Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1908-08-19
MORE TALK ABOUT CONCRETE
WALKS REPLY TO NUZuM


EDITOR CENSOR: When | wrote the
short article in regard to concrete walks
thought | was almost forced to do so
al order that the people here would un-
derstand that they We're dealing with
responsible party, should they desire to
get Mr.. c. w. johnson to do their
work, as / could hear nothing but criti-
cism from Mr.. NuZum and his friends.
One of his helpers even went so far as
TO want to take punchat "Old Frank, "
as he said We all know that written
guarantee is better than any mans
word, Cor the man may die, and as Mr..
Nuzum was conveying the idea that we
poor people who were not able to pay
his price for walks were not getting
any guarantee, just thought | would
show him and the people ingeneral how
we were fixed in that regard. Mr. Nu-
zum takes great pleasure in ridiculing
my old walk. In reply would say paid
good price for it and had a mans
word that thought was good, that he
would replace it il it should go wrong.
| guess the man has gone out of the
business, got rich and retired lpresume.
As to The walks put in by Mr.. Rab-
bitt or Mr.. Lake, NO man can say that
ever have said one word against them,
only in regard to the price. AS evil
dence that ! was right, you have only
to ask some of the people which NuZum
q Rabbit have since offered TO put in
walks for at the low price of IL cents,
drop of one-fifth in price from what
ti,ey formerly charged, and have been
told that some offers have been made
even lower. Mr.. Nuzum says he was
never in any business where the re-
turns were so small: then he ought not
complain if some of us fellows who
have to earn our money by the sweat
of our brow, get our walks which we
are compelled to build put in as cheaply
as we can as there are very few of US
who are as able as he to finance a ce-
ment crew, or live without the profits
that would accrue therefrom. Now he
tells us that he win not skin the job,
nor pay poor wages to his men, neither
of which the people wish him to do.
But if at 10 cents per foot there was
barely any profit, then why this big re-
duction? Simply looks like trying to
drive out competition and then go back
to the old price, or higher if the peo-
pie will stand it. In word concrete
walks are expensive and quite tax on
the people to build them, and they
they please to put them in, so long as
they put in good walks. As regards
the rich man Mr.. NuZum heard of when
boy, would say that have known
some men TO become rich before they
had any business to mind. As to my
self, | have lived here all my life and |
have done business with the people of
Virodua and vicinity for about thirty
five years, and | leave that matter with
them as to whether | have attended to
my own business or not.
When | see fit to try and break any
trust or combination that | think are
asking more than the article is worth,
shall do so, whether it suits the mem
bers of the trust or not. | believe in
practicing, not preaching, and the only
way to break a trust is not TO patroniZe
it il you can help it, In few words |
believe in reform in the pure unadult-
Grated article. and not in the pretended
reform that is costing the people of
this country 50 much TOT support. The
city has been paying 22 cents per foot
for their crossings and Mr.. Rabbit did
not care for the job at that. The COM
mittee that was appointed (of which
happen TO be a member) decided to
build our own crossings, and as re-
suit we know enough now to satisfy US
that we are saving the city about one
third from what we had been formerly
paying. When we get through build
ing them we will let the people know
Just what they cost, and we will not
ask the men to Overwors themselves or
Skin" the job either. iney can then
Judge for themselves whether they have
been paying more for their work or not.
hope Mr.. Nuzum is not making a
larger profit on the lumber he sells.
Now, Mr. Editor, much more could
be said ON the concrete walk question,
but | think this will suffice for the
present, and if Nix. Nuzum and his men
are willing to let the people purchase
their wares where they please. as he
says he is, there viii, hope, be no
more trouble, and we will have more
sidewalks and crossings bIilt this sum
mer than we possibly could have had if
the "Swede" crew had rot come here
and put in a part of the summer at
least. Yours for hat is right,
F. M. MINsHALL-