Arizona republican., 1899-09-16
KNOCKERS NOT WANTED.

EVerytnlng polntS 10 a prOSperOu! winter in Phoenix Times every.
 where are better. Crops have beer
 good in Arizona the past season ant
 rains plentiful. Cattle are in demand
 at excellent prices. Sheep and woo
 are worth a hundred per cent more : than three years ago.
 Mining activity was never so great
 In short, the general outlook was
 never better. Phoenix is the capital
 and the railroad and business center Of
 the territory. It is surrounded by the
 most productive agricultural lands in lthe world. The most favorable eli
 matic conditions in the southwest pre-
 vail here. Here is the foundation of a great city which should become the bulwark of great commonwealth.
 Nature has been lavish with her favors, still there is something lack ing. Newcomers are the first to mo- tice and remark the shortcomings of community That Phoenix pcs sesses her share, it is folly to deny. To single out and remedy these de- fects should be the duty of every cit izen. The Republican will perhaps | be criticized for dwelling upon this painful subject. but few facts will not injure the cause.
 A town cannot grow healthfully without concerted action on the part of the inhabitants. So long as one DOT tion is boosted" at the expense Of an- other there can be no uniform growth A ''stringtcwn" appearance will surely result and investors will fight shy Of property of cratic values. It has of ors especially that Phoenix was full of knockers Whether this be true CT not, the name of it is bad enough.
 For instance, a stranger wishes to buy residence lot in a certain portion of the city. He is, perhaps, injudicious enough to let his object become known. From that time on he is regaled with the private history of every owner of real estate in the town. He is told that if he buys in a certain locality
 
 In another that the elevation is too great to insure a water supply. That another is too low for proper sewerage. That still others are tco far out, and, in fact, every reason liable to knock a competitor is used, with the result that the prospective investor concludes that he wants none of it. When 1t comes to business property the same general methods prevail. The stranger is told not to buy here CT there be- cause the town is growing in the oppo- site direction, or that the growth in | this CT that direction can no longer i continue, owing to some silly and prCb- | ably imaginary obstacle.
 It may be urged that th:s condition ] is@r%e result of competition and that it | Is purely a matter of business. This is wrong. Business is not conduated on | any such basis. It is purely case of i knocking and net business at all. It injures the city and nc one is the gainer. Los Angeles was not built up by such methods. There every busi- ness man looks to the city's welfare first. In proportion to size Phoenix possesses as much brains, energy and ability as Los Angeles, but it must be properly directed if our unequaled re- sources are to be taken advantage of.
 One Of the first duties of the newly organized iboand of trade should be to see that a spirit of unanimity prevails among the members of that body re- garding the enterprises to be under aken by 1t. Knockers" ir-esponsi- 1le brokers and unreliable business men should be carefully looked af,ar md their unwise counsels neutralized. With everything now SC propitious, ] md with the right start, wonders can ,e accomplished for Phoenix and the Salt River valley in the next faH months.