The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-03-16


great city, and there are three things
indispellab!e TOR the building OF
large city:
''rhe personnel of its business men:
Geographical location; 4
Transportation facilities.
How many OF these prerequisites
docs Richmond possess7 Richmond
has ~ fne a lot Of business men as
any city in this or in any other coun-
try. They are conservative, yet
aggressive, have gray matter in
abundance, and their achievements
and brilliancy have been the pride OF
Virginia and the nation. But have
these men the kind OF greatness that
will keep Richmond Q city of the drst |
class?
II fear not II their judgment 10 to |
be overwhelmed with too much real
estate mixed with their IDEAS OF BUSH
ness expansion All great business 10
q matter OF congestion. The cost OF
handling must be determined by the
length of the haul. and every mile
saved are SO many dollars made.
Have the men Of means. and the
business men generally OF tn city the
bea interest of the entire city At
heart, or S each man working in his
own interest? The latter appears +. |
be the case in al least one instance.
A Pertinent Question.
rs the goal they seek tn making
of Richmond Williamson. n. c.,
or Wilmington, n. c.. or Charleston. /
S. c.. by allowing the Atlantic Coast |
Line. and the Richmond. Fredericks-f
burg and Potomac Railroads to build
their passenger station at the Golf
Club7 Or worse yet, Roseneath
Road? Or worse yet, Acca? Ye Gods!
What are they building this station
fora DO they think that any sane
fny- a e. IN
ride on their roads II he could pos ;
sibly reach his destination by any |
other route? /
Can a poor man who wants to go
to Ruther Glen, Va. afford to pay for
a hack. say 81. and then another dol 4
lar for trunk. consume an hour TO
reacn tho station, and the same on his i
return?
The wealthy who live In the West
End have time at their disposal. and
then with their automobiles can reach
the station wherever located. and
will dc So but how about the masses
the poor, and not near rich? They
who not only like to take a trip some
times. but are compelled to do SO?
How about the travelling public
who come in on one road, and are
compelled to transfer to another, In
all kinds of weather, day and night?
I'VE want our men OF large means
and in ffuence to forget their private
deals for a little while. and help the
rank and file tthe majority OF any city
will come under this latter head) by
making II known In no uncertain
terms that Richmond must not be
sidetracked.
1T is a fact that the citizens of
Church Hill and Fulton would be from
five 10 seven miles from this proposed
station, while the $4,000 residents OF
+ South Richmond would be put TO
equal disadvantage and inconvenience.
These people are citizens of Rich
sfond IL they are not why make them
pay the city tax?
People who travel for pleasure fol-
low the lines OF least resistance. and
how anxious would these people be 10
see Richmond when required TO get of
mt Acca at midnight and drive hve
miles to the nearest hotel? Or does
the plan include new hotel on the
companys land nearby?
THE people who most nearly sup
port the passenger service, however.
are the commercial travellers and the
people who support them are the
wholesale business houses. and this Is
even more true In regard TO the freight
traffic
A along Haui.-
'If the travelling man does not OBJ
ject to the long haul the house who
supports him does. Every item OF
expense--every minute OF time must
be considered by any wholesale house
who expects to reach out after COM
petitIve business. and the travelling
mans job 10 good so long as 1t pays
the house employing him. When II
fails to pay the man loses his job.
and Richmond loses the business.
'win this build a great city?
Looking at the matter from the side
of the two railways involved they can
not AFFORD to build this station out of
town. Our interests and their own
are Identical. II they hurt Richmond
their business win be injured to that
extent. It Nigh pay them better to
give away their holdings In the West
End. rather than Haunt such nag in
the face of Richmonds progress,
.'Richmond's geographical location Is
all that could be desired. In fact. sec
ond to few. II any city in this country.
'Her transportation facilities are ex-
cellent. A. distributing point TINS
Ia city Of tho hrst class, having
railways radiating like spokes from the
hub Of . great wheel in eleven d.
rections besides her water facilities
which assure q low rate on incoming
goods She 10 At the head of tide
water. commercially baing the farthest
point South 1t which the regular
hlAoWAns0 Will 0eIV6F mct-
chandfse. This 10 Of immense advsn-
tago In selling goods from stock Tha
rates South are In the main reasonable
and usually prompt. giving US = dis
tinct advantage in the direction where
lies our best opportunity.
A. 70 Grades.
THE claim that the grade from Main
street to Acca will work q hardship
is scarcely worthy of notice. The av-
erage schoolboy would know that there
would be q corresponding down grade
on the south side.
.Thc c. 4 o. and 8. A. l. Railways
own most Of the property between
Broad Street and the dock. and be-
tween Fifteenth ana Sixteenth Streets
ana are willing 20 let the r.. r. \
r, and the Atlantic Coast Line In
/ understand. on favorable terms. and
] venture to say that II will cost lit
tie more to enter Main Street Ut Fiji
teenth than to build at one of the
points proposed.
Tho CITY should give the Main Street
site rather than have the station 80
far out. This question II hardly opened
NO argument since II has been proven