The Virginia enterprise. [volume], October 24, 1913, Image 4

About The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??

Image provided by: Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN

                
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The Virginia Enterprise
Pounded February 10, 1893, by W. E. Haoaaford
Published by
The Enterprise Printing and Publishing Co.
THOMAS H. MOOD1E. Editor and MuiHr
Entered at the Post Office at Virginia, Minnesota
as
second class mail matter.
Subscription Price J2.00 per year in advance.
VIRGINIA'S COMMERCIAL CLUB
Something is the matter with Virginia's Com­
mercial club. It is not receiving the support that
it should from Virginia business men and it is not
performing here the useful functions which such
organizations are intended to accomplish and for
which in Virginia there is more than the ordinary
need and in which there ought to be more than the
ordinary interest.
The Virginia Commercial club has not reached
the stage of moribundity because the business men
of Virginia are less public spirited than the busi­
ness men of any other town on the iron ranges*
Every one of them who is worthy the name of
business man believes in it and wants to see it
prosper. However, for the most part he leaves
the real work of promoting the organization to its
highest usefulness to his neighbor. His neighbor
does likewise and as a result the officers of the
club have some rather discouraging experiences.
Virginia busines men are having a very pros­
perous time. Most of them are so busy looking
after good paying businesses that they do not feel
able to spare the time to attend the meetings of
the club or to take an interest in its work. The
majority of them are surprised to know that the
club finds it hard to get a quorum at its meetings
and that frequently they are adjourned without
accomplishing anything. They firmly resolve to
be present the next time the club has a meeting
and help things along. But the firm resolve is
quite forgotten on the day when it ought to be
lived up to.
Virginia ought to have the best Commercial
club of any city in Minnesota outside of the three
big cities. It ought to have a club home. It
ought to be made a place where local business peo­
ple meet one another more frequently than they
do, and learn to know each other better. There
would be a considerable broadening all around if
this were possible and Virginia would be a good
deal better therefore. Virginia business men
ought to have a
rousing
get-together meeting of
some sort before long and at it they should con­
sider a plan to inject new life into the Commercial
club and to make it all that a Commercial club
should be in a city of this size and importance.
0
State Forester Cox is back from a trip over
northern Minnesota with two foresters in the em­
ploy of the Canadian government, who are inter­
ested in the progress being made with reforestra
tion work in Minnesota. He gives an interview to
a St- Paul newspaper in which he states than in 30
years Minnesota will have more standing pine tim
ber than it has today. Mr. Cox may know wlia
he is talking about, but with logging contracts
being let for 300,000,000 and the Virginia
Rainy Lake mill sawing up pine at the rate of
million feet a day it is hard to believe his state
ment here. However, there is no doubt that sur
prising strides are being made and equally surpris­
ing results attained in the reforestration work of
Minnesota. The work is comparatively new in
this state, but if it secures the results expected it
will solve a problem regarding forest conserva­
tion which has long given genuine anxiety to many
who believe that reforestration is the only practi­
cal means of restoring to usefulness large tracts
of cutover land frhat because of rocks and rugged
surface will never be fit for agricultural purposes
There is a good deal of land of this type on the
Mesaba range.
The appointment of J. H. Fleming to the post
mastership in Virginia is a just recognition of a
real democrat. Mr. Fleming is one of Virginia's
pioneer citizens and one of its best esteemed as
well. His interest in politics in the past has been
prompted not so much by hope of reward as by the
belief that he was fighting on the side of a cause
that was right. The Enterprise does not agree
with Mr. Fleming politically, but it frankly ad­
mires his consistency and is glad to know he has
been recognized by being given the best job there
is for a democrat in this section of the state. Mr.
Fleming was not a fair weather partisan. He was
a democrat, a fighting democrat too, in the days
when democrats on the iron range were regarded
as persons more to be pitied than censured. Mr.
