St. Landry democrat., 1890-04-05
How to Build q Town.

In the first place you select your loca-
tion-one that is central and the surround
ings of which abound in natural and
undeveloped resources. Not that you will
develop or need them, but they will come
handy to your grandchildren. To find
when you are at this exact center look all
round you, and if the sky shuts down
evenly you are all right and can begin to
lay the foundation of your shanty, which
future generations are to point out as the
home of Colonel Hopeful, the oldest in
habitant.
Having broken ground you can go ahead
and put up the usual blacksmith shop and
grocery store and invite immigration You
prosper, of course, and the people settle
around, and in the course of time when
your means become larger we would ad-
wise that you lay off more town lots and
buy few thousand acres of the surround
ing country; you won't need it, of course,
but you have as good right to raise &
few grasshoppers and broomsedge on your
own fields as any one else; besides, you
want something to swear about at odd
times, when, as you get old and the
widows and orphans-the landless poor
cut fire-wood on your land, and besides
this you may as well have something for
the lawyers to talk about in winding I'D
your estate as any one else.
By this time you will have doomed the
village enough to begin to have varied in
dustries and good many rivals in your
Individual line of business. Peter Frank
will open the jewelry store and hang his
big sign out, and Klotz & Dreyfou3 will
back up Henry Coen in dry goods ven
ture, while Wetoskie will bring I'D the
rear with rOuslng assortment of planta-
ton supplies, etc, and the village begins
to wear the smile of the vernal year You
have been industrious and successful, but
you find the sand crawling out from under
your feet, and that mankind has come to
see what can be done. Be patient; they
have come to stay, and you may make the
most OF It. Some Of them may want to
buy lot-don't sell it to them. Have one
policy; never repair or paint house, and
never sell house to any one. 1t will be
fifty or hundred years before the demand
comes up for these undeveloped resources
but don't mind Irife like that
People will want you to take stock in
street railroads, gas or electric light COM
panies and other manufactures, and hand
round the hat for contributions to gen
eral immigration fund. Don't give a mt
If man comes all the way from the North
or West to put up manufactures, tell him
few Dig lies about your locality and try
to skin him on building site, but don't
help any yourself. Others will put up
the money and do ali this and you will
share the advantage-you will be the still
hog that gets the slop. When, after years
of struggle, these companies begin to pay
six or eight per cent, call them monopo-
lies, their owners blasted bond holders,
and stir up the ignorant and Jealous against
ali such, generally and personally, and it
will keep the public eye off of the fact that
you are getting fifty or seventy-fve per
cent profit in your own business or help
you in politics where your head has been
in the public crib for years
These done, have a crest deal to say
about Improvements, turn out chickens,
children, cows, hogs and dogs on the
streets. but don't fix up your sidewalks.
1t makes visitor love you to hobble over
these, and it looks rather democratic and
home-like to see pasture, dog kennel and
nursery all in one.
You can begin to lay off your aDxi4ties
for the minute of life and business now.
People are taking the town, and push is
beginning to shove you around as though
you were only one of many in the place.
But stick to your old ways some may say
you are an old fogy, but don't believe this;
shut your eyes and keep self uppermo3t.
These things all done and performed we
will come along after you are gone and
publish the obituary. a copy of which We
hand you so as you will not get off in the
dark about any of your matters.-J. S.
Webster, an Baton R0uge AdU0Cate.