USA > Georgia > Fulton County > Atlanta > History of Atlanta, Georgia : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 3
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About the same time these remarks were made to the Manufacturer's Asso- ciation, the following suggestions were made to the city council by G. W. Adair : He said that up to that time manufacturing had received but little encouragement in Atlanta. All admitted its necessity in order that the city's prosperity might be assured, but few sustained their opinion by any practical steps. The monied men were for the most part brokers, and preferred to use their money at a high rate of interest. Adventurers were always ready to borrow money at a high rate of interest, and capitalists, instead of fostering public enterprises and assisting meritorious projects at a moderate rate of inter- est, preferred the high rates, and thus drove these commendable enterprises away. For this reason and others which were considered equally valid, the city council was earnestly advised to grant immunity from taxation to any bona fide manufacturer that was then in the city or who might afterward be induced to establish himself in the city, for a period of twenty years. There was, he said, plenty of capital in Atlanta, plenty of operatives, and coal was cheap. In his opinion there were manufacturing enterprises that might be established here in which from twenty per cent. to thirty per cent. could be readily made on the capital invested. In order to prove the correctness of his views, and at the same time to give encouragement to any one having money which he might possibly be induced to invest in some kind of manufacturing business, he gave an account of the success a friend of his had met with in such an enterprise. This acquaintance, after trying in vain to dispose of a valuable water power, at length determined to utilize it himself. He therefore put up a cheap building, bought a set of second-hand machinery from a firm in Paterson, N. J., on credit, and commenced the business of manufacturing cotton yarns. The entire outlay for his building and machinery was only about twenty dollars, and at the time of the relation of the circumstance, the indi- vidual referred to was clearing about $1,200 per month. In his opinion cot- ton factories could be run cheaper in Atlanta by steam than by water power, and he advocated the building of three such factories here. He said that one great trouble with the Southern people was that every man who put his money into such an enterprise wanted to be president or secretary or some other officer of the company, and draw a big salary for his services. His plan was for a number of monied nien to subscribe to the stock of the company, and then put one competent man at the head of the business, and thus have but one salaried man about the institution, and then there would be a chance of
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there being a dividend to the stockholders. This he said was the plan fol- lowed in the Northern States, and it was usually a success.
Notwithstanding the obvious benefits to be derived by concerted action on the part of the manufacturers of Atlanta, yet new members came into the asso- ciation very slowly. At a meeting of the association held on February 11, 1873, the question of the possible success of home manufactures was quite earnestly discussed. The opinion seemed to be generally entertained if home manufacturers could make and sell articles as cheaply as Northern manufac- turers could make and ship their articles down to the Southern States, the people of these States would certainly patronize home manufactures in prefer- ence to those in other parts of the country. The question seemed to be " How could the people be induced to take an interest in home manufactures ?" As a proposed solution to this question, Mr. L. L. Parkham offered a series of resolutions, as follows :
WHEREAS, There is not as yet that interest manifested in the Manufactu- rers' Association of Atlanta, so desirable to the manufacturers of this city, and
WHEREAS, There is a misunderstanding with some of them as to the real objects of the association, therefore,
Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed by the chair to prepare an address to the manufacturers of Atlanta, setting forth the objects to be attained by this association, and such other matters as they may deem politic, and that said address be reported at the next meeting of this association.
Mr. McBride thought it practicable to prepare an address to the Legisla- ture, then in session, on the subject of extending aid and sympathy to the manufacturers of Georgia, and on his motion, a committee consisting of Mc- Bride, Ashley, Hitchcock, and Peterson, was appointed to prepare an address to the Legislature on the subject. This association adopted a constitution on the 17th of the month. The main features of this constitution were as follows : By section I the name of the association was declared to be " The Manufac- turers' Association of Atlanta." By section 2 the objects of the association were declared to be to promote the manufacturing interests of Atlanta, and to co-operate with similar institutions of the State, and to keep a faithful watch over all questions affecting their industrial and financial condition, and thus secure the adoption of such a policy and such laws as would be promotive of their prosperity ; and to co-operate with similar associations in the State hav- ing the same ends in view.
