Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-11-22
:LOOKER-0N in IOWA


!. J.
Rhodes, Nov. 21.-Personal observa-
ton of some years has convinced the
writer that Of all classes of business
men and mechanics, our blacksmlths
feel any disturbance of business rela-
tons the first. They are more affected
by bad weather, by bad crops, by nara
times in general than any other class
of hand workers. So now in the parts
of Iowa where we hear most OF frosted
corn and damaged oats the blacksmlths
are now hard up" That there is no
real reason for this condition of affairs
proves nothing. Many of the farmers
are going without repairs to machinery,
letting their horses go barefoot, and not
even paying for what they are Obliged
to have done, much less paying the old
bill. The other day, in blacksmith
shop, the writer watched the shoeing of
"a fool horse" Thru the obstinacy and
"cussedness'' of the brute the black
smith was obliged to use twice as much
time as usual ito shoe horse in front
And when the job was done, Off went
the farmer, not even saying charge IT,
And when the Looker-On asked, why
didn't he pay you?" the smith replied:
These farmers don't pay till they get
ready" well, why not ask him for the
CASH." again said this scribe ASK him
for cash" said the workman, why, that
mans worth $4,000" Supposing he is"
said the newspaper man, its easy for
him to pay, and you could use the mon
ey, couldn't you?" II should say 1
could" was the reply. 81 hvaen't taken
in enough cash this month to pay my
iron bill, to say nothing of family ex-
penses. These farmers are all bowling
about soft corn and damaged oats and
one would think, to hear 'em talk,
they're all going TO the poorhouse. And
if don't trust them till they get good
will. Accounts good? Well should say
so. I've got $1,000 charged on my books
today every dollar of which is collecti-
BILE But, just the same, I've let my help
err go because I could not take in cash
enough to pay him Saturday night"
The above is the first hard times
story that has appeared in this column
for several moons, and the funny part
of it is the absolute nonsense of the
hard times racket Here in this town a
farmer asked 80 cents per bushei for a
load of soft corn, and got It. The
writer hears of no sales of soft corn at
less than 90 to Is cents per bushel. And
damaged, discolored, musty oats are
bringing from IL to % cents per bushel
And the reader of these words knows
that sound corn and bright, heavy oats
have often been marketed in Iowa for
much less prices.
At this writing we have had seven
continuous months of pasture for cat
tie, horses and sheep. Thousands of
animals in Iowa have not been fed by
man since the middle of April. Much of
this stock is almost fat enough to mar
ket. We have big crop of hay, so big
the farmers will not and did not take
the trouble to cut up corn stalks. Only
last week the writer heard q farmer re-
fuse $3.50 per hundred for seventy fat
hogs. yes, they were ready to go, but
he thought they'd be worth more next
week" All kinds of poultry prices ARE
way up' Eggs are eggs these days.
Butter is good price, potatoes good
crop and a fair price, and with all these
blessings the average Iowa farmer
doesn't owe any bills, has money in the
bank and yet can not pay the black
smith cash for his hard earned dollars.
We read in the press reports that
Phillips and Brooks. the Greenville
bank robbers, and Albert City murder
ers, have got stay of execution from
the supreme court, and will not be
hung on the 18th of December the date
of their sentence. Not to impute mo-
tives, nor to riscuss the legal work con-
nected with the cases of these two
known murderers. the fact stands out.
by a peculiar condition of courts and
customs, these men will not get their
deserved punishment on the day set
by judge and jury after a fair and
expensive trial. Already one hears the
expression. they'll never be hung.
they've got some smart lawyers" And
always coupled with this remark is the
suggestion that it would have saved
time and money 'if the people of Albert
City had strung them up" In other
words, this kind of legal procedure is
making mob law possible, probable and,
some think, necessary, when the next
outrageous murder occurs.
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