Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1917-03-07


/ the resources of whatever valley
they happen to be travelling through.
For example, you will see large
and we'll lettered bulletin boards in
4 Just such grass plots and miniature
parks as you have near the I. G. de-
pot here containg the announce
ment: "This is Salem, Cor whatever
town it is). Population in 1910
1852; In 1915-12,472. Salem is in
| Columbia county, which raised in
.,.914 SO many thousand bushels of APP
PIES" and so on. Thus the traveller
gets all the information about that
town in nutshell and dished up in
an appetizing and tantalizing way.
! You will also see between stations
other large bulletin boards easily
read from the car windows such in
formation as this: You are now in
the famous 81 .-a:1antn valley, noted
for its wonderful plulns, or apples or
1 reaches, etc. No burdensome stalls
tics, but just enough Of the kind of
dope" the AYERS &c tourist would want
to know and the kind Of stuff he won't
soon forget.
Gentlemen, we are overlo king
some mighty good bets right here in
Iowa when we don't take advantage
of our opportunities to get such val
liable publicity for own own towns.
Think what an impression neatly
lettered bulletin board over near
YOUR depot would have on the average
traveller, reading something like this:
"Thiscis Manchester. Population I'm
19fOa-2, 1852 In 1915--3.102.a Home Of
the U, iSangbvernmsnt, fish hatchery.
Purest city water. .ip Iowa Ten good
schools Cor whatever the correct NUM-
Der isl fifteen fine churchea. etc. "A
goou place to i've. write the Man
chester Commercial club for illustrat-
ed booklet, and other information. " 4
Speaking Of literature with which
| to advertise the town brings to mind
the booklet We got out IL Cedar Rap
ids. y Z
s.fhe same thing can be done here.
Suppose twenty firms in Manchester
contributed $25 each that would give
a fund of $500 which would go long
way in getting out fine booklet en-
tellished with cuts showing the beau
ties of Manchester in business and
residential way. You could have q
cut of your handsome court house, of
which there are few nicer in the
state; views of the beautiful Maquo-
kcta, your churches, schools, etc.
Suppose you got out fifteen or twenty
thousand and that every time one of
you men sent a letter out Of town
YOU enclosed booklet couldn't
help but get results. ~
Just think of the many good things
you have here to advertise. Why,
the fish hatchery alone is. an asset
that for publicity purposes is worth
more than a double page spread in
the Saturday Evening Post. Think
what an interesting tale could be
written about it being located on the
site of the first creamery in Iowa..
how the spot was chosen by the gov
erment over many others in the state
and the middle west because Of the
purity OF the spring water, etc,
Its my opinion gentlemen, that
never really realized the
advertising value rof the fish hatch
cry. made this statement at one of
your Commercial club gatherings here
several years ago and reiterate It
now that If some communities had
such place It would be heralded
far and wide. It's because you've
had it here so long that you sort of
forget to- tell the stranger within
your gates about its beauties and tho
work which is being accomplished
there VIM r. Curtis, now deceased,
the former star correspondent OF the
Wit 90 o "a n.
chester the best publicity it ever OBJ
tanned on the fish hatchery. Some of
YOU remember how he visited 1t in
person and by the way among those
who accompanied him on that trip was
our good friend M. Van Deusen, who
died a. few days ago. Manchester
broke in on the first page Of that big
Chicago daily with its immense cir
culation to the extent of about two
columns. Mr.. Curtis made one bad
error, however He said among the
other things that Manchester was the
town famous for two things for never
having had a saloon and for being
the home of the Manchester Herald
Americas Smallest Weekly. He was
wrong about the thirst parlor.
While on this question of publicity
don't overlook any opportunity of get
ting the Manchester date line into the
outside papers You have been doing |
well in this respect for whoever the
local correspondent is for the Dubu-
que, Des Moines and Cedar Rapids
papers, notice he is on the job all
the time The stories sent out about
the activities of your Commercial club
are in my opinion, of inestimable val
lie, for it shows other communities
that you are not asleep at the switch.
My attention was called shortly after
the death of Capt. Merry, to an item
under Manchester date line about a
movement to erect monument to his
memory in the Vicksburg National
park. This club should foster and de-
yelop that suggestion for think we
all will agree that Capt. Merry did his
full share in bringing Manchester to