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

“Colonel Hemphill proposed three cheers for President Plant. The cheers were given.

“Here the Innes Band gave a splendid rendition of the popular medley, ‘Plantation Echoes,’ including ‘Way Down Upon the Suwanee River,’ which, was loudly cheered.

“Mr. Plant’s Address was as follows:

“‘Mr. President of the Cotton States and International Exposition Company, and the Honorable Mayor of the city of Atlanta:—In behalf of my associates and employees of the Plant System, and friends, gentlemen and ladies, whom I see around me and before me, I scarcely know how to thank you for this glorious welcome, this grand reception. I can but say that we are here to witness a very magnificent Exposition, quite beyond any conception of mine, and, I believe, of any of the gentlemen who have come here with me to-day, to examine and make a study of this monument to the enterprise and energies of the good people of the city of Atlanta and of the State of Georgia.

“‘When I was called upon in Jacksonville, Florida, in December, 1894, by a committee of gentlemen of the Exposition Company, and requested by them to make an exhibit here of interesting products from the country bordering our lines of roads in South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida, the four States that our rail lines traverse, I was backward to do so, for the reason that I feared we had nothing that would do credit to our line, our interests and our patrons; and had I known, sir, of the extent and the grandeur of this Exposition, I believe that I should have continued to hesitate.

“‘It has been some years since I have visited Atlanta, and I was hardly prepared to see the growth, the tremendous growth, that I find has occurred in my absence. I see you are rapidly going forward; that you are becoming a metropolis. You represent, sir, the capital of one of the greatest States of the Union—the Empire State of the South. [Applause and cheers.]

“‘You never need be backward to represent Atlanta; it appears to me that within a very short time, without saying anything to the detriment of any of the other cities in this country, that it will be called The City of the South. [Applause.] Other cities may advance, and do advance; many cities and many communities in the South advance rapidly; they advance in population and in wealth, but, sir, nothing have I seen in many years to admire like your city of Atlanta.

“‘I hardly know what language to use that will fittingly present to you, sir, and to my audience, the opinions I hold in regard to this great Exposition. It is a surprise, it is a marvel, it is to me wonderful, and, sir, it proves what can be done by people acting in unison, united in their enterprise, united in their progress and their desires to benefit their people and their country, and united through their capital. Without this unity, and without the other qualifications that have made the representative men of Atlanta and of this Exposition what they are, this Exposition could never have been what it is. It is a visible proof of the importance of united action; it shows what may be accomplished through union. Without union none of us would be what we are to-day.

“‘To my friends and associates, and to the officers and employees of the Plant System I desire to express my thanks for the numbers they show here to-day. I commend you all for your good judgment in embracing this opportunity afforded by the Cotton States and International Exposition Company, to come here and witness this great work that has been going on almost without our knowledge. We have all read in the newspapers about the Cotton States and International Exposition, but I believe that very few of us had any idea what we were to see and to meet here to-day. But we are here, most of us only for the day, and I hope that we will earnestly avail ourselves of all the time possible, not only for the gratification of our curiosity, but for our further education as well. Everything we see should be made useful to us; it is such an opportunity as some of us may never have again, and I therefore say to you all—while you are in Atlanta, emulate my example, and make this Exposition a study. [Cheers and applause.]

“‘As I said before, I am pleased to see such a large representation here. It is very gratifying to me. It is gratifying to know that so many could be spared from their duties without disadvantage to the public whom we serve. You all know the general principles that have influenced us in the formation of the Plant System. It was to prepare the way to make as good means of communication as possible with the resources we had at hand. We have used of our means freely; not only myself, but my associates have not been sparing in this particular. We have expended capital and energy in the hope of some day reaping a benefit, which is proper. As you know, all men seek to benefit themselves; but there has been behind it, as the President of this great Exposition and the Honorable Mayor have to-day stated, a desire to do good to our fellow-man. [Applause.] We have at least been able to furnish good means of transportation, and I am pleased to say that it is appreciated by our patrons. I would, however, have you recollect that we are the servants of the people, who are our patrons, to the extent that we must treat their property, while in our possession, with all the care we would our own. We must be careful in our manners and our speech; we must see to it that no patron of the Plant System ever comes to an officer or employee for information without getting it to the fullest. [Applause.]