Lewiston daily teller. (Lewiston, Idaho) 1900-1901, 1900-12-29
LEWISTON'S NEEDS.

What Lewiston Should % to Keep Pace With
Her Opeortsaities Costrlbators Views
Of The Situatlos.
This 10 a broad question aud a good
many suggestions might be made. In
the first place ice and summer boarders
are very iucratice but they cannot make
= town great. In order to add perma-
nently to the population you must give
the people employment. Lewiston does
not provide for that. hence she does not
increase her population. Our citizen, as
q rule not only fail to reach out actively
for new industries, but in many cases
they actually discourage prospective in
vestors. What is needed in our board Of
trade is committee Of aggressive, wide
awake business men who will carefully
dcan the press for notes regarding pros
fective industries and grasp every posi-
bic opportunity Of drawing one to Lew.
iston and exert their utmost efforts to
compass this result.
With Lewiston's practically inexhaust.
ahle water power she should have manu-
featuring interests centered here. In
Spokane they are fostering all sorts of
light manufacturing interests. In the
upper stories of their fine building blocks
girls and boys are at work manufacturing
shirts. neckties, suspenders and all kinds
of light goods. 1t is SO in every other
great city in the country. Such indus
tries could be started proftably in Lew
iston. Look at the magnificent mineral
resources Of the country lying practically
useless and comparatively idle. The
granite that fringes our rivers is the
finest in the world and there is no site
more suitable for its manufacture than in
Lewiston. These resources should be
utilized and pushed upon the markets.
The copper fields Of the upper Snake, the
coal fields Of the Grand Ronde. the gold
lodges and the timber belt make up
the magnificent resources Of the great
basin of which Lewiston is the gateway.
If any one of the eastern states had the
mineral resources of the Clearwater
basin they would soon draw thousands Of
operatives and millions of capital. The
needs of the situation are simply vigilant
industry in exploiting our resources and
thus securing capital for development.
These commercial possibilities, if fulfilled,
will make Lewiston the great commercial
city nature has designed her to be.
Strangers are quick to see what has
apparently been overlooked by our bust
ness men. Only few days since Mr..
Parker, an eastern capitalist who has
been making some investigation Of the
business situation here said: ain order
that Lewiston may attain the supremacy
that her natural resources promise. sew
eral things are necessary. Principally
her citizens ahould make an aggressive
effort to expand her manufacturing in
terests. Nothing will SO surely enhance
her commercial growth. In this feature
the city is sadly lacking at preseut."
The legislature can strike keynote of
reform by a readjustment Of the burdens
Of taxation. placing them upon more
equitable basis. At present the burden is
too heavy upon the agricultural and bus
inesA classes and corporations escape
their fair share. This glaring inequality
in the tax levy has its effect on prospect.
i've investors. Some Of them left the
east because of similar conditions. Idaho
should be placed at once upon basis
where equitable taxation would invite
new enterprise. We must get in line OF
progress. We might, as the Bri i'h
vice.couusul suggests. raise goats on our
abandoned and waste lands, but with
proper care for the development of our
magnificent resources we can raise wheat
and fax upon our lands and manufacture
the products here to the permanent vi
building Of great commercial city.
g A. r.