G. Hutchinson Smyth

“ Such determined effort will surely be crowned with unbounded success and prosperity in the end. There is no reason why Ocala should not be a prosperous city. Your climate is excellent; your water is pure and wholesome; your lands are fertile and prolific, and your people are joined with a unity of ambition and a unity of aim for the upbuilding of every interest alike.
“I have been asked to speak to you of what is known as the ‘Plant System.’ Not this mere physical system of the man—for that speaks for itself. ”

“ It was one of the most imposing sights of the age to see this great fleet steaming down the bay; flags flying and bands playing, and sixteen thousand American soldiers cheering as they felt the vessels move over the waters of Tampa Bay, all bound for a victorious campaign against the enemy.
“The Plant System has done well its part in the great modern war, and is equally well prepared to do its part in carrying on the great commerce between the United States, Cuba, the West India Islands, and all of the South American countries.” ”

“ Let us take no part in the systematic effort that some are making, to persecute the railway enterprises of Florida at such a time as this, for such persecutors are blinded to their country’s interests. If there was ever a time when the people and the railroads ought to work in perfect harmony that time is at hand. I believe labor ought to be protected in a reasonable and rightful degree, but I also believe that capital ought to be protected against the unrighteous onslaughts of those who know not what they do. ”

“ Such a people as those of the South need no incentive to recognize worth wherever they see it. Mr. Plant will be royally received to-morrow, and in the closing years of his life he may well rest satisfied that a people for whom he has done so much will not easily forget it, and that his name will be remembered as one of the men who have served their time and generation, and who deserve the laurel wreath of immortality. ”

“ A few steps lead into the blinding light of the grand hall of the new hotel, a wilderness of all that is gorgeous in works of modern art. Rich furniture in gold and ebony, velvets, tapestries, grand vases of porcelain, massive figures in pottery, bronzes in groups, small and of life size, oil-paintings, works of masters, etchings, engravings, carvings, in short, countless examples of the most costly and superb art productions of the age, under a flood of light from a hundred electric bands ”

“ Life-saving stations along the coast of dangerous seas have rescued thousands of lives from a watery grave, and saved many millions worth of property. Travel by sea and land has become one of the greatest luxuries and means of education in this most enlightened century. The circumnavigation of the globe is no longer the daring feat of the skilled mariner. The human race is coming closer together, and is massing into cities. ”

“ The mind of man cannot measure, nor can the tongue of man describe, the practical good your energies have accomplished. The Plant System, consisting of many thousands of miles of telegraph, express, railway, and steamship lines, founded by your genius, is a monument to your memory more lasting than brass and more enduring than marble. ”

“ If in the ecstacy of a first impression I likened this to a palace of Spain that Ponce de Leon might have dreamed of, I had no retraction to make when the second day of my visit came and I saw it with modern surroundings of railway and steamer—it is a palace still, and more of that than the hotel, and in its appointments more like a gentleman’s residence on a scale exaggerated to positive magnificence—totally unlike any other, and it is no disparagement to any to say it is the most unique in the world—I was about to say of its kind—it has no kind ”

“ Plant’s love of music, in a man of his years and busy life, is remarkable. He says: “Music rests me, and helps me to sleep when I retire for the night, while I find it a great enjoyment in my waking hours. It is medicine to me.” Hence he is often seen spending the last hours of the day in the music room of the Tampa Bay Hotel, enjoying with the guests the delightful music rendered with such exquisite taste by the skilled orchestra. Mr. Plant is familiar with the best of the modern operas as well as with the finest classical music of the past. ”

“ What estimate can be made of the damage to commerce, the disorganization of labor, the demoralization of the laborers, the families broken up and scattered, the hate and bitterness engendered? The corporation, therefore, that can co-operate peacefully with its working force adds much wealth and moral progress to the nation, as well as legitimate profits to its own treasury, and comfort, well-being, and happiness to its employees. There is mutual advantage on both sides, and far reaching and beneficial influence on all sides. ”

