Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1880-05-28
Agents for the "Teller."


We have no apologies to offer for
writing what we conceive to he the
truth in relation to the business condi-
ton of Lewiston. Others may differ
with US in this respect. II so, and
they can show that our apprehension of
the facts is not true, it is their priv.
lege, and our columns will be open to
them in xhich to expose our error.
Ask any citizen of Lewiston the ques-
ton, "Do you desire the growth and
prosperity of the placer and he will
say eyes," but ask him, "How would
you manage to secure that prosperity"
and he is either silent or ready to offer
some excuse for not putting his shout
der to the wheel to lift the place out
Of the old "rut" of business, where it
was when all man had to do to make
money was to have tent or log hut
containing few articles of merchan-
disc and await the scores and hundreds
Of customers who, from their necessi-
ty, would come from the mining dis
tricts east of Us with their bags Of
gold dust and lavish it out in exchange
for such articles as they wanted at ex-
orbitant prices. We still have those
among us who have never walked up
from the dream of those days, aud
they whine and complain because that
dream does not continue, forgetting
that those day dreams are things Of
the past, and that an entirely new
order of .hings has come over the
whole country, and that money now
must be made by stretching out our
arms in every direction and inviting
trade at competitive rates with other
towns springing up all around us. Our
day dreams for menths and years past
have been the sole means of building
up these competing towns, SO that now
We have to struggle to hold reasona-
bic share of the trade that ought Who'll
y to have remained with us, and
would have SO remained had we walked
up to our duty MS business men in
time and properly offered the induce
ments for the trade Of the whole coun.
try around ". Is not the above q
true mirror of our situation? If not,
show us wherein it is defective. Ask
the citizen Of Camas prairie and he
will tell yoa that he can trade on bet
ter terms at other points than at Lew
iston. Ask the citizen of Genesee
valley and Paradise valley, and he will
tell you that he can trade for his sup
plies at Moscow or Colfax on better
terms than he can at Lewiston. Ask
the citizen Of Anatons and the whole
Assotin country and he will tell you
that he can SO to Pataha, Dayton or
even to Walla Walla and make his
purchases and save money rather than
como to Lewiston and make his pur-
clases. But some say this is not true.
II it be not true, then why do these
citizens so to these towns and do the
bulk of their tradingl a fact which
cannot be 'gainsayed. Let any un-
prejudiced man take up the newspa-
pers of Dayton, Colfax, Waitsburg
and Walla Wslla and scan the pages
of advertisements of the business
houses and see tho Inducements and
invitations they offer for trade, and
compare them with the little small
business cards Of the traders Of this
city, and he will be convinced that the
men of those towns are counting for
the trade OF the country, and that they
are adopting the very means to secure
it. Look at the improvements they
are making in building brick mercan
tile houses, and one will see that thev
are securing the trade that they reach
out for and are prospecting, and that
others are prospering around them.
How do we compare in these respects,
although we are older by many years
and have natural advantages which
they never dreamed of possessing.
They are ready to offer inducements to
railroad men for commercial connec-
'ion With larger cities below, while We