davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18

hnity between bees and the writer.
They invariably sting us IL we ever 20 T
near the hive, and, while we never
cease to admire the wonderful intelll-i
genoe which dominates the life Of these
most valuable little servants Of man, we
like to do 1t at safe distance from
their corporate residence. The ability!
to successfully handle bees is a sort Of
natural gift, some persons being born
with the bee instinct just as some are
born with q sort of pious way with
them, and II one is not horn that way
he had better buy his honey. There is
much connected with bee life which
appeals to our natural instinct, espe-
cially the thought that the bee works
for one for nothing and boards him
self; that he keeps everlastingly at fl
and does NOT Wind being robbed Of his |
earnings. 1t q hard to conceive of a.
more enviable lot III life than to lie out
in hammock under the apple trees
and realize that 9 hundred hives of
bees are all at work In your neighbors'
gardens storing up honey for you at
the rate:of $2.75 day and you dream
ing, lulled by the drone Of their hum
ming. 1t helps the matter to know
that your neighbor, whose orchard
bloom Is being thus raided, is shovel
ing dirt on the road at l.50 per day or
digging away for dear life to get his
corn planted. The bee is surely god
send to the constitutionally lazy man
and all those who may be born tired.
In this particular we commend the
business to many Of our readers. The
only thing which in any way APP
proaches this bee business is to keep a 4
hundred old hens and then go and lie I
down on the sunny side of a straw pile
in April and lsten to their cackling
while they turn out q couple Of dollars
worth of eggs and you with nothing to
do but to go and gather them up. We
have written thus lengthily of the bee
business because it may prove Of some
help to such of our readers as enjoy
making living without much effort,
for lazy folk can get along II they only
know how. We might add that on
general principles, being good Ameri-
can citizen, we are opposed 10 the form
upon which the bee administers his
government-a queen, you see, then
large class Of industrious workers and
another of drones who Just lie around
and live of the others. This is all very
undemocratic and un-American, though
we do get most valuable lesson from
them Of the beauties Of cooperative eff
fort. After all, we can learn much
from the bee, and some can make non
ey by keeping them, but I'VE were net
born that way.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18
PEACE ON EARTH.

The world is moving steadily for
ward towards the settlement of inter-
national disputes by arbitration, in
stead of resorting to war. The an
nouncement of President Mckinley, in
his message to congress, that sixteen
powers have formally entered into such
an agreement, is q matter for general
rejoicing. Among these powers are
some of the greatest governments on
earth. They are the United States,
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, England,
France, Germany, Italy, Persia, Port
ugal, Roumania, Russia, Siam, Spain,
Sweden, and Norway, and the Neither
lands. Japan also has since ratified
the convention.
This is result of the peace confer
ence held at the Hague last year. Tru-
~ the world does move.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18
The Rabbit in Trade.
From the National Provisioner,

From the National Provisiouer.
Rabbits are small things, but like
microbes and measles they play havoc
with men and things when they get
thick and spread over large areas.
They literally eat up things. New
South Wales, Australia, once had
nearly 100.000,000 sheep. That colony
now has less than 50,0O0,OOO. The
drouths of the country have been bad
enough, but the rabbits have been the
worst pests which ever afflicted the
land of the New South Welshman.
The area really devastated by bun.
ny Is more than 100,000,0 900 acres. In
one year there have been killed over
26,000,00 rabbits and their skins paid
for by the government under the "Rab.
bit Destruction Act" Probably twice
as many died on the grassless plains
by poison or starvation or thirst in
their own warrens within the fenced
in area or out upon the bare broad
earth from which they ate every yes.
tige of grass or leaf which fed them
and the hapless sheep of the western
back blocks along the Darling river
and its contiguous territory.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18
THE MISTAKES OF BRYAN.

