The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1904-11-03
Did Not Succeed.

In discussing the results of his en-
terprising plan, Mr.. Van Wrinkle said:
mot single lot was taken as a re-
suit of my campaign. Only two or
| three young couples came to see me
about it, but had quite a good many
calls from ladies past 40. have gone
over the whole proposition, and 1t
seems to me that it was a good one.
1t was not philanthropy on my part. 1t
promised to give me while lived a
small income from land upon which I
land will advance in value, but not
quite soon enough for me to realize
from it while I am able to. use the
money to advantage. Why, 80 years
ago two houses were built up here on
lots that lie between the city and my
present home. l remember hearing one
fellow say of those houses: What
kind of fool must man be to build
houses way out there in that lonesome
place on the prairie? No sidewalks, no
lights, no transportation, no good wa
ter-nothing." Within a few years,
however, those houses were swallowed
up by the advancing city, the outskirts
of which were extended several miles
beyond. And the city hasn't stopped
growing, and is not going to stop. My
lots are apparently better invest
ment to-day than those lots seemed
then. The land is just as good and
the transportation is very much bet
ter. No, I've put two and two to-
gether q have flats in various parts of
the city rented to young married folks,
and 1 know pretty well what's going
on in them) and I have come to these
conclusions:
First, young couples do not want
babies during the first few years of
married life. Among native born
Americans, babies are at a discount
before they arrive. After there is one
baby in the family it couldn't be
bought for $1,0OO,O although the
parents would not give ten cents a
piece for others. The women evidently
have not lost the instinct of mother
hood, but often prefer to lavish their
affections on a dog, cat, or canary
bird. Foreigners, however, have chill
dren, and make them producers as
soon as the law allows the children to
work.
Second, young couples do not want
homes of their own unless they can
have them on the boulevard, and as
the greater number of them cannot
afford that, they prefer to live as near
the boulevards as possible-in flats
where, with the many modern convent
ences, the women have less work and
trouble than they would have in homes
of their own. With most young cou-
pies, there is a desire to "shine," to
commence where their parents are
leaving off. They buy furniture on the
installment plan and live in small
apartments.
Third, the city government grafters
have found that the small property
owner is certain source of revenue
for sidewalks, sewers and other bene-
fits secured by special assessments at
VIGOROUSLY unfair prices, resulting
from conspiracy among officials and
contractors. These abuses in Chicago
have scared some of the young people
into flats. There they settle down with
no taxes to gay, no coal to buy, no
water rates to trouble them, and-no
babies. So they think. AS matter of
fact, while the large property owner
may get himself somewhat better
treated at the hands of the grafters,
still, taxes and assessments have to be
paid, and, like the bill for the travel
ing mans new suit of clothes, the
amount is included in the monthly ex-
pense account, whether it appears so
or not. Flat jewellers pay it all in
regular monthly installments, called
rent