“ Plant is one of those remarkable men who master all conditions and create environment. He is a builder—a creator. A whole State blossoms at the touch of his magic wand. Thousands and tens of thousands bless him that he uses and does not bury his talents. Long may he live—an example to all young men, an inspiration to investors, a true, a loyal, and a royal friend of the South.”
Surrounded by many of his friends and associates, who had assembled to pay their respects, Mr. Plant’s anniversary was most auspiciously ushered in by the foregoing remarks of a representative of the Atlanta people. ”

“ As years rolled by, however, there sprang up among the people of some sections an unexplained feeling of hostility to corporations—a sort of antagonism to capital—which has worked its way like a devouring worm into the politics of the nation, and which, in recent years, has well nigh sapped the lifeblood from many of the leading railway systems of the country, by plunging them into such a complicated pool of injurious legislation as to land them on the dangerous shores of bankruptcy. ”

“ 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. ”

“ The Plant System ships have ploughed the Gulf of Mexico and spanned the Caribbean Sea, and have brought health and happiness to many homes over which bereavement and sorrow were hovering like the black angel of death. ”

“ Plant stands foremost as a developer, and that while honor is due him for the creation of so much wealth, for the integrity of his life, for the energy with which he has built up the country, yet it is as a public benefactor and as one who has contributed vastly to the possibility of such an Exposition being held in the South, that he will be spoken of to-morrow. ”

“ Hence the luxuriant hotel, with all its home comforts, its artistic adornments, and its princely entertainment, beauty for the eye, music for the ear, feasting the æsthetic while feeding the materialistic nature of man. All this enjoyment, while a soft, balmy air is breathed beneath a clear, blue sky, and while the invalid is bathed in the bright, warm sunshine of a southern clime, induces repose, peace, content, happiness, and health. ”

“ 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. ”

“ There must be justice and consideration for the workman from the employer, and there must always be justice and appreciation from the workman to the man who gives him work,—mutual interest, benefit, and advantage. It is greatly to the credit of the Plant System, that the public has never suffered inconvenience in travel from strikes among its large working force, that the men{152} have not suffered in person or estate, and that the company has been saved losses and crosses from this hydra-headed monster, “Conflict between labor and capital.” ”

“ In our Wisconsin number we gave the life-history of one man who, beginning as a farmer’s son, had, by his energy, ability, and integrity, come to occupy a position of great power, wealth, and usefulness, and we emphasized the point, that, while he had been wonderfully successful, his highest claim to our admiration, lay in the fact that, whenever the opportunity offered, he had sought the prosperity of the nation, the state, or the city of his adoption, and had made his own gain and increasing wealth subordinate to the public weal. ”

“ No more important day will be celebrated during the present Cotton States and International Exposition than to-morrow, which has been set aside in honor of Mr. Henry B. Plant, the head of the great Plant railway and steamship lines. The importance of the day will spring not only from the successful life of which Mr. Plant is an example, but from the fact that above any other man living he represents the great industrial revolution which has come over the face of the Southern States, and which marks the success of free over slave labor. ”

“ 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 ”

“ It is not to be denied that this Tampa Bay Hotel is one of the modern wonders of the world. It is a product of the times. It illustrates the age, the demands of the people, what they enjoy, and what they are willing to pay for. ”

“ It is not known that the noted physician had ever seen the Bishop’s question when he wrote: “Were I sent abroad to search for a haven of rest for tired man, where new life would come with every sun, and slumber full of sleep with every night, I would select the Gulf Coast of Florida. It is the kindest spot, the most perfect paradise; more beautiful it could not be made, still, calm and eloquent in every feature.” This was said by Dr. Long, an army physician in charge at Fort Brook, Tampa. The power of the fine arts over the mind, and of the mind over the body, are demonstrated facts. ”

“ Surely the very presence of so many of your community’s worthy citizens, your city’s leading business and professional men, who have rendered the further compliment of bringing with them their charming wives and daughters, would of itself inspire any man, who is not insensible to the impulse of gratitude, with a feeling of gratification and deep appreciation for the compliment it conveys. It pleases me to see so many of the ladies of Ocala here to-night, for their charming presence lends beauty to the brilliant scene and makes all the more enchanting this hour of pleasure and promise. ”

