The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-08-27
Trains Going West.
ANOTHER LESSON FOR FARGO.

Yesterday The Forum called atten-
tion to the rapid growth and develop
ment OF Oklahoma City and pointed
out some things that might have bene-
fitted Fargo. Today an editorial from a
st. Louis paper on the city of Detroit
is reproduced. The lessons 1t teaches
are so plain that they will appeal to
everybody.
There is no reason why Fargo cannot
become an industrial center.
Automobiles are purchased by the
thousands in North Dakota. Why not
manufacture them in Fargo?
Few states use more stoves in pro.
portion to population than North Da-
kota. They could be built in this city,
just as well as in Detroit.
There are many other lines of man
ufacturing that would prove more prof
liable in Fargo than Detroit.
The weekly cash payroll is what
makes live town-why not have a
bigger one in Fargo?
Fargo possesses innumerable advan-
tages that Detroit never had has not
and will never have. Detroit is M
against the extreme edge of the world
away from the center of things. Far
go Is in the center OF the cream of the
northwest-surrounded by a prosper
Gus people who are purchasers of high
class goods--a great deal of which
might be manufactured in this city.
The st. Louis Dispatch saws
nice things Of Detroit They might
Just as well be said of Fargo-if the
proper spirit animated the business
men and IL there were live wires -and
lots OF them as officials and as mann
pers OF the commercial club. The Dis
patch says:
why is Detroit? The Michigan me-
! tropoHs with census gain of AZ nar
cent, bids fair to outdistance every
otner large city in it's ratio of nuner-
4cal progress. 1t has left its old rival.
milwaukee,, far behind, passed Cincin-
laLl ana New Orleans, and is in strik-
ing distance Of Pittsburg and CIeve-
lanu' with Buffalo still unheard from
Detrolt has no advantage of location.
] AZ ~ on sidetrack. On the east It is
smut OFT by an International boundary
Win TWO tariffs to prevent expansion
IN that direction. Commercially. west
! erh Michigan belongs to Chicago. The
upper peninsula Is tributary. not to
Detroit, but to Chicago, Milwaukee. st
Faul Minneapolis and Duluth. To the
south Toledo, Cleveland, Chicago. In
J annapolis, Cincinnati and Buffalo are
ail cohtenders Tor trade supremacy.
FOR many years Detroit struggled to
nold us place as jobbing center in
1ne race or the competition and failed
ulsfnaily. It forsook this Illusion Soma
WE'VE years ago. 1t resolved that If
it nad future Of growth it would be
Duht on an Industrial foundation.
mere was no prospect except in man |
uiaeturing 10 had little In that line
Dhe great and one smaller drug manu-
factory, three large stove plants and
TWO freight car shops made the sum I
q It's nsfitutions of general import |
ahce. lndustrially the rest OF IT was |
MADE up OF small factories. But Detroit |
resolved that 1t was to be d rnannfacs /
turing center.
AZ preliminary step 1t formed q |
board Of commerce into which all other
commercial and civic organizations
were merged. It invited new enter |
prises to Detroit. IT talked advantages
Fortune favored. The automobile bus |
mess was budding. Henry Ford lived
IT Detroit. BY chance the young men
of three rich families, tempted rather
i1y the sporting lure Of the automobile.
went down In Ohio and bought the
Packard plant. They moved 1t to De-
tr0it and threw everything away but
the name. They made successful
motor cars0 successful that the piant
aow employees $500 men. Others were