The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-11-25
A Few Plain w Ords.

Few Plain Words.
The slow and easy style of some of our business
men is Characteristic rather of the DAYS of stage
coaches than the age OF steam. A stranger may
look through the advertising columns of both of
the Rock Island papers in vain for the business
cards for one quarter of our business men. They
ather do not know, or else have energy enough
to avail themselves OF the benefit of advertising
and so they 60 along 'sas easy they cam salts
fed with the business which the natural advan-
age of location gives them, hardly realizing that
their trade is dropping off from day to day, while
the business men of djacent towns and their more
saterprizlng rivals at home-for we allow few
exceptions TO this rule even here-are building up
lheir own fortunes and advancing the prosperity
ofthe and cities of which they citizens.
These the men who grumble about the Rock
Island daes, and cay that they have nothing in
them, Why, gentlemen, some of you don't de-
sere VITO have monthly paper here from the pat
ronage and encouragement you give them You
are set of ''slow coaches throughout, and are
rowing slower every day, without life enough to
see it. Why don't some of you who have the
MONEY invest it IN manufacturing enterprises, and
thereby prove yourselves energetic business men
and s'public benefactors ~ Are you SO tmid
that YOU don't dare to risk your capital in some
thing that won't pay you regular s'twenty per
cent? from the time the first dollar is invested p
Why don't you convert your s'evaiable resources''
into CON, and bury 1t In your cellars7 1t would
be safe enough there, if you don't let anyone know
Here is city of nearly ten thousand inhabit-
ants and in very truth with home employment
Tor One-half of Its laborlng men and women. Ev-
ery day we say s'good bye, and God bless you'' to
Young man who goes elsewhere to seek 4
home because there is employment for him
here There not one-half OF the business done
here that there might be, and you. merchants
cOctors lawyers, grocers, prOperty-owners,
citizens who desire to sec business enough done
here TO afford him reasonable opportunity to earn
dali hrn.l nd trtt
this matter OF 'Fhome manufactures" or you will
hnd before many years that you will have nothing
TO 90 but suck your thumbs and hoe in your gar
dens.
Rock Island may be commercial point of con-
siderable Importance if the people here will only
make 1t go. Gentlemen, many OF you asleep
to your true interest. Sleep on, grannies. You
vii hnd young men building houses that will cast
shadows ever yours, from the rewards of their own
enterprise, and other cities calling off your patron
age, until you will have plenty of 'frst floors"
Piacarded ''to-let,'' and find your incomes too
small to pay your taxes.-Union 23d.
There is good deal of truth in the forego-
Ing. 1t is subject which we have been
t'klngabo for the last ten or twelve years,
and the men in Rock Island, who have mon
e. will have to act upon it or see their neigh
@rs ousrun them in the race of improve
uents. Some of our croakers say that, if the
Warsaw railroad is built; the Coal
valley road extended canal built to
LaSalle &c., &C., that Rock Island is ruined;
that II will cut off all our grain trade, &C.,
&c, But these same persons never tire in ex
t0ing the splendid grain market in Daven-
port, splendid country tributary to Daven-
port, &c, &c. Very we'll what if all Iowa
Is tributary to Davenport ?-cannot our bust
ness men take advantage of the fact? Have
they not the energy, spirit, tact, life, enter
priae, &c, &C., to build warehouses and go
over and poke among the million or so of far
mers who come to Davenport, and buy their
gram their pork, their wool, &C., &c. The
more OF it comes there the better for US, if
our people have the spirit to take advantage
ON If land Is cheaper here, rents lower,
tiFlng costs less, &C., &C., 30 much to our ad-
vantage. If ferry rates are too high-get
another ferry charter, and, by competition,
cut down the rates so that all Iowa can come
here-so it be to the advantage of the people
@come here, or to the advantage of our deal
srs to 60 there and buy up whatever comes &c
that market. In the winter we have q free
bridge, making one town of the two.
We believe the more railroads and canals
We have the better for Rock Island.
But our people should not lose sight of the
great fact that, manufacturing can be done
cheaper here than at any other point in tn,
west, and that the introduction of cotton anG
WOODEN mills will make Rock Island the grea
point, 10 this region. We have capital en-
ough here to do it. What amount of United
S'ates bonds do you suppose our banks have
sold, to residents of this city! We venture
guess that the sum will not fall much ahor
ol F~o millions of dollars! And do the msr
VINO own these bonds intend to evoid theil
snare OF taxation, and, for she want of thei,
capital and energy. allow the grass 10 grow
IN the streets Of Rock Island1 When the]
'O0k the bonds, they could plead that the,
were aiding the government to put down Oh
REBELLION. But that argument won's COG.
any longer. We know of few man in Rocl
'''aho, whs never built even carpenter
'10p' Who hA-e E.easy enough ir thoee bond
:" 0aild splaadid cotton fss.ory, aaa /.
splendid woolsp f-otory-bssh Of watch vcuI,
ras .aem more dividends saan shsy get o,