“ There can be but little success in any effort to accomplish good, in this age, without union. This Exposition could not have been created and carried on, could not have presented the grandeur it does now, except through the combination of capital and the energy of men of enterprise. Look at the States that are represented here. We see not only many of the States of the United States,{217} but also many foreign States as well. I find the Central American Republics are represented here; those unions that are dependent upon the voice of the people for their government are here. ”

“ In congratulation upon the continued prosperity of Ocala, despite the recent chilling frosts, which seemed well-nigh to sweep away your beautiful orange groves and blight the interests of your agricultural community, I wish to say that it is pleasing to me to observe the undaunted pluck and courage of your irrepressible and{90} invincible people, who, never swerving from the duties of citizenship, have set about the arduous task of building up again the agricultural and industrial interests of this region of Florida, with a newness of life and a heartier zest. ”

“ The commercial and industrial occupations from which a nation now derives its strength should be honored as truly as the military exploit, or the scientific achievement. The record of a noble life which, in its sphere of quiet duty, has accomplished much for the good of others, is a lesson in patriotism and a legacy to posterity. The best period of the history of the Cotton States could only be written by taking into account the share which the subject of this biography has had in their development. ”

“ The Plants of Branford were a good family, and they have always borne a high reputation through the eight or nine generations which have elapsed since they first established themselves in Branford. They were intelligent, thoughtful farmers, industrious, sound thinkers, orthodox in faith, and leading those quiet country lives, of which the old New England towns presented so many examples. The village minister was a man greatly reverenced by all his people, and if a youth of more than ordinary promise could be instructed under his direction, it was something to be proud of. ”

“ In 1831, a dozen families around Fort Dearborn formed the nucleus of the present city of Chicago. Minneapolis this summer removed its first house, built in 1849, to a more convenient place, to be kept as an heirloom of that city of phenomenal growth. With the increase of wealth, large fortunes have been accumulated and have enabled their earners and owners to build the large railroads which have done so much for the development and progress of the country; to lay ocean cables, and work large mines, providing work and wages for millions of men. ”

“ This self-control is joined with great fertility of resources, great charity for the peculiarities of men, and withal a kindliness of nature, a disposition not to hurt any one, that have enabled him to render services to his associates and to his country that may not now be told, and perhaps will never be known until the great day when the “cup of cold water” shall be rewarded. Mr. Plant is never in a hurry, much less is he ever flurried, chafed, or worried about anything. All he does is done deliberately, systematically, easily, and once done it seldom or never has to be gone over again. ”

“ I went over to the palatial Tampa Bay Hotel, an enterprise of Mr. Plant, and the completion and furnishing of which, preparatory to its opening in two or three weeks, Mr. Plant has been personally supervising. I found him and a portion of his family at breakfast in his private car, in which he was to start north in the afternoon for a brief stay before coming down here for the winter. Mr. Plant is always approachable, genial in his manner, ready to talk about people and their prosperity, but not of himself or his. No one can accuse him of egotism. ”

“ Probably the most marked feature in the education of our time is the throwing open the doors of so many colleges and universities to women. These have flocked thither to take equal stand with the men, who have had a monopoly of these privileges since colleges and universities were founded: and they have entered the learned professions of medicine, law, and divinity, professions once thought to be forever barred against their sex. ”

“ The business office occupies the smallest corner, as if it was of the smallest importance in a hall so replete with ornament and so devoted to comfort and luxury. The telegraph and ticket offices are also in the rotunda, and everything that pertains to the more prosaic business ideas—but they do not intrude upon the dreamy existence that obtains from the antique surroundings. ”

“ The hallowed influence of that sacred hour has never been effaced through long years, in the whirl of business, in the varied conflicts incident to a public life, in close contact with civil war, within sound of the booming cannon, and the groans of the dying, away in far distant lands, and on stormy seas. ”