On the 3d of March following the association took hold of the question of lessening the burdens of manufacturers, in good earnest. They adopted a me- morial to the city council, asking them to exempt from taxation all manufac- turers in the city, and they also asked the Chamber of Commerce to co-ope- rate with them in accomplishing this object. Colonel W. C. Webb, in speak- ing of the value of manufacturing establishments to Atlanta, said that pig iron
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could be made in Atlanta cheaper than in the mountains, and J. M. Willis said that hickory poles were being cut and shipped North over the Air Line Rail- road, there manufactured into ax helves, and then re-shipped back to Atlanta, and here sold. It would therefore seem that it ought to be possible to manu- facture ax helves in Atlanta, from the same hickory poles, and sell them here cheaper than they were being sold, for thus the freight would be saved both ways.
In this way the association did what it could to advance the manufacturing interests of the city. It kept up its meetings until some time in 1875, but they became less and less frequent and less interesting, until at last they were en- tirely abandoned. There was then no organization of the kind until August, 1887, when the association was reorganized under its old name. Its affairs · were placed in the hands of Colonel Edward Hulbert, a historic character in Georgia, and an able financier and statistician. Of this association most of the leading merchants, bankers and manufacturers of the city were members. The existence of this association continued until the death of Colonel Hulbert, when it was permitted to lapse. A brief account of its work is introduced below.
The Manufacturers' Association was again reorganized in December, 1888. A meeting was held December 11th, at the rooms of the Young Men's Chris- tian Association for that purpose. Colonel D. N. Speer was made chair- man of the meeting, and M. F. Amorous secretary. S. M. Inman, president of the previous organization made a short speech, in which he said that during one year of that association's work, from October, 1886, to November, 1887, it established and built up one excelsior factory, one glass factory, one spice- mill, one furniture factory, one bridge and axle works, one manufacturers' in- vestment and land company, and one cotton seed oil works. The old associa- ion had died a natural death from want of support, having been, however, first sadly crippled by the ill-health of its secretary. Colonel Hulbert, H. W. Grady, John T. Glenn, E. P. Howell, H. I. Kimball and G. W. Adair made speeches in favor of the proposed reorganization, and a committee was ap- pointed consisting of H. W. Grady, A. E. Buck, S. M. Inman, John T. Glenn and J. W. Rankin whose duty it was to report a board of twenty directors for the new association. This committee reported the following names: D. N. Speer, J. C. Peck, R. B. Bullock, W. W. Boyd, E. P. Howell, N. C. Kiser, C. W. Hunnicutt, George Winship, T. W. Baxter, H. I. Kimball, M. F. Amorous, W. B. Miles, E. P. Chamberlin, L. J. Hill, R. J. Lowry, Elias Haiman, J. R. Wylie, Hoke Smith, J. W. Rankin and S. M. Inman. This report was unanimously adopted.
These gentlemen met at the office of the Constitution on December 13th, and organized by the election of F. P. Howell, president, and J. W. Rankin, D. N. Speer, C. A. Collier, W. B. Miles and L. J. Hill, vice-presidents. On
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HISTORY OF ATLANTA.
the 18th of December James R. Wylie was elected secretary and treasurer. Three separate departments were adopted the manufacturers' loan association, the real estate bureau and the advertisement department. The initiation fee was fixed at ten dollars and annual dues, five dollars. The selection of a loca- tion for the exhibition room was entrusted to President Howell, secretary Wylie and C. W. Hunnicutt. The next meeting was set for December 27, 1888, too late for further reference in this work.
The entire number of manufacturing establishments in 1886 was 303; the capital invested was $6,500,000; the number of hands employed was 6,674 ; the amount of wages paid was $2,425,000; the value of the raw material man- factured was $6,460,520, and the value of the manufactured product was $10,- 221,600. This is a very remarkable showing taking into consideration the fact that for some time there had been quite a depression in business, which had been felt all over the country. It is everywhere realized that the future growth and prosperity of the city depends largely upon the manufacturing establish- ments that she is able to induce to locate here, and that to a large extent this depends on the demand for the manufactured goods that she can aid in devel- oping, for without a market all such enterprises must necessarily experience a hard struggle for existence. This market which she needs and desires can only be developed by the intelligent development of the agricultural interests of the State.
CHAPTER XXIV.
INTERNATIONAL COTTON EXHIBITION.
