Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-03-18
PEOPLES PULPIT.
OooOOOO
w. B. Bonnifield on Exposition Appro-
...a" rrta&fNN

W. .. 6onnireld on Exposition Appro-
priation.
am glad the senate committee cut
down the estimate to $75,O 900 and if
they had cut it down to nix | would
not complain, at any rate | think $75,-
900 is enough. l would not say we
should not crafty u aesthetic taste
in this direction at all. We all like
to go to the Barnum shows some
times, but when these things become
fads and we must be with other states
in lavishing money upon them for fear
IL we do not do SO we will be con-
sidered second class, 1 think it is time
to stop. There car be no good reason
why we should give large sums of
money for these things, unless it is
that unless we do as other states do
We may miss getting aboard the band
wagon.
We gave about 100000 to the Chi
cago and Omaha expositions. I don't
suppose we got n dollar back in ma
terial value; what we saved in reputa-
ton l am unable to say. Our build
ings, soon after the exposition was
over, either burned up or went to the
junk shops. Today it is a debatable
question with the people of Chicago
whether the big show was a detriment
to Chicago or not. l think a majority
of the people would say that it was.
While some made fortunes, cit was
merely a contribution By the many to
the few, which is not a source of
wealth to a city or state.
If a substantial farmer, business
man or laborer wants to better his
condition, if he wants to see what kind
of land Iowa has, the thrift of her peo-
pie, the ideas of civic beauty in her
cities and towns, what her taxation is
and for what purpose these taxes are
used, he would lever go to EXPOSE
lions to find out these things. Suppose
we use our SIS, 900 or $250,000 of taxa
ton for permanent improvement in
our state, for public buildings or some
other useful purpose. where the bene-
fits would be permanent and lasting
to the generations as they come and
go, instead Of being snuffed out by an
exposition in six months time, leav-
ing nothing to the people of Iowa ex-
cept the sting of taxation to prod us
for our folly.
Suppose the people of st. Louis and
the state of Missouri should use their
$16,000,000 of taxation in the same
way for permanent improvements. for
the lettering of the condition of her
masses, for promotion of civic beauty
in her cities and towns, for raising the
God given ideals as to the true way of
living, the true source of wealth and
happiness for her people instead of
these things which she could have.
She engages in the task of building
towers to the heavens and when the
people get to the top of them they
will find they are no nearer heaven
than when they started. Christ says:
THE kingdom of heaven is with you"
What a world of meaning is this one
sentence of Christ's sayings. Why
can't we heed it instead of hunting for
wealth and happiness when they are
not to be found. This is a great age
for trusts, great millions and great
things; Babylon was great, "She was
weighed in the balance and found
wanting; the acclaim went forth,
Babylon is fallen; is fallen
W. B. Bonnifield.
Editor Courier:-Allow me to give
to the readers of your paper a few of
the more impressive hearings before
the various committees in congress
accorded the representatives from the
national woman's suffrage convention.
will quote from one woman present:
I'm the hearing before the senate COM
mittee the pathetic feature was that of
Miss Anthony, who in her eighty-third
year presided for the th%irty-fourth
time over an assemblage of women
standing before their rulers to plead
for their rights as citizens of the re-
public. Senator Bacon of Georgia
presided owe the hearing and the ex-
preston on his face showed how deep.
ly he vas touched as he listened to the
arguments of such women as Alice
Stone Blackwell, Rev. Olympia Brown,
and the Rev. Emma Shaw. The hear
ing before the judiciary committee of
which only eleven out of the seventeen
members were present (and this is the
most important and influential com.
mittee of the house) was opened by
remarks from a representative from
Australia-who among other things
said 4 am gald to join the wo
men of America in asking you tc
consider their claims to the same
rights which | enjoy in Australia.
She continued by saying, it seems in
credible that your women have not
school and municipal suffrage. Why,
women had municipal suffrage since |
was born and it works for good. The
officials have told me that women
show interest in municipal mat
tiers than man and now in three divi,
sions of Australia women have full
suffrage and the results are so salts.
factory that you never hear any sug
gestion of taking it away, and our
candidates take the greatest interest
in knowing what measures women
want brought forward and election
day in Victoria is the one day when
it is brought home to me. that chival
ry is not dead She continued by ask
ing if Australia can trust it's women
cannot America do so?
Madame Freeland of Russia, when
presented to the committee said
Russia has the most liberal laws with
regard to the civil rights of women.
"The representative of Sweden sait
the men of Sweden ratified the ole
custom of ONE voting which dated
back in 1876, by embodying it in the
law of 1880, and they gave it without
tho women asking for II apd cold nj @