The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-09-01
What the Commercial Club Is Doing.
TIE CLUB POINTS WITH
 PRIDE TO YEARS WORK
Brcsuse of the Panic and rii-Advised Legislation, This Work Has Been Making Known the city's Advantages to outer
 World.
ny a. eRosyENon pAwE.

LAH punt WILL batlsAdSttOh bC
 years work for the city of which 1t is
 the voice. There is no other organ
 fzed effort made to send knowledge Of
 this city abroad. To the task of max
 ing Montgomery known and faVoraply
 known in the State and elsewhere the
 club, through it's members and ofncers'
 has directed its best energy.
 In it's history of over fifteen years, Hhe Commercial Club has gone through "a gradual evolution. Its earliest and lmost onerous duties pertained to the material features of this city--street ipaving, sewer construction. lighting.
 fire protection. etc. In the records of lthe club will be found the summing
 up of views held on these subjects by sthese important features became more
 generally understood and appreciated through the city the work of the club changed in character and was devoted to wider interests. such as stimulat- ing the growth Of the city. bringing manufacturing interests here. and em- phasizing to the State the value of this city as the natural center for the in- lstitutional life of the State. This taater impulse brought forth the flower Eof the clubs effort in the form of the 'Metho odist College, preparatory details of which are now nearing completion. This later impulse brought also to Montgomery a feeling of greater con- fidenee In itself. as city destined to great growth; in which direction the pledges made by the citizens to the 1910 fund stand as evidence Of a new civic self-reliance.
 The work of the past year has been based upon all the work that has gone before. Owing to the panic sof 1907 and the consequent disinclination of capital to invest in new enterprises, and owing to ill-advised Legislation placing Alabama on record as un- friendly to foreign loans, the Clubs efforts for the year have been devoted more particularly to emphasizing the importance of Montgomery as loca- ton that should be sought because of its inherent advantages and not be- cause it simply needs factories. It is true that the legislation referred to- the taxing of foreign loans--was promptly removed from the statute books. But the damage had already been done; for bad news travels with the speed of hare while the reverse travels like crawling tortoise. Aesop's fable to the contrary, the hare of bad rewe. does not stop to rest.
 Along Broad Lines.
 Along such broad lines and with the sole purpose of making Montgom- cry favorably known, the work of the Club in the past year has been pecu- liarly effective: for 1t has made known the future to Montgomery through many thousands of words and to the rest of the world by important and adroit methods. Its future is certain no matter what temporary unfavorable 1egislation and financial set-backs af- feet 1t for the moment. There are positive facts of destiny coming to Montgomery that cannot be turned aside from 1t if the men of the city will devote a fraction of their time and of their means to public affairs and on united. forceful methods of adver- tising.
 These great facts are true in rela- ton to Montgomery:
 First-It Is the capital of a State not yet fractionally developed as to the infinite gifts of nature.
 Second--It is the center of a rich agricultural region not yet producing one-Quarter of its possibilities.
 Third-The products of that agricul- tural region will ultimately take their final manufactured form within the limits of the greater city.
 Fourth-The mineral products and the power of the Coosa will pour new and undreamed of opportunities into the lap of Montgomery.
 . Ftfth--The mineral belt to the north AA us predicates the multiplication of #ACAQTitS AL dl1 COANCHAChl POAiiNS eOhNh Bf 1t, of which convenient points Mont gomery is chief.
 Eixth--Montgomery has nd trade ri- val in e territory of 100000 people and its railroads reach over its terri tory like the spokes of a wheel.
 An of these points have been em- phasized by the club in it's work dur ing the past year. leading the men of this city to realize more clearly than before that their greatness must ulti- mately depend upon the greatness ana recognition coming to the state. The evolution of thought this year has been Montgomery will be great because Alabama is destined to be great" Sep arafe from the destiny of the State would be hindered in its efforts toward growth-united with the destiny of the state, Montgomery occupies a peculiar advantage. Be- yond all this the members of the Clubs have during the year reached out to a realization that the greatness of the city and state in relation to each other is involved closely with the recognition of the southern states. We have come to see that each is bound up with the other in great gifts. in great opportunities. in narrow views that must be broadened and in the re- moval of wrong impressions or preju- dices that must be obliterated. The whole South is seen to be in the grip of world-forces compelling a south ward trend of industries whose out let will be the Gulf and South Atlantic ports, and whose civilization will ulti- mateIy proceed with very slight rela- ton to the north Atlantic ports.
 The future of Montgomery Is there- fore bright because the future of the whole South is bright when It's close relation to the growth of the whole United States and to the commerce of the world Is more clearly understood. |
 The Negative Side.
 There is a negative side to the Club work. There is not enough team work. nor do the $50 members realize fully their power in the community. Two of the tasks before the Club thls com ing winter cover these negative as- poets. The individual business man must be lead to understand that the quickest development of his own busi- ness depends upon lending his strength munity. So long for instance, as the ping dollars locally, there can be no rushing advance. for we are engaged in passing money from hand to hand that is already here The greatest prospects along real estate lines rest upon cooperative efforts of real es- tate men to bring new money ana new people here. So long as insurance men vie with each othe CT in writing busi- ness already here there is little hope of their great growth. Through sell fsh motives they ought to all pull to- xetheF for new material calling for Inassranea when brought here The