Enterprise (1948)

[Music] like all the other boys they were anxious to get home town memories the waterfall that would be lit with rainbows after spring showers the bridge whose planks rattled as you hurried to the swimming hole what fun at that old swimming hole the peach pie on the back porch baked by the finest mother in the world mothers can give a magic touch to any food and can make the beautiful even more beautiful the memories summer ascent of new moon hay was sweet scuffing bare toes through soft dust of sunny roads fish in the creek always seemed so big the ones that got away memories driving with your best girl beside you riding over the sun spangled roads beside fragrant orchards out over the rolling hills remember how our teacher brought the class to this waterfall to explain that was a story of enterprise so many other stories enterprise that fired imaginations enterprise under the american system could do almost anything our town had a bright history cotton the finest cotton the very finest cotton had made buchanan prosperous for almost a century acres and acres and acres of rich soil and willing hands gave the good earth tireless care it had been generous for generations the good earth it had been generous giving cotton rich and full across our land and after the cotton was picked precious loads precious loads the price of cotton was high bales of the finest cotton sold to the highest bidder from warehouses because of cotton buchanan half a century ago had become the county seat this county building was prove its prosperity [Music] but times have changed cotton can no longer be counted on the worked out soil is no longer rich in such soil cotton will not thrive the qualities pour yield is small for those who farm cotton here these days the work is discouraging even the hardest toil brings but small return and other crops are not too plentiful because buchanan depended entirely on agriculture they were worried about buchanan on their travels they had seen what could happen to a farming town when the soil failed and hard times came and cattle felt the pinch of want this ominous sign and when trouble struck the ghost town trail was ghastly home had once been bright with paint and warm with life equipment left to rot left to rot in a ghost town ghost town skeletons crumbling away you can't dream prosperity into a town prosperity doesn't strike like lightning or come like a jump on a checkerboard you can't whittle prosperity out of soft wood santa claus doesn't bring it from the sky the federal government can't present prosperity as a gift there is no substitute for hard work and enterprise yes they were worried about buchanan there were signs of trouble ahead young folks were leaving our town to seek opportunity elsewhere there were no jobs for them here they had to go where they could find work every goodbye to these young folks was a sharp reminder to the rest of us so done something must be done rich machine remarkable ways operations were speeded up by lines of machine cost even the airplanes speeded up canned cotton fine soil benefited people everywhere but some cotton towns which could no longer count on the soil were prosperous why small town factories had brought industry small town industry had made jobs jobs paid steady wages wages brought new prosperity why couldn't buchanan attract industries no the wheels of industry had never been heard in our time industry say we built a plant here industry would come and prosperity build a plant and invite industry could we raise the money right here in buchanan why not why every man woman and well that's how it started these two boys made the first contribution and started out to raise the balance of the 36 000 door to door [Music] on the streets savings from the bank for investment in what we called the future of buchanan slowly the total claim to buchanan the young folks could find work here wouldn't be going off slowly the total climb wherever a group was talking you could be sure it had to do with fundraising securities sold to raise money would we ever make it this is an investment for your children's future here now the goal was close the youngsters shook coins from their banks this prospect finally said yes in the barber shop and then some checks and i'll never forget the cheer that went up we had collected 36 000 a bank loan swelled the total we could start building [Music] when our town mayor dug the first shovel full of dirt congratulations were hardy yes the building that would rise here would bring prosperity to buchanan for years building lines were marked out deep in the red georgia soil the foundations would be set the hopes of our people were built in with the stones and mortar as the structure rose soon the roof would cover the plant and then spring the buds then the blossoms ripe with promise our hopes were bearing fruit bright as the blossoms the new plant sixteen thousand square feet the first plant buchanan ever had but wait we had a more difficult problem we could not lease the plant the company we had counted on said no we tried others letters that came all said no no no no the situation became desperate folks began to avoid the post office at mail time we got to fearing the mail the way we did when our boys were overseas if no letter came it was bad news and if a letter did come still bad news bad news bad news bad news we all had the mailbox jitters had any possibility been overlooked wasn't there a company somewhere that would lease the plant a company interested in people who really wanted to work this factory manager in the nearby town of bremen talked to his home office in new york about that new buchanan plant and about the enterprise of buchanan people would his company lease that plant a few days later he arrived with his company's decision our committee was anxious as it greeted him the fate of our town depended on that deceit we soon knew his company was interested it was especially interested in the enterprise of the people of buchanan the good news spread quickly housewives disgusted not the final details but rather what it would mean to the young folks now they wouldn't it wonderful news they had prayed for this the good news spread rural lines were busy good news spread school children yelled and did cartwheels the way kids do to celebrate the good news spread all through the county but wait the matter was far from settled the whole town of buchanan including children had only 504 souls can we guarantee that many workers let's find thousands folks wouldn't understand how hard it was to gather 200 workers our letter to the company was a simple statement but imagine the excitement behind it willing workers ready to prove that a company should invest in a buchanan plant the day that factory opened the flag flew on the village flagpole a trademark was bright on the factory the band came over from cedartown in their new uniforms [Music] shots of school kids were as thrilling as