St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-09-29
SAINT PAUL.
THE MIDWAY DISTRICT.

A Manufacturer Tells Some Plain
Facts and Calls Down an Organ
and Clique.
To the Editor of the Globe
Is the editor of the Pioneer Press
going daft? He seems to get farther
and farther away from the line of rea
son daily. In. this mornings issue he
has this to say:
1t is not of the least importance, 1t does not
have q feathers weight. whether new in
dustry in either city is situated toward or
away from the other. + Nor does it
make the slightest difference, except in the
matter of convenience. whether this growth
is around Merriam and ST. Anthony Parks or
whether it is hveliest at South st. Paul or
North ST. Paul, on our part, and at Fridley
or st. Louis Park on the part of Minneapolis.
1t is fair to presume that the editor
intended to convey the idea that fac
tory or industry which could be con-
Quoted successfully at any one of the
locations named was of as much bene-
ut to Its city as if operated at another.
10 very limited extent that may be
true; but, If it is of any Importance to
st. Paul or Minneapolis that their man-
ufacturlng institutions should be sue
ceSsful-and no one would attempt to say
that it is nOt-then it is vitality essential
that they should be favorably located.
Very few manufacturers can afford to
ignore home market of 800, 900 people,
or to leave one end of such market to
competitors while it WanderS off into
the woods of North ST. Paul, or into the
farms of ST. Louis Park looking for a
little cheap land and a bonus. | in
close my card. AS you will see, | am
member of a st. Paul institution. We
pay our taxes to and our men are helps
to the census enumeration of that city.
Our plant is between it and Minneapo-
lis. We sell about one-third of our out
put in Minneapolis and st. Paul. Min
neapoliS takes from US fully 50 to
st. Paul's 81. If there is an institution
at North st. Paul or st. Paul Park, or
South st. Paul or in the city proper
that can ay as much for Minneapolis, |
should be glad to hear from it.
If your chamber of commerce would
crawl out from under the wings of
Messrs. DriscOll. Castle, Stone ana M Or
ton, and do little thinking and actin g
without the permission of any of that
quartette, / for one believe the city
would soon feel the benefit of the change.
The place for locating factories (the
Pioneer Press Notwithstanding is at
some point economically accessible to
both cities. Minneapolis people realize
that, and want to get at the Transfer,
but cannot we'll do so and still be in
their own city. st. Paul people, under the
influence of Il gang of real estate Specu-
lators (they are that or nothing) strenu-
Ously and persistently ignore the Min
nesota Transfer and its phenomenal
advantages OF location and shipping
facilities. Having gobbled up the land
all round it. st. Paul can follow out this
course If she sees any advantage in it.
TO those who are diSintereSted, it ap-
pears to be the wasting of a great Op-
pertunity. What would Chicago give
to-day for such a freight clearing house
as the Minnesota Transfer in her
midst, and what would factory sites be
worth adjacent to it? These are queS-
tionS we'll worth the consideration of
st. PauPs public-spirited citizens. In the
past two years Minneapolis has pro-
crossed IN many ways. Notably she has
established an extensive and sue
ceSSful car works; a piano factory; has
brought In large amount Of English
capital there-the mill syndicate: has
increased her lead as a wheat market;
maintained her position in the prOduc-
ton of flour; added to her Importance
ly enlarged her jobbing interests, and,
thanks to this same DriScolI-Castle
party, has proved beyond question that
she is some 10000 in population ahead
of the older city. Can st. Paul say
that she has done as well in
thd same time OF even that
she has held her own? 1 doubt it, and
yet have no pessimistic views in regard
to the future of the city. You may not
agree with these remarks or think them
suitable for publication, but the facts
will remain, and the day is approaching
rapidly when results will follow. 1t
cannot be very long before the Midway
district is recognized as the only proper
location for factories seeking a market
in either city. When the day comes it
will be cause for amusement to re-
member that but recently men of affairs
in st. Paul deemed it for the interest of
that city to pay large salaries to officials
whose only duty seemed to be to import
bankrupt industries from other COM
munities, and to locate them at out-of-
the-way places where, from the very
nature of things, they must almost in
evitably fail. MANUFACTURER.