The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-03-26
THE GREATER NEW YORK
SPEECH At REPUBLICAN CLUB IN
THE BIG CITY.
Willis Lightbourn Speaks About the
Splendid Conception, About to BE
acknowledgements of States.

"Mr. President-It may seem, sir,
that the subject assigned to me
Greater New YorN'-requires, for its
consideration, a somewhat violent turn
in the current of sentiment invited by
the principal toast of the evening. 1t
is, to my mind, a fortunate circum-
stance that this is not true. This is
peculiarly an occasion of patriotic
memories and inspirations. And can
anything, sir, appeal more powerfully
to the patriotic pride and enthusiasm
of citizen of this Empire State than
does the splendid conception, now
about to be realized, of a colossal me-
tropolis, an imperial city; the first in
the world for its beauty, culture, order
and progress, and the second in size
and population! 1t is, however, a mat
ter calling still more for congwtula-
ton that the same grand old party
that brought new, stronger and
greater Union out of the chaos of war
has also been privileged to create a
new and Greater New York.
Let us consider, sir, for moment,
the real meaning of this fascinating
conception of great capital city, me-
tropolis every way worthy of the
greatest nation of the world now def
initeIy embodied in a charter, and
only requiring some formalities of leg
islation for its consummation. Stats
tics, ordinarily dry, become luminous
trative of facts possessing vital inter-
est for the average citizen. Here we
have the scheme of mammoth munic-
ipality, embracing three cities, a part
of five counties, an area of $50 square
miles, population of 100000, a valu-
alton of taxable property of $2,5S3,324,-
800, and a wharfage front of rs miles.
The bringing of this vast area and i'm
mense population, so long disturbed
by multiplicity of conflicting author
tiles, under one general administration
with the equal and uniform exercise
of the judicial, sanitary and police
functions of city government, will be
the unrivaled achievement of the last
quarter of the century, unless it shall
be thrown into comparative shade by
the timely contamination of that more
splendid scheme of a great American
inter-oceanic canal.
"Our only successful single rival in
population is London. But as our rate
of increase is much greater than hers
we will undoubtedly show her our
heels within the next two decades. !
predict with equal confidence that
London will find our pace a killing one
in the race for commercial and finan-
cial supremacy. AS a nation we have
already captured first place from Great
Britain in aggregate wealth. London
will soon be forced to dip her colors
to the victorious emblem of the i'm
peral American metropolis.
"The Greater New York will start
with record of annual mercantile
transactions amounting TO $40,00 ,00O,-
600. That is IA pretty fair beginning
for new business enterprise. Then
the New York Clearing House, with
it's siXty-siX constituent banks, shows
annual transactions of more than ST.
600, 100000, and average daily tranSac
tions of over $1O2, 100000. The signif
icance of these figures is seen when we
recall the fact that the total ann IA
exchanges of the whole country
amount to only about $50 00,00o,J 01
The New York Sub-Treasury, which j:
also a member of the Clearing House
does an annual business of nearly
So 200, 100000. It's transactions exceed
those of even the Treasury at Wash
ington. 1 have not time to refer tt
the railroad and steamship companies;
to the fifty national banks. the fort y
State banks, the twenty-five savings
banks; to the twenty-fou- safe de
post companies, the twenty-five trust
companies, the numerous Investment
and loan companies, and the great anC
small life and fire insurance com
panies. The magnitude of these instl
buttons is truly overwhelming.
THINK IT OVER.
| n,1 90 ,n1i nif