The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1907-04-24
BROOKHAvEN PROGRESSIVE UNION.
AM ADDRESS.

/
Without regard to any other
good accomplished by the Pro
gressive Union, there is one mon
at entail fact which stands aIoof
crowns the enterprise with
laurel Of success, and that is,
tho union, in its short career of
one year has demonstrated to the
loutside world that the secret OF
BrookhaVen's progress is the 10y
lalty and patriotism of its people.
The reports of the treasurer and
the collecting committee show
that, with few exceptions, the
obligation entered into BY the
members to support the union
financially has been carried out
and will be in those few cases car
ried out. This in itself would be
a good return for the money
spent. The greatest heritage left
to US in this southland is the glo-
rious patriotism of our immediate
forefathers in giving up wealth
and heroic blood in fighting and
losing the battles Of the Lost
Cause. 1t was not for lack of
courage or faith, or the logged
determination to win against
overwhelming odds, that turned
the fortune Of battle against them,
but the &irreversibIe decree of an
inexorabie fate. This same spirit
in the battles Of reace is written
in the record of this infant organ
#ization, and in time, the people of
Brookhayen will awaken to the
fact that upon these once despised
.piney bills a city has been born;
has grown and is growing still,
despite the feeble walls of few
pessimists whose eyes are yet Gov
cred with the scales Of unbelief.
It is not necessary to 90 into
detail as to what the union has
done or has failed todo. We on
ly wish to call attention to results.
In the one year of its existence,
being the victim of a common
calamity in the October storm,
the union has spent about eleven
hundred dollars. Part of this
was the salary of a secretary, part
was for the carnival, part for
Office furniture and fixtures and
part for advertising the city
abroad. We had the most credit
able display at the State fair; we
are known far and wide as a pro-
gressiye city. We fought for a
new depot before the railroad
commission and the fruition of
this effort will come in time. We
have watched the interests of all
the people, without the suspicion
of fayoritism. We have watched
for opportunities to reap the adj
vantages growing out of the COM
ing Of the Mississippi Central
Railroad. We're we to report that
with the expenditure of eleven
hundred dollars, the union had
secured five thousand dollars to be
divided among the people, there
would be shout of approval and
a determination to continue a
work SO profitable. By the reduc-
tion in freight rates, it is estlmat-
ed by competent authority, tie
people have been saved the sum
Of five thousand dollars. It is
true that no one appreciates this
saving until comparative figures
are run up, but dollar saved is a
dollar made.
The old plan of financing the.
union has caused some discord.
The criticism was just. The indi-
vidual bore the burden of taxa
tion and this burden was not uni
form. The original idea was to
interest the whole people, and
make it an individual enterprise.
This scheme has served its pur-
pose and a new idea was necessa-
ry. We have profted by expe-
rience and while the present pro
posed plan may be imperfect, it is
the best and most equitable that
could be devised and at the same
time be practical also. 1t is pro-
posed that the unien shall know IN
advance the amount that it can
depend upon, and then govern its
operations accordingly. It pro-
poses, in the light Of experience
to use this money economically
and place it where it will do the
most good, and if possible, not to
call for the whole subscription.
it is impossible to anticipate the
necessary expense Of the union
for the year. It is impossible to
prophesy the calls to be made up
on il. The union cannot promise
any visible results from day to
day or week to week, but the good
it can do, and, we verify believe,
will do, can ony be seen by re-
viewing the work for the whole
year. It is the argument of the
newspaper and the magazine that
advertising pays, and the mer-
chant, and other live business IN
stitutions spends in the aggregate
in this city, thousands of dollars
in this way each year. This pur-
pose is to attract the public who
can come here to trade to their
particular line Of endeavor, yet,
while the general result demon
sstrates the correctness OF the Jour-
nalists argument, and the daily
and weekly recurrence of the