No one can say that Capt. S. B. Ev-
ans, of this city, was not warm
friend and supporter of w. J. Bryan
as candidate for the presidency. Yet
Captain Evans in the late issue of his
monthly Independent points out some
of Mr.. Bryans political mistakes with
an upsparing hand. He says:
Mr.. Bryan made a grave mistake
when he went to Washington during
the time when the Spanish treaty was
pending, and urged the ratlication;
there were enough votes in the senate
to defeat the treaty. put Mr.. Bryan
used his great influence with demo-
cratic senators and the treaty was rat
ified This gave the administration
the great advantage that lasted during
the campaign. 1t paced the admins
tration on impregnable ground.
Mr.. Bryan's greatest embarrass-
ment in the campaign was his advo-
-cacy of the treaty. He could not ex-
plain it to the satisfaction of his
friends. After having referred to this
mistake of the democrats, which was
enough in itself to cause defeat, moth
ing more seems necessary, and yet
there were other causes that contrib
uted to make the republican victory
stupendous.
Mr.. Bryan made another grave mis-
take in demanding that there should
be a specific declaration for free silver
in the Kansas City platform. 1t seem
ed to be plainly indicated that Mr..
Bryan's only hope was in securing the
normal democratic states in the east
and middle west. There was no
-, r.. u L.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18

Elsewhere in this issue we publish
a thoughtful article from the Marion
Register which deserves careful con-
sideration on the part of every voter
In the country. The southern states
are DISTINGUISHING the negro. This
they can probably do without interfer-
ence by the federal government. But
the constitution of the United States
expressly provides that where state
abridges the right to vote for presi-
dent, member of congress and other
federal officers, then the basis of rep
resentation of that state shall be re-
duced in the proportion which the
number of such male citizens shall
bear to the whole number of male citi-
zens 81 years of age in such state
II the southern states will not permit
the negro to vote, then the southern
states must, under the constitution,
give up some of their representation
in congress. Congress itself must so
provide, as under the constitution
there is no option in the matter.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18

London is opening frozen rabbit
market for the colonies. There were
imported into Great Britain last year
more than 100000 pounds of frozen
rabbits and more than 100000 rab-
bit skins for fur and skin uses. This
is some compensation, but not enough
for the loss of 50,000,00O sheep in one
colony-fully 30,0O0,0OO of the loss due
directly to the devastation of rabbits
and the financial wreck OF the banks
of the country in 1892 when financial
institutions closed their doors with liza
bilities at more than s400.000,000. The
Australian rabbit is becoming the
commercial competitor of the Australi-
an sheep, both for the grass on the
ranch and for the consumptive market
Of the frozen meat trade. Australia
ships as much of one as of the other.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18

A certain agricultural college of a
western state, literally endowed with
the farmers money, has, among the
many students graduated from it up to
this year, turned out but one lone stu
dent who has taken up course Of life
work in line with the purpose Of the
college. The other graduates have
dropped into the various professions.
The above fact was given to US by the
president Of the university Of the state
in which this agricultural college is To-
Gated, and he admitted to us frankly
that the whole tendency of modern ed
ucation was to give the college student
distaste for any save what might be
termed the genteel professions.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18
MIsFTTs,

The world is full of misfits as be-
tween the man and his business. We
have men in the pulpit who should be
auctioneers, artists who should be
painters Of barns, lawyers who should
be section hands, men on the farm who
should be in the legislature or in con-
gress, poets who should be plasterers,
policemen who should be priests, legis-
lators who should be shoemakers, pro-
fessors who should be peddlers. Only
the few select or are forced into a bust
ness where they can do their best. This
fact should be regarded far more than
It is by parents in the matter Of the
training Of their sons.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18

Corn cut and shocked in the field has
been much injured by the heavy fall
rains for the simple need of better
way Of tying the shock. This tying has
been done too low down, leaving the
head of the shock exposed for the wind
to open and thus permit the rain to
penetrate to the heart of the shock.
Another tie near the peak Of the shock
would have kept it perfect cone, i'm
pervious to the water. In a general
way the shocks should have been made
nearly twice as large as they are usual
ly put up and be doubly tied, as indi-
Gated, with great benefit to both the
corn and the fodder.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18
TOWNS ADVANCE.

