, 1888-04-12
NOW OR NEVER,


men who talk have stepped aside to,
make room for the men who work.
Our people are this day face to face
with a question which, in the calm
Judgment Of the REVIEW, is the most
important ever presented for their con-
sideration. 1t Is no longer question
OF speculation. The time TO cheer the
brilliant utterances Of the orator, or
laugh mt the Jokes Of the wag, has
gone by. 1t is direct railway commu-
nication with Seattle, or not. II is an
immediate and extensive trade with
the Big Bend country, or not. II is
to speedily place us in direct business
relations with the vast mining region
TO the west OF us, or not. 1t is, OF it.
self, and independent of all other
sources OF growth, TO add 5000 people
to this place within the next year, or
not. Enthusiasm will not throw one
shovelful Of dirt, nor pay one single
laborer for day OF toll. The question
OF the construction OF the Seattle &
Lake Shore railroad has been reduced
TO the cold, practical question Of hard
cash.
When it arrives TO the point of
planking down the coin, men always
pause. The human race Is so consti-
tuted that, with one or two notable
exceptions, it will part with anything
on earth, rather than money. At this
point the line is drawn between
friends and relatives, sympathy and
charity, and reduced to the one simple
proposition: Will it payP We now
propose 10 treat this question briefly
as business investment.
The city of Spokane Falls is al
ready supplied with business enter
prises and mercantile houses, equal to
the trade and population of the city.
If the owners OF real estate expect to
see values continue 70 appreciate, or
even maintain themselves, they cannot
fail TO realize the fact that the city
should not falter in the work OF ad-
ding 10 its substantial wealth, and
that its efforts to increase the perma-
nent population Of the place must be
untiring, and must be successful. We
do not think any man who owns real
estate in Spokane can fail to see that
the immediate construction of this
road is entitled to every dollar thai he
can advance, and that every dollar
thus expended will be certain to bring
q swift and profitable return.
The merchant who aspires to enter
the jobbing trade should give this mat
ter careful consideration before refus-
ing 10 lend the enterprise substantial aid
The REVIEW does not pretend to ad-
wise the gray-haired merchant how to
~, a Ga v,,npay. b,,t tha fade oo,,o.to.l
with the enterprise are worthy OF con-
sideration, and those facts the REVIEW
does not hesitate to give. Seattle and
Spokane are struggling for supremacy
in the commercial world. The right
arm Of comWerce is transportation.
Seattle sits by the sea, with her mag
nificent harbor and her inexhaustible
coal fields. She is handicapped, how
ever, in the work of competing for the
handling OF the products of the interior
by inadequate railroad facilities. Spo-
kane is surrounded by as fine an agri-
cultural country as the world ever
saw, while just beyond, the mountains
contain an abundant store of minerals,
which, by right of the position nature
has given us, we ought to reduce. We
see reduction works going up all
around us under the inspiration of
railroad influences. We are power
less, because we are without transpor-
tation. Without this requisite, capi-