The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-01-22
BUSINESS ACTIVITY
IN CITY FAVORED
President Finley Delivers
Stirring Address Before
Commercial Club.

A magma charta, in that it points
( the way to = new field Of endeavOr, a
constitution. a paper OF State-these,
and more. may be secured to the Com
mercIaI Club through the address de
Iivered before that body by President
". ". Finley, OF the Southern Railway
Company.
with the applause Of waHhington's
leading bIA1ness men greeting his Ut
terances every few moments. President
Finley Iast night put the club on rec
ord as indorsing a comprehensive. Co
operative plan for the commerCialiZing
Of Washington.
The address. apparently, had the 81
! feet Of Crystalliz}-g the views OF ts1e
! members, as the club heretofore hss
not openly declared itself regarding the
/ subject.
/ So far-reaChing may be It's results
that IS is freely admitted today that the
club in the future may devote no little
/ time to considering the best means 70
be employed in bringing about the new
commercial order N things outlined by
! the heaS Of the Southern
BesidCs treating OF local conditions
Presiden: Finley dealt with a number
Of national problems, and it Is expected
his address viii be given nationwide
attention.
He discussed under three general
heads the industrial side Of Washing
ton: the waterways. and the Uqestion
Of Federal control. He advocated the
| development OF manufacturing enter
pr1ses- presented q list Of articles that
might be proftabIy manufactured in the
[ CAPITAL, and demonstrated that " asn-
ington might hnd a ready market IN
: the south wherein to dispose Of them
The subject Of Federal control was
taken uD by President Finley in latter
nart Of his address. He Insisted tnat
! this control should not go beyond the
ooint OF preventing unjust discrimina-
+fou IN rates He also warmly adVo-
Gated conferences between railway heads
and heads Of commercial organizations
His address. n part, follows
! washington Is unique among Ihe
/ great capitals Of the nations in that.
while, through the enterprise Of its
/ citizens, It has had some Of the broader
/ commercial and Industrial development
/ that Is characteristic Of other cities, it
/ has apparently grown much more
I rapidly as an official and residential
city In most other countries we find
/ that the political capital is also the
/ commercial capital Here the Govern
meut. either directly or indirectly, fur
nishes occupation 10 q large proportion
[ Of the population, while in London,
/ Paris, and many other capital cities,
the governmental population Is com
parativeIy a small proportion Of the
whole
thf= he rounding Of the city pri-
/ mariIy as o. home for the Government
and its Iocztfon in a district exclusive
Iy under FeleraI control have tended
/ to Cisassociate It from the commercial
Z and industrial life of the country. to
give it & distinctly official atmosphere,
and 60 direct its growth largely in a
Governmental direction.
Early Growth Retarded.
Another. though I think less import
/ ant. factor IN contributing TO the early
failure Of Washington to grow CONNER
cially and industrially has been the fact
that with the older centers Of business
life along the seaboard already in the
field there wa not, at that time, an
economic need tor the development Of
another commercial city IN this part
OF the country The character Of trans
portation facilities was probably also a
factor n TetaToing the early growth Of
the city It had access 10 the sea by
way Of the Potomac river. but in the
days when sails alone were used. river
navigation was a greater handicap than
& 1t present 4NelttleT was the earlier de-
velopuent Of railways advantageous to
Z this city
Under these conditions the city lacked
those eco7oIcic forces necessary to sub
/ stautial business development
Business Conditions Changed.
Conditions have changed. wonderfully
since those days. The business Of the
GovernmentNhss grown enormously and
the official population or Washington
/ Continued on Fourth Pagel