St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-02-28
ON The DOWN GRADE
Third Street Seems Slowly
Sinking Into the Mercan-
tile Bouillon,
And Business Men Discuss
Steps to Promptly Make a
Rescue.
The Commercial Club Sits on
Political Aspirations With
a Thud.
a Fine Law Point Raised in
Court by Armstrong Es-
tate Heirs.

Third street has for long time been
In its decadence. 1t was but few
weeks since that tab was kept on the
business of leading firm on that thor
oughfare in comparison with a firm in
the same line of business in another
section of the city, and it was found that
the latter had rs per cent more people
in its establishment at a given time
than its competitor had. Then a tab
was kept on the number of people which
passed down Third street in comparison
with the number which passed the rival
location, and the same percentage held
good. The merchants of the old retail
street have concluded that something
must be done, and there have been sew
eral conferences of late, with view of
deciding upon something radical. First
an effort was made to induce the
street railway company to run track
down the thoroughfare, with the idea
that the people who wished to trade, as
we'll as those who wished to go to the
union depot, would be better accommo-
dated, but nothing came of the effort,
although Third street merchant said
last night that there were those on the
thOroughfare who still advocated this
idea. 1t was understood, he said, that
Mr.. Lowry could be induced to build
snch a line, probably changing the
loop. Then there has been talk of
general removal to some other locality
AT the very outset, however, a diff
Guilty was encountered. The gentle
men who set the ball rolling, said to be
MessrS. Meyers and Ford, were in favor
Of guaranteeing to property holders on
Sixth street an annual income of per
cent on their investment in order
10 induce them to erect the necessary
buildings and secure general hegira
from Third street. This guarantee was
promptly sat down upon by majority
of the business men, They held that
per cent was too much and argued
against guarantee of any kind, hold
ing that property owners on Sixth
street, or in any other locality. should
take their own risks. Another stumbling
block was found in the opposition of
dealers in certain lines of goods to the
Inca of being obliged to locate in a speci-
fed section at the dictation of some
rival in business. Again, there was
strong objection to Sixth street as being
no better than Third. many holding
view of the location of the government
building there, in time become the nat
ural retail center.
Another plan which was preached
was to tear down the buildings on the
south side of the street and make a
grand boulevard. with buildings only
on the north side, but just how the
property was to be acquired no one
seemed to know, while the great cost
rendered the idea a very remote posi-
bility.
Then there has been an effort to
induce the owners of blocks to improve
them, in the hope that the tide OF travel
could again be attracted to the old thor
Oughfare, and at the present time this
seems to be most likely of fulfill
ment, although there are men owning
blocks on the street who refuse to make
any promises. and some Of them are
men whose buildings are now vacant.
All in all the situation is chaotic, but it
is believed that the secret conferences
which are being held almost daily will
be productive of some united effort in
the near future to restore the lost preSt-
tge of the oldest retail street in the city.
Speaking of the report, Gov Ramsey,
who is large property owner OIL Third
street. said:
shall make some changes on my property
when the present leases expire. This will be
some time next September, l shall pull
down the old buildings on my property and
put up such buildings as modern require
ments demand. Even now plans are under
consideration for this purpose. l don't pro-
pose to make this change because l want to
do so, but have to. II | want to secure and
keep tenants l must furnish them with the
sort OF quarters they demand. I've got to do
this to get rents and thus receive return on
my Third street investment
Robert Manufacturer has intimated