Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1914-07-14
w. H. WEBB

Ine following IS from a recent
article in the Duluth Tribune. w.
I'll. Webb is president of the Wiscon-
sin Advancement Association and it
will be of interest to the readers OF
the Pilot:
is ''BIG BROTHER" OF FINN FARMERS.
Do you know w. S. Webb of Su-
perior? You do if you live in Supe-
rior, or in northern Wisconsin, or if
you happen to be Finn, for Mr..
Webb is a ''big brother" to every
Finn farmer in the north country. He
won't tell you much about it, in fact,
he is ready to talk about everything
except the work he is doing to help
tide the farmers over the first years
of getting ION the land, and getting
the land in condition to yield returns.
The story of how MIR. Webb be-
came interested in the Finn farmer
and his problems goes long way
back MIR. Webb's father was a
Cornish minor who came to the cop
per country of Michigan in the early
days of it's development. There the
younger Webb went to work in the
mines of Kewanee coanty. He learned
what it was to work long, heart
breaking hours at nerve-breaking
work; to feel the sick reactions of
physical exhaustion. In 1874 the
first Firms came to the mines of the
copper country, 300 of them, sent in
to the Cliff mine, desperate men,
suspicious of everyone, accustomed
to finding every mans hand against
them. Mr.. Webb had been made
bookkeeper at the mine, and his in
terest and sympathy were aroused in
this additional Old world offering to
the American melting pot. He
opened night school for the men,
and through it came in personal
touch with their lives. He helped
them send money home without be-
ing fleeced by exorbitant exchange
rates and in other ways won their
confidence.
In 1884 Mr.. Webb came to Superior
and opened the West Superior town
site. The Vermiion mines were shut
down at the time and group of
Films drifted down to Duluth. These
men had formerly worked in the Cliff
mine. They recognized Mr.. Webb
and decided 10 buy land from him.
That's how it started.
COOPERATION AND ALTRUIsM WIN.
Since then, Mr.. Webb has loaned
over S5, 100000 to the Finn farmers of
the Superior district to enable them
to get on the land and get dairy herds
started. He interested southern Wis
consin capital in the possibilities of
dairying in upper Wisconsin, and
taught the southern people that the
northern tier of counties was some
thing more than cutover lands. He
kept his ear to the ground in search
Vi n6W dilu IiiplONCu ihOtilOuo lOi
dairying development and for larger
to establish personal
relations between che town and
country dwellers Nor has his inte-
rest been confined u one particular
district. When the farmers of the
district wanted tc start
cooperative store they came to Mr..
Webb to finance the project. He ad-
vanced them money on their lands in
small amounts, advised them on the
manner of procedure in starting the
store and conducting it. Every
day the farmers came to him for
advice, settle their neighborhpod diff
ficulties in his private office and get
his personal opinion on tLe wisdom
of contemplated business deals.
Between times Mr.. Webb talks
and the advantages of nor
thern Wisconsin and northern Mime
sofa in many states and before many
and always he comes
back to two subjects, cooperation and
altruism. He believes that no one
can be loser who invests in human
welfare, that the adage of bread COM
ing ack-buttered- particular
bearing on the business man who
helps the farmer; that both are bound
to win. And, having the courage of
his convicIions, he has worked it
out, he doesn't talk anything about
which he isn't able to show results