Litchfield enquirer., 1875-10-21
A Western Town.
LroSs, Ia. Oct 9th, 1875.


 LYONS, la. Oct. 9th, 1875.
 You naturally expecta Western man to do some tall bragging on his town, either. past, present or prospective; usually the latter, for nearly all have great expects tions, and it gives more scope for enlarg- ment. -. r..sss.r ... vs-- s
 shall be pardOned then if I give yOu . little of the history, geography, and to- geography of Lyons and surrounding couns try, and if we have not much to bEag on, we are as we'll of as the boy who cOuld not brag of ''cupaIo" on top of their house, but they'd got 8 mortgage on it. Is is al- most 6 score of years since I left old Litchfeld Hill and took up my residence. here. Lyons was then new place with highiantiapatiOns, located on portions of three farms, the origihaf -plosters" and. owners reserving to themselves the best lots, and holding them so high 10 ODe5 cOHld afford to buy. e.-l sss1.is In consequence few restless and pro- gressive spirits went down two miles be- low, bought a farm, laid it out into city on liberal scale, and encouraged immi- grafton, manufacturing, and all kindsEOf improvements; started and built ., rail-, road of their own, ten miles into the eOuns try at first; but by perseverance,, secured, land grant, that belonged to Lyons, the railroad bridge spanning the Miss. RiveEs, and now have double the inhabitants of Lyons, all through clear grit and persu- ing a wise policy. Lyons had every advantage to start with, but has been tied down by three old fogieaand a few kin. dred spirits. which furnishes us a good illustration of the kind of policy for new or old town to pursue. George Francis Train. in his lecturing, said that what Lyons needed most was few fFstclass funerals. But it has too many natural advantages to be always kept down. The parties mentioned above are losing their hold, and more perseyering spiEiis are | getting the Feins. .efsla 5ET g1r ass-l
 Within the last two or three years. xer have built two fine graded school build ings at a cost of nearly ten thousand d0l-i lars each, which, taken with "a center grade building costing nearly as -mnehs more, and seleCs schools costing as much as all the others, give us excellent school facilities for place of less than five thou sand inhabitants, The last Improvement. is putting in water works The water isf pumped from the river to reservoir on a ! bluff three-quarters of a mile from the river, one hundred and nine feet above the city proper. It is bnilt aRd owned by Q Lyons company showing vigoF and strength. In addition one of the finest paper mills in the West, costing nearly S1 sOOO, ,OOO, has been built and large saw-s' mill, and a horse railEOad running to and 2 through Clinton, owned and operated by r Lyons men. Fora number of years Ly-- ons has been considered dead town, but we think she is showing remarkable actig- ity for a dead body. We have eight dry goods stores, fourteen grocery, th=ee hardware, three clothing, ten shoe, six millinery; three saw mills, three fOun- dries, three f0nTing mills, six churches, and other smaller shops and stores and saloons too numerous to mention. Ful- ton is city of about three thousand in- habitants across the river opposite Lyons. Taken with Clinton, two miles below, we. number from fifteen to eighteen thousand inhabitants in a radius of three Or four miles, with eight railroads TsdiatiDg in different directions like spokes in wheel. But enough. ... ...
 Next week occurs our State election, but little interest is felt outside local topics. Iowa is always Radical and right. Sound on the currency question, but 1 feaE q 1it- tie Shaky on the woman question" We arc to vote for an amendment to our con- stitution, permitting women to, vote, I don't suppose 1t will carry, but I intend to have the pleasure Of depositing my vote for it, becaHse am satisfied we neV- CT can master that towering evil of all evils, IntemperaDce, til we give WomennJ vote. They are sure to be right On that f as on all other moral questions, and when politicians discover that there iE no use to put in bad man, if the oppOsitiOn have a good one, for the women will be sure to go for the 6s&t mani both sides will be obliged to put good men eOr wOmen) up for office to com mand the wOman's vote. We have tie same spectacle in part right here in our own cOunty-both parties voting for a woman for county Superintendent of of Schools, and the singular part of it is, that, although allowed to hold office, they are not allowed to votes A.B.