Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1889-03-20
The Detroit Free Press DiscOurses
About Alpena Citizens.

Circuit Judge r. j. Kelley, of Alpena,
is one Of the famous men Of Northern
Michigan who wear a reputation that is all
wool and considerably over yard in width.
He is at present upon the bench and is
daily adding fresh laurcls to the collection
already i'm store. He is Republican pol
itician of renown, and is said to be one of
the most brilliant orators in the State.
When he rolls up his sleeves and performs
his great Cicero act in holly contested cam
paigns, the earth trembles. He is also en-
dowed with an inexhaustible flow of Irish
wit which serves to fill up good many
yawning chasms in cases Of emergency.
Judge Kelley is still comparatively young
man, and people in his neighborhood are
sitting up nights to note the unerring pre-
cision with which he is getting there"
He registered at the Cadillac yesterday as
halfway station in his pilgrimage TO
Lansing. His mission to the State capital
is exceedingly fishy in its general character.
He proposes to do his level best to lobby
through the pending bill which shut out
fishing in the inland Michigan lakes during
the winter months.
81 am on my way to New Orleans" said
j. f. Field, a popular and wealthy Alpena
druggist, leaning comfortably back in a
Cadillac hotel Office chair last evening,
with the air of a man who proposed to get
Just as much pleasure and comfort out Of
life as possible 81 shall remain in the
south until about May LIST. Ny wife is
with me and we shall go down the Ohio
and Mississippi rivers by boat When we
return, it will be by way of Washington.
The trip will be purely one of pleasure.
We always go somewhere every spring. but
this will be our first southern trip. As a
stanch Republican, shall carefully study
the political problem down that way"
as Alpena a good location for the drug
business" was asked.
"Well, / have no fault to find" was the
smiling reply. 81 have been in business
there for sixteen years, and done very well.
Our business is largely retail, although we
sell a good many goods at wholesale in the
course of year. One.peculiar feature of
the business in our locality is the goods we
sell to the lumber camps. The foremen
lay in big supply of all sorts of patent
medicines, bought by the dozen or gross,
and find ready sale for them. Their or
ders are frequently repeated as often as
every two weeks. They buy goods, too
that retail as high as Sl.25 and $3.50 per
bottle. The varieties embody chiefly pain
panaceas and cough mixtures. This proves
that when man acquires the habit of
taking medicine il is difficult for him to
refrain from it, even when under the health
giving influence of the pine woods. i
would rather have the patent medicine
trade of one big lumber camp than that of
any village drug store in northern Michi-
gan"
"What will merchants up that way do
when big lumber camps are thing of the
past?"
80, then we arc all going to pitch in and
raise wheat" replied Mr.. Field briskly."
There is no better soil for that purpose in
the entire State than that which lies around
Alpena. 1t is limestone in character, roll
ing, sandy and fertile. The man who says
northern Michgan's only resources lie in
timber and mineral wealth does not know
what he is talking about. When the tim
Der is gone, the citizens of most localities
will be able TO turn their attention to agri-
culture with most gratifying results"