The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-12-01
The Nations Capital City Opening Wide Its
Gates to Army Of Holiday
Buyers.
WIDE-AWAKE MERCHANTS WHO
ARE HUSTLING FOR TRADE
Two Weeks Of Free Riding on all the Rail
way Trains That Will Land at the Great
New Union Station Of the
Nation Capital.

some way TO hedge: but the prcclama-
ton being merely a democratic-Chris-
ttan suggestion. the people of this
goodly city make it law. 1t would be
well If all the balance Of the country
would observe Thanksgiving Day just
as Washington does.
From the manner in which Washing
ton ~observesi Thanksgiving Day, one
can get an idea of the way in which
the capital city does things. III a gem
eral way-that is. with its whole heart
and with q loyalty that is beautiful to
behold.
Much To BE Thankful For.
This year the Thanksgiving festivi.
ties have been unusually attractive,
rot to say demonstrative. because
Washington and all the nation nave
very. much to be thankful. for. Notwith-
Standing the little financial troubles
which started In Wall Street and to g.
certain extent touched other parts of
the busy American world. but which
are now happily over. the year has
been In every way prosperous. and IL
there is a healthy man with Drawn II
muscle in the country who has not
treason to be thankful, lie does not live
lin Washington.
The past year has been one Of un.
N0QH@ P1OoPG1lly lol sLl&C euUStttcSS lI~
~terests OF the capital of the natio,.
and this is especially true In view Of
the tact that the cny-that is to say.
tho business end OF it--has been eX.
p~er!menting q great deal for tho past
decade or two along new lincs-new
lines for Washington--and the success
Of these experiments IS additional cause
TOR thankfulness.
There was from the very beginning
Iol the history of Washington a kind of
1far-fetched idea that the capital of the
nation must be forever only a political
and social centre OF the country, to u
certain extent 1t must taboo business;
must coniine its commercial ventures
to the work OF supplying the army OF
oflceholders, department clerks. hotels
and boarding-houses, ETC., etc., with
what might be needed from day to day
in the way OF groceries, wearing APP
parel, flowers Tor banquet tables and
big funerals, II a few other things
indispensable wherever a crowd might
~ccngrcgate.
A New Iden.
a decade or two ago new commercial
ideas took possession of the minds Of
Washington people. They could no
very well SEQ why The capital OF this
greaL nation should not be much like
tuc EdllluIS VI olISI SIGAI ldNAOllS--t
commercial centre as we'll as a pniitlca
and social centre. When this idea so
hold OF tho people they commenced t
move things. and they have been NOV
Ing them ever since.
AT present two business bodies serv
the District OF Columbia in lieu OF
CITY Council or State l. gl%slature. The;
are the Washington Board OF Trad,
organized nearly twenty years ago, an
the Washington Chamber OF Commerce.
now not quite a year old.
Mr.. Allen ID. Albert. an editorii
writer on the staff of one OF the Wash
ington papers, gives mo a brief III
tory of these two organizations. n
Albert says:
III the capital Is to make progrcs
commercially and Its Interest In I'll
r, .tnership with Congress is to hu
fun expression, 1t must be With I'll
help OF these two organizations. B,
tween them, 1t is within the truti, /.
say they represent every kind OF bu.
mess, every class OF citizens, eyer
reasonable movement for the publ
good.
y citixens' Movement.
The Board lof Trade IL not aceu
ately described IN. Its name, Rather thl