0 NE of the most important events in the history of Atlanta, and perhaps the most far-reaching in its beneficent results to the entire South, was the International Cotton Exhibition of 1881. The idea of holding such an exhi- bition in the South was first suggested by Edward Atkinson of Boston, Mass. In August, ISSO, Mr. Atkinson wrote a letter to a New York journal, in which he discussed the great waste incident to the methods then in use in the gath- ering and handling of the cotton crop, and advised the gathering together of those interested in the production of this great Southern staple at some point in the South for the purpose of devising some means to remedy this evil. The Atlanta Constitution republished the letter and urged the importance of some action thereto. A few weeks after the publication of this letter it was an- nounced that Mr. Atkinson was about to make a Southern trip for the purpose of putting the suggestion in form. Mr. H. I. Kimball being impressed with
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the importance of the enterprise, and personally acquainted with Mr. Atkin- son, invited him to Atlanta to address the people on the subject. This invita- tion Mr. Atkinson accepted, and at the solicitation of many prominent citizens of Atlanta he delivered, on October 28, 1880, an address in the Senate cham- ber, in which he advocated Atlanta as the proper place in which to hold a cot- ton exhibition, such as would result in devising improved methods in the culti- vation of the cotton as well as to be as a stimulus to the entire industrial de- velopment of this section. Early in December following James W. Nagle and J. W. Ryckman came to Atlanta to ascertain what action the citizens proposed to take in the matter. At their suggestion several preliminary meetings were held. A committee consisting of Governor A. H. Colquit, Mayor W. L. Cal- houn, ex- Governor R. B. Bullock and J. W. Ryckman was appointed to pre- pare a plan for preliminary organization, which resulted in the formation of such an organization and the election of Senator Joseph E. Brown, president ; S. M. Inman, treasurer, and J. W. Ryckman secretary.
In February, 1881, the matter was again agitated, and after holding a few in- formal meetings at the Chamber of Commerce, sufficient interest was manifested by the citizens of Atlanta to determine them to effect a permanent organization. A corporation was organized under the general law, and a charter was obtained from the court. The Atlanta incorporators were: Senator Joseph E. Brown, Samuel M. Inman, H. I. Kimball, R. F. Maddox, Benjamin E. Crane, Evan P. Howell, M. C. Kiser, Robert J. Lowry, Sidney Root, Campbell Wallace, J. F. Cummings, W. P. Inman, J. C. Peck, L. P. Grant, W. A. Moore, G. J. Fore- acre, Richard Peters and E. P. Chamberlin. Associated with them were citi- zens of several other counties in Georgia, and of the States of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Missouri, Massachusetts, New York, Maine, Rhode Island, and of London, England. Thus equipped the new enterprise commenced active operations.
At first it was only contemplated that the exposition should be confined to cotton and all pertaining thereto, in its culture, transportation, manufacture, etc. The capital stock of the corporation was originally fixed at $100,000 in shares of $100. As the work advanced, however, and as the country became interested in the subject, it was decided to open its doors for the admission of all products from every section, and the capital stock was therefore increased to $200,000.
The management of the business and affairs of the corporation according to its charter was principally confined to an executive committee composed of twenty-five members. The following named gentlemen were elected members of this committee : H. I. Kimball, B. E. Crane, R. F. Maddox, W. A. Moore, M. C. Kiser, L. P. Grant, John A. Fitten, J. G. Foreacre, Richard Peters, E. P. Howell, Sidney Root, B. F. Abbott, T. G. Healey, W. C. Neff, John L. Hop- kins, John T. Henderson, J. F. Cummings, F. P. Rice, J. C. Peck, and E. P.
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Chamberlin, all of Atlanta, and Edward Atkinson, Boston, Mass .; Cyrus Bus- sey, New Orleans, La .; Richard Garsed, Philadelphia, Pa .: John H. Inman, New York, and J. W. Paramore, of St. Louis, Mo. This committee selected as officers of the exposition Senator Joseph E. Brown, president (subsequently resigned and was succeeded by Governor Alfred H. Colquitt); Samuel M. In- man, treasurer ; J. W. Ryckman, secretary, and R. J. Lowry chairman of the finance committee. Subsequently Messrs. Rice and Foreacre resigned from the executive committee, and J. R. Wylie and R. D. Spaulding were elected. H. I. Kimball was elected chairman of the committee.
