The Life of Henry Bradley Plant / Founder and President of the Plant System of Railroads and Steamships and Also of the Southern Express Company

by G. Hutchinson Smyth

CHAPTER XVI.

Banquet at the Aragon Hotel Ends the Festivities of the Day—Sketch of the Southern Express Company—Distinguished Callers on President Plant during the Day—Many Telegrams and Letters of Congratulation Received—Many Press Notices of the Day, and many Tributes of Respect and Esteem for him who Called it forth.

“The banquet at the Aragon last night,” says the Atlanta Constitution, “given in honor of Mr. H. B. Plant, was a fitting climax to the day set apart for the celebration of the seventy-sixth birthday of that distinguished man.

“The occasion was one that must have been gratifying to the honored guest, in that he received the warmest assurances of the high esteem in which he is held by the people of the South from the eloquent representatives of many of the States. He was the toast of the evening, and he bore the distinguished honors with his characteristic demeanor.

“When Captain Evan P. Howell called upon the fifty prominent guests to rise and drink to the health of the guest of honor, Mr. Plant, there was an enthusiasm and love for the latter inspired in the heart of every man around the banquet tables, which found vent in the many eloquent speeches of tribute which followed. Upon Mr. Plant there was bestowed the highest encomiums of praise, admiration, and love, and he was made to feel the enthusiasm of the sentiment in the hearts of the speakers.

“The dinner in honor of Mr. Plant was given by the Exposition directors. It was the concluding honor bestowed upon the South’s benefactor in connection with the great Plant System Day at the Exposition. About fifty guests assembled to do honor to the occasion, and among them were some of the best-known and most influential men of the country. The South was represented by distinguished men from many States.

“At the conclusion of the dinner, Captain Howell, who acted as toast-master, arose and proposed a toast to the distinguished guest of honor. At the request, every guest arose and drank to the health of Mr. Plant in silence.

“‘I have been offered many toasts and received some honors,’ said Mr. Plant, in response, ‘but none has ever afforded me more pleasure than this. I feel that I am among friends to-night, and it is useless to assure you that I am deeply appreciative of this honor. I have had something to say to you already to-day, and am almost talked out. There is so much talent and so many men here to-night who can entertain you with a ventilation of the English language, and I am so hoarse that I will yield to them and not detain you. I thank you, Mr. Toast-master, and gentlemen.’

“Captain Howell, in introducing the speakers of the evening, took occasion to say many happy things about Mr. Plant and the guests around the tables. He was in his happiest vein, and with wit, wisdom, and story, he entertained the assemblage. Each effort of the toast-master was received with applause.

“‘We are indebted to the distinguished gentleman we have gathered to-night to honor,’ said Captain Howell, ‘for one of the best exhibits at our great Exposition. His is an exhibit of which we should feel proud; one that reflects credit on his effort and the Exposition. He has shown us loyalty, fidelity, and love for the South by the work he has done for us. We are pleased and honored to have him among us, and to call him one of us. This Southland owes to him much of gratitude. He has benefited every section of the Southeast, and done work which will last as a monument to his fame for years to come.

“‘We regret that our zealous president, Mr. Collier, is unable to be with us this evening to extend to Mr. Plant in person the welcome felt by the Exposition Company, but in that absence we have a man to speak for him who can do so fittingly. We ask Mr. Alexander W. Smith to return to Mr. Plant the thanks of the Exposition Company for the splendid exhibit he has sent us and for the good work he has done, not only in our interest, but for the State and the entire South.’

“Mr. Smith paid a fitting tribute to the worth of Mr. Plant to the State of Georgia, the South, and to the Exposition. He thanked him on behalf of the Exposition Company for the complete and magnificent exhibit sent by Mr. Plant, and warmly congratulated him on his birthday, which gave occasion for such a great day as yesterday had been to the Exposition. Colonel George W. Adair was called upon and he made one of his best speeches. He entertained his hearers with stories and reminiscences of his boyhood and manhood days, referring to the time when he first met Mr. Plant. The speaker had assisted in forming the Southern Express Company, and he proposed to share the honors with Mr. Plant, for the evening at least.

“Among the other speakers were Colonel H. S. Haines, Colonel A. A. Wiley, of Alabama; Speaker Fleming, Major J. W. Thomas, of Nashville; Judge Falligant, of Savannah; Hon. Fleming du Bignon, of Savannah; Dr. Smyth, and several others. All of the speakers paid high tribute to Mr. Plant and his work for the South. He was eulogized in the language of highest praise, and declared to be a man worthy of all honors that could be bestowed upon a citizen.

“Some of the speakers referred to the esteem in which Mr. Plant is held by his twelve thousand employees, and laid stress on that fact as being the best evidence of the noble character of the man, one who treated all men with justice, moderation, and kindness. Mr. Plant was made to feel that the welcome extended him was sincere, and he left the banquet table honored as perhaps no other man will be honored during the Exposition period. To him was shown the appreciation of the Exposition Company of his work, by setting aside a special day in his honor, something that will not be accorded to any other individual.

