Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-05-03
LOOKER-ON in IOWA.
Observation-Disclosures
For the Times Republican.

For the Times Republican.
State Center, May 2.-This town is
putting on "a heap of style" those days.
The new bank building, both in exter-
Tor and inside finish, can give Mar
shaltown and other large towns point
ers on bank buildings and furniture. 1t
Is an open secret that the other bank is
also about to make some building inn
provementS. Again, the stores of this
burg, many of them, are strictly up to
date. And even the barber shops are
models for many larger town. In adj
dition to being "a mighty good business
point" as a residence town, 1t has all
of the good features and omits many of
the bad ones of the 10000 population
town. No wonder farm near by sell
for 500 an acre.
An inventive genius living in Baxter
has Invented and patented car step
that registers automatically the num-
Der of persons who enter and leave the
car during it's entire trip. 1t is intend
ed as check on dishonest conductors,
and the patentee tells the Looker-On
that any large amount of knocking
down on the part of conductors, wheth-
er on street cars or railroad trains, will
be an impossibility after his device is
In general use. The need of such an ar
rangement this inventor proves by
mentioning the case of conductor on
the x. 7. q. railroad, who made, t. e.
knocked down, $3.50 week continuous
ly for seven years, this. of course, in
addition to his $50 month salary.
Speaking of railroads. what a relief
1t isto the travelling man when he has to
make" the C. & N. w. railroad. Their
accommodation trains accommodate
AT the larger towns seven trains each
way every day, and in the smaller ones
one can get in and out almost any
time by doubling" One thing this
road always does, it recognizes every
traveller as patron. Perhaps it does
not have as many pets as some of
the other roads, but in general accom-
mediation, both in freight and passen-
ger business, the public realizes man
agement somewhere to that end. The
consequence is, travelling men do not
work against it by billing goods over
other roads when they can. And here is
something as true as preaching, when
the spirit of accommodation is shown
as ills on the G. & N. w. one can be
sure employees take their cue from
those in authority over them, and the
reverse system of incivility and refusal
of ordinary fayors shown on some rail-
roads comes every time from q brass
collared chap who has got the big head.
The writer once claimed in this column
that passenger brakemen, if they were
on q run any length of time with one
unconsciously became a Sec
end edition of that conductor. The
brakeman soon arranged his collar and
necktie like "the con-" He combed his
hair. wore q mustache or smooth face
same as the con-" got so he would
swear the same oaths. I'm "the con-
had a weakness for pretty women the
brakeman had scores of young girls
down at the depot to see the train come
in, and if "the con" was a Sunday
school chap the brakeman belonged to
but it explains why there
is so much universal civility and ac-
shown all over the G. &
N. w. system. Some one at the head
of the management is the cause of this
universal civility and accommodation.
And this kind Of dealing with the pub
lie must pay The writer is told that
on recent week day there was train
headed east in every block from Belle
PLANE to Chicago. That's a pretty big |
story when one remembers that the
block houses are only four or five miles |
apart And it makes probable the re-
port that now, with the completed dou-
BILE track system from Chicago to
Council Bluffs, the management will
commence the building of the third
track from Clinton to Chicago.
The other day the writer had long
ride before him from to
The car he occupied was model of ell
egance, comfort and safety. Reclinins
chairs, vestibuled cars and good raj
made in anticipation the trip short
3ne. But 1T was one of the longest on
record, l. e. to the writer. Why? Sim
ply because in that car, attended by Il
owing husband and two children. was
woman in the very last stages OF
To walk the length Of the
,ar she had to be supported on each
side by attendants. Again, her labored
Efforts for fresh air and her terrible .
coughing spells attracted the attention
If every one In the car, and everybody
'elt a sympathy frequently expressed.
IF the danger to the other passengers
rom infection, let the doctors settle
hat. But one thing is sure, it was g
lard night for all of the other passen-