Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-11-20
llbia branch Of the Burlington


that which extends south. from the
main line at Belle Pain, and which
Is obviously intended to become the
direct route to Kansas City.-Dayen-
port Times.
Public Opinion to the Rescue-Pub.
Tic opinion will have to rush to the
rescue and SO chastise any pettyfog-
ging official who tries to take advan-
tage OF the error to prolong his term
against the wishes of the voters that
he will give up his contention. BY a
liberal use Of the appointive power
the governor can correct the error
as 1t relates to state officers and the
legislature 80 that If honorably ad-
ministered the new law need cause
very little trouble. Especially should
there be little difficulty in adjusting
the matter since the offices are all
within the control of one political
party and party contentious y..'', ne
eliminated. The republican mana
gers will see that republican officials
will not quarrel over slight error in
a republican law.
Professor Bryce, however, will find
in 1t material for another chapter in
his American Commonwealth to prove
that the English system of law
drafting department should be intro
duced in American legislatures. -
Marshalltown Times-Republican.
-
Negro Reconsideration
liberty is now secured as never before
and the love of it and the determine
ton to preserve it from every assault
are now stronger and more universal
among the people than at any past
period of the republic. The only
break in this control is the negro di-
franchisemnt at the south; but that
reactionary spirit cannot long
continue. OF course, 1t is impossible
that nearly-one seventh or one-eighth
of the citizens Of this republic should
remain Disseminated against unjust
| ly, for not the negroes alone, but the
whole electorate also is concerned. An
assault on the fundamental principle
| OF the suffrage is an assault on every
citizen; and at the late election Its
enormity was made all the more con-
/ spicuous in coming from the states
which singled themselves out for adj
verse judgment by alone standing out
in resistance to the dominant intelli-
gence and passion of nationality of
the American people. The time Is
not distant, therefore, when the south
ern states themselves will be eager
to get into the current of American
sentiment by discarding feelings and,
determinations which belong to a
past period when the harmonious
spirit of American nationality had not
yet been developed.--New York Sun
| (Democratic.)
Nobody Scared. Obviously, the feel
of alarm protested in the campaign
by Mr.. Bryan and his supporters was
not the expression Of sincere convic-
ton, as was made evident most strik-
lingly in the very States of the South
which gave him nearly all his electo-
lral votes. Neither there nor any
where else outside of few eccentric
souls, was there really a shade OF fear
/ Of imperialism" and "militarism.p
Richard Croker was one of the loudest
| in sounding the cry of terror, but he
will go back to his recreations in En-
gland without trace of such qualm.
New York Sun.
Lots of LaWyers.-In his address at
the recent meeting of the Illinois State.
Bar Association, Levy Mayer, Of Chi
cago, quoted some statistics regarding
the increase of lawyers in the land.
He said that in 1880 there were less
than 5000 lawyers In total popula-
ton Of four million, or one to every
1888 persons. In 1850 the ratio was
about one to 1000. The census of 1899
shows one lawyer to every 703 inhabi-
tants; and that of 1900, Mr.. Meyer pre-
diets, will show proportion of about
one to 900. Law Notes suggests that
this recalls Mark Twain's statistics re.
garding the length of the Mississippi
river, and wonders how long it will be
before there are more lawyers than
population. -Muscatine journal.
coIored Mans Progress.-The Amer.
can negro is not without honor away
from home, anyway. His exhibit at
/ the Paris exhibition has been award
ed first prize. The collections dis.
played by several schools for the high.
err education Of negroes, including Tus.
kee, Hampton institute and Howard
University won gold or silver medals.
The exhibits were planned and car
ried out by negroes, and showed by
models, photographs and books the
history of the race in America and its
present condition and its literature.
Some of the showings made were Of
a nature to surprise even Americans
living where they are capable of close
ly observing the condition of the black
race. For instance it was shown that
20 per cent of the negroes are home
owners. and that 60 per cent of their
children are in school, and their illit-
eracy is less than that Of Russia In
Georgia, which has the largest negro
population, the school enrolment has
Increased from 10000 in 1870 to $780,
900 in 1897. The fact is also brought
out that $40 patents have been issued
| to Negro inventors. The titles OF
| 1,400 books written by negroes We're
also displayed and an exhibit was
made of $50 periodicals published w
negroes.
Despite the numerous discourage
ments it is evident that the negroes
are advancing in intelligence and edu-
cation. So evident is this fact that the