“The banquet was one of the most elaborate of the season, and reflected credit on the committee in charge and Manager Dodge, of the Aragon, who supervised it in person.”

With the banquet at the Aragon, tendered to President Plant by the directors of the Exposition Company and the citizens of Atlanta, the festivities directly incident to “Plant System Day” were brought to a close. This history, however, would be incomplete without reference to the Southern Express Company, to which Mr. Plant has been pleased to allude as his “first love.” It numbers among its officers some of the men whom Mr. Plant had in mind when he said on Sunday morning, October 27th, “I see here present those who were with me in troublous times and bore with me the heat and burden of the fight,” and this may be considered a fitting place to give a brief history of the company as published in the Constitution of October 29, 1895.

From the Atlanta Constitution, Tuesday, October 29, 1895:

“Among the thousands who gathered at the Exposition yesterday to do honor to Mr. Henry B. Plant, the great ‘man of affairs,’ the officers and employees of the Southern Express Company formed a notable group, the central and most prominent figure of which was Mr. M. J. O’Brien, the vice-president and general manager. It was fitting that this great enterprise should be represented by its most prominent officials and a large delegation of its employees on this day, for it was as an express company employee that Mr. Plant began life, and the history of the express business in the South is almost identical with Mr. Plant’s great success. It was also appropriate that the representatives of the great army of Southern Express Company employees should be headed by the man whose master mind and admirable executive ability have contributed so largely to every success of the mammoth enterprise over which he presides with such marked distinction, for the history of the Southern Express Company is not only the history of Mr. Plant but of Mr. O’Brien, since the latter gentleman has been closely identified with the express business of Mr. Plant for the past thirty-five years, and its achievements have largely been his own.

“HISTORY OF THE SOUTHERN EXPRESS COMPANY.

“On July 5, 1861, a charter was granted for the Southern Express Company for fourteen years, with H. B. Plant as President; R. B. Bullock, Superintendent of the Eastern Division; E. Hulbert, Superintendent of the Central, and D. P. Ellwood, Superintendent of the Western Division, who, however, shortly resigned, and was succeeded by A. B. Small, with James Shuter as Assistant Superintendent.

“As the Federal forces advanced into Dixie the Southern Express Company abandoned its lines, which were immediately utilized by the Adams Express Company. In fact, the Southern Express Company was operated under difficulties throughout those belligerent times, arising from the changing lines of armies, destructions of railroads, and from the conscription acts, until express employees were exempted from service in the army and navy.

“At the close of the war another source of danger presented itself. Gangs of disbanded soldiery and raiding parties, ever ready to appropriate portable property wherever it could be found, in many cases plundered the express offices, their horses being taken and nothing valuable left. But it’s a long lane that has no turn. A reaction soon set in, and the marvellous prosperity of the ‘Sunny South’ has been only equalled by the growth and development of the Southern Express Company. To-day its service extends from Richmond, Louisville, and St. Louis on the North; Charleston and Savannah on the East; Springfield, Missouri, and Houston, Texas, on the West, and New Orleans, Mobile, and Tampa, Florida, on the South, reaching twelve States and embracing about three thousand agencies, with a through line to New York and direct communication with Cuba.

“In 1875, a renewal of the company’s charter was applied for and granted, and, in 1886, the Georgia Legislature granted the company a charter for thirty years from December 21st of that year. The little concern organized at Augusta, Georgia, in 1861, has now become one of the strongest and most successful express companies in the United States.

“The Constitution to-day publishes excellent portraits of General Manager M. J. O’Brien, Assistant General Manager T. W. Leary, Traffic Manager C. L. Loop, and Superintendent W. W. Hulbert, all of whom have been intimately identified with the growth and development of the Southern Express Company.

“General Manager O’Brien began service with the Adams Express Company at Memphis, in 1859. He next served as way-bill clerk and then as messenger, being later promoted to the cashier’s office at New Orleans. Evincing a remarkable aptitude for the express business, he was next appointed agent at Montgomery, Alabama, and, in rapid order, successively became President Plant’s secretary, secretary of the Southern Express Company, general superintendent, general manager, and vice-president and general manager.

“Assistant General Manager Leary commenced as secretary to General Superintendent O’Brien and for years was his faithful lieutenant. Subsequently he was made assistant to the general manager and then appointed assistant general manager.

“Traffic Manager Loop began his express career as messenger in the Adams Express Company’s service, and was particularly prominent in express operations during the war. He was for many years auditor and cashier of the western department of the Southern Express Company, and upon the consolidation of the eastern and western departments was made general auditor, succeeding from that position to his present office.

“Superintendent Hulbert began service as local agent at West Point, Georgia, in 1858, and with the exception of four years, during which time he was in the war, has been continuously in the service of the Southern Express Company ever since.

“To give some idea of the magnitude of the Southern Express Company’s business, it is only necessary to say that should their employees, with their families and others dependent for their living upon services rendered to this great enterprise, move to the State of Nevada, and the present population of that State should leave it, Nevada would have a much larger population than she has at present. In other words, the officers and employees of the Southern Express Company who are in Atlanta to-day represent a larger number of citizens of this country than do the two United States Senators who represent the State of Nevada in the upper House of Congress. Again, the amount of money invested in horses, wagons, etc., is simply fabulous, while their stationery bill for one year would make a man independently wealthy.

