Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-10-19

soap afore they'll take bath, anc
then kick like thunder when we tel
them to sell their produce where they
buy thei- supplies
Celebration Proposed.
Why don't you fellows get together
and hold celebration and get all the
/ farmers to take part. Have a parade
Get band, give some prizes and wake
things up a bit. You have the best
chance to get close to the farmers
You are near them, and it looks as
though little energy put forth from
your direction might do the trick
'Celebrashun Well, stranger
guess you don't know the business
men" of this here town. Celebration.
Huh! Do you suppose Jim Hawkins
I'D have anything to do with a cele-
brashun? Jim and me ulster to be
friends when he was younger, but we
Igot inter business here and now we
ldon't speak. Amt said a word to Jim
for Is years. His wife and mine ulster
to be chums, but they amt speaking,
either. Mine quit the Methodist
Church and went over to the Presby-
terrain so as they wouldn't get near
each other. Jim and me has been run
ming nip and tuck on business for
years and you bet he amt goin' ter
get ahead of me, even if l have ter
give my stuff away. He's always
knocking me, but | amt no knockar.
but Jim, he's got the cheapest line g
goods in this county and he gives
ISnOrt WpiOhf L,
ter get my customers by cutting prices
and then l sells so low he has ter quit.
Jlm's lost as much to these here mail
order fellers es l have.
Couldn't you and jim get together
long enough to help along a ceIebra-
ton for the good of the town? If it
helped Jim it would help you
Would Want to Hog 1t All.
Well, Jim nd want to hog it all an
wouldn't stand fer it. Besides. if We
could get these here farmers away
from them pesky cataiogs long enough
to say their prayers you'd be doing
good. Why them farmers read that
lynn catalog nore'n they reads the
Good Book. Celebrashun! Huh! Go
tell them Chicago fellers to come out
here and get up a celebrashun and
let loose some of that money they took
away from this town. Celebrashm
Well. stranger. l guess you don't know
nuthin' about these here people. Cele-
brashun. Yes, celebrashun. Huh, |
huh
You and Hawkins both do bust |
ness with the bank, don't you? Why |
don't you tip it off to Stevens. the |
banker. Have him make the start and |
get all of you together
Say. stranger, you amt cut yer |
eye teeth yit. You don't know nuthin |
about conditions Why Andrew Car |
Macy amt got nuthin' on Stevens.
He's too high and mighty
Drive Out Catalogue.
We'll, now look here. You and |
Hawkins both do business through the |
same bank All of the farmers bank ]
here. Stevens practically finances the
whole town and the surrounding coun- |
try, why shouldn't you all, farmers, |
business men and everybody else get |
together for financial reasons if for |
no others. Here is a strong combina-
ton. All you working together with |
this town the county seat, drive out |
the catalogs and put the place ON the
man.
See here, stranger. Fust thing |
you know you'll rile me. You don't |
know nothin' about this here town.
Thets plain. You may know lots, but
you don't know nothin' about Red |
River county, ner Stevens, ner Aid
rich, ner Hawkins, ner the farmers,
ner me- Fine weather, amt ii,
Think we'll have a mighty
cold winter. The husks on the corn IS
thick"
Typical of Many Towns.
'This interesting conversation took
place not long ago between a/'repre-
sentative storekeeper in rural town
and a man who happened to be pass
ing through on some private business.
II was typical of many towns through
out the country. Conditions are re-
produced over and over, varying only
with the size and population of the
town and rural districts effected. The
complained that the far
mers bought from the mail order |
houses, that the banker was high and |
mighty and that the editor was dead /
and his paper 'deader.' Business was
dull. profits small, and the shop
showed the effects of conditions. It
was lily kept. Stocks were low.
Variety was lacking. The whole as
pect of the place was uninyiting ana |.
yet the community en-
braced a population of rich and pros
porous farmers and all of their money
was flowing in an endless stream,
through the postoffice and the local
bank. to the Golfers of the city ma
order houses.
Cooperation Lacking.
The explanation of the condition
was plain enough. The paper was
10 merchants