Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1915-06-24
w. "A. SMITH TELLS WHY THE
CITY SHOULD HAVE A MANLGEH
Declares That Affairs Can't. be Run By
Methods That Would Destroy
Private Business.

BY reason Of time and space tn
Democrat last week was forced to omi
the following letter from Mr.. smitl
on the needs of business manage
for Hendersonville:
Editor, Democrat:
You have asked me for my ,judgnen
as to the wisdom of Hendersonvillt
employing business manager. Am
in favor of it? YES! YES! YES!
Why am in favor of it, Because
Hendersonville is the biggest financia
institution in our city. 1t has moro
money to spend and a greater variety
of interests to look after, a busineLe
that requires more exact thought and
skillfH attention, than any private
business 1t has more stock holders
! than any business, as every tax payer
+! is a stock holder. 1t has, under its
present organization, wise, expert
fenced and trained board of directors,
with business man as president of
the board OF directors, to wit: the
mayor and board of commissioners.
They are all personal friends of mine.
and from a personal knowledge OF
their capacity, would be willing to
vote for them as Board of Directors
to direct private business involVinN
the successful operation of any pri-
vate enterprise. They have taken a
solemn oath to give the stock holders
the benefit of their best judgment and
most mature thought. They are not
pledged, they cannot be pledged as in
dividuals or as body, to, adopt or
carry out any scheme that anybody
has or anybody can suggest that will
not absolutely harmonic with their
best Judgment as it must be applied
TIC any proposition that may come be-
fore them. They ought not and they
will not do anything to please me,
they cannot and they will not violate
their best judgment as to what should
be done in adopting the best methods
that would produce the best results
with the money to be spent by them.
l do not wish to appeal to their favor
or to their feelings, or to their pre-
conceived ideas, but as an interested
stock holder, appeal only to their
Judgment and ask them to consider
one thing and one thing only in deter
mining the question of a business
manager, and that one thing is this:
If they were directors of private
corporation, in considering the best
monitary interests of their stock hold
ers, would they attempt without ade-
quate compensation, to run the Dusl-
ness of the stock holders by meeting
once q week, or once every two weeks,
or once every thirty days, and attempt
to direct the work of the finances
without a business head. without
business, intelligent, interested, amb1-
tious head always on the job, always
linking, always planning, always ex-
ecuting the business of the concern,
under the direction of the directors!
If any member of the present Board
of Directors believes that he could
run his business by forming commit
tees and appointing chairman, with
each member of the committee and tho
chairman himself loaded and burden
ed with his own private business and
expect this kind of an organization TO
wisely direct the application OF all the
money of the stockholders in a way that
would get the best results and the
least possible loss, then he is justitiaz-
BILE in saying that the towns business
can be run by methods which no pri-
vate business has ever or can ever
adopt. and without seeing in advance
that bankruptcy would be inevitable.
May I ask each individual member or
the board of directors If he can run
his business by forming committees
of men engaged in their private Dusl-
hess? - - - -
We have seven business men: We
have seven good business men: we |
nave seven successful business men.
ask each one of them, If Henderson |
Vile belonged to them, and they had |
10 advance the money personally, and
they had to live by the proper applica-
cation OF the money invested, would |
they attempt to use their money by |
having n applied under the direction |
IF men whose time, whose thought, |
whose very natures, are absorbed in |
battling for their own private sbusi-
ness? Is there's any private business
from the BOOKSELLERS or Carneg1e's !
Town to the htfmb1est private business /
In Hendersonville that has been or
can he run without one business head?
There Ia not member of our board
n directors who could not make q
most efacient business manager, but
here ia not one Of them who can and
will give the town eanecessarys atten-
ion to the towns business without j
living ,ip entirely his private business.
we have just one trouble, and that
; answered by one question. How
IAN town succeed in running its
business by the use of methods that
will destroy any other kind of bust
,ess known. to the world?
The town to succeed, must adopt the
,est business methods. Our Mayor
md Commissioners know good meth
IDS, and have every confidence that,
Lfter full deliberation, they will adopt Il
he best business methods.
Am in favor of a business head to
business concern? YES! YES!
-. - "A cAEIMLI 8