“The business of the company must necessarily be enormous to support and justify such an expense. It consists of forwarding freight, money, and valuables of all descriptions by the fastest passenger trains, in charge of special messengers. As forwarders of money, bonds, and valuables, they successfully compete with the government mail service. Absolute safety is guaranteed in all transactions, and in case of damage to, or loss of goods, the delay, almost inevitable in government red tape, is avoided.

“THE HANDSOME EXHIBIT.

“The Southern Express Company’s office on the Exposition grounds makes one of the handsomest exhibits to be seen. It is not, however, altogether for show, but the express business in all its branches is conducted just as it is in the Atlanta office. The pretty, tasty little office is doing a thriving business, if one can judge from the crowds which are constantly about it. Mr. M. W. Wooding is in charge of the Exposition office, and yesterday happily sustained the reputation which he has earned of being a most delightful host. Mr. Wooding is an old Atlanta boy, and has been with the Southern Express Company for the past twelve years.

“Among the well-known gentlemen who called yesterday at the express office were: H. B. Plant, President, New York City, New York; M. J. O’Brien, Vice-President and General Manager, New York City, New York; M. F. Plant, Vice-President, New York City, New York; T. W. Leary, Assistant General Manager, Chattanooga, Tennessee; C. L. Loop, Traffic Manager, Chattanooga, Tennessee; G. H. Tilley, Secretary and Treasurer, New York; F. J. Virgin, Auditor, Chattanooga, Tennessee; Superintendents—H. Dempsey, Augusta, Georgia; C. T. Campbell, Chattanooga, Tennessee; O. M. Sadler, Charlotte, North Carolina; H. C. Fisher, Nashville, Tennessee; G. W. Agee, Memphis, Tennessee; W. J. Crosswell, Wilmington, North Carolina; C. L. Myers, Jacksonville, Florida; V. Spalding, Roanoke, Virginia; C. A. Pardue, New Orleans, Louisiana; Assistant Superintendent Mark J. O’Brien, Chattanooga, Tennessee; Route Agents—J. B. Hockaday, Greenville, South Carolina; K. C. Barrett, Florence, South Carolina; S. R. Golibart, Suffolk, Virginia; P. B. Wilkes, Monroe, North Carolina; J. Cronin, Waycross, Georgia; John Lovette, Atlanta, Georgia; W. C. Agee, Memphis, Tennessee; Agents—F. L. Cooper, Savannah, Georgia; W. A. Dewes, Chattanooga, Tennessee; W. M. Shoemaker, Montgomery, Alabama; F. M. Folds, Messenger, Montgomery, Alabama.

“It would not do to close this article without giving due meed of praise to Daniel Davis, the urbane colored boy who, under the direction of Mr. Wooding, dispensed ‘the hospitalities of the house’ in the most approved and satisfactory manner.

“Were we to record herein the numerous telegrams and letters of congratulation received by Mr. Plant from his many friends who were unable personally to be present in Atlanta, we would have to publish a second edition to retain a pamphlet form of this little volume. We must, therefore, content ourselves with saying to one and all who so thoughtfully remembered Mr. Plant on the occasion of his anniversary, that their kindly sentiments were highly appreciated by him, and to each and every one, through these columns, he returns his sincere thanks.

“To our newspaper friends, who so kindly espoused our cause, prior to, at the time of, and since the festivities in Atlanta, and who are always ready to deal kindly by us, we return our thanks. To them we would most heartily accord the space necessary in which to reprint all of the nice things they have said of us, but for the same reason as given in the foregoing paragraph, we must abbreviate. However, we feel that it is not just to them or to ourselves entirely to ignore all quotations from their columns, and with their permission we give below, in so far as our limited edition will permit, some of the many pleasant references made by our journalistic friends.

“Among the many telegrams of congratulation received by Mr. H. B. Plant, President of the Plant System, we give below two, together with copies of Mr. Plant’s responses, which were omitted in our report of proceedings in yesterday’s issue.

“‘Montgomery, Alabama, Oct. 28, 1895.

“‘Henry B. Plant, Atlanta, Georgia:

“‘Montgomery Division, No. 98, Order of Railway Conductors, tenders you its heartiest congratulations. It is the uniform hope of all its members that you may live to see many more years of such usefulness and happiness, and that your every wish may be realized.

“‘John C. Elliott,
“‘Chas. J. Read,
“‘Committee.’

“‘Atlanta, Georgia, Oct. 29, 1895.
“‘Jno. C. Elliott and Chas. J. Read, Committee,
No. 98, Order Railway Conductors, Montgomery,
Alabama:

“‘Of the many telegrams of congratulation I have received, none are appreciated more than the one from you, as representatives of the Order of Railway Conductors, and my best efforts in the future, as in the past, will be to deserve the commendation of all members of your order.

“‘H. B. Plant.’

