St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-08-31
THE VISITING EDITORS.
Bellefontaine fPa1 Watchman

| Bellefontaine (Pa) Waterman.
A five days stay in st. Paul to attend
the meeting of the National Editorial
association (the proceedings of which
| have already been given by the daiiy
| press and to enjoy the hospitality OF
| one of the most hoSptable cities on the
| face of the globe, gave ample time to
see and learn much of this great com
mercial metropolis of the Northwest
and its twin sister Minneapolis. If we
have heretofore had doubts of the truth
of the statements concerning the growth,
the solidity, the enterprise, abe beauty,
wealth and prosperity of this wonderful
city of the West, we have them no
longer. No one will who visits it. The
stories that are told of its fourteen
stored business blocks, its residences
costing close onto a million of dollars,
its miles upon miles of paved and cleanly
swept streets, Its bouleYards and bridges,
its lawns and lakes, its business and
push, its railroad enterprises and future,
are not wild Western" fancieS. but
actual, realized facts. OF Minneapolis,
its sister city, and but nine miles
distant, the same can be said.
In any notice of this rapidly in
creasing Northwest these two cities
should be treated as one, which
they virtually are in locality, interests
and SuccesS-so grown together that a
stranger cannot tell where the one ends
or the other begins. st. Paul, which
forty years ago had less than 1000 in
habitants, has now over 133, 900. Min
neapoliS, which thirty-seven years ago
was unknown, has over 10000. To-
gether they have 145 public and private
school buildings, 3O2 churches that will
aggregate in value over 100000;
forty banks with over $50, 900. 000
capital; manufactures and mills, the
value of which cannot be estimated; a
system of sewerage and street improve
mentS that cost in a single year $751;
600, and are unequalled in any city on
the globe. Their building permits for
two years amounted to S955000. Their
Iobbing trade in 1880 was over $500. 000,-
OOO, and their manufacturing output
close to $3.50, 100000. st. Paul has a court
house and city hall that cost S1,0l4,0O0,
and, the day we left, Minneapolis laid,
with great ceremony, the corner stone
of S2,500,000 building for the same pur-
pose. They have more miles of cable
and electric street railways than any
city in America, and are the start
ing point of dozen different rail-
way systems which aggregate in length
over 20, 600 miles of tracks. And all of
this Aladdin-like growth in less than
half century, in a section of country
only now in the beginning of its devel
opment. What will the future of these
cities be when the Northwest is fully
peopled? Don't ask land agents or
spectators. They'll stun you with
their reply. For the big-hearted, open
handed hospitality extended by the cit
liens of st. Paul to the editors and ed
dresses who attended the convention
we tender our due proportion of thanks.
There is no end to their enterprises OF
expectations. neither was there limit to
nor stint in their hospitality and kind
ness.
st. Paul is not only liberal. hospit-
able and enterprising place, but it is
highly moral ~ as well-that is, in
some respects. 1t was late on Saturday
night when we registered at the Ryan.
On Sunday morning, preparatory to go
ing to church, we sought information at
the Office as to the locality of the barber
shop. THAT'S closed; you can't get
shaved in this city on Sunday, sir" was
the answer. "How about a cocktail
this morniBg?" asked thirsty-looking
gentleman who had been waiting for a
chance at the clerk. ''Oh, that's all
right. sir, the bars open all the time;
just go back along the hall" was tue
reply. He went ''back along the hail."
and we got shaved, after going out and
around couple of corners, then slip
ping through half-dozen of doors and
a cellar way, as if going to commit an
awful crime. All the time that Sun
day-breaking" barber was trying to
make US preSentable we were wonder
ing what queer kind of morality it was
that punished one man for keeping a
barber shop open on Sunday and al
lowed bartender to sell belly full of
bad whisky to whomever would buy it.