Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-11-21
LOOKER-ON in IOWA

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
8 LOOkER-ON in IOWA s
Observation-Disclosures
For the Times Republican.
Swaledale, Nov. 20.-Probably at no
time in the history of Iowa has the
hotel business been as good as at pres
ent. Evidently the trusts have not
commenced their work of discharging
10000 travelling men. for from every di 1
rection UP in this part of the state
comes the travelling mans tale of woe.
At A he had to sleep on a cot. at b
they took him to room across the
street." at C he had ito double up All
this in towns where nothing special was
reports dull trade these days Is Curl
or his house.
Many wonder at the advance in the
price of building materials. They
should travel over Iowa and see the
buildings In process of erection, and
reports are 1t is the same in other
states. No town up this way, l.. e.,
small town, Is improving faster than
Thornton. A fine new bank building
and two stores adjoining show that the
bank people have faith in the future
of the town. Cement sidewalks are be-
ing put in. And in this town is another
one of those rich men, that certain
socialistic philosophers object to: one of
those impossible christians. And vet
this man here who has accumulated by
hard work, brought out of Iowa, many
dollars, was seen today doing carpenter
work for the preacher. He gave 500
toward the new NJ. +. parsonage,
hauled with his own team, shoveling
the dirt himself forty loads, besides
putting in many days at carpenter
work. AS remarked before rich men are
pretty handy to have around town,
even if there is no show for them in an
other world.
THE board of pardons will meet at the
supreme court room in the capitol on
the first Monday of December to hear
the applications of inmates of the state
prison who have filed petitions for par
dons .Twenty-three petitions have been
filed. Some of the petitioners have Pc
titioned before and under the rule of
the board only those who petition for
the first time will appear before the
board in person. DIR. Malcolm II. Girls
void who was convicted of firing the
Woodbridge building on Main street in
1895, has his petition before the board
for the fifth time. In his previous he
said that he was innocent of the crime
l,,f vi 40 q
says In his petition that he was sen
fenced too heavily for the crime he
committed. The petitions are as fol-
flows:
Malcolm II. Griswold petitions for
years old and was sentenced on Sep
tember 10. 1895. to ten years, on the
| charge Of etc, etc. That is how 1t
Ireads down in Connecticut paper
| where they have board of pardons.
4 The people there know what is going
on in the pardon business. They don
pic,; up paper, and find out, the gov
ernor has just pardoned man that
perhaps a county spent $1,000 to convict
a year previous. They do not find GER
tain laws on their statute books rem
dered null and void, by universal par
/ dons of governor who thinks sucf
laws of sumptuary nature and un-
constitutional. This happened In q
western state. And citizens of staid ole
/ Connecticutt tell the writer that men OF
property and influence are not Favored
i by this board of pardons. All this
II suggested just now because the legis
nature will soon meet and some mempel
can start the ball rolling for boart
lof pardons for Iowa.
An ex-clerk of the Iowa senate give
the Looker-on this pointer: 1t is vel
known that our Legislature acts as
board of pardons in cases of prisoner
condemned to life Imprisonment. III
figures out that it costs $1,000 day TO
each days session of the Legislature
and says that week is used up durini
every meeting of the Legislature, u
acting as such board. In other word
; lit costs Iowa $4,000 for the legislator
, Ito act as board of pardons once dur
ing two years. This would pay tn
jper diem and mileage for board O
pardons who could meet once a mont
or oftener Besides such q board wi
, have Jurisdiction in all cases. VIII
Iowa is so much behind other state i
this matter no one seems to know. An
the universal testimony from states a
I have such a board Is that the en-
, sought, j. e., justice tempered wit
i mercy, is much more nearly reache
1 than by the one man power of pardon.
j And here is another thing one {
these days, perhaps in the year 200
the people will be able to have as the
: wish. Read the word. people not pol
: ticians, for the latter will keep tn
circle at the head of the ballot just q
long as they can. Since the last cleo
ton the writer has visited many town
and in every case where inquiries hay
Z been made, he hears Of from three
: twenty votes being thrown out bt
: cause marked incorrectly. When "
$ have our ballots with the name of ever
4 candidate printed thereon. and to vo
for such candidate the voter mu
: make a cross in the square opposite h
: name then we shall get at the wish
e the people. The circle is only there t,
g day to make US vote straight. 81
n just the same we shall scratch when v
e feel like 1t. Only in doing 1t some of /
e fail to have our vote counted at evei
j election in Iowa.
7, !. a1 Nvl.11~Lt,