“‘Tampa, Florida, Oct. 27, 1895.

“‘H. B. Plant, Atlanta, Georgia:

“‘Recognizing in you a friend of Tampa and of Florida, our city congratulates you on this the anniversary of your birthday, and indulges the hope that you may live to celebrate many others and to reap the fruits of your labor and enterprise.

“‘F. A. Salomonson, Mayor.’

“‘Atlanta, Georgia, Oct. 28, 1895.

“‘F. A. Salomonson, Mayor:

“‘I thank you personally, and through you the good people of Tampa and Florida, for your hearty congratulations and well wishes. I shall hope to celebrate many more anniversaries of my birthday, and as each milestone is passed I trust we may all look back and see that I have contributed in a measure to the interests of the good people of your State and city.

“‘H. B. Plant.’

“A REMARKABLE OVATION.

“President H. B. Plant, of the Plant System, was a happy man yesterday when he looked into three thousand smiling faces at the Exposition Auditorium and saw among them about one thousand five hundred of his faithful employees, who were assembled to celebrate his seventy-sixth birthday.

“It was a rare tribute to a great and a good man. Probably no railway president in the world could have commanded such an ovation.

“Mr. Plant was overwhelmed with graceful attentions from his employees, the Exposition directors, and our citizens generally. The day at the Exposition was a celebration in his honor, and at night the directors entertained him at a banquet.

“It goes without saying that this tribute is worth more to Mr. Plant than presents of silver and gold. It will touch his heart as nothing else could. That he may long hold his honored place among us is the earnest wish of all who know him.

“MR. PLANT AND THE NEGROES.

“In addition to what has been said of Mr. Plant and his great System, the negroes are grateful for what he has done for them. There are over two thousand negroes employed by Mr. Plant. A great number of them have accumulated homes, educated their children, and have nice bank accounts, and they all love him. He has contributed liberally to churches, school-houses, and other negro enterprises; in fact, he has built several institutions of learning for negroes. A number of negroes hold positions of trust, with good pay attached, as is not the case with any other system the size of his in the United States.

“May the years of Mr. Plant’s usefulness in behalf of the South, colored and white, be many more.”—Atlanta Constitution.

“HONORS TO MR. PLANT.

“Few men have done as much as Mr. H. B. Plant to develop the South, and the Journal joins heartily in the tributes which are being paid to him to-day.

“He has reached the age of seventy-six with a record which any man might envy, and we trust is good for many more years of usefulness. Mr. Plant is the head of great corporations which have been of incalculable value to the South. They have been so, not because they are rich and powerful, but because, under his direction, they have been conducted on broad and liberal lines. Mr. Plant’s policy has been to build up. His career presents a splendid contrast to those of the railroad wreckers who have enriched themselves at the expense of thousands of individual victims and of great regions of the country.

“Mr. Plant has used his power nobly. He has made it beneficial to multitudes of his fellow-citizens, and has contributed immensely to the general development of the South. As the president of a great railroad system, of steamship lines, and of the Southern Express Company, and the Texas Express Company, Mr. Plant enjoys, not only the kind regards of a host of employees, but the respect and admiration of the public as well. The many evidences which he receives to-day of the good-will and esteem of his fellow-men must be exceedingly gratifying to him, but we are justified in saying that seldom have tributes been more richly deserved. We extend to Mr. Plant our cordial congratulations on his seventy-sixth birthday, and hope that we shall have the pleasure of seeing his honored and useful career continued for many years to come.

“Mrs. H. B. Plant, the wife of the distinguished president of the Plant System, is at the Aragon. She is a beautiful, cultured, travelled woman, and as such receives everywhere the most flattering social attentions. She will be the conspicuous social figure of this week, and several brilliant affairs will be given in her honor. Mrs. Plant is one of the New York Commissioners, and has proven her interest in Atlanta’s Exposition in many satisfactory and assuring ways.”—Atlanta Journal.

“A splendid banquet was tendered by the Southern Express Company to its superintendents, route agents, and agents attending the Cotton States and International Exposition, last evening in the Kimball House.

“The occasion was a most happy one.

“The banquet was held in honor of Plant Day—Mr. Plant being president of the Southern Express Company.

“Mr. T. W. Leary, the popular and genial assistant general manager of the Southern Express Company, presided and acted as toast-master. In this capacity he distinguished himself, and made some of the happiest hits of the evening. The speeches were of the happiest character, and befitted the occasion which they commemorated—the birthday of the venerable president of the express company, who has done so much towards the building up of this rich and powerful transportation company.

“Among those who spoke were the following:

“Mr. C. L. Loop, traffic manager of the Southern Express Company; Mr. H. Dempsey, superintendent; Mr. H. O. Fisher, superintendent; Mr. G. W. Agee, superintendent; Mr. V. E. McBee, general agent Seaboard Air Line; Mr. J. L. McCollum, superintendent Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railway; Mr. F. H. Richardson, editor Atlanta Journal; Mr. C. S. Gadsden, superintendent of the Plant System.

