The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1894-04-06
MANKrlTO'S ADVANTAGES.
Mankato Has Some Important Natural
and InaIienable Advantages.

Not least among the advantages per-
tanning to our city are it's facilities for
transportation. The sources of civic,
as well as of national growth and
strength, are said to be agriculture,
manufactures, and commerce. While
the obligation may be reciprocal, do
not hesitate to say, that the agrlcul-
ture or the manufactures of any limit
ed section or single city in America
would languish and prove ''stale, flat
and improbable" unless sustained and
distributed by the agency OF commerce.
Our age is so essentially an age of COM
mercial activity, and transportation is
so essentially prime factor in our
commerce that, by the aid OF sys-
TEN of railroads, such as no other ma
tion has developed, we bring and carry
the agricultural products, the fruits,
the vegetables, land the cereals,as we'll
as the minerals and manufactures from
that corner or spot in our wide domain
where they are produced in greatest
abundance, and at least cost, and lay
them at the doors Of those who LACK
at cost so trifing, that it is made I'M
profitable for city or community to
contend for position in the COM
MERGE of the country unless it has
great and positive natural advantages
and can maintain them.
In this respect we are specially IA
vored. We have four of the most i'm
portland railroads of the Northwest
the Chicago & Northwestern, the Chi
cago, Milwaukee & ST. Paul, the Chi
cago, ST. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha,
and the Chicago and Rock Island sys-
TEN aggregating 5000 miles with con-
nections unlimited. These roads fur
nish four independent lines to the
Mississippi and Lake Michigan, two
lines to Lake Superior, three to st.
Louis and the south, four to the Mis-
souri, and the western world. Our
rates of freight, of all classes, coming
from the east or south are fixed at a
percentage not exceeding ten per cent
over the rates which may be secured
by ST. Paul or Minneapolis, with their
powerful compelling influences. So
we have, as it were, engaged them in
our service to secure us low rates on
imports. Our outward, or export rates,
an11n1lu S0tiSfaotnpU w q
have a combined in and out rate for
jobbers, which is equally favorable
with the rates of any city in the west,
to any point west, and which is more
favorable to us than to any other city
for shipments to most places within
this state, south'oft the Minnesota. For
our local products, stone, cement and
lime, and brick, the shipment of all
which is immense, we have rates so
favorable as to enable our manufact-
urers and quarreymen to contest in the
markets on Lake Michigan and
Superior, to control in all territory
tributary, and compete with the entire
west; our special tariffs for shipping
out in less car lots are favorable and
satisfactory, and give us the same adj
vantages for small shipments as we
have for car lot shipments.
There is no city which has any I'M
due advantage over Mankato in dis
tributing facilities, and the constant
and permanent increase in distribut-
ing business indicates that shippers
are becoming advised of this fact.
These material and specific adj
vantages have not been obtained with
out a long delay and something of
struggle against rival and competing
interests; but these being justly due to
our position and location, is freely
conceded by the railroad corpora
tiOns, and we cannot too fully &C
knowledge our sense of obligation for
their enlightened interest which has
shown them that their advantages
and ours are mutual, and lie in the di-
rection resulting from hearty and
friendly cooperation.
E. M. POPE.
Manager HiggS, of the Creamery