St. Paul daily globe., 1891-01-25
CANDID TALK.
Local Enterprises Should Be Nur-
tured as Well as New Ones
Sought


Sought.
The business mems union, the job
| bers' association and other similar Or
| CARNATIONS are, OF course, to be COM
mended for their zeal in certain
directions, for the purpose of building
up and furthering the growth of Mime
| apOlis. At the same time the effort put
forth to bring capital here and encour
| age business enterprises of all classes
has aroused the natural inquiry as to
| why the members of these various patri-
otic organizations do not do more to sus-
tain, both individually and collectively.
such enterprises as already exist. A
notable instance was when the street
railway company bought its cars for its
electric equipment and ignored a local
concern which manufactures, or at least
did at the time, street railwey equip
ment as good as can be purchased else
where.
The manner in which the West hotel
and its management has been treated,
however, in point of Shabbiness seems
to approach the line of downright
meanness. The hotel cost six years ago
million and half of dollars. 1t has
ever since been conducted on the high
pressure plan. and has been one of the
institutions of the city which are point
ed out to visitors with especial pride.
Max ORell, the great satirist, who
found fault with most things he
saw in America, in an article in the
North America Review recently pub
lished saw fit to include the West hotel
of Minneapolis as among the half dozen
we'll kept and magnificently appointed
nntplC
superior to any in Europe.
When the hotel was built not one cent
was asked by the way of bonus, al
though some such aid might have been
expected in support of such a splendid
enterprise, which has since done more
to advertise Minneapolis to the world
than any other single feature of its
various attractions. The support which
has been given this superb hostelry by
leading business men and citizens gen.
orally has been ridiculously meager.
For instance, the hotel has
about 250 employees, and spends on
the average 100000 per annmu. with
the wholesale and other business houses
of the city included in the JobberS'
union. One would think that wnen the
Jobbers' union held its annual banquet
to hold their yearly gathering beneath
the roof of an establishment which has
so generously contributed to local trade.
However, the management was not
even accorded the privilege of bidding
for the opportunity of entertaining
this organization, and the banquet was
held in the restaurant located on the
twelfth floor of an Office building.
The Loyal Legion, composed of the
most distinguished of the patriots of the
war, has also seen fit to likewise ignore
the West, and has held its last two ban
quets in Minneapolis at the same res
taurant where height of location is not
supposed to be propOrtionate to its
prices. Other instances might be men
toned of the Sights put upon the West
hotel which would make an Eastern
| prospective investor smile when in
vited to locate in Minneapolis.
The liberality of the leading citizens
who are holding out inducements in the
name of the business mems union for
| manufacturing and other enterprises to
locate here is really alarming. One of
the leading social organizations of the
city recently decided not to hold its
soirees at the West because the charge
asked over and above the cost of re-
freshments furnished and attendants
employed amounted to sufficient to in
clude the cost of supplying electric
lights for the gay festivities.
The taxes on hotel property have re-
ligiously been increased, although it
been we'll understood that the hotel has
has never paid 81 of profit, the invest
ment capital in the plant considered.
The rates at the West hotel. too. are at
least 100 per cent less than at any other
hotel in the world of its class, while the
popularity OF its management is unques-
toned.
The moral to be drawn seems to be
that the busines mems union and kim
dred organizations should look after the
support of enterprises already estab-
lished, as we'll as to endeavor to bring
new ones to the city. The strongest
possible indueement to secure new en-
terprises for Minneapolis would be the
fact that the ones already here are gen.
erously and patriotically supported.
The GLOBE does not aim to define
what the policy of the Business Mems
union should be. but knowing the dis
coura cement f, 1t by many local enter
prises involving no little capital, cites
the instance of the West hotel, whose
proprietor is willing and desirous of sell
ing out at price considerable less than
the origional price of the plant. Local
enterprises should be nurtured before
an effort is made to secure new ones.
WORK OF THE DEI,EG ALTON