Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1909-08-07
DIDN'T SUIT HIM.
Business Man Tells City Why
He would not Come.

A gentlemen from the east recently
went to Fergus Falls to consider the
advisability of locating in that city
and engaging in business. He did not
locate and after he left he wrote
letter to member of the Fergus Falls
Commercial Club telling why he did
not locate there. The Journal of that
city reproduced the letter for home
consumption but is so timely and can
be read with profit by the citizens of
SO many other towns that we publish
the letter in full. It is lamentable
that the same spirit prevails to a
greater or less extent in every city.
The letter follows:
sI have decided not to locate in
Fergus Falls and this is to notify you
that all negotiations are off. I want to
thank you for the courtesies which
you showed me and for your efforts in
trying to assist me in getting estab-
lished there. In view of your kind
ness perhaps ought not to do SO but
am going to tell you frankly why I
decided not to locate there although
you may think that my reasons are
not valid. When first saw the town,
was charmed with it. There is none
more beautiful, none for which nature
has done more. It's location is excel
lent; its water power, tho limited, is
unsurpassed; it's drainage fine and
sanitary conditions practically perfect.
In view of all these conditions I
wondered why it had not grown and
I determined to find the underlying
cause if I could. I may be wrong,
but believe it is the spirit of the
people; selfish jealousy; an Inability
to take broad minded view and to
overlook little things in order to grasp
bigger ones.
81 can conceive no more colossal
blunder than to permit and even
force your power to be transmitted
elsewhere. If you have an asset on
which to build a town, it is your power
and to allow it to be utilized elsewhere
is suicidal.
II was told that although some of
your more enterprising and public
spirited citizens had expended many
thousands of dollars in establishing a
packing plant with view to building
up the stock industry and furnishing
employment there was no feeling of
loyalty to it and many cars of stock
were shipped away each year which
ought to have been slaughtered there
and thus helped to get the plant on a
paying basis.
81 was told that at one time Fergus
Falls was the largest flour mill town in |
Minnesota outside of Minneapolis, but |
as the mills burned down they were
not rebuilt and those left had not run |
half the time the past two years for |
lack of wheat. I saw teams hauling
wheat from cars to the mills which
must be expensive and yet was told
that twenty of the business men are
taking stock in new elevator to be,
built for the purpose of shipping
WuOoU OuU VA UO"A AAoUOoA Va A1oFAAS Az
ground into Fergus Falls -four.
81 saw your fine creamery and yet
while standing on the corner one day
heard group of men discussing
whether it would pay to ship the cream
to one of the centralizing plants in the
big cities.
81 was shown the handsome hospi- |
tai given to the people by public
spirited citizen and at the time was
told that it would probably have to
close as caring for the sick was not a
money making business and it could |
not make both ends meet at the prices
charged.
"Cooperatlve stores may be alright, |
but don't want to get tied down in a
community where no one is willing
that anyone should succeed or do any
business and the producer to con
sumer spirit prevails. 1t is alright |
for country village, but you can
never make town-a good prosper
Gus town-on these lines. 1t is the
same spirit which allows Chicago t.
do all the business thru Sears q Roe
buck and Montgomery Ward.
cit may be ungracious in me after
being used as nicely as was while in
Fergus Falls to say these things about |
your city, but no keen observer car.
fail to discover the spirit which mani-
tested itself to me while there, and so
long as it lasts you will find your
growth very slow and your develops
ment greatly retarded"
Card of Thanks.