Fleming is amply capable to be an efficient post­
master. He has served in various capacities of a
public nature, and has never been found wanting.
o-
There is a well defined story going the rounds
of those who know that Minnesota's primary elec­
tion law is to be attacked as to its legality on the
grounds that the title does not clearly indicate the
contents of the body of the law, held to be
grievous oversight on the part of those who
framed the measure. In the event it is thus at­
tacked successfully the primaries might be thrown
back to September. Of the merit of the conten­
tion in regard to legality there is little reliable in
farmation available. If the action is started, how­
ever, it may be by Henry Rines of Mora. It would
have the effect no doubt of delaying a good many
announcements of candidacy for state offices and
would rob the coming state campaign of a lot of
interest that the primaries held at an earlier date
would bring to it. One thing the people would be
generally glad of, however, it would jgrant them a
»Wite from spellbinders and candidates of at least
W days that would be quite welcome.
&
Ex-Governor Sulzer of New York gives the lie
the old'saying that a prophet has no virtue in
[lis own territory. Sulzer will be a candidate for
he legislature from his home district and the
est authorities are agreed he will be elected.
That will be a fine tribute from his friends, but it
will not remedy the fact that he has been weighed
and found wanting even though his dismissal from
office was the outcome of political intrigue that
stopped at no extreme. Men like Sulzer are in a
large measure responsible for the growing distrust
of all public officials. If he is returned to the leg­
islature he will have won a sentimental victory
at his home that will be highly flattering, but it
will be more a rebuke to the interests that un­
seated him and the methods used in accomplishing
it than a tribute to Suizer the man and public ser
vant wronged.
o—•
G. D. Heath has sold his interest in the Itasca
County Iron News, published at Coleraine to L. D.
Lammon. "Dad" Heath will probably go on a
long hunting trip for he likes to live near to Na­
ture and roam about in the big woods. Under
his editorship the Iron News was an interesting
newspaper with a distinctive and charming indi­
viduality that always made it a welcome visitor.
Mr. Heath will have the best wishes of many
friends in anything he undertakes in the future
and the hope will be general that he will not locate
so far away from Minnesota that he will be quite
lost to his friends in the newspaper business here.
L. D. Lammon will keep the Iron News up to
standard and has been associated with Mr. Heath*
in its publication practically ever since it
founded.
Virginia should set in motion the machinery
hat will result in better roads between this city
Cook and the north country. The farmers of
that section consider this city their legitimate
market. Many of them now go elsewhere because
the road between this city and Angora is in an
impassable condition a good deal of the year. In
cidentally Virginia should try to elect the next
commissioner from this district or get behind some
other man who will pledge himself to give this city
what it most needs—better roads to its surround
ing counti*y districts. Virginia is about the only
town on the range that is not getting some of the
good things being passed around in the way of im
provements. There's a reason. Virginia isn't?
going after them as it should.
0
One of the good things the state
was to provide for the election of senators and rep
resentatives on a non-partisan basis. Whether
legislative candidates are republicans, democrats
or socialists in the next campaign is not going to
be of nearly as much moment as whether or not
they will commit themselves to use their in
fluence in the interest of economy and efficiency in
state government. The economy and efficiency
slogan has caught on with the people in earnes
and it 4s going to be a big influence in deciding the
next elections so far as members of the legislature
are concerned.
Under the Hicken regime six saloon licenses
have been revoked in Duluth and a seventh will
in all probability go next week. There has been
good ground for the action in all the cases. The
situation at Duluth becomes more interesting as
the days go by. Gambling at the church fairs is
also to be prohibited. There is small question but
that the Hicken brand of purity is intended to be
the real thing, but being good is such a lonesome
job that a good many Duluth people are already
growing tired of it if all reports which reach the
ranges are true.
Brainerd needs a new courthouse and before
Leslie Bush, who pitched the great game for the
Philadelphia Athletics came home they were be­
ginning to worry about it seriously. Now they
have quite forgetten it and are basking in the
sunshine of the pleasant notoriety of being the
home town of two of the greatest baseball pitch­
ers the world has ever known, Bush and Bender.
