Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1907-09-12
MAKING A BLUFF
WELL-MEANINe CITIZENS WHO
WORK ALONG WRONG LINES.
KNOCKING THE HOME TOWN
Her Commercial Clubs Fail in Work
Undertaken for the improvement
of Local Conditions.

In a western town not long since a
General Call vas issued to citizens to
hold a Meeting for the purpose of or
ganlzing a Business Mems Association,
or as the papers announced, a Com
mercial club. According to the News
paper Reports Of the event the meet
ing was a Grand Success, and some 40
or SO prominent citizens enrolled their
names as members. Thus the Com
mercial club was started on its Career.
Among the active citizens and those
who were foremost in advocating the
Club as an Important Thing for the
welfare of the Town, were a Minister
and a Lawyer. The good clergyman
was made the Secretary, a Banker of
the town was elected President, and
the Lawyer Treasurer. AS is usual
with such clubs, a Constitution and
Bylaws were adopted; an Executive
Committee appointed, and also a Hus-
Ting Committee to add Push to the
club. 1t was outlined that by harmony
and cooperation the town u be
Doomed and made much Better. One
of the Things desired was a Public
Library. Among the other Things
were Manufacturing Enterprises, a
Creamery and another Elevator for the
town, to compete with the n Eleva-
tor already located there.
Six months of careful labor on the
part of the Commercial Club devel-
oped the fact that the efforts towards
securing any Of these Things were
without results. There was no Library,
the Creamery Proposition was consid'
cred ~unfavorable, as the farmers could
secure more by shipping their cream
out of Town than the Creamery could
afford to pay, and as to the Elevator
only a part of the Stock necessary for
its start was subscribed. An investi
cation revealed that out Of this very
same town each day an average Of
more than 5000 was being sent to Out
side Cities for Goods that might as
well have been purchased at the home
stores. 1t was discovered that thu
Minister, who was the Secretary o
the Club, all the while he was Advo
eating Town improvement, was quiet
ly Working among the Members of hi
Flock to secure Orders for Groceries
and other goods to send to a Chicago
alleged cooperative concern. He wa
receiving five per cent. commission OF
all Purchases made. The Lawyer O
the town, who Was made the Treasure
of the Club, was sending away for tn
Clothes he wore, and even the Banke
could not find Carpets sufficiently goo
in his home town, and sent away tn
money to a foreign place for rugs, an
also a Piano that ornamented hi
home.
These misled E"nterprising Citizen
we're working all along the wron
lines. While they were Anxious to In
prove the Town, to start the Dreamer
l that, perhaps, would keep a fe
thousand dollars a year in the town
=. an Elevator that was almost unnece
! sary, as the one already located in til
Town was capable of handling all til
, grain produced in the n~eighborhoo,
, and would result in no saving or tn
; bringing in of greater income, the
overlooked the Importance Of devisin
means of retaining Business to tt
!, Town that was going away from !
The very ones intrusted with tt
: Building Up of the Industries of Il
Place we're foremost in turning ovt
to other communities the Dollars tn;
should be retained to improve tt
Home Trade, and make Wealthy Il
+ community.
Y Moral-It would be we'll for mer
bers of Commercial Clubs to take het
: that the most important action for tt
| Club to take is to Devise Means
: Protecting Enterprises already esta
lished instead of gaining new Ente
5 prises of Doubtful Utility.