Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-05
SOUTHERN EDITOR ON OMAHA
Editor Shouse Of Lexington Says Some
Good and True Things.
VISITS OMAHA, FALLS IN LOVE
Finds Helpful spirit In Omaha which
Braces UP Those who Need
Help a. well ms Those
who DO Not.

Jouet II. shouse. editor of the Kentucky
Farmer and Breeder. visited Omaha re-
Gently and then returned to Lexington to
tell his readers what he thought OF the
city.
When Editor Shouse got through writing
about the city of Omaha. Kentucky dailies
recognized that he had written something
about a city which was really doing things
and the article from the editor of the Ken
lucky Farmer and Breeder has been widely
copied. The Lexington Herald reprints the
article, which appeared as an editorial in
the farm paper. Writing of Omaha, Mr..
Shouse says: -
Omaha, the city Of unity and enterprise,
the connecting link between the middle and
the far west, the center Of a scope OF terri
tory rarely excelled, already one Of the
big factors in the commercial development
Of the nation with every promise Of a fu-
ture Of really vast proportions. Recently l
spent several days in omaha and ! was
tremendously impressed by what I saw.
1t has the breezlness coupled with the push
and hustle Of Chicago and Kansas City,
but 1t has another quality too, a quality
that smacks of the vast reaches Of country
to the west-a supreme optimism coupled
with a kindness that would help every
fellow who needs it and a llghtheartedness
that pushes big enterprises through to sue
cessful "consummation without ever taking
them or anything else in life very seriously.
But more than all else the one element
that has made Omaha's success is a unity
of interest and of purpose upon the part
Of every business man, every citizen. There
are no knockers, no drones. Every man is
willing to do his full part OF any work
that tends towards the common good,
whether or not It is going to bring him
specific benefits, without reference to the
direct results. And so Omaha has doubled
It's population in the last ten years and lie
apt to double again in ten more. During
1907 one of it's papers ran each day across
the top Of it's front page in red ink the line
Two Hundred Thousand Population for
Omaha in 1870 Tit city will reach that
mark in 1909.
mot long ago there was a deal pending
which If contaminated would mean the
erection of q handsome hotel on the prln-
clpal business street. The parties got to a
point where a difference Of only $1,000 stood
between them. But there they hung fire.
1t looked as If the proposition would not
be put through. A meeting of the Com
~ CiuD was Cdllbu. WlInln IlIleen
minutes merchants occupying contiguous
buildings who believed their business would
be benefited by the erection Of the hotel
subscribed the 5000, making donations out
right. Such is the spirit of Omaha.
There is now in course Of construction
a very handsome and excellent children's
hospital. In addition to the funds already
raised about $4,000 is needed for its COM
pletlon. The ladies Of Omaha said they
would get the money. They designated
last Wednesday as Tag Day From early
morning until dark the town was can
vassed by committees. They tied red paper
tags on everybody they saw and accepted
whatever amount might he offered in re-
turn. The prevailing price was so cents.
One prominent business man gave $500; day
laborers would contribute their nickels and
pennies. All amounts were accepted with
equal grace and gratitude and courtesy.
On every street corner was a committee;
In every restaurant or other place of gath
ering were the canvassers. No guilty
man (or woman ether escaped. And the
women who did the work throughout the
day in the broiling hot sun represented
the wealth and culture Of Omaha. They
raised the required amount and more. too.
In such manner they go after whatever
they want or require and they generally
get II.
1T is the internal strength Of Omaha
that makes her great. AS compared with
other cities, little capital is invested there.
Omaha has all the money she needs. What
she may lack the farmers Of Nebraska
supply. She had no panic last fall. She has
no money stringency now. She constantly
turns down eastern offers Of loans at a
very modest rate of interest. And 1t is per-
haps because Omaha is so well able to
look after her own affairs that she is so
little known in other sections. with one
half the advertising that either Denver or
Kansas City has enjoyed her population
would be far greater than II is today. One
fact is c~ertain-the growth and develop
ment and marvellous increase in property
values are based on a solid foundation.
There is no boom, no attempt TO boom. but
there is a constant increase that will GER
tainly result in making the Omaha OF TODAY
but a circumstance to what the Omaha of
the future will become. .
1T is difficult to specify what constitutes
the city's foremost interest. Beyond a
doubt the packing houses are a tremendous
FACTOR the retail trade from the surround
Ing country is very important, the Union
Pacific shops and other manufacturers
enterprises form quite an item. But per-
haps the big jobbing ouses-constantly in
creasing in number and constantly extend
ing their territOry-are more important IN
their bearing and their results than any OF
D those things previously mentioned. This
| is a branch OF the city's business that has
t grown tremendously in the last few years,
that will grow even more rapidly in the
immediate future.
a And then there is the grain trade. -Four
e years ago the first elevator was erected in
Omaha; nov there are eight or ten of vast
e proportions. A well-informed and conserva.
20 tive man made the prediction to me thai
within ten years Omaha would supersede
Chicago as the grain market Of the coun.
try. He founded his belief on the ad.
e vantages of natural location and the greater
s ease OF transportation. As with grain, Sc
( with wool Omaha has become a market
= for the latter only recently, but 1t will
s surely and rapidly forge to the front.
r "A great city already, the foundation To-
one far greater. And the wonderful, un
usual fact OF It all is that each man al
ways has time and is always glad TO hell