The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1903-01-15
NOT THE WORST.
Grand River Citizen Denies Charge
Against His Town.

Against His Town.
Verily. Grand River is maintaining
| tts reputation as the toughest town i'm the
! county.
Mn. EDITOR: The words above were
| used in your paper in an article on the
vandalism done here Christmas night
| by some diabolical cuss, who no doubt
does not live in our town, end who per.
haps is an indulger in the juice of dam.
| nation that was in the bottle he threw
at the building
We wish to say through your paper,
II you will allow US the privilege of de-
lending our town from these 1--WE Think
hasty and grievous words, that we have
~ good people here as live anywhere.
We have often had occasion to remark
that there is no place where more money
could be raised for the poor and needy
or where 80 much kindness was shown
In sickness and distress. No people
will do more than ours according to pop.
ulation and wealth for unfortunate hu.
manity. We have perhaps more men
in our town who are total abstainers
| than any town in the county according
| to population; in fact, our township was
tho banner township in the county in
the last election, We casting more pro.
hlbl.lon votes than any other. Anyone
with ordinary sense and just little un.
derstanding can see that strong drink
anu tbs consequences resulting there
from causes more misery, sin, suffering
and trouble than any one thing the
voter has power to control with his bal.
lot-and we lead the county. II every
one would do his duty sin would lose
| four.ffths Of its strength. Nearly all
Of our troubles have come from this
and prosecutions growing out of il.
You at Leon have yoar full share of
| the same kind windows smashed shoot
Ing on the streets, and nothing done
with the offenders. Our mayors and
Jsstices have done better in this than
your courts, where our violators have
been fined on the installment plan and
never paid, or continued from time to
time until the culprit was set free, as
you had to happen to one Of your
townsmen not long ago, who had four
indictments against him at once. You
have had killings, robberies. ,.ant-
OF drinking, more or less. too, which
your good people deeply deplore as
we'll as ours. But very little OF our van
dalism is done by those who live in
town but usually by those who drink
and wish to show what they can do in a
town that has but recently incorporate
cd. Not long since man was arrested
here for selling ,liquor to minors and
others and the county attorney did not
advise the justice properly and let the
prisoner waive examination. He was
bound over to the grand jury when it
was found that body did not have iu1is-
dicsion and the man went free. Now,
who was to blame? Surely not the good
people Of Grand Riverl Not long ago
you had thing happen here that took
place out of town entirely and the fell
low went free because the county attor-
ney had the wrong charge made. We
have lived here ten years and do not
think we will be arrogating too much
when we say that no people are more
prompt to pay their debts or come to the
relief OF their poor, distressed, worthy
neighbors than ours. We have faults,
many Of them, ,l!but no more than our
neishborinR towns. We hope to be
able 10 avoid some Of tbs mistakes of
ths past. We have few citizens whose
ways ara not amisbls and would be
pleased If thsy woald lot up or migrate,
tss I think Lsaa AAs always hsd the
same. Ii man makes q mistake and
can afterwards avoid il he is no fool.
Mr.. Aditss. we moat sincerely protest
whom you call ours the toughest town in
the county. It will not be long until
you will call on US, a. well AZ the rest of
the county, to vote to build new court
house in Loon, and it will only be fair to
suppose that it will be difficult task
for you to make us feel 40 disposed if
you call rs the toughest town in the
county. Hoping you will be able to
avoid the mistakes of the past and that
We will be able to merit your praise IN
the future, we remain,
Your Very Humble Reader,
GRAND RIVER CITIZEN.
Joe Crses took two big swallows Of
coal oil from q Jug at Kantar,s store