The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-03-22
BRING THE CONVENTION.

BRING TIE CONVENTION.
II Richmond people want to, they
can bring to town thousands of the
members of the Knights of Pythias for
their annual encampment. The only
thing which stands in the way is the
money. And this money is a much
smaller sum than will return to the
town, a fraction of what the Knights
will spend in the town. Sooner or
later that same money will be distrib-
uted among Richmond merchants and
Industries. The town will more than
get its money back.
Is it possible that we are losing
ground and that there should be the
slightest hesitation about bringing
these men here? Is it possible that we
are back to that old pessimistic, in
dividualistic view, when we were just
on the Threshold of optimism and CO
operation?
Have we gone back to the knock
ing period and the time of the stand
still?
1t has been urged that the neces-
sary funds to bring this encampment
here will cripple the Fall Festival. II
1t be true. 1t is indeed a matter for
serious consideration. One opinion is
as good as another in most things, but
We would remind the citizens that this
thing of finding some excuse for not
bringing money. men, and life into the
town Is the same sort of thing which
the pessimistic ones urged before the
Good Roads Congress and the Fall
Festival itself. This has the effect
OF discounting the objection, were
there no other way Of getting line
on the proposition.
The only way that this will not in
terfere with the Fall Festival is by
getting out now by the means Of per-
sonal representatives mot circular
letters or telephone calls) and putting
the affair right before the eyes of the
merchants. and interested persons.
Get the money in the spring and there
win be no difficulty about the money
in the fall for the Fall Festival.
We are OF the opinion that not to
have the encampment will hurt the
Fall Festival, and more than that, not
to have 1t will hurt Richmond. This
10 q surprising statement. AS mat
ter of common knowledge it was not
a mere sum of money that made a
success out OF the venture last Fall.
1t was the spirit OF enthusiasm. the
spirit of cooperation which made it a
success-the money was = by-product
II you are going to stifle every good
thing that comes along, which in its
way Is quite as good for the town as
the Fall Festival. do you not see that
you are killing the spirit which made
the Fall Festival success? You are
saying in the most pessimistic way:
Richmond is SO much Of jay town
that it is impossible to have anything
going on except at one time in the
year-and that in the fall"
And you can see perfectly well that
the ultimate effect of such an idea is
not one OF building up, but OF under
mining confidence and enthusiasm.
Once confidence and enthusiasm are
somewhere is your Fall Festival:
The friends of Richmond will have
to get together. not to call the pessi-
mists names. but to reason with them
and show them where they are wrong
Show them that the pessimistic view
never did anything for the town but
hold 1t in the shackles Of gloom and
incut-throat competition.
Before the fall festival you could
hear the same talk Of doubt. You do
not hear 1t now because the thing
demonstrated its own worth. And
now the same fall festival, which
should have been an inspiration and
incentive to going ahead on new plans
for growth. is held up as a scare crow
to frighten the timid against more
things of thesl zne kind.
To those friends OF the fall festival,
We say. II Richmond plays the quit
ter now the fall festival will indeed