Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 90, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 July 1909 — THE ELECTRIC ROAD SPIRIT. [ARTICLE]

THE ELECTRIC ROAD SPIRIT.

Electric roads mean progress. “To get on the map” means to get one and to get one as quick as possible. For nothing if possible, but don’t let a small sum in way of a bonus hinder it. There is an amazing change the last two or three years in the attitude of the farmer anent electric roads. Electric road schemes were just one way and that in favor of the road. Now that he has beeii around and seen the great advantage of his brother farmer who has a road near, he is keen for a road to come his way. In the many papers from all sections of the country the farmers and towns are offering bonuses to get roads their way. He is a slow observer who hasn’t noticed that nearby electric road towns are drawing on the close by non-electric towns giving employment to more men and building up at the expense of the less favored town. Little “odds and ends” factories are hitching on to the great power thrown out by the electric wire and for a nominal sum per month can run small machines that bring many small industries that keep the boys and girls of the communities home, which as a matter of course increases the purchasing power of the community, thereby aiding the merchants. It is astonishing how quickly the farmer takes hold of the electric road privileges. It opens up another part of life to him and he is not slow to take advantage of it. As a matter of fact he, or a member of his family, are as familiar figures on the town streets as those of the town itself. Strange as the paradox may seem, he thinks less of the mail order house schemes than formerly because in his former comparative isolation the catalogue was a time killer in the persual of it but the electric road in the first place keeps himself more on the “go” to town or visiting friends that the “cat” gets less and less attention. Furthermore he is in town so often and in the stores of his town merchants that he sees his fellow townsman’s goods oftener. It is a matter of fact that the electric road brings the farmer and his town merchant together ten times now to one before and if a merchant being better acquainted with his “quarry” can’t get more trade out of him he has mistaken Jiis vocation. Shut up in the house with a< catalogue, the whole family are interested in its persual but let the child or the lady see a thing in your store and they desire it then and there, the mail order house is not thought of. If seeing, is an incentive to desiring, the electric road brings them to town dozens of times as against one under no electric road conditions. As a matter of fact the farmer does not differ in tastes materially from his fellow townsman, but his environments make him less accustomed to the more free and easy intercourse of town life and to a certain degree he feels a little backward when compelled to go up against its mannerisms, but the electric road soon levels all this and is all that is needed to place his family next ter the world in all its phases. The electric road is a great leveler. For many miles around the whole community meets thrice where formerly they met once. A better acquaintanceship is thus established. The merchant knows full well that the oftener people come to town the more trading there is. And again, trade is more even. To illustrate. After an almost-impassable. state of roads, tjrade comes in a rush, but with an electric road half your trade can come in any how by jumping on a car. Merchants say that those who would go away to trade would do so any how but the “cat” trade is cut down very materially from people being in town so often, that the “seeing eye ’ ’ sells more than the ‘ ‘ cat. ’ ’ The merchant first of all wants the customer to see and compare his goods. That’s his chance. In the great cities, fabulous prices are paid as rent for certain “stands” for retail dry goods stores—Why? Because the people can see the display. Thus with the electric road, it brings the people in to “see” your display. The oftener they see the more they buy and “make a noise” to a neighbor. There is more visiting 10 to 1 than before. The stranger in town leaves the “coin.” He don’t come here to trade but to visit friends and relatives but he leaves some coin. Incidentally you can bring in many a stranger from adjoining towns for an opera house or other affair via electric road that helps conduct or attempt entertainments on vastly larger scale than otherwise. An electric road makes three to five dollars circulate around as against one before. With electric road assistance a live wide-awake merchant could, by making proper allowances, get produce from quite a radius, increasing the trade zone materially which incidentally would increase the dry goods trade. o The glass bottle men in convention assembled have resolved against county local option. This reminds one of that forceful argument of the “wets” “that the sales of moist goods were always increased in dry territory.” A subscriber asks how to build up 100 achers. Might try rheumatism or upset a bee hive.