davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02

We copy the following article from
the Democratic Banner, published in
Fayette, Howard county, Missouri.
This paper is glad that Chicago is
burned, though half of it was filed
with Democrats. We think it is tor
tunate that the government is not
now in the hands of the men whom
this editor represents. Here ia the
Democratic howl ofjoy:
THE GREAT FIRE.
Chicago is sunk in an ocean of
fame. Three or four hun dred mil.
lions of property, fifteen square miles
of city and shoddy, hundreds of
lives, "Linooln's original Emancipa-
tion Proclamation" and many stolen
pianos, and much furniture and sill
yer are destroyed: Sheridan was
there and Sam Hildebrand would
like to have been there. Fifty thou
sand people are camping out on the
prairies Of Illinois, and one hundred
and fifty thousand more are sent
forth homeless and "occupationless"
to beg and rob, and steal, and plunder
through the land.
The Shores of Lake Michigan and
Chicago river look as bleak and bar
rem and desolate as did those of She
nandoah after Sheridan's raid, or as
did the city of Lexington after Hun
ter gave it to the flames and stole
the statute of Washington.
The City of the Lakes is gone,
gone Gone, like Columbia, like At
lanta, like Beaufort, like the Tropi-
cal Gardens Of South Carolina. Sher.
man was not present, but some OF
ms UUSv IrfonuS uusa~ ~ss..>sAost sur.
porters were. Some of the came cut
throats who pillaged the women and
children and old men on the march
through Georgia, and who burned
the barns of Virginia, and turned the
people out of doors under Order No.
IL, on the Kansas border, have been
setting torches to brick blocks in
Chicago, and pillaging banks and
dry goods stores on Lake, Randolph
and Dearborn streets; and the red
Republican and agrarian elements Of
"the civilized aud progressive (3)
North" are SO aroused and embold-
ened that order, law and property
sleep uneasy, and all the great cities,
under the false and lying cry of hu.
manity, contribute millions of money
to bribe and keep down the hungry
and restless rabble who threaten tc
riss up and make choas of our "cred
it,""our civilization" ''our great cit
les" and "our government" Capi
tai trembles, society reels, and thu
rabble in utter despair and frenzy
arc ready to "break OUT and MAKE
havoc of all we see around US, just a
the great fire has of the city of Chi
cago. We can but believe it Is tn
bitter chalice coming home to wiake'
lips, and though 1t may seem cruel
we must say that we are not mucl
sorry. God isjust, and
"Time at length sets all things even"
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02

Jusr So.-The Dubuque Times,
after going over tho list OF nom bcrs
elect of the Legislature, counts
seventy-ono tor Allison. That's
right. After taking out the seventy.
nine Republicans claimed by Harlan's
friends, the Republicans left, with
the Democrats, just number seucatg.
one The Times counts right, but
still IL can't figure its man mn
Pleasant journal.
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02

The Germans of Chicago have is
sued circular stating that there are
10000 German men, women and
children, who are destitute, and need
food, clothing, blankets, 60, and ap.
peal to their fellow Germans through.
out the United States for instant and
liberal aid.
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02
"Time at length sets all things even,
A telling blow nj the fol,ies of

A telling blow at the foliies Of the
age was dealt the other Sunday, at
Atlanta, Ga, by colored preacher,
as follows: MY brudders and sisters,
ebry ting You tink bout is fine close,
fine close. You nebber tink ub nut.
ting else but fine close, and you may
sarch de Scripture from Genesis to
Rebelation and you wont find nary
place WHARF il cay Christ ebor wore
! q choke rag"
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02
A Defect In tie Rsvsnus Lavs.

