Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1911-04-18
AN OPEN LETTER
TO PHOENIX CITIZENS
(By ]. G. ADAMS)

Phoenix, Ariz., April IS. 1911.
To the Citizens of Phoenix:
The fact that Sam Small and the
Rev. Fisher have arraigned the di-
rectors and stockholders of the Adams
Hotel Company. calling them bluff
! ers' and liars" will. in my opinion,
not carry much weight with the citi-
! zens. business men and property
| owners at today's election.
! Both of these gentlemen. doubtless.
| in a short time will pack their grips
and migrate TO other fields, neither
Of them having any interests whatever
/ in the city of Phoenix excepting the
money which they may temporarily
secure for their services as "hot-air
merchants"
The decision of the stockholders to
construct or not construct a $780,
100000 hotel in Phoenix is. however.
of lasting Importance 10 every citi-
zen who is financially interested in
the building up of the city of Phoe-
nix.
For the past fourteen years, all of
the time, until the last two years. the
city and valley has had hard time
financially to exist because of a short
age of water. During all these years
as great a source of financial reve-
nue., and probably the greatest which
the city and valley have received, has
been from the thousands of winter
tourists who annually come to Phoe-
nix on account of our winter climate,
bringing each year hundreds of thou
sands of dollars. which they have
literally spent and invested
Today the city of Phoenix has sew
eral times as much hotel business as
any city of its size in the United
States; and under these conditions
more than fifty hard headed business
men decided to invest their money in
building one of the most costly and
complete hotels in the United States
These men did not subscribe for stock
in the Hotel Adams for sentimental
reasons. They expected unusual re-
turns upon their investment, which
they would undoubtedly receive if ex-
listing conditions continued. The
stockholders did not ask the advice
of Sam Small and the Rev. Fisher
or men Of their kind. who are with
out any experience in the hotel bust
ness, and are men who have been
failures in every financial enterprise
they have undertaken. Instead they
asked and received the advice of
many Of the most prominent men in
the hotel world. Without a single
exception these hotel men have, over
their own signatures, not only de-
Clared the building of a $500 600 90
hotel in Phoenix would not pay if the
town went dry. but they have also
declared that in all the history Of the
hotel business there never has been a
successful hotel, dependent on tourist
business where the hotel was not al
lowed to serve liquor to its guests.
Recognizing this to be a fact the
citizens of the following towns in
California. although nominally dry
towns. have given permits to hotels
To sell liquor:
RIVERSIDE. PASADENA AND
LONG BEACH.
And only recently in order to Sc
cure the building Of fine hotels in
their cities the citizens of Santa
Monica, Redlands and Oceanside have
voted TO give a twenty-year license to
such hotels
Phoenix is rapidly becoming the
metropolis Of the southwest and with
the construction Of a great hotel. and
proper encouragement the number Of
wealthy tourists To our city annually
will be wonderfully increased. Every
convention of any nature To- be held
in the territory will be held in our
city: our great territorial fair, which
we all take a just pride in. will grow
to be one Of the greatest industrial
expositions in the United States. But
if the citizens of Phoenix stop to
listen to a lot Of paid agitators, the
conditions viii be absolutely reversed.
our winter visitors will stop coming
here: territorial and national conven-
tions will give US the go by, and the
territorial fair. which has been made
a great success by the annual dona-
tions Of $4,000 a year by the differ
ent counties Of the territory and other
annual sums Of money for grounds
and buildings, will become thing
of the past.