The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-11-24
PRESIDENT FINLEY'S SPEECH.
he Speaks Of the Railroad as a De-
7eloper and Says It Is Not In
Politics.

Spartanburg, S. c., November 2O.-
At banquet given by the chamber Of
commerce Of Spartanburg tonight to
celebrate the coming of the Carolina,
Clinehfield & Ohio railroad, Presl-
dent ". ". Finley, of the Southern
Railway company. responded to the
toast "Our Railroads.
After welcoming the new railway
and epressing the conviction that
"the resources Of our Southland are
so great and varied, and their rapid
development is so certain, that We
can confidently expect an abundance
Of work for it's transportation agen-
cies, both old and new-both by land
and by water. Mr.. Finley spoke of
the identity Of the interests Of the
public and the railways, and said:
"The topic which you have assign.
ed to me this evening-'Our Rail.
roads-is one which is suggestive OF
the identity Of interests to which l
have referred. The railroads which
serve your community are your rail-
roads in very real sense. They are
your highways to the markets OF the
world; they are essential to your very
existence as a prosperous and growing
community. Great as are its natural
resources, human existence in this
Piedmont region would be possible on
ly on a relatively primitive scale, and
your splendid agricultural and indus
trial development would have been
impossible without modern means OF
Transportation. The railways which
traverse your section are, therefore,
your railways. They are part OF
vou-the veins and arteries through
which flows the life-blood Of your
commerce. Your interest IN the
healthy expansion Of your. railways
and in their ability efficiently to
handle your commerce is Identical
with the interest Of man in the heal
thy operation Of his circulatory sys-
TEN and in the unobstructed flow OF
his blood through his arteries. Your
agricultural, industrial, and CONNER
cial growth can continue only it you
are served by carriers able to trans
port a constantly increasing volume
of traffic. Just as the clogglng OF
the arteries would be disastrous to
human life, so would the choking OF
your highways be disastrous to your
life as a community. Healthy pros
perity for your railways, therefore,
means enlarged opportunities in every
field of human activity in your local
ity. This economic truth was very
aptly stated by a manufacturer OF
cotton goods in your sister State OF
North Carolina who recently declared
to me that he considered every addl-
ton to the facilities Of the railway by
which his mills were served as an in
crease in. the efficiency Of his plant
and an addition to it's value. What
this man said Of the dependence Of
his business upon the adequacy OF
transportation facilities may be said
with equal truth by the farmer and
by every man engaged in production
or manufacturing" }"
. Mr.. Finley pointed out that this
view of the railways as helpful fac
tors in economic development is of
especial Importance in a region like
the Southern State, rich in natural re-
sources and capable of almost indie
finite growth in population and
wealth. Referring to the Importance
of transportation to agricultural and
industrial development in the South
ern States, he spoke at some length
Of the interest Of the farmer in good
country roads and said:
"Good country roads increase the
profits of farm operations, add to the
value Of all farm property, and
broaden the social life Of the residents
Of rural communities. But the inter-
est Of the farmer in transportation is
not limited to the provision Of good
country highways. He must depend
on rail transportation in large meas
ure for placing his products in their
ultimate markets. The best market
for large proportion Of his products,
where it is available. is a nearby con-
suming center, such as manufacture
ing town, and especially is this true
if the industries Of that town include
those which use as their raw materials
the products Of neighboring farms.