| We wish now to note that there il
4 y very serious defect In the laws o
this State in reference to the colleo
tion of revenues, which the coming
legislature ought not to fail to rem
edy, at tho first opportunity, by
passing an act early in the session
curing the defect and provide for itt
going into effect by publication. We
refer to the lameness in the law in
providing for the appointment ol
Township Collectors, by the County
Treasurer, and making provision fot
compensation to these collectors. -
The law now provides that these
collectors shall have ave per cent.
penalty, which they are to add to
the taxes Of monies collected by
them; that is, where they collect
taxes of a person they collect in ad-
dition Ave por cent. on the amount
for their compensation. The result
is that when collectors are appointed,
and they call upon parties they
Immediately slip off to the county
seat and pay the Treasurer, who is
obliged TO receive the taxes without
the five per cent. penalty, and so the
.
Township Collector is cheated out of
his pay for drumming in these delin-
quents. The Office of Township
Collector is one hard to be properly
filed, at the best, because it gives
rise to more or less Of feeling against
the person filling the position
Therefore the collector ought to be
and must be well paid to secure the
services. We should say that ten or
fifteen per cent was not too much
compensation on the money collected
and tho further amendment should
be made that when the list is deliv.
cred to the collector, the County
Treasurer should be thereafter au-
thorixed and required to collect this
additional penalty to 60 to the COL
lector when parties offer to pay their
taxes to him. We are not particular
how the remedy be applied but some
thing efficient should be done to
prevent the great leak in collection
of the revenues that arise out of this
defect. In Wapello County wo be-
lieve that this defect causes yearly
the loss of thousands of dollars, and
if it operates in other counties as it
does here, the entire revenue of the
State suffers very materially thereby.
Parties in this county owning only
personal property have escaped the
of their taxes for years on
account Of the inadequacy Of the
law for their collection.
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02
Luke Hughes. a member of the cit,

Luke Hughes, a member of the city
council Of Burlington, was recently
tried on C. charge Of being interested
in contracts on the streets and deri-
wing the profits thercfrom, and with
fraud and bribery, contrary to the
city ordinances; and by vote of the
Council tho charges were decided to
have been sustained; but on reso.
luton to expel,the penalty prescribed
for such misconduct, the Council
voted by q majority of one against
inaicting the penalty. Queer kind
performance that, vote man guilty,
and not infict any punishment.
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02

The total popou1ation of The Unit
ed States at the same time was as
555, 1888 The German population is
very nearly four and four tontbs per
cent, of tho whole, or about one in
twenty-three. The total of foreign
born popnlation Of all nativities was
5,556,546, There is no better body
cfimmigrants than the Germans.
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02
established d in 1640.

u
oIIcAao's eAccouNT OF STOCK
| 1t is not 30 bad, after all. The
Chicago Tribune takes the first op
portunity, after the smoke has clear
ed away, to sum up briefly the totals
of the losses. By these 1t will be
seen, that while the confagration
was bitterly devasting one in some
sections of the city, something more
than embers is left. Its account Of
stock is made as follows:
Our columns ave been SO extreme
y occupied during the past week
with reports of the enormous losses
of life and property in the late fire,
that there is some danger that the
dsmage sustained will be overestima-
ted. True, we have seen $500 acres
IN the most central portion of the
city swept bare, 10000 buildings do
stroyed, and 100, 900 persons render
ed homeless, the total pecuniary loss
being not less than 5000, 900, 600 but
We have still q great deal left. We
may roughly estimate the situation
as follows:
Above $4,000 persons have left the
city population remaining 100000.
Five grain elevators were burned.
with l 100000 bushels Of grain leav.
ing us with eleven grain warehouses
intact, containing 5000, 900 bushels.
One.half of our stock of pork pro.
ducts were burned up, with the same
proportion of -four.
Of lumber, 5O,00O,OOO feet were
burned ; the stock remaining is 24O,-
000, 900 feet.
Of coal $4,000 tons were burned
mp we have 10000 tons on hand.
Our stock Of leather was decreased
ono quarter, the value of that being
burned mp being $4,000.
The greater portion fthe stocks
OF groceries, dry goods, and boots
and shoes were burned up, with more
than one-half the ready made cloth
ing; but the quantities destroyed
were scarcely equal to more than
three weeks supply, and are now
being rapidly replaced.
Not more than 10 per cent. of the
currency was destroyed by the FIRE;
we have 10000 houses left standing,
and our real estate could not burn
up, ffs
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02

The Keokuk Constitution is just
now devoting its columns to blowing
in the interest of Hon. Carl Schurz.
1t finds much to admire in hisspeech-
90 and acts. The reason is obvious.
Mr. s. has taken upon him the great
work Of detaching the whole body of
the German republicans from the
party. A vain and foolish underta-
king on his part, but the Constitution
hopes TO gain something for the de.
mocracy from his action, and SO il
blows lustily for HIM.
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02
Among the cases now pending be.

