Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-09-12
LOCAL COMMENT.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

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Ii Father Lenihan needs the money
he should cali on Mr.. Head. Heai'
might just as we'll pay row as later.
To a great many men 1t would be
worth s100 per year to get rid Of duty
ON begging committees or even to get
lrid of the committees themselves,
! which are bound to cal about every
thirty days. The T.-R. is going into
the new company and hereafter If any
body wants this newspaper to buy lot
in an industrial addition or buy stock
we'll refer him to the board OF control.
Heretofore we have been putting more
than Sl0O per year into schemes of this
kind and are now glad of an opportu-
nifty 10 have the work put on busi-
! ness basis.
/ The editor served on the begging
committees that sold the pottery lots
Twice and sold stock in the skirt fac
| tory that finally did not come. He
then swore that he'd never serve on
another committee of that kind. When
the new company is organized there
will be no occasion for such commit
1 tees during the next five years. 1t took
lnearly every day for two weeks to sell
the pottery OTIS the first time. The
men who did it had spent night after
might in meetings to promote their
enterprise, their paid secretary had
chased all over the states of the CEN
trail west to find investors and then
each member of the committee put up
| $40 for the purchase of some land to
| be plotted. When the lots were sold
/ these same members each took a lot
and Travelled up and down the streets
! OF this town. enduring insults that
they neved would have endured In their
! own business, besides sacrificing at
| least ten days time each from his own
affairs. The first pottery deal fell thru,
| but these men kept on promoting ana
when another company was formed
| they sold the lots all over again, which
was even more difficult a task than the
first sale. Likewise many meetings
were held to investigate the skirt fac
tory. Finally a contract was made to
erect building. The same committee
made the same kind of 4 begging can
vass TO sell stock. but the deal fell thru
Ibecause. owing to the sudden advance
lin building material, the required
building so greatly exceeded the first
| estimates that the committee was not
| willing to put so big an investment into
the enterprise.
| There are men in business, here, to-
day, who have been doing this same
thankless work for twenty years. We
have something to show for it, to be
sure. but we've all had enough. 1t is
NEARLY always the same bunch of fell
lows that go into everything. anyway,
so now let's all put our usual annual
contribution into a common pot, sign
up for five years and then. when fac
tory enterprise comes along, the money
will be ready-not for bonuses? No!
but for investment in the stock Of the
company or In a building to lease, so
we will have an interest In It, II the
factory succeeds we win good invest
ment, if it fails were out our 500. And
above all, let's deliver ourselves from
mass meeting. Let's consider these
factory schemes in directors meet
ing OF business men, every one of
whom has 500 or more invested to
make him look sharply at the details.
No. This company will not take the
| place Of the Commercial Club. 1t Will
merely be the trustee whom business
men have already authorized to invest
| their money to the extent of their paid
up stock. whenever the Commercial
| Club will bring to it a scheme that the
Investing members can approve. The
Commercial Club will continue to do
| the running around and the promoting.
/ 1t will do the talking for Marshalltown,
while the new company will do the in
vesting. When 1t (the Commercial
| Club gets nold of factory enterprise
that wants help it could say Yes,
we've got the man with the money,
| but you'll have to show him" who is
| he?" our stranger will ask. THE In
dustrial AS ISOLATION. See the board. >
would be the answer. And then the
Commercial Club secretary could go
hunting for another factory.
| No The money would not go for
bonuses! That's to be barred in the
articles of Incorporation.
Yes. few will have to take more
stock than others and 1t is right that
they should. Men of means. with large
real estate interests to benefit from the
city's growth, should do more than
young merchants struggling along on
borrowed money to get start in the
world. Every one of us. however,
should be willing to invest s10O a year
in some NLarshalltswn industry. for
there is not a business in the town that
will not profit to some extent II the
town should suddenly begin booming.
The T.-R. management believes that 1t
will get its money back from the gen
eral pros petity If not from the invest
ment itself. The plan can not be looked
upon as a donation. It's business. 1t
means business for all CT us and it Is
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