The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-01-24
SHALL WOR7HINGION BIZ A 1nAnU
CENTRE2

CENTRE?
The ADVANCE has frequently con-
sidered this question and has urged the
fact that Worthington has an admir-
able location for doing a business ex-
tending over five or six countless
When the Fargo and Bismarck roads
are built, our facilities as distributing
point will be greatly enhanced, and
there will be no reason why Worthing-
ton should not do even 4 retail trade
extending out in all directions from
thirty to fifty miles.
The success Of 7. L. Mitchell & Go.
In building up an Egg and Butter
trade amounting to 100000 in one sea
son, and reaching out from so to 100
miles over all our lines of railroad, We
have referred to before in illustration
"Uf our point. What is true of the Egg
and Butter trade may be made true as
to other branches of business. Thus,
we claim that Worthington needs now
\ first-class dry goods house, a first
class clothing house, etc., and we mean
by first-class, a house with frst-class
goods and pushing trade out over a
number of counties. If Blake & Co.,
clothiers, of Rochester, can do a busi-
ness Of nearly a million dollars year
from that staid old city, and with not
rs good railroad facilities as we have,
why cannot a good clothing house do a
large and far-reaching business from
Worthington? If a clothing house at
Mankato can do a business over all
Southwestern Minnesota, a good house
At Worthington can build up a busi-
ness covering large area of Mime
sofa, Iowa end Dakota.
AS to a dry goods house, this will
hold true to a much greater extent.
Thousands Of dollars are sent out of
Worthington aid Mobiles county every
year for dry goods. The trade goes to
st. Paul, Sioux City, Kansas City,
Chicago, etc, simply because first-c class
goods cannot be had in this vicinity.
A gentleman recently informed us that
ut least 81 900 went out of Worthing-
ton last season for cloaks alone, and
this gentleman inquired at one of the
dry goods houses in st. Paul as to the
amount Of goods sent to Worthingt0n
last season and was informed that it
amounted to 5000 with this one house.
In the aggregate thousands of dollars
go out every year from Worthington
for wearing apparel, and what is true
Of Worthington is true of the other
towns in the region tributary to us.
The facts here stated do not reflect
in any way upon our home merchants
who are engaged III general merctan.
dising. Th7y are doing a general busi-
ness and bidding for the trade of Il
limited area. Our point is that Wor-
thington is q distributing centre and
that business men with the proper
push and capital, engaging in special
lines, can find Il good point at Worth
ington for building up a business Gov
ering Il number of counties.
HOW TO ADTERT1sD THE COUNTRY
Sheriff Miller recently wrote letter
to the Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette
descriptive of Mobiles county and its
advantages and prospects The paper
says:
Mr.. r. II. Miller, formerly druggist
and postmaster at Enon Valley, Law
renee Co., Pa, is ut present Sheriff of
Mobiles county, Minn. Sheriff Miller
is much in love with Worthington, the
seat of Mobiles county.
This reminds US that writing letters
back to your home papers is one Of the
best methods of advertising ever in.
vented. In the early days in this
county, when this was known as the
''National Colony" the editor of the
ADVANCE wrote letters which were
published in nearly 500 newspapers
We had extended letters in such papers
as the n. Y. Tribune, Boston Globe
Philadelphia Press, Pittsburgh Com
mercial, Cincinnati Gazette, Cleveland
Herald, Buffalo Express and a host OF
county papers. Our method was to
get the name of settler and the name
of his home county paper and write a
letter for him. Often the editors ol
these papers would write and request
more correspondence Of the same sort
E. F. Drake pronounced this about the
best method of advertising a country
he had heard of. AS a result we had
on the colony books the names of ovel
5000 correspondents, most of then
heads of families, who wanted to com.
to the Colony. And if the grasshop
pers and the great financial crash haG
not struck ms, Mobiles county woulc
have had 5000 settlers during the frs
four or five years after 1872.
The time has arrived in our history
when every one can consclentiousl,
recommend the country and work fo
immigration. It would pay our Boart
OF Trade to hire Secretary at regu
lar salary and keep him busy sendin,
out documents and writing letters t,
newspapers. We don't suppose tina
the money could be raised to do it now
but we say it would pay to do it.
THE WEALTH DRAGON.
Elsewhere we publish an able articl
from the pen of Mr.. r. II. Doe, O
Adrian, addressed to Professor Sumne
who has recently published work, tn
drift and tendency of which seems t.
be to excuse and defend exorbitan
wealth-getting.
Since Mr.. Doe has opened the ball
we hope to hear from others who hav
views to express on the Great Amer
ican Dragon which is swallowing u
railroads, lands, ETC., and the ''charm
OF whose eye controls Legislatures an
Governments and even holds spell