Among the cases now pending be-
tore the United States Supreme
Court and which will probably reach
hearing this week, is TO test the
constltutionality of brakes amend
meDt to the appropriation bill, max
ing pardon prima .facie evidence of
disloyalty. There are large lot Of
Southern claimants.haY cases be-
fore the Court Of Claims, and having
Andrew Johnson's pardon in theiI
pockets, to whom this amendment
has been stumbling block in the
way OF prosecuting their suits and
receiving judgments thereon.
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02

SLEEPY Hollow is found at last
The Keosauqua Republican of the
10Th says: "Our neighboring towns
IN the county, Bonaparte, Farming.
ton, and also some of the smaller
country towns have each contributed
their part toward helping the hungry
and homeless of Chicago, and we have
yet to hear Of the first thing, either
money, clothing, or food, being sent
from this place."
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02

The De'uge is upon us. We have
received another communication on
the Woman's Suffrage question,
which we will probably have time to
read before women are permitted to
vote.
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02

The Grand Encampment of Odd
Fellows held its session at Dubuque
last week. On Tuesday evening the
following officer we're elected G. B
Hendershott, Ottumws, M. w. G. r..
S S. Winall, Dubuque, NJ. E. G. FL
P; r. Howe Taylor, Marshalltown
r. w. G. S. W.; William Garrett
Burlington, r. w. G. Scribe; Johr
s. Glenn, Bloomfield, r. w. G. Treas
| urer Herman Block, Davenport, II
W. g. ]. W; VIM. P. Sharp. Ottnm
wa, r. w. q. Rep; y. McCraney
McGregor, q. W. g. Rep,
The var damaged tho French rail
w.ys s16,0OO,0OO.
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02

The Supreme Court of this State
at the June term, 1871, rendered q
very important opinion on railroad
taxation by cities. The case was en-.
titled "the Dunlieth and Dubuque
Bridge Co. We. the City of Dubuque
Judge Beck delivered the opinion Of
the Court, Judge Cole dissenting.
We give below . brief portion Of
the opinion. Speaking in reference
to the law for the taxation of rail.
roads, it being Chapter 1893 Of the
Laws OF 1858, the Court says
Tho object of the statute above re.
ferred to is to provide for the taxa
tion Of railroads for state and coun.
ty purposes. This is apparent from
q consideration Of the statute itself.
The revenue raised by the taxes au-
thorized, is to be paid into the treas
ury of the State, and onQhalf of it
then paid to the counties. Its object
is not to exempt the property of
railroads from taxation, but to pro-
vide for the manner of it's taxation.
No provision is made upon the sub
iect of municipal taxation of this
kind Of property, and there is no
express words prohibiting it. To
regulate or prohibit the taxation of
the property of railroads by cities is
not the object of the statute. The
rules of construction will not permit
US to apply the law to any object not
within its scope. We therefore con.
clude that it cannot be extended to
operate as prohibitation of the taxa.
tion OF the property OF railroads by
the cities ofthe State.
The language of the limitation in
the statute, that the taxes therein
authorized "shall be in lien of all
taxes for any and all purposes"
while broad and general. must be
confined to the object of the statute
which, as We have seen, is the regu-
lation ofltaxation for State and conn-
ty purposes. The State and coun.
ties levy taxes for many purposes.
Separate levies of different rates are
made. to be paid into distinct funds
which are expended for different oh.
jects. The tax authorized in this
case is intended to be in lieu of the
taxes authorized for these purposes.
This is the evident meaning of the
language of the law in question.
~
Still another thought, in our opin.
ion, strongly supports our conolu-
sions. The cities of the State, thro'
which railroads pass. or in which
they terminate, have imposed upoE
them the burden of providing for the
protection of railroad property. Ex-
penditures of money are necessary,
in the exercise of their police juris.
to insure the projection thus
imposed as duty upon the municip.
alities. 1t is not at all reasonable
that the Legislature intended to take
from the cities all power to raise
revenue from this very property, the
protection of which is q duty charged
upon them, and to require that the
incident to the discharge of |
this duty shall be paid in the way of |
lakes by holders of other property. |
Such unjust legislation, discrimina-
ling in favor of one class to the op.
preston of another, could never have
been intended by the Legislature.
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02
The Chicago Tribune is responsible
for the following:

