The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-04-08

ment Of this section, arrived in the city
yesterday afternoon on the Seaboard
Air Line. He was met at the train by
Aessrs- Ii. W. Jacob, d. L. Gore and
q. =. Keith. OF the joint committee of
our commercial bodies, and was taken
to the orion. where he is the guest of
the bodies.
Yesterday afternoon, accompanied by
Hessrs. H. c. Mcqueen, NJ. S. Willard,
J.. w. Norwood, D.. L.. Gore, NJ. w.
Jacob and B. F. Keith, Mr.. Tompkins
wa. driven all over Wilmington and
was shown our city and some of its
Industries.
Mr.. TOMPKINS' ADDRESS.
Mr.. Tompkins delivered his address
last night at $50 o'clock at the Y. NJ.
c. A auditorium and it was heard by
q large audience, of promi-
nent business men, young men and
ladies. Seated on the rostrum with Mr..
Tompkins were Mr.. NJ. w. Jacob, pres
ident OF the Chamber of Commerce, Mr..
d. L Gore, and Mr.. NJ. S. Willard. Mr..
Willard introduced Mr.. Tompkins and
did SO very cleverly, stating the purpose
Of the commercial bodies IN bringing
leading men here to address our people
en- industrial development. He said it
was natural for these addresses to be
Lnaugurated by one of the leading edu-
Gators of the state, and consequently
DR.. Winston, president of the Agricul-
tural and Mechanical college, had re-
gently addressed our people. Now it
vas in order to hear a patriotic North
Carolinian like Mr.. Tompkins, who had
achieved success and had done so much
for our Industrial development. He
said Mr.. Tompkins comes from Char
Iotte. which is the %industrial center of
the state, and in development of which
Mr.. Tompkins had been so prominent.
Mr.. Tompkins was greeted with ap-
plause and he spoke for an hour, great
ly disappointing his hearers for making
his intensely interesting and valuable
address so short. He was listened to
with profound interest. and the au-
dience frequently broke in with ap-
plause and marked demonstrations of
appreciation
Mr.. Tompkin's subject was THE
Needs and Requirements of the Young
Men who are the Hope of the Com
munity." and the feature of his adj
dress was to impress upon young men
the Importance of education, untiring
industry, and self-reliance. His address
was a splendid tribute to the manhood
OF the south prior to the civil war. He
said in part:
I'm the days before the civil war the
sons of the planters in the southern
they expected to follow rs a life work.
were. as a class, the best educated
young men in the world. 1t was by
means Of this surprising education that
they accomplished results beyond what
any other people ever did. Amongst
these results were; ID the turning of
the African as a slave to profitable use
after the failure of a section of this
country and many other countries to
do. so. 90 The DEVELOPMENT of a sys-
tenn by which ten million bales of cot
ton are annually produced, giving to the
world the most abundant, the cheapest
and the best material for clothing that
the world has ever had. 81 The main
tenance of the institution of slavery
and the control of the national govern
ment long after the slave holding ele-
ment was in q minority. The education
OF Inc pIdISeT > SUI "oo pAoNhA>oA NAo
theoretical. 1t was comprehensive
Mr.. Tompkins said slvery made the
south q strictly agricultural section and
stopped her Industrial and commercial
growth, then followed the war and the
ruin 1t brought, and worse still, 80 years
of anarchy and the race issue, which
ne was glad to say. was practically
over. It was settled. as far as VIII
mington is concerned. November 10,
1898.
Mr.. Tompkins alluded to the great
enterprise OF South and North Car
sIina In starting the first extensive rail-
road enterprises in the world, and said
even as late as 1910. the manufacturing
interests of North Carolina. South Car
DINA and Georgia exceeded in value
those OF all the New England states
combined. Abiding to manufacture
ing in North Carolina in the early days
he said:
Throughout the region in which 1
i've there were in the early part of he
last century numerous imuDortant fac
tories"
Amongst these were blast furnaces
producing pig iron, casting FORCES and
rolling Hills producing WfOuShl IIoh
and many other Specialties in iron.
There was a rifle factory at Greensboro
the product of which was known all
over these United States. Wrought iron
was made at High shoals, which was
hauled by wagon to Fayetteville. thence
boated to Wilmington and thence ship
ped tn Boston to find ready market. The
Clifton Cotton mill now operating IN
South Carolina. was built on the site
of an old iron works. So was the
Cherokee mill, the Henrietta mill, the
Zig shoals mill and other mills In the
two states.
"I have at home the opy OF a con-
tract which was made in Llncolnton IN
1913 by a firm of cotton manufacturers
In Lincoln county, with Il firm OF
machinists in Lincolnton for the con-
struction by the latter of all the ma
ohinery for the complete equipment OF
. cotton mill with the best and most