St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-02-02
THE BEAVER LAKE SITE.

There is no sense in trying to disguise
the fact that a great deal of deep and
angry feeling has been excited in the
city over the latest rumored move in
the Walter A. Wood company matter.
The harvester works may be located at
Beaver lake, as is said now to be the
plan. but twill not be done without
earnest protests and serious conse-
auences. This whole project was taken
up with great enthusiasm by the gen.
eral public, and three, quarters of a mill
ION dollars raised III an incredibly short
time to insure its success, because it
seemed calculated to accomplish one
thing. Men subscribed generously to the
company's stock. not that they cared par
ticularly for the Investment, bat because
they hoped in this way to help St. Paul.
1t was believed that a successful man.
ufacturing concern established within
our limits would put to rest forever
the impression that such industries
could not be proftably maintained
here, and would stimulate similar vent
ureS by other parties, with Or without
local assistance. 1t was reasoned, too,
that an addition of 10000 people to our
permanent population, made up of
skilled artisans and their families,
meant so many more customers for our
retail shops. and so many more Occu-
pants for our houses already built and
to be built. The enterprise appeared to
promise a revival of prosperity, because
it would inaugurate development
along new and valuable line which we
had somewhat neglected in the past, but
which was capable of indefinite eXpan-
sion when once started.
The Beaver lake site will comply
technically with the conditions of the
subscription, because it is within the
corporate limits, but it is wholly at
variance with the spirit which animated
the promoters of the scheme at its in
ceptlou. The intention was to increase
our city's size and strength, not to
build new city in our neighbor-
hood, or to add one more to our
t1ourshing suburbs, of which we
already have large number. The
GLOBE thinks that those who have this
matter i'll charge are making great
mistake if their intentions are correctly
reported. People will ask why this
particular spot has been selected, and
they will not be satisfied with the ex-
PLANTATION that it furnishes the room
which the company will need. There
are thousand other places equally
cOmmodiouS and equally advantageously
situated, of which no one speaks. If the
impression once gets abroad that this
,rl,I sat, 4,
enthusiasm and buoyancy in the COM
munity lis being used by those to whose
care its management was intrusted
for selfish ends or purposes of
personal profit, the result will be
nothing short of local disaster.
A failure of the company itself
and the loss of all the capital in
vested in it would not be more fatal
calamity. Never again would our cit
liens open their purses to further plans
for the city's advancement. A feeling
of encouragement. of disappointment,
of distruSt, would settle down among
us. The Beaver lake idea must be
abandoned. 1t may have many things
to recommend it, but none of them can
be important enough to outweigh the
general resentment which would be eX-
cited should men once get it into their
heads, rightly OF wrongly. that they had
been tricked or made tools OF for the
benefit of others. Let a site be chosen
well within the city, or close to its
present populated sections. Then no.
body can or will complain, because
everybody will be in position to share
in whatever good or ill may come. The
Beaver lake idea must be abandoned.