Ten incorporated towns in the state
are entitled to become cities of the
second class by reason of the fact that
their population has increased to
above the 1000 mark since the state
census of 1895. At the present time
there are 73 cities of the second class
in the state. When the incorporated
towns that are entitled to do so or
ganize as cities there will be SO cities
of the second class.
AS there are nine cities of the first
class, there will then be 90 cities in
Iowa. The number of cities in the
first class will not be changed by the
new census.
The code provides that cities flav-
ing population of $4,000 or more, as
shown by the last state or federal
census, shall be cities of the first
class. Cities having population OF
from 1000 to $4,000 are cities of the
second class. If the number of in.
ha' itants falls below 1000 the rank is
that of an incorporated town or vii
lage.
: A city of the second class is entitled
to mayor, and two councilmen from
each ward, and to solicitor, treasur-
er and assessor chosen biennially. 1t
is the duty of the executive council OF
the state to publish the list of incor-
porated towns that are entitled to be
organized as cities of the second class
within six months after the publica-
tiop of the new census.
The executive council, in accordance
with this requirement of the new code,
will publish such list as soon as 1t
is officially known what the increases
of population have been. The pres
ent lawn pfficsrs TiH continue in office
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18

Among the many valuable stone de.i
posits Of this country are the jasper
quarries of South Dakota. the red sand
stone deposits Of the Lake Superior REL
gion, the granite Of central Minnesota,
the limestone formation of Iowa at
Anamosa, the granite of Wisconsin at
Montello and the famous limestone at
Bedford, Ind. Our country is very rich
in building material Of this sort as
well as in clays of the finest quality,
for brickmaking. AS the country be-
comes older and the supply of lumber
becomes exhausted these stone and
clay deposits will greatly increase in
value and Importance.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18
STEER yEasus cow.

The inquiry is made as to whether
the $50 an acre farm Of thu west can
be devoted to the production of beef.
This is q question of very greet inter
est to many farmers who have prosper
ed with the dairy as the leading inter-
est Of the farm and who now would be
glad to carry op the farm on lines
which would net Involve 60 much hard
work and render them less dependent
upon the caprices of hired help. We
look at this matter thus: With the pom
ulation Of the country increasing more
rapidly than its beef supply there is
nothing to indicate much lower prices
for good beef than now obtain. Assum-
Ing that this price is SIS per hundred
weight for well bred 2teArsold steer
and that such steer cah be made to
weigh 1900 pounds. Ehicb figures. both
as to price and weight ale placed. we
think, within very capsarYdsiYe limits,
we have the proposition clearly stated.
There is no doubt that this 500 anamal
as a machine to work W the raw mate
rial produced on the farm can be grown
at hapdSGps profit and ct mini
mum Of wSfk and, wosry Tor mo han
who grows him. While the good steer
cannot be made to produce as Auchl
money in Two Year, % the good cow
the profit III dnes segtSn is Cd much
more easily dhHatne6 that man Is apt
to soon git tired Of running nag dairy
after he has studied out Che pahbiem.
This steer for THE fasn. 1t fs almost
unnecessary to Gag, pnuss bs a high
bred feilow-sa Lldbhte. Galloway, a
Shorthorn or Hgsfofd. He should
be all beef, with not faint Of dairy
blood in his make UP. He runs with
his dam as long aa she win suckle him
and is then pushed 70 make the most Of
him up to 2 years Of age. Raised In
this manner he is quite likely to grade
up as fancy beef ana command q fancy
price. Where this change Ia made
from the dairy to the steer the old man
and the hired man as they come home
from the cornfeld on June evening
after hard days work will stop and
look at the steers In the lot and praise
the Lord that there Is not two hours
work pulling teats to be done before
they can go to bed. Steers, poultry
and sheep, while requiring care and at
tention, still do not compel that sort Of
agricultural slavery which Is inevitably |
associated with the dairy farm.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18
is FAVORABLE.
Spread on the Records Means a Ref
erence

