Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-04-08
there will be trouble all; along the

there will be trouble al; along the line.
| Primghar has had three big fires dur
| ing the past year. This was u wiping
out of twenty three business buildings,
large and small. And yet today. four
months after the last fire. there is a
general opinion that all of these dis
guised blessings We're good thing for
Primghar. The new hr;ck stores are
models of taste and the whole appear
ance of the square around the court
house is vastly improved. BY the way,
there are few towns in Iowa whose
residences and lawns and sidewalks ara
In better shape: the r,iles of cement
sidewalks, the general removal of
fences and the kent painted buildings
are In strong contrast with some towns
who lack the town Improvement senti-
ment.
Rockwell City one day last week had
two fires. One at $3.50 a. M. by which
the Columbia Hotel went up in smoke.
Again the same day at 1890 p m. the
new Illinois Central depot was burned
to the ground. Both were total losses.
The town has fair system iof water
works, hydrants and hose cart COM
pany. And yet in one lay this town
had burned $4,000 worth of property.
And the reason is easily given. The
fire company did not get there quickly
enough. 1t was thixty minutes after
the first alarm at the Columbia Hotel
before the city water was thrown on
the flames. This came under the wr-
ter's personal knowledge The fire COM
ayfia n n ri
There was no fire ala.m that would
get sleepy individuals out of bed at
half past 5 in the morning. Other
towns lacking in this Inc can get
pointer here.
Some years ago John Patton, of,
Grinnell, was editor Of the Gazette of
that burg. John had phonetic spell
strike him one day before he went to
press In one editorial. after drawing
all of the logical conclusions possible
from the subject matter, he wound up
by saying and spelling: There is fude
for thot in all this. And so looking
over the returns for the Iowa city cleo
tons there is food for thought in
many of them. Take Waterloo for ex-
ample. The mayor-eleet. Mr.. Martin,
from personal acquaintance the wri-
ter is glad to say, is a gentleman we'll
qualified to act as mayor In fact, he |
has made good mayor during the past
two years. Incidentally it can be said
that Waterloo has a big republican ma
jority. Now the question is Why these
put In a democratic mayor?
Grinnell, one of the most "rantank-
erous" republican towns in the whole
country, elects Beth Jenkins for |
mayor. Here again the writer can
speak from personal knowledge. He's n
square business man, a good citizen
and has made good record on the city |
council but he's a democrat with a big |
d, and from way back. Again. Why |
did the republicans of Erinnell elect n
mayor? In neither of the |
cases was the republican
candidate Objectionable for any good |
good reason. In Grinnell Mr.. Morrison, |
the republican candidate. represents big /
manufacturing interests as we'll as an
record y. a private citi
zen. Has 1t come to this that the re-
publican party in such towns can not
furnish acceptable mayoralty timber?
As John Patton said, there is "fude for
thot" In all this.
ap 2zy et14JlS