Brainerd also produced Billy Phyle and before that
Harry Howe, the man whom old Pop Anson orig
nally described as having a ten thousand dollar
arm and a ten-cent head.
Automobiles are to be sold on the installment
plan next year and a good many well meaning in­
dividuals are going to have an excellent chance to
go wrong thereby. An automobile is a luxury un­
less one has reached the stage of plethoric plenty
or can make it a practical business utility. There's
many a man chugging about in an automobile who
would be several degrees worse than broke if he
paid the debts he honestly owes and when it is
possible to obtain them on the installment plan
that condition is going to become more aggravat­
ed.
Marc Atkinson has been appointed postmaster
at Crosby by President Wilson. Marc will be just
as good a postmaster as he is an editor and while
he hasn't been a resident of Crosby long he de­
serves the place for a newspaper like the Cruci­
ble is a credit to any town and little things like the
postoffice will help to make it even better than at
present. The Crucible won't celebrate its first
birthday for some time yet, but it has had a good
deal to do with the putting the metropolis of the
Cuyuna on the map, nevertheless.
Eveleth's home rule charter has been declared
earned by the narrow margin of one vote.- One
isn many but it is as good as a million if it wins
an election. Eveleth's new charter as recently
published seems to be an excellent document. It
considerably simplifys the present plan of city
government and is therefore a big improvement
over the old niwiiKA
was
legislature
did
3-*
a£
Exchange Cfomments 1
Nashwauk Herald: Samuel G. Iver
son is a candidate for the Republican
nomination for governor of Minnesota.
Eberhart is also a candidate. Iver
son has held public/office ever since
his infancy and has made a barrel of
money and now would like to serve
the dear people by being chief execu­
tive of the greatest and -wealthiest
state in the union. Tlieie are other
candidates and many more to hear
from who are eager to draw $7,000
per year. Well, all we can say at
this time is that this is a free country
and they can "hop to it" so to speak
Wabasha Herald: The mixup
the Republican state camp has a lively
start. Senator Elwell, the good roads
man, threw his hat into the guber­
natorial ring some time ago. W. E.
Lee is in the field, and Samuel G. Iver
son, state auditor, on Monday an­
nounced his candidacy for nomination
for governor. Governor Eberhart is a
most active candidate, and merry
times are surrounded by the darkness
of uncertainty, and there'll be some
surprises when the election lights are
turned on.
Mesaba Ore: Koochiching county
voted a big loan for highway con­
struction, and will go ahead with its
plan to bring great benefit' to the
whole county. Saint Louis county is
bigger and a hundred times richer
than Koochiching, yet a trifle slow
when it comes to doing the things
that should be done—and one of the
most important is the construction of
more and better highways. The sum
needed in this county right now is ten
million dollars, and all that is lacking
to bring it is the right sort of a twist.
St. Louis Qfunty Record: "Better
late than never can be said of Gover­
nor Eberhart's decision to appoint a
committee to reorganize the state gov­
ernment along the lines of economy
and efficiency. But we might ask,
what is the legislature for? If we
have to appoint committees to look
after state interests, why not do away
with the legislature and do business
entirely by committees. In other words
a commission form of state govern­
ment.
Deerwood Times: Winona news re­
ports chronicle the fact that a Homer
Ridge farmer recently brought to mar­
ket a potato of the Burbank variety,
that weighed three pounds and six
ounces and netted the producer just 25
cents. For southern Minnesota this
may be a phenomenal growth, but up
here in Nature's choicest fruit basket,
potatoes such as these are fed to the
cattle as not Veihg iarge enough for
table use.
Grand Rapids Independent: The
sign on the state campaign band
wagon reads "Economy and Efficiency
in State Government," and candidates
for the governorship, including Gov
ernor Eberhart, during whose admin­
istration the state tax rate has in­
creased 350 per cent, are clambering
on. It's bound to be an issue, and of
course the candidates are all "for it"
whether they are or not.
