The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-02-09
campment. But when Mr.. Bennett says |
owe the department 5000, he tells what Is
false, and he knows IT,"

false, and he knows IT,"
Here is subject which the Teachers
Association might take hold of for the pur
pose of giving the public the opinion OF
eyperts: THE Superintendent of lnstruc-
ton of the State of Iowa, in his annual re-
port calls the attention of the Governor 10
the large expense the people of that state
are 10 because of lack of uniformity in
the books used in the schools of that state.
In abiding TO the subject, and the almost
inevitable change in books which must he
made when parents remove from one as
rict 10 another with their children, the
Governor suggests 10 the Legislature that
in his opinion il would be we'll indeed for
the state itself to 30 into the manufacture
of school books. There is certainly talent
sufficient in the state, he thinks, 10 com
pose a good series of books These can be
published by the state and furnished uni
formly to all schools at cost. In this man
ner he thinks the schools will he furnished
with books better than the majority OF
those now in use, and at Il cost to the people
of less than half the amount they are now
compelled TO pay. The price at which
publishers hold books, and the heavy prof.
its which manufacturers and jobbers insist
upon will compel legislatures to some ac
ton, if the oppressive cost is not in some
way lessened The cost of books in not Il
few instances, is the alleged reason why
children are detained from school, and III
too many instances it is hardship in fam
lilies of small means and many children
The report of state secretary Lord shows
that Macoupin ranks first of any county II
the state in amount of coal produced, it be
ing credited with ,233 POO tons during the
wear, while La Sale has 1,0l0S57 tons
Sangamon, SCI $40 tons; st, Clair, 1902!
tons; Madison, rs, 200 tons and other coun.
ties far below These figures can scarcely
be reliable, however, for La Sale is credit
ed with about $500 men engaged in dig
ring while Macoupin has but 100. The
average price for mining in Macoupin Il
80 cents per ton in vein varying from five
to eight feet in thickness, while in La Sale
the average price is 50 cents in vein aver
aging five and one-half feet. The loves
price paid in the state is in 81. Clair coun
ty where the price is j3 cents ton in 81.
foot vein. The highest price is Sl52 pc
ton in Shelby county in vein from two t'
three feet thick There are II counties il
the state producing more or less coal anc
the price varies at the mine from - cent
per ton in Washington county TO $3.50 pei
per ton in Shelby. The average price Il
the mine throughout the state is STAG PEI
ton, while in LA Sale it is Sl.4S, or very
little above the average. The largest bust
ness done by any one company in lllinoi
during the past year, was by the Chicago
Wilmington a. Vermillion Coal company
which raised from their shafts at Braid
wood 3SS0O0 tons, and from three shafts II
Streator 392, 49, tons, or Il total Of ,S0,lS
tons
Let's see. 1t was the elder Disraeli, wa
il not, who offered suggestions for Il mos
readable book entitled, The History o
Events which did not Happen? Wha
an interesting volume might be produced
Suppose the Pilgrims had landed in Soutl
Carolina instead of at Plymouth. Suppos
Lee had whipped at Gettysburg, and Get
tysburg and not AppomattoX had been tn
emf of the war! what wonderful chang
would have to be made in history.
One of the most interesting chapters o
Ottawa'S history, too, might be written o
the subject of manufactures she didn't ge
Suppose one were to write her history wit
the Joliet steel mills as factor. She ha
not got them; but she could have had then
threw them away, in fact, Indeed, o
tawa has thrown away more good thing
than she has kept. She not only thre'
away that big thing, but she threw ava
the Ellwood Harvester Works-didn't be
lieve in Ellwood's theories. She didn't be
lieve in Ewing, who eight or nine yeal
ago, when George Cushman was runnin
the Ottawa Machine Shops, tried to int
est our capitalists with model of lin
belt They didn't see it Chicago me
did, and the Chicago Link Belt Machiner
Co. is one of the big things of that cit,
and making money fast, Ottawa men dlC
Mt see it when the Streator Glass Co. Wa
organized, and large part Of the capit'
in that concern went with the blowers
Streator from Ottawa.
Ottawa men are too conservative l. tn
trouble. They don't seem to see goo
things until after some one else has deve
oped them. There are lots of good thing
offered here now. J. B. Harris offers
good thing; Il cooperative glass factory o
fers good thing; an unimpruved watt
power offers good thing. Who will fu
nish the money? Aurora capitalists hay