The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1889-03-01

"A few of the owners of propert
near the fair grounds are protestin
/. against the use of Il part of the city par
as fair ground, and especially againl
: the high board fence surrounding tn
grounds.
The meeting of the Mankato confer
ence of Congregational church held i
this city Thursday afternoon decided up
on the superintendent of the funds to b
raised in the district for benevolent pur
poses during the year. The state
pledged to raise $50, 600 this year, whlcl
is Sl7 900 more than ever before. Tn,
amount that the Mankato church mus
raise was placed at $500.
1T is reported thst considerable fish
ing is being done at Lake Madison, the
lake being dotted with fish houses. Ev
identity the people of at.vicinity have
little desire that the lake become sum
mer resort. 1t is from the fact that win
ter fishing is stopped at Lake Washing
ion that the latter lake is forging ahead
of Lake Madison in popular favor among
sportsmen. Omaha and other parties
who formerly went to Lake Madison
nov patroniZe Lake Washington and
bring more money into the neigbbor-
hood than all the fish in the lake are
worth.
Tie Pioneer Press to-day pays Rep,
reese NATIVE Barr the following deserved
compliment:
| Some members of the House do good
deal of talking and others do a good
deal OF working and 1t is IA noticeable
faCl that there are very few members
who can successfully make the straddle
that is necessary to belong in both class
es. Mr.. Geo. I. Barr, of Blue Earth
county belongs in the latter class. Mr..
Barr rarely says very much, but he is
generally on hand to vote, and he is not
one of those who vote aye on every
measure. He probably watches legisla-
ton as CLOSELY as any one in the House,
and not unfrequently is ready with sem
sible amendments to bills that the ma
jority of the house were already satisfied
with. Mr.. Barr's record will he good
one.
The central committee of the State
Sunday school association met at Min
neapolis yesterday, and in part prepar-
ed the program for the next State Sun
day school convention. This is to be
held at st. Paul June Is to 20, inclusive
1t was decided to attempt grand Sun
day school children's parade. to precede
.
and this to be followed by meetings of
each of the denominations for the dis
cussion of Sunday school matters. Ac-
ton was taken toward the appointment
of fourteen delegates and the same num-
Der of alternates to represent Minnesota
in the worlds convention, to be held at
London July 2 to 8. Supt. Nesbitt re-
ported that arrangements were made for
holding fifty Sunday school conventions
and institutes in the cities throughout
the State between now and June IL.
The members Of Company + and
militia officers in this city are quite in
dignant at the report of Inspector
Brandt. They say that his inspection of
the company was anything but thorough
and that he could not possibly have
made fair grading by the very cursory
inspection he made. Said an officer
high in rank in the militia service to-
day: Inspector Brandt is too much of
dude officer for his position. His only
experience in military affairs was Sc
cured in the old country, where he says
he was a lieutenant. His attempt to
grade the militia on the plan of those
machines, the great standing armies of
Europe, is entirely out of place. Talking
of the discipline. the Inspector last sum-
mer made the greatest breach of military
courtesy / ever saw"
Mr.. Fred Widell returned from st.
Paul yesterday where his firm was
awarded the contract for building on
the st. Paul & Duluth railroad at bridge
point only Is miles from the alleged
superior quarries of Ring & Tobin. The
latter firm was also bidder on the job
but their figures were as usual higher
than those of the Mankato men, relying
doubtless on their ability III the way of
Misrepresentation TO obtain the con-
tract. But 1t appears the officials Of the
St. Paul & Duluth road, who have every
opportunity for being informed (the Ket-
tie River quarrles being on their line)
do not consider that stone superior to
that from this city and accepted the bid
of Mr.. Widell because it was the lowest.
This incident of a Mankato firm furnish
ing the stone for work right under the
nose of Ring & Tobin, in the sight of
their famous quarries, and for railroad
whose engineer is acknowledged to be
perfectly well-informed as to the merits
of the various kinds of stone, is certain
ly hard dose for the firm which has
been libelling the quariies of this city.
1t also will serve to show the people at
Grand Forks what big gooses they were
to allow themselves to be wheedled into
doing Mr.. McMullen the injustice Of
taking from him a contract already
awarded, and paying Ring & Tobin ST.
600 more for stone in no way superior.
Among all capable and unpreiudiced
judges there is no danger of Mankato
stone being underestimated. 1t is only
when unprinclpled firms are allowed to
work on inexperienced persons with lies
and misrepresentation that our stone
interests suffer.