The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1871-08-18
COMMERCIAL JAcKsTRAWs.

The following sensible talk about
manufa uring and commercial interests
appeared lately in the Dies Moins (Iowa)
State Register, and as its suggestions
are applicable to all towns we print it
for the benefit Of ours. We adj our
readers to look at the article ce-eIully.
Substitute "Kansss" Cor 'Iowa" and
"Emporia" for "Des Meins."
IAN Intelligent gentleman, a man of
fine business reputation and large CAPT
taI, now on visit to our city, said to us:
You haVe-a fine town here, one that
is substantial aud solid now but its
greatest wealth is in the future. Yon
are building it mp well and rapidly,
but you are no: laying your foundations
so wisely as you might. You can't
make this town what you would like to
have 1t, simply with stores and Offices.
\ on hope and expect to mako it the
metropolis of Iowa. 1t will Me- er be
this, IL you continue to fashios and
build in the manner you are rsoing.
You can't be great town without the
elements that make great towns, to help
you. A portion of these, nature has
provided you with. Indeed, she has
been generous with you, exceeding
generous. But on these very things,
and your location, you are relying too
much. You are not the first town suf-
f6ring from that disease, which might
not inaptly be called COMMERCIAL con-
sumption, manifest destiHy-and if you
don mind you viii not be the last one
to die with it. More towns have died
with this disease than with any other
half dozen. I don't know, bnt
think you folks have got it
badly. think I may say ! am
sure You have. TO me the evidences
are quite plain that, while you have
done well, you have not done half so
well as you might.
You have not wrested from your SUI
perior advantages one-fourth of the
benefit that they could have been made
to confer upon son. To state with
biuntncss what / believe with all my
heart, you have all the while firmly be-
lieVed that the greatness of Des Meines
was a dead sure thing, was surely COM
ing some time, and that, in the mean
time, you could live on the profits of q
yard of calico, and bushel of grain. If
you haven't believed this why haven't
you built moro manufactures and Sc
cured more railroads? Iput manufac-
tories before railroads, and for your
town first before anything else. Here
you arc, In the centre of the finest egri-
cultural State in the Union, filed up
with class of farmers who use more
machinery than any other know of.
They pay millions of dollars every
year for this machinery. How much
Of the money would you get, could
you supply them with what they want?
Over oue-half of it. How much do you
get as il is? Scarcely any of 1t. And
yet you have every advantage for SUI
perior manufacturing point. Manufae-
tories would bring You money and
population. Start dozen factories, as
you should Immediately. Saying each
one would employ fifty hands, each one
would add 20 your population at least
two hundred persons-the twelve.
tWenty.fo1r hundred.
While these twelve factories would
bring capital here, and draw hundreds
of tho sands of dollars of trade that is
yours; us which you never get, what
would .heir six hundred laborers do
for you2 They would earn $1,000 a
week, almost all Of which would pass
into the hands Of shop-keepers and
dealers, quickening with the red
blood that viii quicken it, Sa. 4rday
night. The trouble with yon Iow is,
that it Is the many who have something
to sell, and the few who have to buy.
Hence they grumbie about the scarcity
OF money you have in circulation.
Where do you expect money TO come
from? There are hardly any of you
making anything that will make money.
You are only making per cents. on
things made by towns that have manu-
Actories. What you must do is to
make the whole dollar at home, ON your
own anvil, and then, when 1t Is put in
circulation, you will have all, and not
merely one-tenth OF its benefit. You
must some of you produce, create coin
NOT so nearly ali of you mere re-
o living and fortune by selling one
another the straw"