Inc Chfcdgo 1FtOu"e ls respohnipio
for the following:
Gan Iowan heard of the fire on
Sunday morning ION Sunday evening
no took passage TO Chicago to succor
the family OF his son, who was living
here. AT a way sids station not far
IRON Chicago he heard that the
Water Works we're burned, and that
there was scarcity OF water Not
being familiar with our geographical
position, he purchased cask and
brought il full Of water to Chicago
A philanthropio expressman charged
him fifty dollars for carrying thai
barrel to his sons residence. 1t wal
certainly case Of wellmeant, bu
misapplied benevolence."
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02

A merchant in Warsaw worth
three or four thousand dollars wrote
to wholesale house in Chicago
"lf you want money, I will mort
gage my place and send you $4,000.
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02

The Tammany ring are at last
coming TO grief-and Tweed, like
any other thief, is trying to hide his
plumber. A more astounding case OF
bare faced robbery has never been
developed in this or any other coun-
try and the only fear is that Tweed
and bis brother conspirators may not
be punished as they deserve. From
the a!;lcrity with which Jay Gould
steps forward to assist Tweed to get
bail il looks little as if some ofthe
railroad ring have had, a finger in, the
stealings, or at least thai they might
have derived some benefit thcretrom.
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02

NOrIOlk, va, destroyed Dy nre Dy
the cannon balls OF the British. Prop
erty to the amount of $500, ,0Ot
destroyed. Jan. l, 1776.
City of New York, soon after pass
ing into possession of the British
500 buildings consumed. September
20, 81, 1776.
Theatre at Richmond, Va. The
Governor Of the State and q large
number of the leading inhabitants
perished. Dec. 26, 1871.
City of New York; $50 buildings
destroyed, loss. $20,ooO,00 Dec,
Is, 1885.
Washington city. General Post
Office and Patent Office, with over
ten thousand valuable models, draw.
ings, &C., destroyed. December l6,
Philadelphia. 50 buildings des.
troyed, Loss 100000. October 4,
1889.
Quebec, Canada; 1900 buildings
and many lives destroyed. May %,
1845.
Quebec, Canada. 1900 buildings
destroyed. June %, l845.
New York City. 800 buildings des-
troyed. Loss, s6,0o0,OOO. June 20,
1S45.
st. John, N. F., nearly destroyed
5000 people made homeless. June
IL, 1s45.
Quebec, Canada; Theatre Royal,
AZ persons burned to death. June
IA, 1846.
Kentucky; 300 buildings and 9TH
er property destroyed; value, $780,.
900. July 13, 1S46,
At Albany; 800 buildings, steam
boats, piers, &C., destroyed; loss S3,-
100000. August II, 1848.
Brooklyn, 800 buildings destroyed.
September, 9, 1s48.
At St. Louis Is blocks of houses
and 20 steamboats,, loss estimated at
s3,OOO,OO0. May II, 1s49.
Fredericton, N. B., about 300
buildings destroyed. November IL,
1850.
Nevada, California 200 buildings
destroyed; loss, sl,3OO,O0O. March
IL, 1851.
At Stockton, CAL; loss, $1,000, 900.
May IA, 1851.
Concord, N. H.; greater part of the
business portion of the town destroy
ed. August "a, 1851.
Congressional Library at W ashing.
ton; 81, 900 volumes, with works Of
art, destroyed. December "a, 1851.
At Montreal, Canada, 1000 houses
destroyed; loss, s5,OOO,0O0. July 8,
Harper Brothers, establishment,
in New York, loss over 100000.
December 10, 1858.
Metropolitan Hall and Lafarge
House, in New York. January Z,
1854.
At Jersey City, thirty factories
and houses destroyed. July 80
1854.
More than 100 houses and factories
in New York; on the same day ,
large part of Milwaukee, was des
troyed. August rs. 1854.
At Syracuse, Now York; about lOl
buildings destroyed loss 100000
November s. 1856.
New York Crystal Palace, destroy
cd. October s, 1858.
City of Charleston, s. g., almos
destroyed. February IL, 1856.
AT Quebec, Canada $500 house
destroyed loss, S2,500,O00.
| Ottumwa. 21 buildings destroyed
Loss 1926, 900. Oct. Both, 1868.
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02

Gen. Frank P. Blair has made q
speech recently to his southern fol.

