Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-05-28
VERMONT INDUSTRIAL FUTURE
Human Initiative More Impor.
tant Than Freight Rates.
e. II. BickfOrd, lfead of Woodbury.
Granite Company, Sees Possibilities
COR State Elsewhere Than IN
Agricultural Pursuits.

luncheon Thursday hcard a remarkably
sound and sorceful speech on the Indus
trial Future of Vcrmon by George II.
bickford, head of the Woodbury. Granite
oOmpany of Hardwick,
Mr.. Bfckford stated at tine outset that
his message was to be an appeal rather
than an argument. 1t proved to be a
very effective answer to the claims that
Vermont must look for hor future TO the
AGRICULTURAL pursuits. MIR. Bickford took
the ground that In the development Of
Industry there was something more i'm
p~ortant than freight rates and that the
thing most important was human initia-
tive. He expressly took issue with the
speeches at the dinnec of the Greater
Vermont association which mirimized the
fotrre of the industries of Vermont in
favor OF the States agricultural future,
In chat connection Mr.. Bickford said
hat he fc;t ns he vent nome from that
di.,ner HE the gentleman OF Celtic
extraction who went 10 the doctor com
p~.aininS Of something or other. The
doctor asked Mike II he drank and Mike
answered that he did The 6o3tor said:
You must cut rat out Then the
doctor asked Mike If re smoked, and
when Mike allowed he C!d, instructed him
to cat mat out. And so with the rest
Of Mikes fevoritc faillngS until Nke
got UP to 10. Hold on" aid the doctor,
"you havon't paid me fer my advice"
"Begorra, Tn no. linking It," said Mike
Mr.. Bickford said shat if what he
had to say should amount more to an
appeal than to an argument it was
because he thought the time had come
when an appeal of that kind was most
necessary. He said the problem of
the industrial development of Vermont
was SO large that in a talk of that
kind it would only he possible to
touch upon one phase of it. The fin
ancial side of the problem. important
as might be the problem of attracting
more Vermont money into Vermont
Industries, must be passed over The
water-power problem must be passed
by until Mr.. Fits should tell us how
1t was that one often sees a dam by a
mill site and not a mill by a lam site.
The side he was to touch upon was
the single point whether or not there
was an Industrial future for Vermont.
He declared his interest In the farm
ing future of the State. and the visions
of the possibilities of a tourists para
disc which had come to him. But In
spite of the Importance of these things,
he said, the industrial future also
seemed of immense Importance. He
said that after the meeting of the
Greater Vermont association "A few
weeks at which Mr.. Vail and Mr..
Prouty intimated that the whole flu
ture was likely to be in lines other
than industry, he went home and look
ed into the problem. He found that
while there are in all 100000 men en-
ragged in farming. there are IS, 800
n industrial pursuits; that while the
Whole value of the farms, including build
ngs, is s112, 000,0 900, the income each year
of the industries of the State is $50, 90, 200.
He said that he found further that the
increase in population in the leading In
dustrial towns of the State in ten wears
had been 1880 but the increase Of the
whole State during that time had been
only $500, so that it was evident that the
industrial W We're keeping the State
from running behind in population.
Mr.. Bickford then launched into his con-
tession of faith in Vermont manhood. He
appealed for the conviction that there
vas a future In Vermont industries. He
ieclared that he was not ready to admit
that the best blood of the State had gone
INTO other parts. He cited the fact that
people of Vermont birth made up the larg-
ast proportion of Who's Who of the people
II any State. He said that just SO long
rs the impression was allowed to prevail
anywhere that business could not be done
2roftably In Vermont, the Industrial ad-
rance of the State would be held back.
BY a numbe of anecdotes very much 20
H. IL al 800 49, N-,,-
.ention that. in Industrial affairs, it Is not
he freight rates or some ether purely eX-
}ernal conditions which had most infu-
ence, and that there would always be
successful Businesses wheHs vigorous or
iginal men organized and active are stir
ring about. He illustrated from the gram
ito business BY saying that it wasn't the
r-ari.e so much as the organization which
went with it. He told how the agent OF q
western state sent here to look up the
a,atfte business with which Mr. Blckfor1
IS corn-c ed lad reported that those te!-
lows up in .lardvick not only mad the
granite hut they sd IN orgaD1Zation Of
h~ustling young r,c7, TIE eldest OF them
y t over 30, who were capable CT handling
no Job. N the sarle conneGtjon he to!i
the story Of A. 7. Stewart, who, when his
'riands told him mat he was locating on
tho wroEg s.de of Broadway, said "Tbea
.e'u mako It the tight aide" He did
make 1t tic ISL ut side. and after Stew
art had como Lnd the business had
Liamrcd John Wanamakcr took it up
End MADE 1t the right side Of Broad
way ono more.
It hus been conviction. III, Bickford
conteniaI. hist has made the great
Doriods Of history, tho Greece OF
the ancient :!me with its superiority
Of thought, architecture, and all the
rest. and th+ Germany OF to-day with
Its prestige ranging from mEnufac-
lures 20 scholarship, 1t ia conviction
Of the feasibility of success that leats
TO SUCCESS. We must bring out the
manhood Of our State In an industrial
development, based not or paramount,
amount OF opportunity bat IN Gial!tS
of manhood.