The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-01-24

be a sincere. progressive and enthu-
siastic citizen. This town, however,
is not the place that | could cousci-
entiousiy locate in With my family.
The people are not progressive, and
are insuiar ard self-sa,istied TO de-
gree that does not offer encourage
ment for the future. The streets in
the town itself are hub-deep In m,re
and mud, while most If them have
only paths for sidewalks. Won't you
kindly drop off and see NE so that !
can talk the situation over with you
and get your advice a. TO the best
place for us to locate?
Fail to Follow Idea.
= realized from the letter this man
wrote me that 1t was worth while TO
go down and see HIM personally.
hich aid Leaving the railroad
station in a rather dilapidated bus,
we rode over good sand clay roads
until we got to the main street OF
the town itself. when w sank down
in black mud TO a depth Of eight or
ten inches. AS we entered the town
at the end of this street | noticed
placards on the biilboards reading AZ
follows:
Dollars spent IN ---------------- re-
main here to work for as
Dollars sent out Of the city are
gone forever,
Money talks!
Boost for our home town.
Right here is an instance of the
way some Southern towns work with
out any system whatever for further
development. That billboard poster
was an excellent idea. II the mer-
chants Of the town and the citizen
ship generally had only followed out
in some degree the principles they are
advocating They ask the farmer 10
patroIize them. but, on the other
hand, they are doing everything pos
sible to discourage trade in that COM
rnunitv and leaving everything an
done they should do 10 develop 1T
/ talked with this man tn his own
room lie was q fine type of pro"
gressve young professional men as
! | have ever met. He had brought his
wife and children from an up-to-date
community m Minnesota TO the South
I hoping to find an environment thal
would he agreeable 10 them and q
+ the one they ieft. He said TO ms
\ personally;
+ .Sr. IaEnur4e. ara moro thar
+ nteaeee with your Southern climate
B -. have lands here that l believe
arc susceptible TO great production;
ly u have good transportation facti-
! les and your train,nen are cour-
tteous and ohiiging they seem tf
want 10 make the newcomer feel a
f..ome--Aut mere we are In iowr
that is vi lacking in se.fpride, CO.
/ operation and spirit of progress thai
! they are willing and satisfied to live
[ in a rut. and to fail 70 provide The
ordinary cGnveniences that go tr
I make life worth living. Tell me, car
. you conscientiousiy recon mend tha'
VIE locate here -
Towns Best Investment
Il had spent two or three hours go.
d Ing over the town. inspecting It's resi-
dence sector az we'll as its business
sce, IN. / found that the CITIZENS hat
shown Ef'usual enterprise IN the cree
| ton of fine new institute building
/ Is htcn MAS being operated IL Toys
/ school thew had also recently erect
ed a fine pl blic school building: somt
beautiful churches and fine residences
had also gone zap, but they had don'
practically nothing toward the i'm
! provemen. % their public utilities
The streets were d.:ty and unkempt
sidewalks were conspicuous by heii
absence the stores, while well stock
ed were not neat and attractive"
stocks had thrown together ar'
pearance--with windows UNIVERSAL,
dirty and fly specked The same car
he said Of the hotel--and let me SAL
right here--that the greatest possini'
r investment that any tenh eaf- ma X.
is In the maintenance of an attractive
taome-lise. clean, Well managed hote
fer the accommodate Of the stranger
within its gates l stood at the in