Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1873-06-19
STATISTICS aE wApELs.o COUNTY.

Caldwell, weare furnished the follow
Z ing items OF interest.
/ BY this springs assessors returns,
the population OF The county is found
| to be p Isl. OF this, Center township.
including Ottumwa, has s,059, some-
thing over onc-thrid the total popn-
lation OF the county. The next town
ship in point of population, is Colum-
bia, including Eddyville.
II should always be borne in mind
1 in comparing Wapello county with
others, that she is in the tier of coun-
ties only three townships in width
north and south, giving her only twelve
Congressional townships. whereas
most OF the counties of the State have
sixteen Congressional townships. Had
| this county four townships more, eth.
er to the north or south Of US, we
should number up to near 10000 i
| The Assessors returns show the fol-
lowing as regards our productions Sc.
in this county in 1879: i.
Number Of acres of improved land,
l24, ,6l9 /; number of bushels of wheat
harvested, 1862; Of corn, 1,9ll.54O;
Of oats, 45, 49S; Of barley, s,47S; num-
Der of pounds of wool clipped, 70.126.
In number of pounds of wool shorn
Columbis township is ahead, and High
lsnd township leads the van in number
Of acres of improved land, and iu
number Of bushels Of grain raised of
! all kinds. .3ss s ,F
It will be seen that we do not raise
wheat enough for our own consdmp.
tion by near one-half. BY reference 70
the number of bushels of wheat har-
vested and the population of the coun-
u, we find that our production Of
wheat would give only some 81 BUSH
els Of wheat for each person.
Corn is the staple with us, and put
into hogs and cattle, is the channel
through which Wapello county farmers
derive their greatest revenue. 4's.F
We think it is matter our farmers
should consider well, viz: whetherit Is
not better for them to diversity their
productions. A careful study Of this
subject by discussion in their meet
ings, would, doubtless, lead to bene.
fetal results. We know that in some
things, there is a great need in the, in-
terest of the farmer and everybody
else as well, of diversification of ag-
ricultural productions. Some Of the
little things are overlooked and some
OF the more important are almost on
tirely ignorned.
sRfssi l. Z, ---..a--s -------4-s - sat ~
The Chicago Times of yesterday, has
an elaborate editorial attempting to
show that ell the ills the body politio
is suffering from, comes from the in
capacity of the people to elect their
own rulers. The following is speci-
men Of the article:
most irrational faatnre aAn 81 ohr TolA lAmerf.
can constitutions, and the feature
which, in the mere name Of liberty,
tends most powerfully to the destruc-
ton Of liberty and the substitution Of
government by arbitrary force, is that
feature which may be called adminis-
trative irresponsibility, is a proposition
that can not be successfully controver.
ted. 1t is the plan of choosing by a
popular vote all the subordiate admin
istrative officers, supplemented by the
multiplication of executive depart
ments in what are coming to be gen.
orally spoken of in derision as "bosrds
of irresponsibility." Says Mr.. Nord-
hoff: "About the year lS46, some
demsgogue invented this plan and
called it democratic, and persuaded
many good men that it was really put.
ting power into the hands ofthe people
to make them choose directly and at
the polls all their officers. The result
is that they must elect not only gov
ernor, but every member of the gov
ernor's cabinet; not only mayor, bui
all the subordinate city officers And
the evil consequences naturally how-
ing from that result are seen in inef11-
cient and incapable public servants, in
the non-execution of the laws, and the
consequent increase OF crime; IN off,
cial theft and embezzlement for which
nobody 10 responsible; in the steady
subsistence of responsible government
by law and the equally steady upris
ing of irresponsible government BY
force stalking the law into its own
hands," CSC - s.2F.e
Just now the Times is assuming the
special championship of the Grange
movements not Notwithstanding the fac,
that in its infancy 1t was unsparing in
ridiculing that organization.
II is the generally received opinion
of thinking men, that the election OF
vastly more Of our public servants di.
rectly by the people, would be a move
ment looking to genuine reform in the
civil service, in this, that it would put
the people and their servants in closer
connection, and that it would lessen
the amount of patronage in the hands
Of executive officers. The logic of the
Times would make all our Offices ap-
pointive, and make the tenure perpet
ual or during good behavior, and thus
the fine art of getting and holding Of
fice, would pass from the hands Of the
many into the hands of tba few, and
thereby the aristocracy Of Office holding
OF which so much is said of late, would
be greatly aided. @ .sa
1t is sufficient for our purpose at
present, to simply call attention to this
remarkable "new departure by one
ofthe leading sheets, pretending to be
desperately in sympathy with the
Farmers" People" "Grangers," or
any body else who will bring fish to
its net. t6 38f 8ssffs
L = 4 IL