Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-10-20
BOOSTING A CITY,,
HOW N Gan Be DONE
LUcIUS e. WILSON, OF GREATER
DIES MONIES COMMITTEE,
GIVES ADDRESS.
LIVE WIRE TELLS HOW TO
GET CHARGED FOR BUSINESS
Advertising is Key Note of Wilson's
Advice in Bringing City to the
Front-Advises All Men to Pull To-
sether and Forget Politics and Com
petitive Differences.


in the shape Of an amalgamation of its
commercial clubs. and with the suppo-
siron that the time is ripe for keen
interest 10 be shown i'll any remarks
that would be of assistance TO such an
organization. Lucius E. Wilson. secre-
tary of the Greater Des Moines COM
mittee. appeared before a mere. hand
ful of men at the Searchlight Club
gathering at the Y. VI. c. A. Tuesday
night
Mr. Wilson is a live wire. and had
a rlessage to men who might be of the
same caliber if properly trained Mr..
Wilson is a clean cut. shrewd young
business man. a pusher. an advertiser,
and man who believes that printers
ink and a concentration of working
forces can accomplish wonders with a
municipality, the same as they do with
any business in the commercial world.
Ii would have we'll paid every business
man in Marshalltown to have heard
him. yet the audience was not at all
town who are looked upon to carry
out the promotions for the citys well
fare, and who must necessarily should
er much of the responsibility
Advertising was the key note of Mr..
Wilson'S address. and he used many
forcible illustrations 10 show how adj
vertising paid in commercial enter
prises. He also showed what other
cities We're doing by advertising. A
pull-together policy was also advised
for without ii there can be no suc-
cessful city boosting organization.
Boom a Good Thing.
Mr. Wilson referred 10 booms. and
how opinions differed as 10 the bene-
fits. but declared a boom for any city
good thing He admitted that a crash
would follow, but said that in its wake
We're always left lot Of good, sub
stantial buildings that some one would
occupy eventually.
Co. Operative Effort Necessity.
cooperative efforts of live men were
declared an absolute necessity in
boosting a city, and vet the extreme
life of an organization of this kind
I is only twenty years without reorgani-
1 -
many times are ill-advised and UNI
digested. yet in view of the continual
failures there are today ten times more
city boosting organizations in the
country than there ever We're before.
There is a fundamental need OF a city
boosting organization in every city that
/ wants TO rise beyond the stages of
hamlet, the speaker said, and it was
Just as Ben Franklin said, ''If We don't
hang together we will hang separate
ly.'
Buying Factories Foolish Practice.
Mr.. Wilson declared the buying 81
I factories a foolish practice. referring
4 specifically to the paving of bonuses
to secure new industries. He sa1u !
A was good logic to argue that the prac
tice would never pay eventually. Ii
city boosting organization can not con
vince a man that his commercial III
ture is with Its city, it cannot convinc
him by buying him. He won't sta.
with YOU anyway, and he is a factor.
on wheels at best. The town that buy
will never be satisfied with the re
suits"
The King of Boosters.
Mr. Wilson referred to many cite
over the country and their methods o
successful boosting, and termed Lo
Angeles the king of boosters, situat
ed in the heart of a territory wher
there are today $4,000 Iowa people. FL
declared Los Angeles to be the bes
advertised and best boosted city in III
world. The child imbibes with hi
mothers milk the spirit of boosting
the sun may rise tomorrow, but tina
Cities Where Men Want Them.
That cities will grow where mel
want them, and not only where natur
has made conditions favorable, wa
brought out very forcibly. Mr.. Wilso
cited Tast Aurora. n. Y, the home .
Ebert Hubbard. the best Individual ea
vertiser in the world. Not only ar
cities built where men want them, ou
things are done where men want to d
them. Battle Creek. Mich, has II
mortgage on the health Of the worl(
yet they make you think they do" sal
the speaker. Detroit, Mich, has n
store of gasoline, yet three-fourths
the automobiles manufactured ar
made there. There is no good reaso
| why Gloversville, N. Y, should max
] more gloves imam Ten Ct the big citie
of the country, but an ingenious Yam
kee found that the Dutch immigrant
knew how to make gloves, and he kne'
how to sell them. Cattle hides don
grow on bean stalks in eastern Massa
chusetts, but most of the shoes of tt
country are made there"
Know Your Own Town.
Mr. Wilson then launched into ii
education of a towns own people
know what is made in the town. fEdl
cate your men to believe that the be
place in Gods kingdom is right und
your feet. Some one must furnish Il
ammunition for the booster or he wor
boost. The trouble with the averai
Iowa citizen is that he doesn't know
what he has got in his own state. u
I'll Marshalltown, and every other CT
and town in the state, tells the wor
what they have, just so long are tn
going 10 prevent growth in rap
strides.
What Des Mones Docs.
Mr.. Wilson told something Of IL
work Of the Greater Des Moines con
mittee, and what advertising 1t w
doing. Last year over 100000 pieces
printed matter were sent to the worl
Next year the number will be over z
100000, and will extend into eve
corner of the United States and
. England. Every city, boosting organic;