The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1915-01-01
Essence OF Meanness


/ ing a bu >tnesS was that adopted
! by a concern that has been tenn
! porarily doing business in
tins city during the past few
months. The manager Of this
concern after having been
accorded every inducement to
secure long term lease Of the
building he occupied and after
| having been offered such a lease
at the same rate and terms as
his present lease calls for-and
which is less than smaller build.
ings on Main st are renting for
in fact he having lease of the
building which no one could take
from him until next September
made a bluff to get long
term lease but persistently re-
jected every proposition that
was offered him of securing this
long term lease until it was
plain to be seen
that he was determined on
throwing up the lease that he
had and refusing to take out
another. But even this would
have been submitted to without
protest if in his advertising the
fellow had not attempted to con-
vey the impression that there
was com bination of the busi-
ness interests of Milbank
to drive him out of bust
ness when the real truth appears
to be that he only wanted to use
the town for dumping ground
for his goods during the fall
trade and he was careful to see
that his lease was such that he
could terminate it at his pleasure
By this scheme he escapes pay
ing any taxes to city, county or
state, secures the benefit of the
fall trade. when money is plenti.
full and their exists no necessity
to extend credit, and as the dull
season approaches or the time
for the assessor draws near he
is ready like the Arab to "fold
his tent and sileatly steal away"
Years ago. when the business
street of Milbank was largely
composed Of frame buildings.
the coming of these temporary
tradersewas always looked upon
with dread, as they were at all
times heavily insured against
fire and many of the fires in
smaller towns were found to be
closely connected with these
peripatetic business concerns.
One of these concerns we re-
member, which was carefully
watched while in Milbank later
moved to a Minnesota town, and
in a few weeks thereafter the
poor man lost his entire stock of
goods by fire which broke out
in his store, and he only got the
insurance, or at least part Of it,
as there were persons unkind
enough to intimate the poor fell
low was over insured and that he
was too careless in the handling
of kerosene, the smell of which
was suspiciously strong around
his premises. OF late years the
state authorities have been get
ting III close touch with this kind
of business and there has not
been so much of it as formerly.
The people Of Mllbank vel
come legitimate business Of
every kind by men who come
here to make their homes and
share with the community III
building up its material, moral
and general welfare, but the
degenei ate, vino. not sat sitied
with sponglng on the community
by lodging its common burdens
and responsibilities, before TAX
inc his departure seeks to de
fame his business competitors
by insinuatious and attempts to
create false impression that
his competitors had conspired
to drive him out Of town, is
beneath contempt.
The Jewish race is one of the
oldest and should be one Of the
noblest races on the face Of the
earth-it has given to the world
some of its greatest and grand
est characters, and today there
are noble examples of personal
character among its people, but
it is owing to such trickery of
individuals Of he race as we
have cited above that the name
Jew SO generally stands as
synonym for coyetous trickery
and contemplate character.
Ed Harrington, Of St. Paul.
,,;.itod ~ Tho M,,, (N,,crnl 49,