Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-01-22
WAS A HAPPY LOSS
Ottumwa May be Glad She Failed
to Get Glucose Plant.
MARSHALL1OWE RISES IN WRATH

Times-Republicsn EditoriaIy "kicks"
on Manner in Which Glucose Sugar
Refining Co. Treats the City in Re-
turn for Past Concessions.
Judging from the Marshalltown
mes-Republican's Interpretation OF
the feelings of the taxpayers OF that
city, Ottumwa may cease mourning
because she failed to secure the Fer
minich glucose works few years
ago. At that time Mr.. Ferminich,
then at the head of the concern which
owned the establishment, made half-
way proposition to Ottumwa looking
to his moving his works to this city
from Marshalltown, where the factory
had been located for several years.
Ottumwa, with her characteristic will
ingness to accept any offer which
pointed toward the advancement Of
the city took hold of the proposition
with vigor;, and when Marshalltown
learned this, the city made conces--
sions which induced Mr.. Ferminich to
remain there.
MarshalItoWn Disgruntled.
1t now seems that these concessions.
while they kept the glucose works at
Marshalltown, have caused the city
TO lose money and have resulted in a
great deal of dissatisfaction on the
part of the people Of Mashalltown.
Another circumstance that adds to
this dissatisfactions is that recently
the Marshalltown plant has been shut
down several times, while all of the
product of the company was being
turned out at other plants owned by
the firm, in Chicago, Peoria and Day.
export.
Mad at Trusts.
The Times Republican in an editor
ial, says things" about trusts in gen.
eral and the Glucose Sugar Refining
Co. in particular, that cannot be taken
as complimentary, and the Ottumwa
people who tried SO hard to get the
glucose works removed to this city
may feel glad that their efforts were
unavailing.
T. D. Foster, when asked about the
proposition made by Mr.. Ferminich
to Ottumwa, denied that the glucose
man ever made any proposition of any
kind, and said that he was simply
waiting for Ottumwa to make one
The fact of the matter, according to
the view taken by Mr. Foster and
several other business men Of the city,
many of whom tried to land the glu
cose works for Ottumwa, is that the
owners of the plant never intended tC
bring it here, but simply worked Mar
shalltown to give them certain con
cessions in order to keep the plant
there.
Marshaltown's Say.
Under the caption of "Marshalltowr
in Fighting Mood" the Times-Repub
lican has the following to say:
'Marshalltown is prepared to prove
to all who care to listen that there is
such a thing as an offensive trust
that it has the odious feature ascribet
to such organizations of lack of in
terest in the locality where it operate!
one of it's big establishments and tina
after exploiting this community for al
it could gain in the way of conces.
sions, it has yielded nothing in return
but disappointment and broken prom
Uses.
For a number of years Marshall
town has been temporizing and yield
ing to the demands of the Glucose ST.
gar Refining company, which main
tains large factories in Chicago, Pc
oria, Marshalltown and Davenport
in the hope that it would establish i
a permanent way an industry tina
would prove of value to this commun
ty, and in the course of the citys dea
ings with it Marshalltown has con
ceded:
Reduction of taxes.
Reduction of water rates.
Improved sewage.
"And in return for this the glucos
company has run it's establishmer
whenever it saw fit to do SO; it ha
shut down at unexpected times, throw
ing from 100 to 200 men out of en-
ployment, with no promise to thel
of future work; it has kept it's factor
closed for long periods; it has prom
ised to reopen aand enlarge its work
only to ignore its promise; and, to ca
the climax, it has partially dismantle
it's factory here.
But the worm has turned. Mai
shalltown refuses to be spit upon
has put on it's fighting equipmen
and proposes to go after the recrea1
company to the full length of legal r
dress. At least this is disclosed in til
stirring action of the city council, {
reported in yesterdays issue, ar
which outside readers may have faile
to notice.
"The people of Mafshaltlown hay
lost faith in the company and ha,
exhausted their patience in efforts
secure favorable treatment and if ii
city council pursues the policy it h;
inaugurated it will bring the compar
to time OR cut off all concessions tn.