Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1882-05-11
HE REPORTER.
Official County Paper.
Grand Rapids, May IL, 80.

We believe in speaking and writing
about the interests and advantages our
city offers to settlers, and men of cap
ital, but when representative men as
Mr. McGlachlin, of the st. Point j Jour
nal speaks of our city as he does in
the following fattering terms, it is bet
ter to publish neighbors opinions than
those of ourselves, therefore we
give the following, he says:
GRAND RAPIDS
We don't know whether Hamacker
and Sanborn went down to Grand Rap
ids with us last Monday. or whether
we went with them. 1t is matter of
no great consequence anyway. We
all got there at the same time, and
took dinner at the Roche House.
The table at the hotel wasn't ''groan-
ing under all the delicacies of the
season. and we didn't see that the land
lord was working himself into a pre-
mature grave, in his efforts to make
his guests comfortable. Although a
country editor, we don't run across as
many groaning tables or obsequious
landlords, as good many of our breth-
rem do. Not but that the dinner and
the landlord at the Roche were all
right, for they were. In fact we ate
until ad-monished by Hamacker and
sanborn that we might cause famine.
Then we deposited so cents with the
landlord. Which was just as it should
be. And right here we desire to say
that if all country editors would pay
their hotel bills when travelling, the
same as white folks, and stop those
silly, asinine puffs of every hash house
on the route, it would look good
deal better. If an editor can't pay
for what he wants to eat when travel
ing he might better either remain at
home or do as others do-apply to the
poor commissioners for support. But
what we started out to say was that
we found that our neighbors at the
Rapids have been bracing up consider
BILE during the past few months. Ev-
licences of spirit of improvement and
faith in the future Of the city are to
be seen in many places. The new
Court House has just been completed,
and occupied by the county Offices
Judge Park is now holding the first
term Of court therein, commencing
last Tuesday. The building is one of
the finest in Northern Wisconsin 1t
is built of red brick with stone trimm-
ings and cost about $4,000. Work
on the new pulp mill of Hide & Cole
is pressing favorably, and will soon be
in full blast. That it will prove a
good thing for this city and surround
ing country there is no doubt. A
Touring mill is also going up near the
pulp mill; also a foundry and ma
chine shop. Other Improvements were
also noticed in different parts of the
city and, as we said before, Grand Rap
ids seems to be awakeing to new
business bife. They have an immese
water power, and if they can get map
ufactories started they will have live
place. Of course we called at the
printing Offices. Everybody thinks that
everybody else has pleasantcr bust
ness than his own, still if man takes
a vacation and goes to another town,
ten chances to one, among the first
places he visits will be the same branch
of business he is himself engaged in.
IF merchant, he wants to look
through the stores. If blacksmith,
ne looks upon his fellow craftsmen.
If lawyer, he goes to a law office,
and SO on. So strong is the feeling
that we really believe that if a dyna-
mite maker should by chance wander
back from heaven to earth, am ong the
first places he would visit would be
factory where that dangerous work is
going on. At the Reporter Office we
found the Fontaine brothers with their
sleeves rolled up, doing their own work.
They are evidently willing to work for
a living, and we were glad to see evil
dences in their office that their indus
try was meeting with proper rscogni
ton and reward. We dropped in to
see Jack Brundage, but found that he
had started for Dakota that morning.
Jack has hardware store out there,
and when he is absent the interests of
the Tribune are looked after by one of
his sons.