Aurora News: The present policy
of St. Louis county in refusing to
build roads until a section is fully set­
tled may be satisfactory to the large
corporate interests within the county
but it is very unsatisfactory from an
agricultural standpoint. Inasmuch as
it keeps thousands of fertile acres
from cultivation perhaps we might
speak of it as "conservation of natural
resources."
Biwabik Times: Sam Iverson is a
candidate for the republican nomina­
tion for governor. Sam has been so
very noncommittal on the issues be­
fore the people that it will be inter­
esting to note what stand he takes on
the various issues being discussed.
Sam doubtless knows what's in his
mind, but we have been unable to find
any other man who does.
Floodwood Broadaxe: Cloquet may
have to face the "wet or dry" propo­
sition at the approaching election to
be held in November. Seventeen
thirst parlors, located on Dunlap island
in the St. Louis river, should worry.
Should the "drys" be successful at the
polls, traffic across the "bridge of
sighs" will greatly diminish.
START WORK ON BIWABIK
TRANSMISSION LINE
The St. Louis Power company ex­
pects to begin work the latter part of
this week or the first of next on the
construction of its transmission lines
from Gilbert to Biwabik, where it has
recently been awarded the contract
for furnishing electric current for the
village lighting plant. It expects to
be furnishing current by the first of
February. The three transformers
for Hibbing were received the first of
the week and will be put in at the
power station at Hibbing at once.
Lighting service at McKinley will
probably begin somewhat earlier than
at Biwabik.
AUTO AND TRUCK COLLIDE.
An automobile being driven by John
Lackey and the five-ton automobile
truck of the Dupont Powder company
collided Monday evening at the cor­
ner of Mesaba avenue and Chestnut
street. Thorpe's hot popcorn stand
was overturned^ and both machines
wove damaged- "tPO ®ome extent.
Neither of the drivers waaJnjwed.
.p'-SiSSiSg'
WILL BE NEXT
POSTMASTER
Pioneer Virginian and Staunch
Democrat Endorsed by
President Wilson.
WILL PROBABLY TAKE
OFFICE IN DECEMBER
News of Appointment Comes from
Washington Monday and Disposes
of Much Speculation as to Where
Local Patronage Plum Would Fall
—Appointment Still to Be Con
firmed by Senate.
J. H. Fleming, pioneer Virginian
and democrat, steadfast to the faith
through the years both lean and fat,
will be Virginia's next postmaster.
President Wilson has named Mr.
Fleming for the place and the ap­
pointment will probably be confirmed
by the senate within a short time
The appointment also indicates that
National Democratic Committeeman
Fred B. Lynch is the source from
which most of the good things in the
way of democratic patronage in Min­
nesota will come in the future as on
the Virginia postmastership the line
of cleavage was between the so-called
Bryan and Wilson democrats with the
county organization supporting J. W:
Murphy of Virginia for the place.
Mr. Fleming will probably begin his
term as postmaster some time in
December, or as soon as his appoint­
ment is confirmed by the senate.
There is no prospect that the appoint­
ment will be held up by that body.
Mrs. Mary H. James, the present post­
mistress, is absent from the city on a
visit to Detroit, Mich. Mrs. James
has been highly efficient as postmis
tress and had many friends who had
hoped that the influence of Congress­
man Miller would be sufficient to keep
her in the position for some time yet.
However, there was keen interest in
the local appointment and it no doubt
had the effect of hastening action at
Washington.
Mr. Fleming has been receiving the
congratulations of his many Virginia
friends this week and is naturally well
pleased with the news.
The New Postmaster.
J. H. Fleming came to Virginia in
March 1893, with a good stock of
jewelry and watches and was just
getting nicely established in business
whei\ the first .fire wiped out his stock
with the exception of a few hundred
dollars' worth of watches. After the
fire it was thought that Maple street
would be the business street and Mr.
