Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1908-02-19
LETTER FROM BEN BEAR
DtC0RAH'S SQUARE DEALER WRITES FROM
THE GREAT METROPOLIS.
INTERESTING DESCRIPTIONS.
Tells About the Great New Y0rk-Paris Auto
mobile Race, the Shsorapers, Presidea-
tisE Candidates, financial Situation, the
Pennsylvania Tunnel, TheatricaIs, Etc.
New York. Feb. 10, 1908.

AS you know, am in the city, and
rs usual take pleasure to have little
chat with YOU and your readers. feel
that perhaps l am imposing upon You
10 take up your valuable time, but
1.-THE writing Of these few lines, when
am away from home, have become a
sort OF second nature, and l feel no
trip is complete without sending you
a few lines.
1 have been here over a week, and
lt will take another, before / can
finish up my purchases which SO far
have been very satisfactory. as l am
in with combination OF some of the
largest buyers in the west, and there
by can obtain values, which if l
would purchase alone, / couldn't ac-
lcomplish at all however. the object
of these few lines, is not matter Of
business but merely TO let you know
that AM here and tell you how the
city strikes me this time.
(! On the way coming. especially be-
tween Buffalo and this City, l found
more snow and snow drifts than any
where else on the route The city
itself was covered with snow, which
however did not prevent the great
New York-Paris automobile race
| 90, 600 miles) from starting at the set
time last Monday morning at IL 100
O'Clock. I made up my mind TO see
the start. and / did see it, which took
! place from The Times building in
! Times Square. 1t was really a great
sight 60 see 80. 900 people TANNED
/ around the contestants. and the excite
ment when the start was made, was
intense. You know the route selected
is starting from this city TO Chicago,
! San Francisco. Seattle, Alaska and
across the Behring Straits to Siberia,
and then through Siberia 70 Moscow.
4 Berlin and finish in Paris. Ii is
distance of about 20, 600 miles, under
going of course great hardships.
passing through the frozen and wild
uninhabited countries. and there is
/ no telling. if any of the cars will
! ever reach their destination. Ii is
courageous undertaking and none but
the bravest Of men would dare TO face
such a trip. The contest is looked
upon with great interest, Al d especial
" so by automobilists. This is not
! a speed, rs much as an endurance test.
Personally have been much interest
/ ed, ar | have seen the men and the
machines, aud only regret that our
little city was not on the route
through which they passed.
You will remember | wrote you
about the Singer building, which is Al
stories high the structure is complete
now, but the Metropolitan Life Insnr-
ance Co. were not TO be outdone. SO
they are now building an Office build
ing in Madison Square. which it is
claimed, will be twenty-five feet
higher than the Singer building, and
will be taller than anything else, ex
cept the Eifel Tower in Paris, which
l believe is nearly thousand feet
high. The Metropolitan building will
be erected entirely OF white stone, and
certainly will be very imposing
sight when finished.
The papers, rs Well as the people,
are already beginning TO talk about
the next presidential candidate, and
80 many different names are mention
ed and at present it is hard 10 say
who leads, although Secretary Taft
seems 10 be in first position, with
Governor Hughes close second.
have never been politician, but /
am interested as every good citizen
should be this country needs men OF
honor and integrity in politics. as
we'll as III other walks of life, and it
doesn't so much matter whether man
represents the republican or democrat
party if he is only honest. | believe,
and always did. in President Roose.
velt, and while some say he made err
<
been strictly honest, and to me that's
the greatest sort of a statesman
This city is improving every day.
business may not be as good as it was
before the November money mp set,
but there is big business here just
the same, and everybody is busy. The
hotels are filled, the theatres aie
crowded. the streets have the appear
ance of "circus day" every day, and
/ cannst notice any stagnation in
business at all.
Some Wall Street people have been
wiped off the map-well if they have.
SO much the better for the country
the people here say SO, themselves lin
fact the people here in general do not
Isympathize any more with Wall
Street than we do. Business in the
future will be done more On conser-
vative :basis, and everybody will be
better off, Factories are running about