The Forrest City times., 1899-05-12

| dress to the people of Arkansas. and on motion it was unanimously adopted:
 LITTLE ROCK, May 9, 1899.
 To the People of Arkansas:
 Having been honored with the office ofpresident of the Arkansas State Board of Trade, deem it my duty to address this circular letter to the citizens of Ar kansas, hoping thereby to bring to the notice of the public some suggestions which at this time seem proper in the | interest of cur common wealth.
 There are many problems confronting our state, relating in nearly every in- stance to its development, and a num- Der of them should receive our co-opera- tion and fostering care. There is no method by which this work can be so we'll done as through our State Board of Trade. For many years with only 8 meagre railroad mileage, the time is now at hand when, by giving the sub- ject attention, we can secure the much needed local lines, as we'll as a number of the great systems which have never yet entered our state for business. To get them we must stretch out the hand of welcome. We should take steps to encourage the improvement of our rivers, cooperate fully with the United States engineer corps, and have our committee at each session of congress before the committee on rivers and harbors. We should encourage the building of more attractive county court houses and public edifces generally, and look particularly to the proper ad- vancement of our public school system, and urge the establishing of manual training schools, of which this state should have at least two at this time. We should immediately take mp the question of city improvement, or rather city building, which cannot now be done under our present antiquated state con- stitution, and the said fundamental law should be so amended as will enable cities of the first and second class to issue bonds for public improvements when the citizens thereof so desire, and when the provision is surrounded with due and necessary safeguards And more than all, we should take up those matters in the respective counties in the way of natural resources that are inviting to investors and send our com mittee face to face in conference with the capitalists and manufacturers who are interested in the particular resource. One visit of this sort would be worth . thousand letters. We have timber, building stone, bauxite, kaolin, marble, coal, zinc, manganese, antimony, phos- phate, marls, etc., and they are unsur- passed in the world. To make them known and induce the erection of fac tories should be our aim. And again our own committee should go among the New England cotton mill owners and the owners of the mill securities and show to them how much greater would invested in a cotton mill located in an Arkansas cotton field, with no expense 'or the transportation of the raw ma erial and charge only one way for the finished product. Indeed. there is much for us to do, and the sooner the work is undertaken the better it will be for all of us.
 The experience of the past records the fact that the business people of the state-and when l say business people I mean farmers as well as merchants, professional men and mechanics-have not always exerted themselves as they should in building up our state; have not realized the necessity that they should take an active interest in the very life of their state; that it is their duty to take an active part in pushing the state to the front, and especially in selecting those who come to the halls of legislation and who make our laws, the inviting or the impelling force so far as capital is concerned. We have seen the result of this indifference in the passage of laws very damaging to our commercial interests, and the fail ure of measures almost absolutely nec- essary to our prosperity.
 Our natural resources are second to none in the United states, a matter in which every county is interested, and all that is needed for their develop ment Is more capital. This we can ob- tain if we will only hold out to inves- tors such Inducements as will guaran- tee to them liberal and equitable treat ment at the hands of our law-making power.
 The Arkansas State Board of Trade, which is non-political organization, proposes to unite the business men of Arkansas into solid compact body, having in view the education of the masses of the people on all subjects in which they are vitally interested, there by securing as lawmakers the very best material in the state. Unity of action will place such men in the lead as well as correct errors of the past, and future legislation will be of that conservative, enlightened and broad d-guaged charac. ter as will bring the state to the proud position of prominence to which she is so justly entitled.
 If you are in accord with these views we shall be pleased to enter your name upon our roll of membership. Address Geo. R. Brown, secretary, Little Rock, Ark. Yours very respectfully,
 J. A. WooDsoN,