Telegram-herald., 1890-10-19
PERTINENT THOUGHT
The City OF Grana Rapids Ought 10
be Doomed.
FOR TIL GOOD OF CITl AID ClTlIEsS
kafioHai sakKsstisas a. - ths Basfaess
f0sslbilitisS- Ehs Prosa sss "a the
Iatars aaa how Thss Ars
- be Realized

E itul Il ought u oe boCmtl Tor I0e ely =
and the citizens good Tie pos ton
4 which il presently ocoUp.es Is tiszf OF =
furniture city. Tbs position i has
( held for one score and ten years. aud
/ this position il VII continue TO hold as
long a. tie trade Of me country az
+ large Wlll favor lt, OF untll some other
center OF furniture Vii press nt eetter
advantages. The record Of toe past Is
! a ready written, and Is beyond possihll-
( ity OF question. The pgom.ss of the
I future depends on tie actions of It's
! citizens. Grand Rapids vii grow And
/ prosper 10 trade, Industries and wealth
/ ln exact proportion as It's citizens dfeCt.
/ Even now other and smaller cities Sre
claiming rivalry, and they are most
/ ambitious IN IneIr efforts
! The construction OF each additional
/ railroad the hullaing OF eacn new fac
/ tory. each step onward IN development
( OF Whatever k4nd or nature u NAV ue,
sweiis the stream OF Grand Rapids
I trade and commerce, anu increases IT,
/ wealth. But what the future Will be,
/ IS not u matter of talk alone. The
! position OF Grand Rapids as railroad,
7 manufacturing, commercial and imam
I clal center Will be the result OF CON-
! blned anu harmonious work TO- grand
results.
Bring the waters, and with tho waters.
+ the trade and commerce OF the entire
/ country 10 our gate, and We Will con-
1 tinue to grow and prosper. Fal IN
/ tins. aud We will soon be numbered
among the have beens. Grand IA pids
/ should be reached hy all classes OF YES
! sells, from all parts OF the country along
/ the lakes and rivers. These adyan-
tages appear plainly enough by mere
/ reference TO an ordinary map of this
+ LOCALITY, but the more this valley is
/ studied in detail the more prominently
/ the advantages of the position OF Grand
Rapids will appear.
| The man cause OF the growth Of the
/ Valley City, and that winch has given
! IL its position of "Western Michigan 5
metropolis" is the trade and COM
| merce which naturally centers here,
and were thero no other evidence OF
/ the solid foundation on which tire posi-
| ton of our city rests, save only It's fur
niture trade, ,sand. the growth of that
trade, this alone should he sufficient
to set at rest forever the Ques-
| ton of the future of tins
city, to the country at large, II We hut
! go forward as we ought. Resting on
this foundation, Grand Rapids has at
| tracted those who were Interested IN
wood work, and in search of openings
| in this particular line of legitimate busi-
ness, and "a consequence, q spirit OF
| conservatism prevails which has dis
couraged al forcing of other business
| enterprises, or values, and so kept well
| within the bounds of actual present de-
| mands. 1t can not be doubted that
his spirit of conservatism has not At
| times gone too fsr and held back
where 10 go forward more RAPIDLY,
would have been far TO our advantage,
| because more nearly meeting the de-
mands OF the situation and time, and
! it is probable that had there been a lit-
tie more of that spirit. which anticipates
the future, and therefore fully pre-
pares TO meet it when IL comes, indeed
aids It's coming, Grand Rapids might
| have had at TINS time population OF
one hundred thousand, If not one hun
| dred and twenty-five thousand and
| even more, and q trade and commerce
double that which II now has. Have
we not gone too slow for our own
good?
AS with trade and commerce. go with
manufacturing the past has TINS far
fulfilled the promise made 10y the adj
| vantagcs created by nature, and is a
| guarantee of what the future might
bring forth, if properly encouraged.
/ Until within tho last few years the
! country was perhaps too new, too
/ Sparsely settled, 10 support manufac-
turing on large scale, and the knOwl-
edge and skill necessary 10 make i
highly profitable have bat Just COM
menced % follow the general tide OF
immigration. But Grand Rapids is ai
present the chief center of furniture
manufacturing yet lt must not be con.
tented with tins, Tor wood VIII not al
ways be with us, and t will become 80
solutclv necessary 10 introduce other
/ enterprises. or be outdOne by our neigh
I boring cities and towns.
In manufacturing industries. a. in
trade, the period Of great and rapid
growth has bat Just begun. and we
I must hold ont inducements in order GO
secure our share. Advance N real g.
tate values is the eveT-pTescnt attendant
on the growth OF cities. IN trade, p0pu.
lstion and general prosperity. Grand
+ Rapids should nOt prove All exception
TO the general rule. As the haml
/ grows 20 the village. and the village t0
the city. real estate advances in value
/ IN exact proportion to it. income-pro-
/ duCipg power. AsimpT8ved snd made
4 available for use as business or RESI-
1 dence property. and as tie growth j.
( steady and sure, 50 vii be the advance
/ in tbe value n our surroundings Iu
common with other cities. Grand
/ Rapids has hsd seasons when real e.
. tate wa slow OF sale. hut Al no fn1c
I have prices ever been rnn up beyond
/ sCtual values. Atthc present time real
estate - keeping steady pace with The
general growth of tbe IS. and "a tae
. cry grows more RAPIDLY and substan.
italy both la trade. u auHfatturus (
and population, So wl real estate
values advance IN pron rfion. Never
before has such an opportunity offered
itseIf for go01 investments - uoW j 4e
rrices sre ahsolntely los. compared
wth other cites.
Whsle the appearance of orr bHsiness
and rTer portion Of the cfv ves to
strangers a erode ard uuhH saed ~.
aearauce. Grand Esnes can ~ made.
ana should be made. oes f1l 40
attractive cifv N5fa sol8 b. g fus
ness blocks good ste0e ssfwa X enl
well paved streets. ksrf esesu. orr cts
can he naads 90 corpsrs favoTs =
18th rlost ct.ss of - ere Wlth ueees-
saFV fU1rrcVen erts u11e ~ ce
ton wfh ia acat ca sn3 s1rr0ua5 nEs
f can - uafe ore 81 TIE n10af de-
srate residence pieces Whst fhs
peoo9e q ctaef rtes rave sccu
3 she'd. Grand Rsp1ss esn and oHgt'
81 aren-rr. sr