Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1908-04-21

but we need more of 1t. A pull to-
gether and pull all at the same time
and in the same direction. If we can
not all get in front to pull lets some
of us get behind and push-boost--
boost-boost. Our retailers and, SO to
speak, our lay citizens can do much to
help our manufacturing plants. Let
them say good words for our manu-
Etacturers. You retailers are very
necessary to the up-building of cur
, city, and you perhaps do not know how
much gOou you can do or how lnucn
harm you can do by few words or
a few acts A sighting remark or
even a look may have an untoward eff
feet We manufacturers are here to
do you good and are only too pleased
when conditions are such that he can
increase our pay rolls to enable our
employees to spend more money in
! your stores and shops-so boost for
us and make us feel glad that we are
| here. The goods manufactured here
! and the goods sold at wholesale from
our town go to many parts of our
great country and to many foreign
lands, advertising Ottumwa and its
! citizens. Every time our statesmen
sell bill of goods the effect is good
one for our city.
We need more enthusiasm for the
work of our Commercial association.
1t is the clearing house for the gen.
eral business of the town--the things
which are everybody's business-there-
| fore nobody's business. We, individ-
ually, as citizens have no time for the
thousand and one things which come
up in year-good bad and indif-
ferent The wheat must be sifted
| from the cheat; the grain from the
chaff. Otherwise we are almost sure
to miss something good or get taken
in by something which is fake
| There isn't town or city of any
size or Importance in the country
which does not have Commercial as
sociation or some similar organization.
The strength of such club is in al
most, if not quite, every case the
measure of any city's commercial inn
portance The main work of COM
mercial association is not apparent on
/ the surface. 1t is not wise nor eX-
pedient to keep all the members post
ed at all times and in all instances,
on the doings of the association. 1t is
by being constantly at it, all the time
that progress is made. This is espec-
tally true of the work under discus
sion. We should have more "boost-
ers" and no Knockers
We need the cooperation of that
part of our population which makes a
living by manual labor. All honor to
the man who labors with his hands.
He deserves and is entitled to con-
sideration. Our factories and our
shops could not exist without the
artisan. Our stores would not sell so
many goods if the laboring man was
not here. But, on the other hand, the
employees of our factories have duty
to preform as such employees. They
must give an honest days work for
an honest days wage. They must
have due regard for the rights of their
employers who make. it possible by
their brains and capital for the labor
ing man to get work to support him
self and those dependent upon him.
We need more equitable freight
rates. know some of you have been
saying to yourselves, II wonder when
he is going to get to the subject OF
freight rates." for I have the reputa.
tion, believe, for bringing this mat
ter into almost every discussion.
/
of it's lesser Importance but because
1t is the one thought or thoughts which
especially want to impress upon
your minds.
} It is the paramount and over-shad-
owing influence on the manufacturing
proposition of today. Under the high.
ly organized manufacturing condi.
tions of this age it Is necessary for
competition to be as nearly as is pos.
sible, on an equal basis transportation
charges 10th on material in and finish.
!, ed product out. An undue preference
in the matter of freight charges will
build up a town or community at the
expense of a neighboring town of com
muntiy. The two places slnay have
equal natural advantages, but through
system of freight rates evolved
through many years of concession and
adjustments by railway traffic men
the one may be many times greater as
a commercial center than the other.
) Right here l want to say to our rail
road friends that l have no fight tc
make on railroads as such. We can
not get along without them The WON
; derful developement Of our country
would have been utterly and abso
lutely impossible without their assist
ance. They carry the commerce o1
our country more or less rapidly and
more or less safely from one part OF
the land to the other Take away oul
> railroads and our civilization and com
mercial prosperity is paralyzed.
l am friend TO our great carriers
of commerce. Nevertheless for rea
sons which no doubt seemed sufficient
to them, the railroads have given .ad
vantage in rates to certain sections
of our country. Unfortunately for OF
tumwa, this town has not been sc
favored. Our rates in many cases are
such that we cannot successfully com
pete with certain other towns ant
,, cities, except perhaps in limited ter
ritory surrounding Ottumwa.
l Story of Marrow Barn.
l want to see the territory whicf
.. Ottumwa can serve "Widened Out
:. There has been some relief afford
ed us in the past on certain com
modities for which we are duly ap
: preciative, but We are still far from
: happy. | believe ! can appreciate tt