“The entire occasion was marked by the greatest enthusiasm, and it will be long remembered by those present. The following is a list of the guests:

“J. S. B. Thompson, assistant general superintendent Southern Railway; V. E. McBee, general agent Seaboard Air Line; W. R. Beauprie, superintendent Southern Railway; J. L. McCollum, superintendent Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railway; D. E. Maxwell, general manager Florida Central and Peninsular Railway; L. M. Weathers, Memphis, Tennessee; F. de C. Sullivan, E. M. Williams, George E. Carter, New York; B. R. Swoope, Virginia; F. H. Richardson, Atlanta Journal, and G. W. Haines, H. A. Ford, C. O. Parker, C. S. Gadsden, W. B. Denham, Judge Brawley, of the Plant System; M. F. Echols, agent Southern Express Company, Atlanta, Georgia; W. A. Dewees, agent Southern Express Company, Chattanooga, Tennessee; F. L. Cooper, agent Southern Express Company, Savannah, Georgia, and H. M. McCulloch, W. E. McGill, G. A. Wilkinson, J. A. Cleary and F. M. Folds; C. L. Loop, traffic manager Southern Express Company; H. Dempsey, superintendent; H. C. Fisher, superintendent; C. T. Campbell, superintendent; O. M. Sadler, superintendent; W. J. Crosswell, superintendent; G. W. Agee, superintendent; C. L. Myers, superintendent; W. W. Hulbert, superintendent; V. Spalding, superintendent; C. A. Pardue, superintendent; J. C. Arnold, route agent; S. R. Golibart, route agent; P. B. Wilkes, route agent; W. C. Agee, route agent; J. Cronin, route agent; K. C. Barrett, route agent; John Lovette, route agent; H. E. Williamson, route agent; J. B. Hockaday, route agent; W. M. Shoemaker, agent Southern Express Company, Montgomery, Alabama.

“The Exposition was crowded to-day with the employees of the Plant System and the friends of Mr. H. B. Plant, the president of that System, for it was Plant Day.

“There is perhaps no more interesting figure in American business life to-day than H. B. Plant, and his employees have for him that feeling of love that is so rarely held by the employees of a great corporation for its head. As an evidence of that love and kindly feeling the employees gathered to-day to do him honor.”—Atlanta Journal.

“The Chronicle publishes this morning an interesting sketch of Mr. Henry B. Plant, by Mr. Clark Howell. The writer has a most excellent subject for his theme, and he has handled it admirably. Than Mr. Henry B. Plant there is not a better man to be found anywhere. Starting from the plain people, unaided by the adventitious circumstances of birth or wealth, he has, step by step, ascended the ladder of fame and fortune, until he is now classed among the railroad magnates and the multi-millionaires of the country. He has been the architect of his own fortune, and he has done the work in the most artistic and substantial manner. His work for Florida and the South cannot be exaggerated. He has been one of the most potential factors in the upbuilding of this section, and he is still full of hope and faith in the present and future possibilities of the South. He knows thoroughly the advantages which we possess, and he is enthusiastic for their full utilization. Mr. Plant was for years a familiar figure in this community and a valued citizen of Augusta.

“Speaking of Mr. Plant yesterday, one of our prominent citizens observed that he had the remarkable gift of always selecting the right man for the right place. He is a capital judge of human nature. His life has been a most exemplary and laborious one. He is the personification of kindness and courtesy in his intercourse with his fellow-citizens, and his consideration for his employees is most marked.

“Monday was set apart by the Cotton States Exposition in honor of Mr. Plant. This recognition of his services to the South is well deserved. In his case it is an honor most worthily bestowed. At the age of seventy-six, Mr. Plant possesses a sound mind in a sound body. Long may he live to continue his good work for Florida and the South, and to wield his influence for good among his fellow-men.”—Augusta Chronicle.

“The employees of the Plant System, who went to the Cotton States and International Exposition on the invitation of President Plant, returned yesterday very much gratified with their visit. And Mr. Plant was very greatly pleased to meet them at the Exposition. The occasion was the celebration of Mr. Plant’s seventy-sixth birthday.

“Mr. Plant is still a very vigorous man. His mental faculties are as bright and keen as they ever were. He looks back on a long life of great activity and usefulness. He has built up a splendid monument to himself in the Plant Railway and Steamship System. All his life he has been a builder—never a wrecker. And the speech he delivered to his employees on Monday shows that he has a just appreciation of the relations he holds to the public.

“No man has contributed more to the building up of the South than Mr. Plant. The country tributary to his lines of railroad presents an appearance vastly different from what it did a quarter of a century ago. There are thousands of comfortable homes now where there was then only a wilderness. Plant Day was a feature of the Exposition, as the Plant System is a feature of the South.”—Savannah Morning News.

“On this, the seventy-sixth anniversary of his birthday, we extend our wishes to Mr. H. B. Plant, the head of the great system of railways which bears his name. Long life and happiness to him.”—The Bulletin, Savannah, Georgia.

“The ceremonies attending the anniversary of Mr. Plant’s birthday yesterday in Atlanta were very imposing. There was a large crowd on hand, and Mr. Plant responded in a very feeling and appropriate speech. There was a feeling and eloquent address by Judge Falligant. One of the gems of the occasion was the excellent letter of Capt. D. G. Purse.”—Savannah Press.

