Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-01-18
THE TWIN CITIES.
THE RIVALRY BETWEEN ST. PAUL
AND MINNEAPOLIS.
Loftiest Scorn the One Hand and
Scathing Severity on the Other
The Matter of Hotels-Per-
manent Prosperity.
iSt. Paul Letter in New YMa Times. I

Almost everybody has seen plenty of ex.
amples of the rivalry which is bound tc
spring up between growing cities which are
situated anywhere near each other, but to
observe the thing in its highest development
one must invade the northwest and inspect
St Paul and Minneapolis. The attitude Of
Chicago and St Louis toward each other is
the merest child's play by comparison with
what is going on up at the head of Missis-
sippi navigation 1t is a neck and neck race
between these two northern cities. So close
together that they almost clasp hands, they
have been struggling to outreach each other
ever since they were first located, and
neither one has up to now gained the slight
est apparent headway over its rival The
st. Paul man refers to everything In Min
neapolis with the loftiest scorn. The Mime
apolis man speaks of the entire contents o:
St Paul with scathilg severity. St Paul
people declare that the whole Of Minneapolis
is built upon money loaned by the former
city, which processes to have a mortgage on
the whole concern. Ask any body in Mime
apols how it is that St Paul manages to
exist, and you will be told that it is simply
because the trade of Minneapolis passes
through the other city.
Although only ten miles intervene BE-
tween these two most wonderful centers of
the north, there is a pretended ignorance in
each place concerning what passes in the
other that is simply uproarious to observe.
Speak to a Minneapolis citizen Of we'll
known member Of the opposition community
and he will stare at you in an inquiring way,
which says very plainly that until now he
has never heard the name. 1t is immense.
Just now there is an angry discussion going
on through the newspapers Of the two cities
as to which place has the largest number of
school children. To read the long editorials
solemnly written on this topic one would
think the fate of nations hung upon the out
come. One city points with pride to the
fact that its directory contains the most
names. The answer is that the man who
compiled the volume had eminent gifts as a
writer of fiction, but small regard for the
undrsssed truth. So 1t goes all the time, and
if either city could absolutely prove that 1t
had outgrown Its neighbor by 1000 souls,
there would be a condition of simply beatific
joy in that particular quarter.
This hot rivalry between the places named
is productive of many things which are
mainly beneficial to both cities Whenever,
in one of the two centers, q capitalist builds
a structure finer than any that has pre-
viously been erected, some other capitalist
in the other city Immediately sets out to
'top" him The warfare is just now closed in
upon two immense hotels A millionaire
named West, living in Minneapolis, and de-
sirous Of perpetuating his name, started in
upon the construction Of q magnificent pile
which will, when completed, have cost a
cool million and half 1t has just been
opened, although it is by no means finished,
and il is unquestionably the most palatial
place devoted to this purpose in the whole
world. 1t has some 500 rooms, and such of
them as are furnished at all are
superbly gotten up Everything is done
upon scale that appears to ts
simply reckless The rotundA, which is in
the middle of the house, is vast and impos-
ing. Carriages drive up to the door under a
tremendous and massive arch Of white mar
bic. And in spite Of the fact that the house
is hardly opened and has but little trade as
yet, the clerks will put guests on the top
floor with the same inhexible equanimity
which you have probably noticed in older
and more crowded communities. The ruling
passion is strong even in new hotels. There
IS not the slightest probability that the vast
hotel will pay its own expenses for ton years
TO come. The cost Of running it is going to
he immense When the millionaire who
started the scheme had it well under way he
died and left it to his nephew, who already
owned one hotel Young Mr.. West does not
appear to he particularly pleased with the
gift of his uncle, and he is freely declaring
that unless the citizens subscribe hand
some amount to enable him to carry it on
the house he will close it up He is not likely
to be counting without his host, because the
Minneapolis people will never consent to be
sneered at by the St Paul populscs as hav-
ing made failure.
l am thus free in the description Of the
hotel because it illustrates the common feel
ing between the two cities. 1t would never
do for St Paul to let itself fall behind
Minneapolis in the matter of hotels, and thus
it came about that q millionaire of this place
uprose and girded up his loins and went out
to do the other money-king mortal battle The
St Paul mans name is Ryan, and his barrel
is apparently very deep and very well loaded
with cash. The city agreed to make him q
present Of a large plot Of land, and he pro-
ceeded to build his hotel 1t is not yet
finished but the building is enormous l
believe it is much bigger than the Minneapolis
establishment, and the contracts provide that
it shall cost several hundred thousand dollars
more than the West house in the other city.
1t is to bear the name of its builder, and will
be big enough to do the entire hotel business
of the city in which it stands. They do not
expect to open the building for the reception
of guests until the Fourth If July.
"But," observes the enthusiastic St Paul
ite, "if those Minneapolis folks think they
are going to down us, they are very much
mistaken"
Iguess they are This spirit goes through
the whole life up here. 1t is productive Of
magnificent business blocks two theatres
which are not equaled for beauty and COM
fort in any other city out of New York, and
a general alertness and springiness Of COM
| mercial sentiment which keeps everything
going at a lively gait There appear to be
reasons why both these big cities should exist
just here. St Paul is at the top of the navi-
gable current Of the Mississippi, and there
fore has position which is important to her
shipping interests. Minneapolis Possesses .
magnificent water power. and is thus
the natural point into which the
TREMENDOUS grain products Of tho north
that is to say, a comparatively old citizsn-
said to ME the other day: an fourteen
years | have seen st. Paul grow from Is, 900
people to population beyond 1OO,O 600, and
Minneapolis has kept right alongside all the
time" In this country Of rapid develop
ment this is presume, the brightest exam
pie of such things becau'e the growth of
both cities has been healthy and lasting, and
there is no relapse. In place like Denver,
| which came up with rush to fill the post OF
outftter to Leadville and other spots Of hec-
TIC growth, there is no such permanency of
prosperity as exists in connection with these
twin cities of the north. They are sur
rounded by extensive fields Of the greatest
ichncsS which do not wear themselves out.
but keep on producing in larger and larger
| mea- ure. There is much wealth in this city
unless have been going through the process
| known as being stuffed A st. Paul MAJ
told ME that the capital Of u single ban
here overtops by sl6O, 900 all the other none.
similarly invested in the whole state.
ON THEIR WEDDING TOUR.
A .Han with . BufYalo-Skin Coat Tells Hi