To secure the necessary funds to carry on the exposition was the first duty of the executive committee. It was believed that if Atlanta subscribed one- third of the amount required, other cities interested in the success of the en- terprise would contribute the balance. A canvass of the city was made, and in one day the amount apportioned to Atlanta was secured. Atlanta's prompt and decided action in this respect gave a most wonderful impetus to the enter- prise. Mr. Kimball was authorized to visit Northern cities and endeavor to interest them in the undertaking. He visited New York and secured subscrip- tions to two hundred and fifty-three shares of stock; Boston took sixty shares; Baltimore, forty-eight; Norfolk, Va., buying twenty-five; Philadelphia, forty- three; Cincinnati, seventy-nine. The gratifying result of Mr. Kimball's work in the North and the apparent interest manifested by the whole country caused the executive committee to take immediate steps to put the whole work of or- ganizing, preparing and conducting the enterprise in hand.
For the more efficient conduct and management of the exposition the ex- ecutive committee created the office of director-general and chief executive officer, to whom was given the supervision and control of the operations and affairs of the exposition. To this important trust the committee wisely selected Mr. H. I. Kimball, who, from the first intimation of the exposition, had taken a deep interest in its success.
Oglethorpe Park was selected as the site of the exposition. It belongs to the city and is located two and one-half miles northwest from the railroad depot, and on the line of the Western and Atlantic Railroad. This park was orig- inally laid out and improved under the direction of Mr. Kimball, in 1870, for the use of agricultural fairs, but the work of adapting the grounds and erecting the necessary buildings for the exposition was not an easy task. The work was begun under Mr. Kimball's direction, and rapidly pushed to completion and made ready for exhibitors in ample time for the opening of the exposition.
The main building was constructed after a general model of a cotton factory, as suggested by Mr. Atkinson, of Boston, the form being a Greek cross, the transept nearly half the length, the agricultural and carriage annexes extend- ing along the southern side, and the mineral and woods department forming an annex at the extreme western end of the building. Its extreme length was
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INTERNATIONAL COTTON EXHIBITION.
seven hundred and twenty feet, the length of the transept four hundred feet, and the width of the arms ninety-six feet. The dimensions of the remaining principal buildings were as follows : Railroad building, 200 x 100 feet; railroad annexes, 40 x 60 and 40 x 100 feet ; agricultural implement building, 96 x 288 feet ; carriage annex, 96 x 212 feet; art and industry building, 520 x 60 feet ; judge's hall, 90 x 120 feet ; horticultural hall, 40 x 80 feet ; restaurant, 100 x 200 feet. There were several other buildings, as the Florida building, press pavil- ion, police headquarters, etc., all built by the exposition, while in addition to the above quite a number of individuals or collective exhibitors erected build- ings for themselves.
The exposition was opened on October 5, 1881, and the occasion formed a memorable day in the history of Atlanta. The civic and military parade, held in honor of the event, was under the direction of Captain Henry Jackson, chief marshal of the day, and consisted of the Fifth Artillery Band, Gate City Guards, Governor Colquitt, president of the exposition, Director-General II. I. Kimball and the executive committee in carriages; Fifth Artillery ; orators of the day, bishops, United States judges, United States senators, members of Congress, governors of States and other guests; Fifth Artillery Company; Supreme Court of Georgia, ex-governors of Georgia, State officers, president of the Senate and speaker of the House of Representatives of Georgia, mayor, council and city officers of Atlanta, commissioners of Fulton county, mayors of other cities, citizens' exposition committee, representatives from the press, vice-presidents, shareholders, and other invited guests.
At the exposition grounds addresses were made by Director-General H. I. Kimball, Governor Colquitt, Senator Z. B. Vance, Senator D. W. Voorhees, and an exposition ode, written by Mr. Paul H. Hayne, of Georgia, was read by Hon. N. J. Hammond, of Atlanta.
The exposition was a success in every way. The entire number of exhibits was 1, 113, of which the Southern States contributed more than one-half, New England and Middle States, 341 ; Western States, 138; foreign, 7. The gross receipts of the exposition were $262,513, and the total disbursements, $258,475. The average daily attendance was 3,816 for the seventy-six days the exposi- tion was open. The largest number of admissions on any one day occurred on December 7th, Planters' Day, when there were 10,293.
