Evening times-Republican., 1903-08-29
LOCAL COMMENT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.

T.
Yes. we had banquet last spring
and nothing came of it. The fever
struck us and we had enough to con-
tend with. We are going to hold an
other banquet and form an association
Of retail merchants for the purpose OF
! joining ali hands into one grand eff
fort TO push the retail business this
fall and draw trade 10. this town. If
rothng comes OF it Wei hold another
banquet and try again. There are a
few fellows whose business investments
are anchored in the town who never
say die
Another crowd is going to revive the
scheme of last spring and form a club
of 100 members who will invest 500
apiece every year in new industrial en-
tterprises for period of five years. This
would mean a promotion fund of $50
! 600. and ii would cut some ice.' The
promoters might make r.oney on every
investment and soon want to put $500
every year into these enterprises. If
the truth were known more than 100
/ fellows could be found In this city who
have put $1,000 each into northern
|
! of course, but If that money had gone
into small factories here in Marshall
town there would have Leen u boom on
| by this time and ii would be much
easier for every one of us TO get an
! other $1,000 for another investment.
Every town that has ever grown up
| has done so by investing its own money
| in its own enterprises. The CONNER
| cial Club struck snap when 1t put
| $4,000 into the pottery plant and got
I an investmen of $4,000 of outside cap
ital in return. AS a rule. however, the
cash bonus is wrong in principle. Local
people should invest in the stock of
the local enterprise and win or lose as
the business Jared. If two or three
fellows should strike a bonanza along
this line the local fad would soon be an
investment of this kind instead of In
lands. The one main reason why Mar
shalltowu hls not worked up boom
equal to some of her contemporaries is
because her monied men are all land
spectators. If one makes q success in
this direction all will follow him. Let a
faw get rich in her factories and Mar
shalltown Will flourish is a green bay
tree. for her capital viii all seek in
vestment in her own institutions.
The plan to be proposed to the retail
men, however, deserves immediate ac-
ton. II programs and attractions could
be arranged that would run excursions
into this city on four different days this
fall every time 1000 outside people
people spent the day here they would
leave $4,000 of outside coin in the town
They might not buy goods enough in
each store on that same day to redm-
burse the merchant for MS assessment,
but sooner or later a piece of that s16,-
600 would get around to him, and in the
meantime thousands OF people would
have acquired the habit of coming to
Marshai!town, which would lead them
here when they had trading to do, just
as man will unconscicusly fam into
the habit of buying his cigars at one
place.
Likewise with the rest room. Wom
en- could go there and rest, check their
bundles, make their toilet, read the
magazines or care for their babies and
they would soon find that ii was not
hard trip at all to spend a day in Mar
shalltown. They would talk about ii.
The enterprise of the merchants here
would cause comment, excite curiosity
and women would want to see what
there was in the Marshail town stores.
1t would all advertise the town and
cost each store but very little. Then
with the association formed other
things could and would follow.
1t is, perhaps, unfortunate that so
many schemes have been sprung at
once, for already merchants are be-
coming confused. The banquet has only
to do with a retail merchants associa-
ton to boom the retail trade of Mar
shaiItown. Some mans scheme to
close stores early on open late has moth
ing whatever to do with II. and the $100
per year club will. be taken care of at
the meeting in Mr.. Boardman's office.
Union labor non union labor and en-
ployer can all cooperate in this en-