The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-07-08

outlet towards the gull. That is the
bold idea of the new canal. The main
object is to furnish relief for Chicago,
but other things will follow Win the
diversion of so much water-six hum
dred thousand cubic feet per minute
affect the flow of water down the lake
towards Niagara?
The drainage project has stirred up
much warm contention in Chicago
newspapers and among politicians. The
size of the canal was one of the things
discussed. The present trustees want
to make the canal big enough for ship
ping. Their opponents think a capac-
ity of three hundred thousand instead
of six hundred thousand cubic feet per
minute quite sufficient. But the great
est fight occurred over the location of
the route. Surveys were made and
route adopted and then changed. Be
fore the last election of trustees, in
November, 1891, an effort was made to
change the route. 1t led to the resig-
nation of Engineer Cooley, who was
then, at the ensuing election. made a
member of the board. Politicians are
than in almost any other official body.
Not alone because of the patronage
which the expenditure of so, 900
will give those who can control it. but for
more direct financial reasons. For it Is
boldly stated that the greatest opposi-
ton to the change in the route first rec
ommended arose from the fact that
upon inside information the property
along the proposed route had been
bought up at the ordinary prices, the
owners not being aware of the contem-
plated improvement, and the new own
ers expected to raise prices and make a
big profit. This entire scheme would
be frustrated by a change of the route
and the speculators would lose heav-
lily. Fortunately, such plans are
now blocked, at least as far as
milking the public is con-
cerned. The first suit brought
for the condemnation of land required
by the drainage trustees has established
the principle that ordinary land dam
ages shall be paid and that speculators'
prices will not rule.
This is the age of intelligence, educa-
tion and enlightenment, truly. A short
time ago there was lecture of a high
order given at the Auditorium, a fine
concert at Central Music hall, and
few other good entertainments at the
leading places. At Battery d the
same evening Prof. Gleason was adver-
tised to break wild and exceedingly
dangerous horse. There was time in
bygone ages of darkness and ignorance
when the former class of entertain
ments would have been patronized only
by few of the privileged and edu-
Gated, while the breaking of wild
horse would have attracted the bulk of
sightseers. But in this enlightened age
well, the fact is, it was just the
same. The Auditorium and Central
Music hall contained small audi
ences, they did not pay expenses
Why? Battery D was crowded with
seven thousand people, and the streets
for blocks around were jammed with
people fighting to get in Another IL
lustration is the Madison Street thea
ter. Here is little hall-it used to be
Hershey Music hall. There were con-
certs and recitals, minstrel shows and
fairly good theatrical performances
Even Jack Haverly tried his luck there.
Nothing would pay. 1t got to be noised
about that the place was a ''hoodoo,"
that no show was ever given there that
made money. About year ago Sam
T. Jack took hold of it and put in va
riety theater, one of those things
which man goes to see when he feels
as Horace did when he wrote that ''it is
sweet to be fool at times" And the
spell was broken-the place is making
money. The age of culture and intelli-
gence is asserting itself.
LII L a IIrrNr,rANN