Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1906-12-27
BOOMING VS..
'''''''''' BOOSTING
Did 1t Ever Occur to You There
Is a Vast Difference.

Did it ever occur to you that there
is a big difference between boosting
and booming? Booming a thing some
times kills it; boosting a thing i'm
variably helps it. Grand Rapids was
doomed to a ~fare-ye-well several years
ago and has been more or less dead as
a result of that boom.
Another instance: Wausau has never
experienced a boom but has been
boosted by men of wealth and in
fiuence since its foundation and as a
result has grown from a little country
town, to one of the most beautiful
and progressive cities of Badgerdom
with a population of nearly 1900.
Now the difference between a boost
and a boom is the difference between
a compliment well deserved and
sincerely given and a gross piece of
downright tiattery. The one uplifts;
the other makes a fool of its subject.
All great real estate, oil Or land
booms, founded upon not air, have
reflected to the discredit of all parties
engaged and reacted upon the section
of the country or the town that gave
them birth.
Another difference between a boost
and a boom is akin to the difference
between the truth and a lie. A
thing that has to be doomed has to be
lied about: but the town or the in
stitution that merely needs an honest
boost can stand for all the truth you
want to spread broadcast concerning
it.
Boom prices for real estate are lies
spelled out in financial arithmetic for
there is nothing substantial behind
them to give them weight and per-
manency. 1t is all a gamble and
wild hope that suckers may continue
to bite.
The REPORTER hopes to see Grand
Rapids the very heart of the great
state of Wisconsin with its u~nexcelled
10 i1rnn1 fo.i1itfnr n,,I rt1prnl1nInd Inv
a fine agricultural country boosted in
a proper way. If other cities lacking
many of the advantages that we
possess can be boosted into a metro
polls in a few years simply by the
banding together of a few moneyedmen
why should not this city? All we
need is the cooperation of men with
money, brain and ideas and a popula-
tion imbued with endless confidence
in the future possibilities of the city.
Take Wausau and you won't find a
man or woman who ever expressed
any doubt as to the ultimate great
ness of that city, nothing is too good
or too vast for 1.-THE city beautiful"
1t would not surprise the people OF
that town to hear that a twenty story
sky scraper, to cover an entire block
was to be erected in the heart of the
business district. There would be
nobody to cry: so, my gracious amt
that too big an enterprise for such a
small town? They ought to go to
Chicago with such a building" Not
on your life you don't hear such
talk.
Until Grand Rapids gets over its
comparatively small opinion of itself,
it will never be boosted to amount to
anything by moneyed men. Men of
great wealth like to get interested in
a place where the people have ulti-
mate confidence in themselves and in
their city. Municipalities are not I'M
like individuals in this respect. We
have more admiration for the self
confident young man than we have
for the one who is everlastingly
whining-"I can't it's beyond me-
what's the use?"
The REPORTER is and always hopes
to be instrumental in u city's
growth and development, it wants to
occupy a niche in Grand Rapids
temple of progress.
Let who will reflect upon the city's
good name, the REPORTER wants to
see Grand Rapids boosted the right
way. We want to see her grow into
a great city, and develope l~egitimately,
conservatively, not by leaps, and
bounds, not by the dissemination of
lies and Misrepresentation, but
steadily year by year with no back
sets, no reaction, no boomerang adj
sertising.
If you want to help us join our
boosters club and subscribe for the
REPORTER. Write articles for
us, send the REPORTER to your
friends. Don't be a knocker or a
dead one, be a booster.
Atty. J.. w. Cochran, was a visitor
at Chippewa Falls, last Friday and Sat
urday.