erence
The incumbent officers OF Sioux
county. who have begun contest to
maintain their offices against the Off
GERS elected November 6, on the
strength of the error in the wording
of the Titus constitutional amend
ment, and who must now prepare to
defend the validity of the amendment
from attack, are preparing to make a
fight to finish next Friday when the
case will come UP for hearing.
P. d. Won Oosterhout, county at
torney, and G. T. Hatley attorney.wil
G. A. Irwin, of that city, for the incum-
bent officers, recently came to Sioux
City for two days work consulting all
the legal works to be had in the bigla
libraries in this city. They found
many decisions affecting the question
raised as to the necessity for the en-
rollment of the entire amendment on
the journals of the two legislative
houses, which served to encourage
them. They did not find a decision in
any state in which the same issue was
involved which was not favorable to the
amendments validity. The decision
which they regarded with most defer
ence, as being from the highest au-
thority, was the one handed down in
the Kansas prohibitory amendment
case by Justice Brewer, of the United
States supreme bench, then Judge
Brewer, of the federal bench
in Kansas But in Maryland,
Nebraska, California, Colorado and
Nevada, the necessity Of spreading
the entire bill upon record to comply
with the state constitutions was decid-
ed upon and in each case it was held
that the bill was duly entered when
it was mentioned by an Enthusiastically
Identifying title or by fragments of
the amendment. In California the
question was squarely raised and set
tied; in Kansas the conditions of the
contest were almost identical with
those in Iowa Titus himself gave
the Kansas case as his best authority
for believing the Titus constitutional
amendment in Iowa is invalid The Cal
ifornia courts are held in general
high esteem The Iowa case is hard
ly parallel.
A new point was raised by Mr.. Hat
ley in discussing the matter. He said:
'If entering means spreading in full
on the records, then | believe that all
bills vetoed and passed over the veto
of the governor are invalid. The con-
stitution prescribes that they are en-
tered on the records, while | under
stand that they are only mentioned by
title, and the reasons for the veto
given and sometimes the latter are
not"
$ AS the statutes were reenacted in
1898, there is only one bill affected,
the valued policy bill, vetoed by Gov.
Shaw.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18

We are not SO patriotic as to desire to
see a rapidly increasing population in
this country. The more people who
live on the square mile Oh territory the
larger the proportion of paupers, Grim
inals and scads. We have heard men
praise the old fashioned families of a
hundred years agor7l0 to Is kids-with
never thought OF the burden thus
placed upon the wife and mother Of
such family to cook for them and
patch and darn for them or OF the old
man who had to hustle from daylight
to dark to feed them. There are well
defined, reasonable limits as affecting
the size Of families, just as there are
on the numbers Of people living in a
community. Man never does his best
nor attatns the largest measure of
pleasure in living when he is crowded.
China well illustrates the evil effects of
overpopulation.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18
LYNCHING.


Lynching must not be tolerated in
great and civilized country like the
United States; courts, not mobs, must
execute the penalties of the law. The
preservation Of public order, the right
of discussion, the integrity of courts,
and the orderly administration of JUS
lice must continue forever the rock of
safety upon which our government Sc
curely rests. This / most urgently
reiterate, and again invite the atten-
ton of my eountrymen to this re-
proach upon our civilization-Pre
dent McKinley's Message to Congress.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18

the wealth produced in Iowa crops
and live stock. The comparison OF
these figures helps to tell the story of
why Iowa is filling such an important
place in the commercial world and it
also demonstrates the fact that the
man who digs in Iowa soil in produc-
ing crop is in possession of a mine of
wealth that will yield a surer return
gained at much less expense in vast
ed energy and suffering privation than
any new found gold field that has yet
been xploited.-Waterloo Reporter.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18

