Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-02-17
and I fear may be like one we read about

interested in good water. We need it in
our business and we need 1t badly, or at
least we may need 1t badly before many
weeks. No city should be content with
anything in the way of public water sup
ply but the best to be obtained. All pri-
yate considerations and personal advan-
tages should be set aside and that done
which is best for the community now and
in the future. I am glad to say that so
far as the medical profession is concerned
they are unanimous in their demand for
good water. They counsel no compromise,
but insist on the best This fact should
have weight with the people for the ply
sicians can have no selfish motive or in
terest. Then you know there can be no
question of their honesty. They tell the
truth even when it might be construed as
a reflection on themselves For instance,
the doctor. signing his own name under
the heading Cause of Death on death
certificate.
1--WE want good water. We should have
it il possible to offer to all our citizens
and at cost that will place it within the
reach Of all and that will induce them to
leave off the use of water from infected
wells: that will induce them to have sinks
and drains in their houses and that will
encourage them to provide themselves with
baths. Speaking of baths, that reminds me
that If one were to take a bath in some
of the water we have had within year
lie WOulu appear as TlulculOuS as the Old
fellow that hung himself with a blind bril-
die. His son discovering him cut him down
before he was dead What did you do that
for? / wanted to die said the old man.
The son enquired where he expected to go
If he died. TO heaven, he said. Well
said the son, you'd cut the dickens of
figure in heaven with blind bride on
One would cut the dickens of figure in
public after a bath in some of the water
we have had.
Now ladies and gentlemen, don't want
to talk too long but must warn you to be
on your guard. There are some designing
persons here tonight. who will try to in
duce us to be satisfied with, simple water
some who will try to palm off bad water
on us and some who may even have the
audacity to try to lead us to get along
with no water. Don't trust them. If they
find us easy they are likely next to try
doctored water on MS with the result that
we may be in the condition the banquet
ers We're of whom the newspapers said
next day: 1t could not be distinctly re
membered who did make the last Speech
DR.. S. A. SpiIman.
! Dr. Spilm ans toast was on the sub.
ject, bad Water" and he followed DR..
Herricks toast on Good Water" The
doctor had an excellent paper prepar-
ed. He spoke as follows:
"AIr. Toastmaster, ladies and gentlemen:
When the committee assigned to me this
topic said Certainly, 1 know all about
it, l have taken baths in it. l have drunk
| it. nave rolled it under my tongue like
a sweet morsel and then swallowed it.
because my physical being called for wat
er and fortunately did not specify the
kind, so filled the order with the cheaper
| article at the same price as many others
have done before
But after more mature reflection, | con.
Guided there might be something l did not
know, even about this simple matter, so /
got down my dictionary in order to look
| it up. l found that water is composed of
hydrogen and oxygen with the chemical
formula H o which of course means
two to one, not sixteen to one. 1t is a
fluid the most abundant, the most neces
sary to living beings-(that means us) ex-
cepting air alone Now that was a stun.
| ner, for what are we to do when the water
| is shut off.
Now, my further Investigations show me
| that bad water means hurtful. corrupt or
injurious water, certainly thing to be
avoided. And how shall we avoid 1t? Nat
urally, the first thing to DO is to look to
the source of supply. The Des Noines riv-
er is capable of furnishing an abundance
of fine quality if properly handled. What
is the situation now? AS you all know the
river is polluted short distance above the
intake by the surface drainage of some
hundreds of barnyards. dooryards, streets,
alleys, etc. This water has no time to
purify itself by natures methods before 1t
| is emptied into a canal already reeking
with filth and is thus carried to a recep-
tacle from whence it is transported to our
houses Hence we have bad water. But
we shall not always have it. The people
are willing to pay a reasonable price for
a good article and good sanitary engi-
neer can tell you how to get it. Thanks
| to the onward march of science. We are
coming more and more into the light of
| truth where all argument is at an end
| But partial truth is always dangerous,
just like bad water. This is the key that
unlocks the purses of the good and unsus-
| pecting to the charletan and the monte
bank. Thus we see fraud paradng shame
lessly in the habilaments of truth. Only
by the most careful dissection are we able
to find out all the diseased tissues.
But / cannot undertake to exhaust this
subject tonight for / am sure you could
not bear it, besides i should be trespassng
on the time of others who have something
more interesting, If not more important to
say. ! may say in conclusion that / have
| heard of cities being made famous by the
| fluids they furnished, but as we cannot
hope in Iowa to compete in the same line,
| we may hope, whether it is ever realized
or not, that we shall not become so by
reason Of bad water
DR.. C. e. Huband.
DR.. Huband was assigned the toast
mo Water" and his was the closing
speech on that subject. He opened
with declaring that he had been unjust
ly treated by the committee which had
made the assignment of toasts, and
stated that his subject mo Water
was no subject at all. DR.. Huband's
eyes were sparkling and witty and
called forth much applause at its
close.
DR.. Heirs Talk.
A toast on the subject "Reorganiza-
ton" was assigned to DR.. Eschbach, of
Abba, and DIR. Herr was on the pro-,
gram to follow DR.. Eschbach with IF
Our Society Does Reorganize, Should
We Raise the Rates" The first
! speaker was not present, but DR.. Herr
responded in a very pleasant manner
He spoke of the life of self-sacrifice
and self-denial led by the physician
and stated that in his opinion they
should raise their rates, and if the so.
ciety needed reorganization to accom-.
plish that purpose, he favored reor-.
ganization.
|