the band music cedartown was glad to send over his band to help a neighbor celebrate yes it was as if those kids knew what all this meant for the years ahead [Music] the workers entered the factory to take their places when you give work to folks who want to work when you give it to them right in the town they love well that's it isn't it local officials cut the tape throngs of well-wishers had a look at the modern well-equipped plant all day the flag flew happily on the village flagpole to be born under that flag what a privilege in all the world how few are born into freedom freedom is a precious heritage freedom is not something that just grows in a particular soil freedom requires care and constant vigilance we spray our orchards to kill off insects and whatever else would kill the fruit and the trees liberty is the fruit of constant vigilance [Music] for those who come after us we must protect that precious heritage which includes opportunity in the free enterprise system of our country [Music] well the new factory hummed with work i wondered what went on in there so one afternoon i dropped in to see the plant manager a buchanan boy proud of his plant but prouder of the workers he showed me around what they were making is not important to this story how they made it is important the care the thoroughness attention to detail machines seemed to sing as they stitched away but the manager kept telling me machines are not as important as the people with a product like this there is no substitute for human skills the skill of hand the skill of eye and teamwork people working together are like threads in a fabric if any one thread is weak the piece is inferior no fabric can be better than its weakest thread teamwork i saw new employees being instructed friendly instruction and friendly learning teamwork and every detail is carefully inspected not just once but at every step this inspection double checks many others stitches buttons threads seams and so many other details that only the experienced eye could catch and testing the finest precision equipment that science can invent is constantly testing testing the strength of fabrics testing the strength of threads testing dozens of other testing machines each helping to maintain quality and but this is a story of people not machines people this worker is a war veteran a veteran who had been seriously wounded in action he came back to buchanan why not he'd gone off to fight for buchanan when he came back there was a job for him in his own hometown thanks to the enterprise of buchanan people teamwork craftsmanship skills care sewing on the label never mind what the label is the stitches speak for all those folks who do part to turn out a quality article as long as they do that the plant will prosper and as it prospers buchanan will prosper that's the american way and how buchanan did prosper buchanan is back on the map prosperity is evident everywhere a broad new highway to atlanta [Music] 30 new homes and others building real estate values increased 30 in one year and a fine new hospital with modern equipment a model small town hospital courteous capable personnel as you see the courthouse begins to look better than it has in a long time a brand new fire truck latest model the finest equipment [Music] police chief has a new uniform a new car and an assistant chief and we have a brand new theater our first at our new restaurant southern fried chicken is the specialty 125 new accounts at our town bank the weekly payroll makes cash registers ring at busy stores in our shopping streets let's watch and out on the farms effects of prosperity are evident [Music] and this is alta vista our community of new homes inside these homes prosperity has brought so many nice things for a silver anniversary he wanted the latest model this banishes old-fashioned drudgery housework made easy comfort in comfortable surroundings yes our folks are shopping as americans like to shop they had a right to enjoy the fruits of their enterprise to enrich their living with those things that enterprise is producing everywhere in america prosperity brought uniforms for the local team the coach is whit wyatt a buchanan boy who won fame in a world series remember whit is explaining the fine points of the game baseball is the american game whether on a sand lot like this or inside a big league stadium this is where whit wyatt was a world series hero americans cheer the american game the keynote of that game is enterprise be alert advantage of every opportunity make every pitch count teamwork obey the rules play the game whether in the big league stadium or on the sand lot the american game [Music] after 12 busy months the first anniversary of the new plant a celebration at the plant company officials from new york to pay tribute to the spirit of our people to their enterprise i salute you as fellow americans this simple comment of the prominent new york official was the keynote of our celebration the largest cake ever see buchanan and members of the clothing workers union were hostesses as employees and guests were served [Music] as part of the anniversary celebration silver dollars were used we wanted to learn how much of the weekly payroll was spent in buchanan and how many local purchases were made with the same dollars so on payday a bag of silver dollars was given to each employee and the silver dollars were traced to points of use most of the silver dollars were spent in local stores many were deposited at the local bank for insurance and savings so that dear ones would be protected one day i went to the plant with a question about the company the manager pointed to pictures on the wall of his office this plant is one of seventeen there are over ten thousand employees yes mark on articles at all these plants yes the same policy at all the plants the company had grown through almost 100 years you could trace its growth in those pictures of 17 plants it started in troy new york the first plant was even smaller than our buchanan plant but it grew that map shows how many states have the 17 plants when you make a better quality product and sell it at a price which more and more people can afford to pay you must grow bad i watched the day's work is done employees are leaving for their homes to enjoy what their work has provided when you give folks work in the town they love and make that work have a meaning well that's it yes that's buchanan down there in a small town you can get a better understanding of how enterprise works can't you that building on the left of the blue roof is the plant that the enterprise of my hometown people built sure but the same kind of enterprise built america and keeps america great in the small town or the big city the site of the big city was once rock bound coast dandy look at it now here's marvel at the greatness of our country asking why is america great the answer is liberty and remember it is here our lawmakers see to it [Music]