Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 305, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 December 1913 — RENSSELAER IN THE YEARS TO FOLLOW [ARTICLE]

RENSSELAER IN THE YEARS TO FOLLOW

We Are Interested in the Future of Our City—-A Way to Help Its Material Welfare. Rensselaer is located right to be a large city some day. There is no competing city for trade nearer than Lafayette on the south and Chicago on the north For a long time it has occurred to the witter that we are not doing all that is in our power to develop the opportunities that our magnificent location has given us. The main cause of this is a tack of co-operation among our businessmen. We need a businessmen’s organisation and it should be organized without delay. We should discuss means of increasing our trade and of inducing people to come from greater distances to take advantage of our larger stores and our Way reasonable prices. With the present methods of automobile travd and the improved roads Rensselaer should materiaSlly increase the amount of retail trade here and beginning with the new year an organization with this in view should be started. The Republican will be pleased to talk with merchants about this and tfhe writer to express to any meeting some thoughts he has about measures that are certain to result beneficially to our town. Others are sure to have some, excellent ideas and there should be plenty of good results from such a meeting even if it should be decided that it is not desirable to advertise. A banquet of businessmen early in January would be inspiring and a toast program could be arranged that would start the plan of a “Greater Rensselaer” off with a vim. It wiM be worth all that it costs and a dollar per plate banquet should be attended by two hundred or more who will do all that they can to increase the importance of Rensselaer as a business center. Five years ago the movement to secure factories was started. We were deceived by smooth talking strangers and wasted a lot of money on some very common scoundrels. This time we should not seek strangers with whom to spend our money. We have talent and enterprise at home. We should go about it to develop the opportunities at hand without longer keeping our candle beneath a bushel. Mr. Merchant and Businessman, what do you think of it?