The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-11-25
THE NEW MONROE DOCTRINE.
Editorial Correspondence

null together is as wonderful a discovery
motive power OF manufacturing and
transportation. The day OF the individu-
Al. acting for himself and by himself,
made a strong and robust type Of Ameri-
can citizenship. But that day has passed.
Though 1.-The individual withers, the world
i more and more" This age is chiefly
characterized in business by the orSani-
cation of corporations, by means of which
the small capital Of many is made TO ac-
compIish great results. But it applies
also TO everything else that touches men
education, church extension, road
building, and town construction. AS long
as men work singly and without concert
Of action, much effort is wasted. 1t IS
only when they come together, agree
their shoulders to the wheel that things
come ao pass.
"happened' to be located near great
rivers. That was before railroad trans
poration largely destroyed natural ad-
yantagcs. Today the big town or city
except in exceptional instances, that
grows most rapidly depends more upon
the push and progress of its people than
mon anv environment. Atlanta is built
upon poor land, in a section not rich, with
little to give promise Of a great city.
But it's people had faith and grit, and
Atlanta has distanced every Southern
city tina depended solely upon its ma
tural advantages or its environment for
growth.
Ten years ago Monroe was a quiet lit
tic country town in the centre Of this
good county. 1t was always populated
by thrifty and worthy people. It's first
settlers were men of substance and sense.
They were controlled by the old North
virtues Of hard work, honesty,
economy and plain speaking. And year
in business, everybody working, saving,
going forward. Then the Monroe doc
trine" as understood here was that every
man was to do his own work in his own
way. But, though that spirit made a
good town and expanded trade, there was
lacking the dynamic power of united eff
fort. When individuals gave way to CO.
operation in the life of this town, it was
not imported. 1t was an evolution, not
importation. The men who control
this town are If the main the sons of
men who made it. There has been
little influx of population. The same
names that hung over the little wooden
stores of twenty-five years ago are seen
upon the massive brick structures of to-
day, in a larger degree than in most
towns in North Carolina. Sons have
succeeded fathers and, building upon
business. Fortunes have been made here,
but they have grow steadily rather than
quickly. There are fewer big rich men
here than you will find in any other town
of it's size in the State. 1t may be
doubted if in the whole South you will
a town of Monroe's population where
comfortable fortunes than here or fewer
men who have failed in business. The
same is true of the county. It's wealth
is pretty we'll distributed. Most Of its
farming population own their own farms,
they were not rich planters before the
war and unaccustomcd to labor. They
we're thrifty, Woodworking men, then.
they have continued to be during
all the years with the result that in no
county Will you find better homes than
on the farms Of Union county. Five
cent country roads, school houses are
good and people are deeply interested in
educating their children, telephones
almost every section Of the county,
with free rural delivery that Will soon
touch every n~eighborhood, Union count
rural life Will be an object lesson for
those counties that have chung too long
to rural isolation. With good roads,
good schools, telephone communicates,
and a daily mail at every door-why may
not look to see the farmers as of old
the most highly favored and prosperous
of all our citizenship?
The new Monroe doctrine adopted
here something like a dozen years ago
was the doctrine Of Cooperative Pro-
gress. Monroe needed a system of electric
lighting and water works. 1t didn't-as
did some larger but not wiser towns !
give the franchise to speculative CAPT
talists at home or abroad, but the town
municipal ownership of public utili-
ties into practical operation by putting
in its own water works and lighting
plant. AS to the water, it is obtained
from arteSian wells from 500 TO coo foot