Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1881-08-04
Our Windy Neighbor.

A WANING CITY-Only few years
ago the city of Stevens Point was one
of the most fourishing and prosperous
cities of Northern Wisconsin. Grand
Rapids, one of the Oldest numbering
towns on the river, was then already
on the wane. Now, Grand Rapids is
dead unworthy to be called city,
and Stevens Point is dying Its
manufactures are still there but its
streets are deserted, its buildings are
old and delapidated and its business
enterprise is gone Year after year it
will struggle on, but it must lose
ground with every coming year. 1t
has been shorn of its strength by its
city, Wausau. A few years ago these
two cities were rivals; they are rivals
no longer Wausau, with gigantic
strides has come to the front and will
soon reach the height of its prosperity.
It, too, must go. Gradually, but
surely, the lumber manufactures are
pushing their way further up into the
pinerie8. Already our fourishing
little city has become its rival Wau-
sau must go next.-Northern Wiscon
sin News,
Hail to the prophet! He has arisen
from among the peanut stands of
Merrill and exempli6es the words of
good old DR.. Watt, when he wrote,
"Hark! from the tombs a doleful
sound" cit is the voice of one crying
in the Wilderness" who talks with a
froward mouth, but in the greatness of
his folly has gone widely astray The
young man who penned the above"put
his foot in it" and it wasn't very
small foot either, if we may judge from
the tracks. Both Grand Rapids and
Stevens Point are able to take
care Of themselves. If the
above was meant in pleasantly, it
was impudent to say the least if in
earnest, the good people of Merrill
better diet the writer on oat meal and
Goldfish, until he gets wisdom enough
to stand alone, "Wausau must go
next" Oh, the impudence of peanut
stands, the cheek of tuppeny grocery
stores. When we get SO that our
prosperity depends upon one man, who
doth bestride our little world like a
Colossus. while his petty imitators
walk under his huge legs and peep
about find some cheap but transient
prosperity; when our property is sub
iect to the control and manipulation
of residents and non residents sharks
and oorruptionists; when our people
are driven to either start saloon or
hotel i'll order to make a living;
when we are forced to grovel at the
feet of milionaires and beg them to
lend the use of their names to give
credit to our boom stock; when we
are obliged to subsidize every new
conner; when we are forced to live on
a tax title foundation and pay eight
per cent. upon the valuation yearly,
as taxes; when we become reduced to
two ordinary saw mills; when is so
happens that county and municipal
affairs are run in the interest of the
few, and stealing and robbery becomes
the order of the day, we are ready
ito 60" But when the time comes,
1.-The wild fox will dig his hole un-
scared" on the sand plain where Mer-
rill now stands, and the poet who
sighed for lodge in some vast will
derness" will be able to find it among
the jack pines and poplars growing
over the grave of the city of masnif-
cent peanut stands.
\ rival? Forsooth As much SO
perhaps as a tallow candle does the
moon or lightning bug the refulg-
ence of the MONDAY sun. Put on
the breaks, sonny, or your hat soon
will be four sizes too small. The big
head is fatal disease, if taken young
= Nausea Central