“To-day is a great one in Atlanta. The Plant System celebration of the birthday of its great founder is perhaps the most remarkable event of its kind that ever occurred in this country. It marks the beginning of a distinctive era in progress—when the men who are leaders in material progress are recognized and honored as public benefactors. While Florida is under vast obligations to statesmen of the past and present, to the heroes of several wars, to the pioneers who redeemed its lands to the plow and hoe—it is not too much to say that the present generation owes fully as much to the group of men who, having acquired large means elsewhere, are expending and investing them in developing the resources and advertising the resources of the State. And it is not overstating the case to say that to no one on this list belongs so much credit as to Henry B. Plant. He was the first, as he is to-day the leader, to see the good points of our soil and climate, and to bring them to the notice of the world. To him, and to his unwavering attachment to Florida, is due, to a preponderating extent, the surprising and persistent growth of the State. No pretense is made that he has done it all, but he led the way and set the pace, and it is a pleasure to the intelligent and fair-minded people of Florida to hold him in high esteem, and to testify to it. As long ago as 1853, Mr. Plant saw and appreciated Florida, and from that day to this he has been its unflinching friend. He has been the direct agency for the investment of many millions of dollars here, and the indirect cause of its duplication by others. He deserves the honors and compliments that are paid him, and more.”—Tampa Times.

“The birthday of Henry B. Plant, head of the Plant Railway System and of the Southern Express Company, was yesterday celebrated in fine and appropriate style at the Atlanta Exposition. It was Plant System Day. Mr. Plant deserves such recognition. He has done much for the South, the section of his adoption. He has brought a great deal of capital and enterprise into the section, and built up important conveniences that have proven highly profitable to the Southern country and people. No one man has done more for the advancement of the South’s material development. He was seventy-six yesterday, but looks twenty years younger, in spite of the big load of care and the big amount of work he has done in the last fifty years. Long may he live to enjoy the fruits and honors of his good works.”—Daily Times, Chattanooga.

“The west coast of Florida, Alabama, and the portions of the country around the Plant System in Georgia, sent thousands of people to the Atlanta Exposition for the celebration of Plant System Day at the Exposition. They have been coming on special trains since yesterday morning. To-day Mr. H. B. Plant celebrated his seventy-sixth birthday, and to-day is Plant System Day at the Exposition. Officials and employees from all the railway, steamship, and express lines controlled by Mr. Plant, and numbering nearly 5000 men, are here to celebrate the day. The public exercises occurred in the Auditorium, and the Plant System people were welcomed by Mayor King. Mr. Plant made a response to the welcome.”—New Orleans Times-Democrat.

“The following invitation for last Monday the Marine Journal regretted very much not having been able to accept:

“‘The Cotton States and International Exposition, Atlanta, Ga., having designated October 28, 1895, as Plant System Day, the officers and employees of the system will meet there to commemorate the birthday of their president, Mr. Henry B. Plant. You are invited to be present.’

“Advices from Atlanta since Monday announce that the event was a brilliant success, as befitted such an occasion. Mr. Plant was weighed down with congratulations, both personal, telegraphic, and by mail, and presented himself in such an excellent state of health and enjoyment that no one would have imagined he had so far passed the regulation threescore years and ten as the day commemorated. Mr. Plant saw much that must have deeply gratified him on the occasion, not only the result of his own labor and enterprise, but in the encouraging presentation of things that give evidence of such a restored measure of prosperity throughout the South as only men like himself, who have worked so hard to accomplish such a happy state of affairs, can thoroughly appreciate. The recognition of the Plant System in such an auspicious manner by the management of the Atlanta Exposition was a fitting testimonial to the prominent part that the System is recognized to hold in conducing to the well-being of the South, not only from a commercial point of view, but from the excellent reputation among the best classes of people that must necessarily attach to the places where the Plant hotels for winter tourists are situated. Thus the day became a fitting compliment to the true worth of the founder and president of the Plant System and an additional ray in the glory with which his deeds crown him in the fulness of his days. Long may he enjoy it.”—Marine Journal.

“To-day the anniversary of the birth of Mr. H. B. Plant, President of the Plant System of Railroads and Steamships, the Southern Express Company and the Plant Investment Company, is being celebrated by the officers and attaches of these companies and friends of Mr. Plant at Atlanta—principally by the Plant System men.

“H. B. Plant is a remarkable man, and though well advanced in years, he is just as active in business to-day as he was a half-century ago. Thousands of his employees to-day assemble to pay tribute to his worth as a man; besides, thousands of acquaintances and admirers extend their heartiest congratulations.

“No better place or time for such celebration could be had than at the Atlanta Exposition, where is another, and the latest, monument to Mr. Plant’s worth as a developer and as a man of enterprise and genius. The building and the exhibits there of the Plant System are similar to his good works all over the country, and every Floridian, South Carolinian, Georgian, and Alabamian must feel proud of these representatives of the products and enterprise of their States collected and displayed to such an advantage by the great System that benefits the States.