The exposition closed on December 31, 1881, with appropriate ceremonies. It had been a financial as well as an artistic and industrial success. During its progress it had been visited by thousands of strangers from all parts of the country. Novel and valuable agricultural processes, side by side with weighty, economic theories, were demonstrated, and through the agency of the press spread broadcast. Its potent effect for good had been felt throughout the . South, and from it has sprung the most important factors in the wonderful material development of Atlanta within the last decade. The men who had
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HISTORY OF ATLANTA.
control of it were nearly all citizens of Atlanta, and although they were aided and assisted by residents of other cities and States throughout the country, it was in reality almost entirely an Atlanta enterprise, and its success denon- strated their public spirit, energy and far-seeing business sagacity. Upon II. I. Kimball rested most of the responsibility and the entire management of this novel enterprise in the South, and to his perfect adaptability to the great task must always be given the largest share of individual credit for the result at- tained.
Piedmont Exposition .- The exhibit at the Atlanta International Exposition in 1881, of the mineral, woods and agricultural resources of this section, was a revolution to the people and naturally stimulated the desire for a similar ex- hibition. In obedience to this desire the Piedmont Expostion Company was formed in July, 1887, with the following officers : C. A. Collier, president ; 11. W. Grady, vice-president; R. J. Lowry, treasurer ; and W. H. Smyth, secre- tary. The directors were, J. T. Cooper, D. M. Bain, E. P. Chamberlin, M. C. Kiser, J. W. English, T. D. Meador, John A. Fitten, G. W. Adair, C. D. Ilorn, J. Kingsbury, J. R. Wylie, S. H. Phelan, W. L. Peel. W. W. Boyd, T. L. Langston, E. Rich, P. H. Snook, R. B. Bullock and S. M. Inman. An exec- utive committee, composed of the following gentlemen, was appointed : J. T. Cooper, J. K. Wylie, S. H. Phelan, C. D. Horn, D. M. Bain, E. P. Chamberlin and R. B. Bullock.
The object of the exposition was to collect together the evidences of the resources of the Piedmont region of the Southern States, including Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee, to show their great increase over 1881, both from subsequent discovery and actual workings ; to exhibit the progress and improvement of this section in its machinery, man- ufactures, its flocks and herds, and its methods and results of agriculture, and to gather from every source within or without its territory, for comparison and instruction, all the best and most recent labor-saving devices and machinery · for tilling its soil, reaping its harvests and changing its crude products into useful and beautiful fabrics.
On October 11, 1887, within one hundred and four days after the inception of the enterprise, the necessary buildings had been erected, and the exposition was opened. Governor Gordon and Hon. Samuel J. Randall, of Pennsylvania, delivered addresses. The most important event during the exposition was the visit of President Cleveland and party, which occurred on October 19th. The exposition closed on October 22d, and it was estimated that over 200,000 per- sons had visited the grounds. It was a success in every way and reflected the highest credit upon all connected with its management.
Parks .- The first park in Atlanta was known as the " City Park " It was bounded by Pryor, Lloyd, Decatur and Alabama streets. The ground was given to the city about 1850 by Mr. Mitchell for railroad purposes. It was
OP He. Richards
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PARKS.
laid out by William Gabbitt, and named by him. During the war it was freely occupied by Confederate soldiers, and for some time after the destruction of Atlanta there remained but little sign of its ever having been a park. Soon after the completion of the Kimball House in 1870, by an arrangement with the Mitchell heirs, it was subdivided and sold for business purposes, and at the present time it is covered by some of the finest business buildings in Atlanta.
In 1854 the city bought the block bounded by Hunter, Mitchell, McDo- nough and Collins (now Washington) streets, containing about five acres of land. Upon this block the old city hall and court-house were built, and the block itself was called the "City Hall Park." After the war the ground was nicely graded and planted with shade trees through the influence of Daniel Pittman. It was for a number of years a beautiful and popular place of resort, but it was at length given by the city to the State of Georgia for a location for the new capitol building, which now occupies it, and which is nearly ready for occupancy by the Legislature and various State officers.
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