St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1889-05-16
THERE IS ROOM AT HOME.

Governor-eIect Goodell and a score
of other citizens of New Hampshire,
went down to Fort Payne, Alabama,
and bought $4,000 acres of coal and
iron lands for three-quarters of a mil
lion of dollars. AS we understand 1t
they have not as yet done much to
develop the property in the way of
mining either coal or iron, but since
their purchase city has sprung up
on and about their lands and is now
one of the most pushing and promis-
ing towns in the South. So rapidly
has it grown and so great is the de
mand for building lots that this COM
pany has already sold enough to pay
a large share of its original invest
ment, and is likely to get its money
all back before it begins to carry out
its purpose of coming the bowels of
| the earth into cash. The bare fact
that the enterprise had behind it
Yankee capital, courage and shrewd-
ness has been enough to make 1t a
success before it is fairly started.
Last week a similar company COM
posed largely of the same men went
to Denison, Texas, and the telegraph
| informs us organized an investment
company with a million dollars CAPT
| tai, the stock of which was all sub
scribed for in seven hours. What
| they purpose to buy or have bought
we are not advised, but they I'M
doubtedly intend to repeat the Fort
Payne success and make money by
securing the development of the natu
raj resources of the section. We trust
they will not be disappointed and
know of no reason why they are l1a-
bic to be, but it occurs to us in this
connection that the surplus money
which they are investing in this way
was mostly made in "worn out New
England" and we want to suggest
that perhaps it is possible to make a
good deal more in the same place and
in the same way; that all that is
needed to boom a good many sleepy
New Hampshire towns and create
profitable business in places where
there is none now is the investment
of capital by such men as compose
the Fort Payne and Denison COM
panies Because David H. GOOdell
happened to find himself in Antrim
when he was young and ambitious,
there is now there a large and sue
cessful cutlery mandatory, which
gives employment to many skilled
workmen, makes the town lively and
strong, and saves it from the decline
and decay that have Overtaken SO
many of our farming communities.
There are a hundred other places in
the state in which such a business
could be carried on to better advan-
tage than in Antrim, which have bet
ter water powers and are more ac-
cessible to markets, but because he is
there and nowhere else, his is the on
~ industry of the kind we have in
New Hampshire, and while this
brook coins money for him and Gre
ates prosperity for the town, other
brooks tumble along unused and
other towns have no business. Be
cause Colonel Churchill's grit and go
aheadativeness was by chance lOcat-
ed in Lebanon, there has been built
up in that village an industry that
might just as well have been set in a
hundred other towns, had the right
man so willed it which furnishes
steady work and good wages to
scores of people and enhances the
vi SNNl ooNy Lie
town boundaries and contributes to
the business and wealth of the whole
state. Because Charles ]. Amidon
had the courage to build and the abil-
ity to run a wooden mill in Hinsdale,
the water power in that town is
utilized, and it is one of the smartest
and most substantial in the state
And so on of most of the others in
these Southern development COM
panies What man has done, man
can do David H. Goodell does not
made all the knives and forks, or
Frank c. Churchill all the overalls,
or Charles J. Amidon all the f1annels
that are needed in America, and if
they did, there are a thousand other
articles that are just as much in de-
mand as coal and iron, that with the
requisite capital and proper manage
ment could be produced in this state
just as we'll as are those which are
identified with the names of these
men.
In a word, there is, we believe,
room right here at home for the pro-
ftable investment of great deal of
capital, provided, of course, it is
managed by just the right men. In
the hands of any but the right men it
would be lost here just as it would
be in Texas or Alabama. Man
chester Mirror and Farmer.