The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-07-18
Richmond, the Capital City

Richmond the capital of Virginia
ana the greatest commercial and man
sufacturing centre of the South, is to-
day only upon the Very threshold Of d
wonderfully prosperous era which
promises to place her in the front
rank Of the cities OF America, for,swita
natural advantages of unsurpassed
water power for manufacturing pur-
poses, With transportation facilities
second to no other city of the country;
educated working class, and with
sufficient capital to more I than
supply all the demands OF thriv-
ing business and growing trade,
there is no other community which
has a greater or brighter commercial
and industrial future as the actiHesand
progressive metropolis of the Old Do-
fninion.
Great Cicnrin;S House.
Standing as it&does midway between
the North and South, it has become
the great commercial clearing house
for each section doing business with
the other, while With the West and
Middle West it is connected by great
railroad systems, over which 1t Sc
cures the low traffic rates which OBJ
tain at deep-wated and seaboard ter
rnina!s.
The South. forty years ago devas-
tated and bankrupt by war has risen
from the ashes of her ruin, and has be-
come dominant section of the coun-
try alive to@her own interests, reallz-
ing her unbounded resources and Sc
cure in the enormous wealth{ and
opportunities within her borders. d NO
other part of America is so bright
with promise as are the Southern
49, 1,-hn 1tnfnvalOncu
and Upholstered in the past. are veri :
table sources of wealth beyond the
dreams of commercial avarice.
1t has been said that the wealth OF
the South Is increasing at the enor-
nous rate of $4,000 600 a day. and that
last year the raw cotton crop alone
netted the people of the South over
s2oO,O0o,o0o while the MANUFACTURED
product in Southern mills greatly
added to tn is startling sum.
With its geographical position as
the gateway to this golden land o!
promise, with six railway systems and
two steamship lines reaching out ant
traversing these regions Of wealth
Richmond naturally shares. as perhaps
perity.
City's Prosperity.
AS an indication Of the scity's pros
perity nothing Is more significant thai
the healthy condition of the banking
institutions. which number twenty-one
not including many branch bank
scattered throughout the retail bust
ness sections, and whose total asset
amount to s4G,775.0oO. with bank clear
ings during the year 1906 Of S303,437,
20.
A comparison with other Souther
\ cities shows that Richmonds banl
n clearings exceed those of any two cite
II of the States on the Atlantic seaboard
! and the fact is startling that the In
Icrease in bank clearings within six
fiteen years has reached SO per cent
or more than sl90.oo0,0oo.
Apart from its commercial advan
e tages Richmond is an ideal place !
q which to reside. for its location 0
the banks of James river at the hea
OF navigation. within ninety miles {
the sea- and upon commanding hill
Is most fortunate, being free fro'
severe storms and blessed with tn
highest percentage of clear and sum
DAYS during the year.
Strangers are delighted with III
charm and beauty of the residenti'
portion of the city, with It's spaciol
parks, its broad avenues, with tt
statelincss of it's private and publ
shade trees which fringe It's stree
and beautify It's driveways.
No fewer than eighteen public park
|, containing nearly 400 acres, arc sea
tered throughout the city, while !:
numerous are the handsome statu
, erected to great VirgInians that Ricl
rnond Is known as the city Of r-on1
,nents.
Historic PInces.
Historic buildings and monuments
and around the city enhance the ma
tJraI beauty OF Richmond The II
might be extended to consiierah
length. hut one cannot overlook t
ancient State Capitol. " designed
France In l7S5. after the famo
Maiaon Doree at MINES, while Thorn
Jefferson vas minister tott!iat countr
ana erected under his supervision, a