Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1880-01-23
ADay and Night in Geneva

A DAY 5aif0N1SnG IN Geneva.
The first thing that attracts ones atten-
tion on entering this thriving little village,
is the soldiers and sailors monument late
ly erected on the public square-or more
properly speaking, public triangle, nearly
a the centre .of the business part of the
town, and very nearly at the junction of
Broadway with Main street; occupying
the acute angle on the southwest corner.
The bronze eagle mounted on a sandstone
shaft, some thirty-fve feet high, I-should
judge,loOks -fercely down North Broad
way, and with pinions half extended,
seems about to tske-its flight over the blue
waters Of Lake Erie, perhaps, however, it
is only aIighting. On either side of the
shaft stands a pedestal, some five feet
high, on which are to rest life size bronze
statues of a soldier and sailor.
These are not placed yet, but we under
stand will be by the first Of next month.
1t is little puzzling to understand just
how they will be faced not to be too con
spicuous in the rear, unless they turn their
backs on the shaft. Then they will, very
likely, be square with the world and out
ofsquare with every thing surrounding
them. What a pity, that in such an en-
terprising town, land should be so very
scarce that no more suitable situation
could be found for erecting so imposing a
structure. But they say it is even SC.
The G. A. R. of this place, who have
been chiefly interested in having this
monument erected, have secured it only
after a fierce and protracted struggle.
Attempting to raise a fund of something
more, than three thousand dollars, by tax
alton of town property for that purpose.
The legal questions involved in it, are still
pending in the supreme court of the State.
but the money has been. levied and paid
into the Treasury, and, the monument
built and paid for So the. supreme court
candecide the legal points in the case at
their leisure. After two years, there will,
probably, not be aperson in town that
ever voted against the tax, or in any man
ner opposed the erection of the monument,
or declared it unconstitutional N tenn
peranee meeting - y -.'''.'
But the chief point Of interest in the
town, from a business stand point, is its
rapidly growing manufacturing enter
prises. The Tool Company with its one
hundred busy working g-men-the Enter
prise with thirty men-the Western Lock
Company, with its fifty and prospective
one hundred laborers,. turn. out throng
at Close Of day; that fill the streets as
homeward bound they wend their way,
with dinner pail in hand. ,3AA -
Last though not least comes the Geneva
Sewing Machine Co, with sixty thousand
dollars or thefeabouts, subscribed and
directors elected. The little tempest in
a teapoto nearly. over as to. contract with
Superintendent Tarbox, the inventor of
the machine, and prospective location of
the establishment. These questions, al
most of necessity, ruf1ed the surface a
'little.d While the main project moves for
ward almost with certainty of success.
The business men Of Geneva, mean bust
ness, when they put their shoulder to the
wheel. A few days more and the Sewing
Machine Co. will be fixture. Then the
dispatch and certainty with which the
press ofthe town fixes up things in general,
helps amazingly to regulate the political
machinery, not only of the county and
and district, but of the State and nation as
well. r.. .'l---@ t- 4si1
They have already determined tile
question as to the Republican candidacy
for the next President, so that the CleTe-
land Herald is entirely satisfied with their
declarations. The Express has declared
its preference for candidate to Congress
from this district, while the Times, more
wary, is waiting future development, be-
fore taking sides between two reputable
candidates that this county is capable of
presenting to the Convention-,to say
nothing of the lesser lights that would
/ fain aspire to the position ifthere was any
prospect Of winning. Very likely when
the reports are all in from the rural dis
tricts, the other paper will declare what
its convictions were all the time.
What surprised US most, however, in en-
tering the business part of the village, was
to find West Main street canal entirely
free from water There must have been
some break in the dixie, OF the Iockage
much out Of repair, to have left this street
as dry as a bone, amid the disolation of
mud to be found on nearly every other
street in the corporation. There must
have been some, remissness with the au-
thorities Of the place, that has left this
street in such miserably dry state, much
to the disparagement of business in this
part Of town. Business men are compell-
! ed to plOd along on foot TO and from their