Gen. Frank Il. Blair has made Q
speech recently to his southern fol
lowers, At Montgomery. In this
speech he speaks Of the great Chica.
90 diaastsr by FIRE, and how the
wksls people sprung to her relief in
her hour Of trouble. Then he turns
70 another picture, to-wit: the de.
vastation Of the South during her
reeeltion against the life Of the
nstion, and ticklss tho ear Of his au-
6toas by saying that no such relief
WAs rendered Southern people, in
their hour Of extremity, but on the
contrary, rogues swarmed to fu ther
dsspoil them. Here is the dema-
gogue, the unprinoipled, reckless,
dangerous politician, whom no party,
no citizen ought to trust. This man
and his colleague in the U. 8. Senate,
from Missouri, Hon. Carl Schurs, are
now in happy unison, to all appear
anoes. They are making speeches
at various points, and throughout all
Of them, though they take somewhat
different routes, they are evidently
bound to come out at the same point,
and for which they are STRIVING, with
no doubt in our mind, that their 90
ton 10 based upon . mutual under
standing between them. With
Blair, a vaulting unprincipled ambi-
ton alone directs him, whether bid
ding for the nomination for Vice
President, BY saying in his Broad
head letter that the Constitution.
al amendments should be resisted
at the point Of the bayonet, or
now seeking the nomination for
the Presidency at the hands of the
democracy and . third party con.
ceived and formed by Carl Schurx
from among the soreheaded Repub-
-. =
licans.
As for Schurz, he entered last ses-
sion in the Senate upon q bitter vim
dictive attack upon the President,
using such language toward him as
was totally unwarranted BY the facts,
and which no one know better than
Sohurz himself, and now he contin-
mes the fight, regardless, not only of
fair dealing with the President, but |
also regardless of the best interests
OF the great party that made him
what he is, and conferred such bless.
ings upon the country. He is the
man, or would be the man if he
could, to direct just what shall be the
future policy Of the Republican party,
and because ninety-nine hundredths
Of them cannot agree with him, be
stretches forth his arm in the vain at. |
tempt to destroy those he cannot
rule.
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02

Ely, counterfeiter, whose family
resides in Davis county, has been
sent up for five years, in tho Missouri
penitentiary.
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02

The jewelry store OF Il. l.. Wilson.
in Marion, was broken open on Mon
day night of last week, and goods
taken TO the value OF 81, 800.
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02

About eight hundred cords OF
wood belonging to the Burlington
and Missouri River railroad comma.
ny, We're burned near Glendale il "
days ago.
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02
Greeley on Iowa Farming.


~ found near Grinnell the man
have long been looking for-he who
grows nearly or quite one hundred
bushels of shelled Indian corn per
acre on large area year after year.
His name is Wallace Clark, and he
has grown corn for the last five years
successfully on the same hundred
acres on which found not less than
nine thousand bushels fully ripe,
whereof enough had been gathered
to determine the average yield. Of
course, Mr.. Clark sells little of it as
grain, but turns it into pork and
beef and SO keeps up the fertility of
his coil. He informed me that by
blowing each year an inch deeper
than the preceding, he could in his
black prairie mold, averaging more
than two feet deep, maintain the
yield of corn without manure, which
he mainly applied to his grass
Hehad had thirty-three acres planted
in day by one man, running q
planter that plantedtwo rows at once
and having change OF teams. /
understood him to say that he had
one hundred and slxty-five acres
planted, titled, and harvested by one
man, using two spans Of horses alter
nately. On reflection, l believed the
man did not gather all this crop,
though as the harvesting may con-
tinue from some time in August,
when tho grain is in the milk, to
near the end of winter, that would
not have been impossible. Swine
are pastured on clover through
cpring unu summer, uav1ng corn cue
up, and thrown to them as soon as
the ears have filed, and thencefcrth
till they are ripe for market. Many
farmers feed so long as they have
corn to spare, thus converting their
great staple entirely into beef and
pork. 80 that it will bear Transports
tion to distant markets.
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02

exchange says the degree of
LII Nnterred upon Ben. Butler
Qaau il6ked like the ID"
The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-02

PHoLIrlc.-The town OF Caseyyille,
twelve miles from Salt Lake, con-
tains seventy.three husbands, who
have in the aggregate four hundred
and iorty-three wives, and eight
hundred and twenty-five Children
Those married couples whose hearts
are breaking for the want of a little
s.mischief maker" around the house
that would occasionally break the
silence ard call papa and mamma,
had better pay IL visit to that coun-