While 1t is desirable to have the fields
nicely squared up 1t is still poor pol
Icy to break up and try to cultivate the
wet spots unless they can be first I'M
derdrained or well drained by an open
ditch. Without such drainage such
lands are far better kept in grass, for
when cropped only in dry seasons will
they produce anything, heavy July
rain often drowning out the crop and
making an ugly tract Of weeds, when
If kept in grass it might have been
moved and good crop of hay secured.
During O recent extended trip through
the middle west we saw thousands Of
acres of just such lands.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18
FRANCHISE CARRIED.
oskaIoosa Will Have Electric Street
Cars Within Year.

Oskaloosa. Dec 1S.-(Special.)-
The special municipal election yester-
day on the adoption of electric street
car franchise and the electric light
and heating plants resulted favorably
to the proposition by majority of
900. The measure for a gas invest
ment of 100000 was also adopted.
The cars are to be operated within q
year.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18

Whenever the emperor of China
makes up his mind to return to Pek-
ing the powers will see to it that q
fire is built in his room and the fur
niture busted, if he will only notify
them of his coming. The fire may be
a little hotter than His Majesty. is &C.
customed to and the busting may ex-
tend to his imperial jacket, but when
we say we will do thing we general.
ly do it zealously.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18

The courts have very sensibly and
properly ruled of late that where the
woman supports the family and the old
man she is the lawful head Of the
household. This is directly contrary
to the old English common law.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18

The territory where the farmer is
obliged to deal with the question Of
commercial fertilizers is constantly
though slowly moving west. This line
may be said to be now on the eastern
line of the state Of Indiana. As it adj
vances into the confines Of the Missis-
sippi valley it will move more slowly
in fact, it should stop where 1t is, for
these rich valley lands, given intelli-
gent tillage, should never require the
aid Of imported fertilizers.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18

We are asked whether popcorn is a
profitable crop to grow. This may be
best answered, perhaps, by saying that
it will produce about half as many
bushels to the acre as common field
corn and sell for about twice as much.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18

Numbers beget disease. and this ap-
plies particularly to hogs, chickens and
sleep. A friend Of ours who has never
kept more than % hogs on his farm
has never lost hog by cholera, not
withstanding the disease has been all
around him several times. There are
very well defined and arbitrary limits,
placed by nature touching this matter,
which it will always pay well to heed.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18

The number of men who know some
thing and cannot tell it to others in
public gathering is very large. 1t is
one thing to know something good and
another almost equally important thing
to be able to use this knowledge for the
benefit of your fellows. Our schools
are very lame In this matter that they
do not educate the boy, as they should,
to speak easily and intelligihly in pub
lie
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18

While there is general tendency in
the line of doing away with the middle
man, there is one Of this class who
will always hold his job, and that the
functionary who does the marrying act.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18

When a man can go out into his corn
field and husk 70 bushels of corn from
one acre and sell it as it comes from
the field at 30 cents a bushel, as is be-
ing done in many places all over the
corn belt this season, it is good times
for him, though he had far better feed
1t and get so cents.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18

He came from Bohemia, where he
lived on rye bread, kraut and small
beer and worked for 40 cents day and
boarded himself. He got move on
himself and came to this country. We
see him quite often. He lives in
comfortable little home. lie has meat
on his table twice day; he has quit
drinking beer and has good Sunday
suit of clothes; he can't do much ex-
cept shovel dirt, but he gets $1.75 for
every day he works at it; his children
are comfortably clothed and go to
school; he still smokes his old, long 30.
hemian pipe ana Will never master the
intricacies of our language, but he is
quite a contented map and coed cit
izen.
Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18

The man on the farm is ahead of the
man in the city on one thing, and that
is the fact that on a rural mail route
the government will deliver the farmer
his daily paper by carrier at his door,
but will not do it for the man in the
city