Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-08-31
EFFECT Of |A[ DROU!H
Such . Season Twenty.fivsyss 70.
Ago Would Have Brous,s {
Great Distress.
The State Fair Felt the " uence
Of the Dry se.,
Very Much.
Old Soldiers Boycott Of the Fair
Had But Little Perceptible
Result.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Aug. 31.-The state fair
demonstrated pretty clearly to every
body that the season of 1901 was all
most disastrous one for Iowa farm
ers. Such season forty years ago or
even twenty-five years ago would have
brought great distress to the Iowa peo-
pie. Directors of the fair, viewing the
small exhibits of purely agricultural
products. and visitors from all sections
of the state bringing here their reports
of conditions on the farm, agree that
the damage done to crops in general
has BEEN more than they anticipated a
month ago. They have been talking
about the good growth of the crop late
In the season, but there was little eyi-
dence of this at the state fair and farm
ers were unable to make any very fav-
orable reports. 1t is expected that the
crop estimates for Iowa at the begin
ming of the month of September will
show greater loss than the reports
OF month ago. 1t is only because
Iowa farmers have SO many other
things than corn and potatoes that
they have been enabled to look with
comparative composure on a year of
drouth and intense heat. The total at
tendance at the state fair indicates that
the people are yet cheerful. The re-
ceipts are excellent, considering all
things, but the exact statement of
profits for the fair association will not
be known for some time. The crowds
that came spent more money in other
ways than they did with the fair man
agement. One of the ways they spent
money was discovered on the last day
OF the fair by the mayor of Des Moines
and his police force, and that was In
the open gambling houses. 1t APP
pears that the mayor and the police
were the last persons in the city to dis
cover that gambling was being done
fair week and felt very much chag-
rined at the discovery. But inasmuch
as -ta1aa diaeoyery Was not made until
! after the fair crowds had started home
the keepers of the gambling houses did
not share in the chagrin. The most
satisfactory thing about fair week for
the Des Moines people is that there
were no accidents of any kind and no
crimes of any consequence, and with
all the vast crowds the city was peace
full and orderly.
A Des Moines contractor got a big
job the other day in competition with a
number of bidders, some from outside
the city. and he boasted that he figured
it at cost and. then discounted it 81 1000
in order to shut out an outside bidder.
Des Moines contractors are sometimes
selfish.
The old soldier boycott of the state
fair had no perceptible result, and yet it
undoubtedly had the effect of lessoning
the crowds at the fair. 1t is harly pos
sible that the fair management made
anything by refusing to give free passes
to the old soldiers and to the crop re-
porters and others. The incident has
left an i'll feeling in the state among
many persons and may cause the fair
management some trouble in the fu-
ture.
With the revival of interest in the
projects of the Great Western and es-
pecially news of the contemplated sur
vey of route from Des Moines to Fort
Dodge on the east side of the Des
Moines river, comes additional informa-
tion regarding the situation as to. the
extension west and south of Des Moines.
The proposal of the Des Moines South
ern railroad made to the city of Winter
set was turned down by the city council
and no election ordered on the petition
This made Mr.. Cherry. the promoter,
angry and he refused to go any further,
but friends of the project IN Winterset
took 1t up and started out with new
petition on different proposition. This
proposition is for 8 per cent tax in
Winterset payable in two different
years, half contingent on the Des
Moines Southern building into Winter
set from a connection with the Great
Western and the other half due when
the line is completed west from Win
terset to connection with the Burling-
ton in Adair county. 1t is believed the
council will order the election on this
proposition. If the tax carries the Great
Western will run trains thru Winterset
in the direction of Omaha.
sss
Des Moines bankers are considering
the advisability of concerted action to
divert their business from the New
York banks. Already it is we'll known
among the bankers that much Of the
western business is going to Philadel-
phia and Baltimore. Several Des Moines
banks have recently opened up accounts
in Philadelphia and now for the first
time they offer exchange on Philadel-
phia as freely as on New York The ac-
ton follows that of the New York
clearing house in fixing What the bank
ers consider eXorbitant charges for COL
lection of accounts in the other cities
of the east and especially in the smaller
cities of the south. Much of this busi-
ness can be done as well thru other
banking centers as thru New York, and
Des Moines bankers are doing SO.
SPENCE CALLS MEETING.