Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1895-12-19
Concerning Randolph.

will be heard from later. New bury Cor
respondent in Bradford Opinion.
Concerning Randolph.
Mining, manufacturing, agriculture,
commerce these are the principal sources
OF wealth.
Randolph has no mines. 1t has little
manufacturing, but its business Is very
largely agricultural and commercial.
The farming lands Of this and surround
ing towns are productive, and the farmers
men OF industry and thrift.
Trade In Randolph Is surprisingly good,
considering the conditions. The stores
surpass those OF any town OF its size, OF
which we know. The stocks are large and
complete. The merchants are live aud
progressive. All The home trade stays
here and great deal comes from neigh
boring towns. Randolph is easily the
commercial metropolis Of the White River
Valley and attracts the best trade in Sec
ton fifty miles long by twenty or twenty
five miles wide. There are good stores In
other towns and much trade, but no town
can claim SO many first -class sales depOts
as Randolph.
All this is very pleasant but, unfortu-
Dately, there is another side to the pic
ture. Commerce is dependent upon other
things.
Money must be made before it can be
spent In trade. It must be made, in the
main, either by mining, by manufacture
ing or by farming.
At present it Is safe to say that three
fourths OF the money spent in Randolph
stores is made by farmers or those depen-
dent on them. Our merchants admit that
except for the farm trade coming to them
from this and other towns, they would
fare poorly.
Now there Is limit to farm trade. The
profits of their business are not SO large
as to make farmers the most profitable
class OF customers. They have little to
spend except for the necessaries of life
Neither Is IL likely that the near future
will find them better circumstanced. Any
Improvement in their business must nee
essarily be slow.
And we can not hope to draw the farm
trade Of much larger section than we do
now. To save few cents, farmers will
60 certain distance but no farther. Be-
yond that line they will 20 elsew here, to
more convenient markets.
Randolph can not expect to attract q
very much larger farm trade than 1t has
now.
Unless we should chance to strike vein
OF the Stockbridge gold or the Barre gran
lite, we can not depend upon mining to
help US out.
There is but one way left by which to
increase the business OF Randolph, and
that is manufacture. Set q hundred or
two hundred more hands at work here at
good wages and Randolph would fairly
hum. We should have all the business
we now have and a great deal besides.
Trade would improve, and real estate
would rise in value. A healthy business
would pervade. Our young
men and women would not be compelled
to seek other fields OF labor, but opportu-
mites would open right here at home for
them. Public improvements that the
town needs, such as electric lights, better
streets, sewage system, on opera house,
an iron bridge at the north end Of Main
street, and library would follow as soon
as a prosperous growth was assured. We
should take the place that really belongs
to us among our sister towns.
This Is not "Colonel Sellers" picture,
but the plain truth, as other towns have
found it.
But
Here comes the calamity prophet.
He tells US how Randolph has In the
past tried to foster manufacturing and
how most OF her efforts have failed.
He dolefully relates how money has been
sunk in local manufacturing enterprises
and shakes his head when anything OF
like nature is suggested for the future.
We shall have to agree with him to q
certain extent. 1t is true that manufac.
turing here has been particularly unfOr- |
tunate In the past. Whether from lack Of
capital, ability or experience, it is not
though almost every one has
well-founded ideas; but there certainly Is
no inherent reason why such enterprises
can not be conducted here as successfully |
IS in other places with equal facilities.
There is money enough in Randolph to
make 1t the liveliest town in Vermont.
Money enough has been lost in Western |
and Southern Investments from this place |
10 establish industries here that would
employ five hundred understanding |
ike 100000, we are told. And yet be-
cause one or two poorly conceived plans
have failed, our s'sand" is all g0fe.
The calamity bowler fails to note, too,
o these very industries. Though not en-
;irely successful, they fulfilled mission
n building up the town to It's present size.
live them their due.
We have four mills, all for the manu-
acture OF wood. One OF them Is, we are
pleased to say, doing good business and
irving employment to some forty hands.
ts wages are not high but constant the
rear around. The other three mills are
n various stages OF recovery from recent
ailure--one shut down, one running about
,alf its quota OF help, and the other do
ng pretty well just at present. Were the
our running at full capacity they would
,mploy nearly two hundred hands
,nougb to materially change the aspect.
And they can be run. Randolph money,
mercy and brains can vet make them
uccessful. Who will lead? There are
plenty who will follow.
Other industries can be added. BY
hoosing Board OF Trade and directing It 4.
O be on the watch, we can get our share
4 the new manufacturing that is con-
family springing up. Let each individ-