River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-08-07
THE PRESS CONVENTION.

cOllSln leTeSS ASSOCIATION Tor the pres
ent year was held at West Superior
last week, opening on Tuesday morn.
ing. July Goth and closing on Wednes'
day, the 30th. The first session was
held in the reading room of the West
Superior Hotel, where the annual ad.
dress was delivered by Il. j. Price, OF
the Hudson Star and Times, president
of the association. During the after.
noon of Tuesday delightful steam
boat excursion was enjoyed by the
members of the association present,
and in the evening a formal reception
was given the visitors in the Grand
Opera House, a fine brick and stone
edifice now receiving the finishing
touches. The address of welcome,
consisting of few litly chosen re.
marks, was delivered by Mayor Patti
son, in which he rendered to the quill
drivers the freedom of the city, the
cordial welcome of the Mayor being
Shaw, of the Crandon Republican.
Then followed speeches by Gov. w.
d. Hoard, Mayor Geo. w. Peck, of
Milwaukee, and others, after which
an adjournment was taken till the fol-
lowing day.
Wednesday forenoon was occupied
by the visitors in railway excursion
around the city for an inspection of
the leading industrial plants, at the
conclusion of which the citizens of
Superior rendered the press people a
grand banquet which reflected great
credit upon the generous hospitality
of the enterprising citizens of the
coming metropolis of Wisconsin, a po-
sition for which the present claim of
Milwaukee will in few years be con-
tested. The banquet was spiced by
music and toasts and responses appro-
pirate to such occasions and all pres
emit felt that it was "good to be
there" The exercises at the banquet
closed the sessions of the convention
and in the afternoon at 4:30 O'Clock
those of the party who had arranged
to take the excursion to the Yellow
stone National Park boarded two
special Pullman palace sleepers, babe
their friends adieu. and started upon
their journey toward the setting sun,
those whose inclinations did not lead
them to visit the wonderland of the
Yellowstone dispensing to their re-
spective homes, well pleased with
their annual outing and the cordial
hospitality of the Superior people who
spared neither pains nor expense to
entertain in royal manner those
whom they had invited TO become
their guests.
The citizens of superior taken as a
whole are enterprising, sociable, hos
pitable, go-a.head people-just the sort
required to build up great city; the
hustIers are frank, outspoken fellows,
who freely admit that they are not
there for their health, and they never
allow an opportunity to advertise
their city to pass unimproved. In
spired by that faith all intelligent Wis.,
itors must be strongly impressed with
the substantial growth and superla-
tive advantages of their city. They are
constantly striving to attract strangers
to their gates, and very cleverly hit
upon the scheme to entertain the
"press gang of Wisconsin as sort
of ''investment" upon which large
dividends are confidently hoped for.
With the utmost Difference to that
sentiment which abhors "boom"
towns we venture the suggestion that
the city of Superior cannot justly be
classed as such. While it is true that
her growth is rapid, it is not of a
mushroom character, and the substan-
tial nature of both public and private
improvements being made there, coup
led with the peculiar conditions by
which she is surrounded, betokens an
abiding and well-grounded faith that
her future as one of the greatest In
dustrial and commercial cities in the
country is now most fully assured.
One of the most essential elements
which determine the prosperity of a
city is that of cheap transportation and
this question in its application to SUI
perior has passed the experimental
stage. Shrewd men who are Compel
ing for the carrying trade between the
Atlantic seaboard and the great north
west have fully and satisfactorily
demonstrated the fact that in the
matter of freight rates Superior is
many miles nearer Buffalo than Chica-
90 is, while she is receiving and dis
tributing point situated four hundred
miles nearer an immense area of ter
rILory heretofore tributary to the
great metropolis at the head of Lake
Michigan, thus giving the Superior
route the advantage of a saving
of 400-mile all rail haul in ad-
dition to the reduced cost of lake
freights. This happy solution of the
transportation problem means not on
ly hundreds of thousands of dollars
annually to the farmers of the north
west but gives to Superior advantages
by which she may become a great
manufacturing city - advantages of
which she very sensibly proposes to
avail herself. Her immense coal
docks, grain elevators, railroad yards.
etc., are already doing volume of
business wonderful in itself and al
ready her statisticians are comparing
her receipts of coal, grain and flour
with those of Chicago which COMPARE
sons are most creditable to Superior.
The numerous railways centering
there where the cheaper water trans
portation is met well make of her an
important wholesaling as well as manu-
featuring center, and viewed from
whatever standpoint her future bears
the most roseate hue.