Daily globe., 1879-06-23
DAMAGING A. CITY.

New YOrk-HQw Not To Ruild Up City.
To the Editor of the Globe.
ST.. PAUL, June 81, 1872.-We. have in
St. Paul, believe, business mans union,
organized to advance tho common interests
of all residents of this city. Or, rather,
suppose such is the purpose of the organiza-
ton, but cannot know, since I am of that
larger class of citizens whose public spirit
rarely needs stimulant, and who, at best or
worst, are compelled by lack of means for
doing otherwise, to give some portion of their
labor and oil of their income towards main
tanning and swelling the business of this
city, wish to call the attention of men,
bers of this business union and that larger
number of we'll -to-do citizons who do not
join business unions or do much else for the
good of st. Paul, to the lack of public spirit
which is displayed conspicuously in
ticles which might as we'll be bought
believe in both the public spirit and the wis
dom of that man who prefers to patronize
his townsmen; and much doubt either the
wisdom or the public spirit, or both, of the
man who sends bis money away from home
upon whom the value of his investments de-
pend.
Take the dry goods trade, for examples,
known throughout the city. Who are the
ladies' who send to Chicago or New York for
goods, with no other advantage to gain than
the qualification of saying, sItbought this in
Chicago" or, 81 sent to New York for this?"
Why, they are wives of bankers, whose for
tunes are derived from and whose incomes
are dependent upon the business of st. Paul.
| Wives of traders, whose husbands depend
upon the custom of St. Paul men and wo-
men. Wives of property owners,
whose all is invested in faith
in the business prosperity of ST. Paul
! wives of men who live in st. Paul, because
of the social privileges which are maintained
only by the general prosperity of the city,
and wives of many others who ought to be
ashamed of their lack of loyalty to st. Paul.
] Yet no one can truthfully say that our dry
goods merchants do not meet every demand
of season, fashion or taste, or that their
prices are extortionate. On the contrary, it
can be said truly that the most of the goods
brought here by our merchants for what
may be called the fashionable trade go to
the auction rooms at last, and that not one
of our dry goods merchants in st. Paul
would be in business to-day if his profits
| had depended, through the last six years, on,
the patronage Of those who have the most
money to spend and have spent the most.
In carpets, furniture and household fittings
| generally, as in dry goods, home
dealers have often. had occasion
to feel that they could sell to St
I Paul ladies easier and at better prices il
they only had their stores in Chicago OF
anywhere else except in st. Paul.
1 But this form of lack of public spirit is
not'pecullar to the ladies. Their husbands
manifest it even more glaringly in sending
: away from home for carriages, harness, ma
chinery, and about everything concerning
which they can exercise their preference fo1
the work of strangers over that of thei1
neighbors.. Not few of them will ever
send away for men and brains when the,
need to employ them, because they have
feeling, inherited probably from peasant an
cestry, that men and brains of the best sor
are never produced or located in their vicin
ity or among their own people.
But my bill of complaint will be too lonI
for the GLOBE if 1 elaborate its points. LIE
me ask you, Mr.. Editor, to exhort all men
and women of st. Paul to stand by eacl
other in being good friends of our city il
acts as we'll as words, that they give th
preference to our merchants and manufac
turers, and in SO doing all together do NOR
to build up the city and keep it in its right
full position as the commercial, manufac
turing, political and social capital of tn
new Northwest than can the best organize
and most Jealous Of business unions.
r.. Yours for St. Paul, D. BLUFF. hUF1F..