually
at less than 1t formerly cost to raise It.
and the small planters are suffering from
it. We are beginning, however. to material
~ reduce the expense Of making crop,
and there is some profit in the business
rightly handled. The new regime Is very
hard upon the cotton pickers, however.
Formerly every planter had regular set
Element Of negroes whom he supported. al
though he did not need their services more
than two months in the year. This was
naturally very expensive and not at all
necessary unless from humanitarian mo-
tives, and now the number of retainers on
a plantation is materially reduced. and cot
ton hoeing and picking time help is Sc
cured from New Orleans, just as the wheat
raisers of the northwest procure help for
only the season when 1t is required.