The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-12-28
CITY SHARES IN
ERA. OF PROSPERITY
Richmond Has Done Well With
Rest Ct Country.
INTO A METROPOLITAN CITY
BY Henry [. cabell. President of Cham

! BY Henry L. Cabell. President Of Cham
/ Der Of Commerce.
| 1t Is Impossible. at this time. to speak
| in anything but genera, terms In reply
| to your very courteous request for q
! review OF the business and progress OF
i Richmond during the year l902. On the
! first OF each year our inventories are
| taken and books closed. Until We
| actly where we stand. Some things,
| however, are known in advance. and OF
| these / will speak.
The year 1867. In point OF business
! ac.v..y, has been probably the most re-
| markable entire country has ever
| seen. Our harvests have been bounteous,
| tho wheat and cotton crops being la. &c,
| anu the yield of corn unprecedented. Our
| manufactures. North, South East and
West. have been taxed to their utmost
| capacity: our mines have teen placed
! under heavy tribute. yielding an output
! which, but for the unfortunate coal
strikes. would have been unparalleled;
and our railroads have not had the cars
necessary to move The untold tons OF
| freia-- seeking transportation. Our
postofflce receipts and bank ciea ngs all
| join In procIaiming 1902 as the Blue Rib
| bon year in the commercial history OF
! the United States.
| In this busy hum Of industry the South
! has Joined It's melodious voice. and 1t Is
| very pleasant for US to see the section
SO dear to US. year by year. contributing
a larger quota to the grand total OF the
country's business. The South. while
prding itself on it's cotton. rice and to-
bacco, Is asserting Its claim to a larger
portion of the country's manufactures:
and each year our climate, our native
born population. and our intelligent and
law abiding labor classes are attracting
more and more attention to the justice Of
this claim.
RICHMOND HAS KEPT PACE
While glorying In the prosperity OF the
country, while rejoicing in the advance
rnent and progress of the South. it is yet
in our very own Richmond that we are
most deeply concerned. Has she kept
pace with the progress OF the country.
and received her full sha Of the phe-
uomenal prosperity? This question. I
think. can be answered attlrmatively. On
all sides we see evidences of our transit
ton into a metropolitan city. Our depots
our public buildings. our financial instl-
tutions. our railways and our streets filed
with busy. intelligent and well dressed
POPULATION. al mark and emphasize the
progress We are making. While the year
just closing has seen the iocatio of no
mammoth enterprises in our midst. yet
numerous small concerns have opened
their DOCS. several factories OF goodv
proportions have commenced work. and
large additions have been made to the
establishments already doing busf~eSs
here. Moreover. the year has given birth
to the promised colossal facto y OF the
Continental Tobacco Company. the I'M
prc'vements to be made by the Imperial
Tnba eco ComDa ny. the enlargement Of the
great power plant of the Virginia ElertrI-
cal Railway and DEVELOPMENT Company
the rela Utilization Of the Old Do-,inion
Iron ard Nail Works. the establ shment
Of the Forbes-Patto Abattoi-. etc etc.
Truly the record is COOL one. for while
these additions ard Increases have been
made. orr old concerns have been nros-
pering. and failures have been very faw
THREE OF THE YEARS EPOCHS.
In addition to the ahnve. three things
have occurred during 1922 which stoul1
tell largely upon the future prosperity of
our city.
.'trst. and least. Is fhA sact that Wash
ingfon has committed itself to larger
and more ro-ar1odious nostofce and gov
eminent building at R Richmond This VIII
facilitate the handling OF orr mails. and
viii give our bankers and merchants
'~anv advarfa ges OF which thev are row
derived owing to t''e congested condI-
ton OF the present building.
Second. ard much r'o-a i--,no-+o-t is
the 7nnronriatinn made nv tho No tiona1
f:overn~-art fo- the '-nn-nve-1ent of |
Ta-,as P'--er These arpro-riatsnrs have
haen made before hut newer until now
',rder the present er,1a -ra1 sche-,>a hos
the Govern mont corea-te1 to enter the
oi+v lfo'i+s ard dee-er t.,a cT1arne1 +hnrain !
c0rmers',ratc With the rest of the i'm
7rovo"7e nts. 0rr CITY has shown its an !
-ra"'ation Of this cor"esein, nv voting |
egg fF0 for dred"ing plant. Thus. 7 trust |
and believe. is the wy he;ro revaT for |
7een wa to the sea tho rossesstno Of |
which viii r'ean so much 70 orr shin
Nn''d!ng industry and 70 all the CONNER |
cia1 interests of orr Ctv
Third last ard hest Is tho decided &C. |
zion taken by our nou,icina' government |
IN baha'f Of clear wafer. So much hae |
'oaar sold on THIS subject t-at I can a6I |
,othing thereto. T am fully convinced |
however that no one thing has so ain |
9ered the nroorasS Of orr oitc as the |
-enrgnant 1oo,i~e. muG-colo-e7 water !
which has o"'en hnen ca--ad TO orr !
citizens. and which has driven both peo- |
ne and eutern-'sas from our doors |
am equally confident that nothing coul1 |
render Richmond more attractive TO her |
clear sr,arkI'no water inviting. both as |
n beverages and for fire bath
With n'st fun of historic and '1s-i-- |!
i~g asSocia flows with 2 nreSent full of !
in, and acti--itv and with future fr1rI |
If hone and nro-nise E'ch-oord has 1T |
tie of which 70 conrlain: but on the con- |
fray. should he ntef,,l fo- orr |
,rosne-itv as civ and fra:vidualI I
t!rnnkf"1 that lines have fallen into
such pleasant places.