“The best men in Florida acknowledge H. B. Plant as one of the State’s truest friends, and willingly in heart, if not in person, join in doing him honor on this, his seventy-sixth birthday, and all hope he may be spared many more years to the grateful people.”—Jacksonville Metropolis.

“The reception given to the venerable president of the great Plant System of hotels in Florida on Monday, October 28, at Atlanta, was a deserved recognition of the work he has done in developing Florida and, indirectly, the whole South.”—New York Hotel Register.

“As a rule, men of large interests are charmingly simple and unaffected in manner, and this is eminently true of H. B. Plant, President of the famous Plant System Railway and Steamship Lines, a millionaire, and the controlling power of three great hotels, the Tampa Bay, the Seminole at Winter Park, and the Inn at Port Tampa, all in Florida.

“Mr. Plant resides in New York much of the time, in an elegant home, but is also to be found a good deal in Florida, while he takes trips to Jamaica and other places where he has business to transact.

“Personally, he is a delightful conversationalist, and remarkably young for his years, which are not few. He is quite up to date in every way, and never lets a business chance go by him. The magnitude of his orders may be understood from the fact that he has recently given an order at Newport News for the largest coastwise steamer ever built, 440 feet in length, and having every comfort and modern arrangement for safety. He is deeply interested in the Cotton States and International Exposition, and has a building of his own at the grounds, with a comprehensive exhibit.”—New Haven Evening Register.

“THE ATLANTA EXPOSITION.

“We hardly think the Northern Press has been as generous in its good offices to the Southern Exposition as it might. We have just returned from a visit to Atlanta, and were delighted with the beautiful landscape order of the grounds, the large and elegant buildings, and, above all, the wonderful exhibits they contained. The farm products will astonish our Northern visitors. Canned fruits and garden produce are varied, numerous, and luxuriant. The manufactures, especially of cotton, were very fine, and their machinery equal to the best in the country—was so pronounced by the Manufacturers’ Committee from the New England States. The Art Building; is a model of artistic taste and elegance. The Industrial Building, in which France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and other nations are represented would require an entire day to explore. The minerals, fossils, photo plates, gold and silver ores, coal, salts, lime, and peculiar clays found in the Southern States, will repay close inspection. I saw beautiful china made from a white clay found in Florida only four months ago; also great blocks of salt as they were taken from the mine, that needed only to be crushed to fit them for immediate use.

“One of the things that has given a great uplift to the Cotton States has been the improvement of its railroads. A quarter of a century ago these were in a very depressed condition, crippled, bankrupt, and unremunerative, and about this time, H. B. Plant, of New York, interested Northern capitalists in them, bought, combined, reorganized, and improved them in every way, adding steamboat lines to the West Indies, and perfecting an express system unsurpassed in any part of the country, for the whole South. This so increased travel to the South, especially in the winter season, by health-seekers and pleasure-seekers, that better hotel accommodations were demanded. These were soon provided, at a large outlay, giving the South, especially Florida, the finest hotels in the world. St. Augustine, Palm Beach, and Tampa Bay, especially the latter, are unsurpassed for healthful, comfortable, and luxuriant appointments. Hence, Plant Day was one of the great days of the Exposition, when some two thousand of the more than twelve thousand employees of the Plant System came to do honor to the man who had done so much for the Southern section of our country. Receptions, addresses, silver cup, compass, and flowers, and a grand banquet in the evening at the Aragon Hotel, were cordially tendered to this benefactor of the Cotton States. Labor and capital clasped hands in the most friendly accord, and this problem of the age was here solved, where peace and good-will abounded among these men. We saw the man of war, the admiral of the fleet at Hampton Roads, pay his respects to this man of peace, whose guest we were, and whose power for good has been so widely felt in our land.”—An East Orange Dominie, East Orange Gazette, East Orange, New Jersey.

“EXPOSITION ECHOES.

“Mr. A. B. Wrenn, special agent of the Southern Pacific, who has been in Atlanta for the past few days, returned to the city yesterday, and gives a glowing account of the Exposition. He says that the number of people who visited the great show on President’s Day was something over 78,000, and that on Atlanta Day the number will be considerably more.

“‘One of the prettiest sights I saw while in Atlanta,’ said Mr. Wrenn, ‘was that of the thousands of the employees of the Plant System, when Plant Day was celebrated. Mr. H. B. Plant, president and owner of the Plant System of railroads, gave the thousands of his employees, who could possibly get off duty, a free trip to the Fair, and on Plant Day there were several thousands of them present. A grand reception was given, and section bosses, freight agents, clerks, and even negro laborers who worked on the sections, were given an opportunity of shaking hands with Mr. Plant, who is now an elderly gentleman. Mr. Plant made a speech and expressed his satisfaction at meeting so many of his men, and the affair passed off most pleasantly.’

“Mr. Wrenn says that the Exposition is well worth seeing.”—Daily Picayune, New Orleans, Louisiana.

“THE ATLANTA EXPOSITION.
“BY THE REV. GEORGE H. SMYTH, D.D.

