The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1906-01-28
CITIZENS BEGINNING
TO BELIEVE IN FUTURE

| tJIle OF the GEltE IdCIDES IN TPtHfn- I
ing Washington's growth in the past |
has been the fact that her citizens have |
never had the faith in the city which |
would cause them 10 talk of the posi- |
biIities Of it's advancement" said
| Charles W. Semmes. OF the Semmes
Kelly Company. lone OF the best proofs
Of the truth OF this statement may be
seen in the case OF city to our south.
the archtype Of the 'eit% that believes
in Itself / mean Atlanta, Ga
There is a city which has not the
natural advantages IF hundreds Of
towns in the same section, yet she has
gone TO the front at such a rapid rate
that she is today known as the most
| progressive of all Southern cities. This
has been due to the fact that every
Albanian takes il upon himself TO be an
active press agent for the city. He
thinks Atlanta talks Atlanta, reads
Atlanta and dreams Atlanta. To tho
Albanian nothing is too good, too big.
or too pretentious for his city.
This has been the spirit that has
brough, 20 the Georgia capital hundreds
OF thousands OF dollars for investment.
and has made it a shipping center for
the entire section.
Right Kind of Helping.
While 1 would not wish Washing
tonians to follow the example of At
Ianta in every respect. still IL demon
strates clearly what 8 little faith. free
| ly expressed Will do. There is no rea-
son why Washington should not eN-
pand Indefinitely. In fact, all indica-
tiOns po'at to its marvellous develop
ment in the course of q very few years,
| Just how great and how rapid this
I xrflE h.a a. GDfrfr
manifested by as. There has been much
pessimistic talk in the past 10 the ef-
| feet that Washington was destined to
| be a nice residential city and nothing
more. This view is being daily refuted
Those who do not believe in the posi-
bilities OF the future have been prone
10 point 10 the railroads as a reason
for our being unable TO go forward.
OF course we cannot get the rates until
We have sufficient business TO make IL
profitable Tor the roads 10 grant them.
~ know OF no better way 10 demon
strate NY point than TO make a per-
sonsl reference. For many years be-
fore I started in the wholesale grocery
business II Washington 1 had been
thinking over the plan. When 7 told
some OF my friends that / had de-
termined 70 locate in Washington, they
held up tSeir hands in horror. almost,
and declared that it was fooihardy to
try TO carry IN a shipping business from
this point They urged me TO go to
3 another cit-f where other houses had
been success full. Without going into de-
2 tails, and my reasons for remaining
a, fr.n in my decision. / will say that l
l have never had occasion TO regret the
T choice The difference in the volume OF
= business which I transacted the first
q wear / was here Qs0o). and that done
e bv the firm IN the year that has just
closed. is in the neighborhood OF 5000
per cent
Rates Becoming Just
q To-day We find that the rates from
d / Washington to points IN Maryland and
: / virginia enable us 10 be more than
q lively competitors for firms in Balti-
p more, Philadelphia, and New York We
. have found the railroads always will
ing to meet US half way and complaints
: from customers as to slow deliveries
are now the rare exception. whereas at
nrst. before the present amicable ar
rangements had been made, they were
. the rule.
: What has been true in the wholesale
5 grocery and vinegar trade would. be-
S lieve, be found equally true in any
: other line Of activity. Why, for ex-
5 ample. should there not be a great
= shoe house in Washington, shipping its
4 products throughout the South? 1t is
e true thai Washington proper does not
& encourage manufactures, but there are
: the smaller municipalities across the
| Potomac which could accommodate
a such plants, and the shipping could be
e done from Washington. There is no
n reason why we should yield TO New
i York or Boston the exclusive right &c
= the shoe trade in the South when II
n is ours to command. This is only one
s Of many instances which occurs to me.
a am firm believer in the greatness OF
n Washington's future. and the extent OF
our cfty's growth is only bounded by
a orr own aspirations and our willing
v ness to work and talk for IL. Talk is
Al by no means a small item in the up
. building of a city. as proven by tn
instance 1 sighted in the beginning o.
= this interview. I believe that We hav'
every element essential TO the estab
ushment of a metropolitan city. W
should all work in harmony and in uni
son for the achievement of the Great
er Washington
Percy Crawford, optimist.
Percy Crawford. the general manage
OF the Crarford Paving Company. tn
largest concern of its kind south of Ne'
1oTk. recently tOlQ a represent
alive be believed Washington had tn
brightest future OF any city in IN
world such an opinion is not Dor
of the wish. but is founded upon con
ditions which are In every respect mos
promising he declared. His views o
the subject are worth quoting:
There has been remarkable. develop
ment In every avenue of commerce an
in material Improvement in the past te
or twelve years. In fact, Washingto
today is an entirely different city fror
the Washington of 1885. Take for IN
stance, the great development in apart
ment houses. When the Portland wa
erected some years ago, the people liv
ing in that section laughed al the Idea
believing that the venture was almos
foolhardy. Where are the sconers 70
day? in many instances they are them
selves the owners of large apartment
in various sections of the city. Toda
you cannot take drive in any direC
60, FJ1of yogf do mot handsome five