The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1906-08-10

UP vi Ine OtnefWlSe ordinary town,
have dropped out OF the game
Through individual effort on the
part Of Norfolk men, and despite lack
of organized effort toward an avail.
able goal, a number of successful bust
ness institutions which build up the
town by bringing in outside business,
have demonstrated that the town can
grow. Among these are a first class
mill, one Of the best laundries in the
state, wholesale bakeries and ice
cream factories, distributing houses
for machinery and other things, the
of the state many of which do large
mail order business tailoring houses
that cover large territory, dairy pro-
duct commission house, loan and trust
companies. Wholesale houses, hotels,
grain elevators, bottling works. physi
clans and attorneys with large out.
side practice, banks doing outside
business, a business college and other
schools dye works. planning mill, news
paper and printing plants, brick and
tile works, cement block factories,
building contractors, an insurance
company, and many other industries
which bring money into Norfolk from
the outside and thus help to build dp
the town.
With a scratch of Marvin Hughitts
pen, practically the only big industry
remaining to make Norfolk more than
the ordinary well located town, could
be taken away. From Omaha the op-
Grating wires could be worked as well
as from Norfolk, and traincrews could
run just as many trains out of other
terminal points as from here. BY a
changing OF time tables, Norfolk could
be made so disadvantageous as a
center, that commercial travellers
would be forced to Sunday and live in
other places.
And yet an effort goes on, day after
udS, w ClSdlS d pOllCy III 4NOllOlh
which will threaten and antagonize
an institution which now pays 100000
per month into Norfolk, and which
could reduce that amount to 500 with
out particularly damaging the institu-
ton.
In the face of conditions, an effort
goes on trying to create a community
policy which would pretend to threat
en- the biggest industrial factor we
have, into granting concessions which,
though it is universally agreed would
be help to the city, can not possibly
be forced by any means known to
man.
Those who advocate antagonizing
everything, admit that under existing
laws in the United States it Is abso,
lutely impossible to drive railroad
company into granting any better
freight rates than are now in force
And yet they would fight.
The News believes it is as much in
terested in the welfare of Norfolk as
any other institution in the town. Fol
eighteen years it has been trying
every day to do what it could to hell
build up Norfolk. 1t believes 1t has
contributed as much to that upbuild
ing as some of those who advocate
tearing down And from a purel,
selfish standpoint - from a viewpoin
The News believes that Norfolk's fu
ture demands that we devote our en-
ergies as town to building up indus
tries that are available and can sue
ceed, before tearing down what W,
have left in wild, blind battle that
as is conceded by all as a foregon,
|, conclusion, must result against us.
J If Norfolk wants concessions from
this freight carrier which has so mucl
more of a lever over Norfolk thai
Norfolk has over IL, why not, in tn
name Of common sense, go about it Il
: business way, instead of trying tn
: bully role, and, in case the concessio
r is not granted-which, under the e,
, listing conditions, it probably will nc
o be-thep why not, for the sake q
g building instead of remaining do
a mant, devote the towns organized e
1 fort toward developing something tina
r is possible and which will keep No,
0 folk moving instead of standing still
= No one denies that lower freigt
/. rates would be welcome to Norfolk a
d to any other town, but on the othe
l. hand no one denies that there Is n
way to force a reduction. Efforts
J. gain lower rates, made by heavy shil
t pers of the city in a business-like wa,
r might succeed; we believe they woul
e fail for the reason that railroads Gel
y tering here have not in the past CT
/, their rates, have stated that the
,. would lose money by doing it an
r therefore would consider a reduction
IonDorantlv oc bod buSinaSS polic