“Coming so soon after the great Exposition at Chicago,—the greatest the world has ever seen,—and considering the general depression of the country, and the short time taken for preparation, the Exposition of the Cotton States, at Atlanta, Georgia, is a marvel. The terraced ground, selected and laid out with such beautiful landscape effect, the architectural designs of the buildings, the artistic skill displayed in locating them, together with the drives, walks, ponds, fountains, lawns, and ornamentations of the whole Fair grounds, reflect great credit on the committee of distinguished gentlemen who had the matter in charge, and who spared neither pains nor expense to make the Exposition a great success. Atlanta alone contributed $1,000,000 to the enterprise.

“Plant Day was the great day of the Fair thus far. It was set apart by the Committee of Management in honor of Henry B. Plant, who has done so much for the progress, prosperity, and welfare of the Southern States. More than a quarter of a century has passed since he began his patriotic, not to say philanthropic, work of uplifting a prostrate section of our country. Up to this time the railroads of the Cotton States were poor, crippled, and some of them bankrupt. In 1879, Mr. Plant interested other capitalists in purchasing, reorganizing, and improving the railroads of the South. He organized and perfected an express system, steamboat system, railroad system—until now, the Plant System, as it is called, embraces nearly two thousand miles of railway lines and over twelve hundred miles of steamship lines. Of course, the facilities for comfortable travel to and through the South brought the health-seeker, the pleasure-seeker, investor, and permanent settler to the South; and this influx of population continues with increasing numbers each year. ‘To-day, the South is universally acknowledged to be the most prosperous portion of the great Union, and that portion over which the Plant System ramifies itself is known as the garden-spot. Mr. H. B. Plant is the mainspring that moved the whole, and he is, in every sense, a public benefactor.’ This is only the briefest intimation of the reasons for Plant Day at the Exposition.

“Sunday, October 27th, was Mr. Plant’s seventy-sixth birthday. I had the pleasure of being one of a party of friends that filled his private car in going to the Exposition, and occupied one of the large and elegant rooms of his suite at the Aragon Hotel, Atlanta. On the morning of that day a few gentlemen—and they were gentlemen in every sense of the term—representing the more than twelve thousand employees of the Plant System, adroitly entertained their president in his own room, while the others took possession of his parlor. When everything was in readiness, Mr. Plant and his guests were invited into the parlor. He was most cordially greeted and congratulated on the seventy-sixth return of his birthday. Then written addresses, couched in choice language, were read from the three different departments—railroad, express, and steamboat—of the Plant System, followed by presentation of flowers, of a silver compass, suggesting the straight and upright course of his life, and a silver cup, large and massive,—a ‘loving-cup,’—‘filled, Mr. Plant, with the esteem, affection, and best wishes of your associates and employees, to whom you have been a benefactor and friend.’ Mr. Plant’s response was beautiful, tender, and touching, as kindly eyes looked through their tears at this grand old man whom they esteemed as a father.

“Next day, the reception given Mr. Plant in the Auditorium, by the employees of the Plant System, where addresses and resolutions of appreciation, esteem, and gratitude for what he had done for the South, were presented to him, was grand beyond description. In the evening of the same day a banquet was tendered him at the Aragon Hotel by the managers of the Exposition. Judges, lawyers, merchants, the mayor of Atlanta, and a large company of distinguished gentlemen sat down to a sumptuous repast. But it was ‘the feast of reason and the flow of soul’—the eloquent and patriotic sentiments expressed in the after-dinner speeches that gave this choice chapter of Plant Day its chief significance and greatest charm. Never was Southern eloquence more eloquent or tongues more fluent in giving forth the overflow of heart. ‘No North, no South, but one united, happy country—the land of the free and the home of the brave.’

“When, near the close, we were most unexpectedly called on for a speech, what could we say but express the pleasure experienced in all we had seen and enjoyed this whole day. We had witnessed the solution of the greatest problem of the age, a problem that many say will never be solved, that will yet bring on universal revolution. We had to-day seen labor and capital—employer and employed—clasp hands in mutual sympathy and most friendly accord. We had seen, everywhere we travelled in the South, the Plant System men vie with each other in doing honor to their chief. His presence was the signal for willing hands and happy faces in any service they could render him. Men felt better for his presence. The Czar of all the Russias might well envy this modest, quiet, Connecticut man, the connecting link between North and South, the harmonizer of differences, and the promoter of peace and good-will among men; and around whom cluster the respect and manly affection of 12,000 employees and many more thousands of invalids who find lost health travelling in the luxuriant cars and dwelling in the luxuriant hotels of the Plant System. Mr. Plant was first led to Florida in 1854 in search of health for his invalid wife, whose life he believes was prolonged many years by her residence in the soft, balmy air of this State. Travel then was so uncomfortable, and hotel accommodations so poor, that he began to think what could be done to improve both. Verily, ‘There is a divinity that shapes our ends, rough hew them as we may,’ and well is it when our own sufferings lead us to discover means of alleviating those of our fellow-men.”—The Christian Intelligencer, New York.