Fleming erected a store theron be
tween Mesaba and Railroad avenues,
which he occupied for several months,
until the panic of '93 struck the coun­
try. Then there was no demand for
jewelry and Mr. Fleming packed his
stock and went to Hinckley, which was
then one of the busiest lumbering
towns in the northwest, but the fire
fiend still pursued him and the terrible
fire which wiped Hinckley off the map
on September 1st, 1894, left Fleming
without a dollar's worth. After this
he spent a year in Eau Claire, Wis.,
where his brothers are among the
oldest and most substantial business
men. However, his faith in Virginia's
future was so great that he decided to
try his luck once more on the range.
This time Mr. Fleming could not get
a business place to suit him in Virginia
and located in Biwabik, where he serv­
ed as justice of the peace for several
years and cherishes the remembrance
of many warm friendships made there.
Virginia being the goal of his ambi­
tion, he resigned the Justiceship and
moved to this city, where he has ever
since taken an active part in civic af­
fairs, having been city assessor, spec­
ial judge of the municipal court and
director on the board of education.
Mr. Fleming has been foreman for
the park board for the past two
I
I
GREANY, MINN., HAS
LIVE FARMERS'CLUB
The Greany, (Minn.) Farmers' dob
recently organized, has arranged for
the purchase of a Babcock tester and
a registered dairy sire. The little club
has twenty-five active members who
are giving dairying their first atten­
tion. The officers elected at the meet­
ing of September 14th are president,
George Cauchy vice president, Joe
Kasum secretary, M. R. Bavuk treas­
urer,
I
3
I
years,
and on Sept. 1st was honored by that
body by being made superintendent.
Mr. Fleming has always been a
democrat and is closely identified
with such leaders as F. B. Lynch, D.
W. Lawler and Frank Day of St. Paul,
A. C. Weiss, Judge Jacques and Harris
Bennett of Duluth. He has the en­
tire confidence of the local democracy.
Mr. Fleming was a personal friend of
the late Governor Johnson and an ar­
dent admirer of the Hon. Wm. Jen­
nings Bryan, being the first man to in­
troduce and get subscribers for The
Commoner on the range. Mr. Flem­
ing was married to Miss Mary L.
Brennan of Hinckley, Minn., a Pine
county school teacher, in January,
1893. They have been blessed with
a family of eight children, of whom
four boys and three girls are living.
Mr. and Mrs. Fleming and family at
present reside at Park Lodge, Virginia.
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Regent
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Millets Cafeteria
VIRGINIA, MINN.
We sell the famous
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Butternut Bread
Try a Loaf -10c
VIRGINIA COURT No. 5
GUARDIANS OF LIBERTY
Meet« First Friday of Each Month
at the North Pole Hall.
LACHLAND MAtDONALD. M. R.
Old shoes, toys, years' number of
magazines, plants, patent medicines,
etc., wiH be welcome at the X. E. rum­
mage sele*
I
Pianos
227 Bosch St.
Virginia
OF VIRGINIA, MINN.
CAPITAL, $50,000.00
Per Cent Interest Paid
ON TIME DEPOSITS
PENTECOST MITCHELL. Pres. S. K. KIRBY. Vice
C. B. LENONT .Vice Pres. B. F. BKITTS. Cabhier.
A. E. SHIPLEY. Asst. ashier.
DIRECTORS
PENTECOST MITCHELL. Vice-President Oliver Iron Mining Co.
a
vinenv Director Duluth, Rainy Lake & Winnipeg- Railway Co
A. U. DAN 11) SO A.
Virginia Sc Rainy Lake Co.
Surgeon.
R. R. BAILEY. Secretary und Treasurer Bailey Lumber Co.
j. A. REDPERN. Mining.
S. R. KIRBY, Pres. First Nat'l Bank. Hibbing. B. F. BRITTS. Cashier.
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This means eye strain.
Eye strain is injurious to the
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Complete eye glass satisfac­
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(VMS Pltraiey Pkoie 90
fkfW^MR in Hmfei
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Specification* prepared and construc­
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•ewer*, pavement*, structural work etc.
General .land and mine
surveying.
Estimate? and reports on ore lands.