The Columbus weekly dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 1902-1905, 1903-11-26
Communicated.

proceeded to show that the pres
ident of Stonewall Cotton Mills
wished to retire and offered his
stock for sale; how said stock
sold above par and paid last year
four per cent; and further, that
the presidents stock was placed
in various cities and leading cap
italists of Columbus took the
above mentioned thirty thousand
dollars worth.
In the Commercial Appeal of
Nov. 18th, or the day before the
issue of your paper. I notice un-
the head of mississippi News"
an article headed Columbus
After Factories. :" The last men
toned article proceeded to show
how the enterprising people of
Columbus were ahead of their
Southern brethren in the move
ment to secure factories, refer
ring further to the proposed visit
of large knitting mill manufac-
turer who would soon visit our
city with the view of removing
his mill from the North and plac-
ing it in some Southern city.
[ cOuldn t help but notice the
incongruity of the two articles.
In the one our people are reach
ing out after new industries and
in the other they are paying above
par for four per cent dividend
paying stock, which from now on
will have entirely new manage
ment. This, to my mind, is a
good example of what's the mat
ter with Colum buS?" which you
hear on our streets day after day.
Our people are not working in
harmony, our vision is short
sight, our faith is weak, we are
timid, we have lost sight of moth
ing ventured nothing gained. " We
would rather pay above par for a
four per cent dividend paying
stock, and by so doing build up
Enterprise and other cities than
invest our money here at home
and build up our own beautiful
city, and this in spite of the fact
that no manufacturing industry
started in Columbus in the last
twenty years has been a failure.
What would that thirty thous-
and dollars have done for Colum-
bus? Stop and think of the in
Vulnerable industries it might
have started which would have
increased our inhabitants, in
creased the value of our city
property. increased our pay rolls,
increased the Importance of our
city as a manufacturing center
and aiding and benefitting US in
dividually and collectively.
What would that thirty thous-
and dollars have done for Colum-
bus? With a little more added
to it it would have gotten US the
large knitting mill spoken of in
the Appeal. Two years ago that
thirty thousand would have got
ten US an electric car line. 1t
would have built and equipped a
plant for the manufacture of
farming implements. Tt would
establish factory for the making
of cheap furniture or several
button factories. or a wholesale
drug or hardware house, and
been perfectly safe in any one of
them. The returns would not
have been immediate, but like
that of the Tombigbee mills, when
1t ala come IL would DE IN larger
proportions and of a more lasting
nature.
I would not. Mr.. Editor, at
tempt to dictate to anyone what
disposition they should make of
their private resources, but hay
ing the interest of the city at
heart and being a man old enough
to observe the effect of such in
congruous articles on the growth
and welfare Of a community
felt it my privilege and duty to
hold these two articles up before