Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-01-02

Schoolhouses built dur
ph Ing the year ............ 7s1 is 72Ssio
Entitled enroll in school,. $685. 560.l75
Total number teachers. &,Sa6 Is,V'a
Schools in which teach
ing OF stimulants is =, a.,
Normal ' institute costs. ies,oss 6i.5ss
Number of volumes in ..o,,n
rS. ssa soss 81 e .ssss
Test Suit Begun.
The Citizens Railway & Light COM
pany of Muscatine has brought suit in
the federal courts to test the question
of whether the cities of Iowa have the
right to fix rates for gas and electric
light service to the people by corpora
tions which use the streets. The ques-
ton never has been decided by the
courts, directly. 1t is claimed that the
rates which have been fixed by the
Muscatine city council are unreason-
able, that they amount to confiscation
of the property of the corporation, and
that if they are permitted to stand the
corporation will simply lose its prop
erty. This is contrary to the constitu-
ton of the United States, which is in
yoked. Lawyers who have had experi-
ence in franchise matters believe
that the court will gointo the question
of the reasopableness of the rates fixed
in Muscatine, and if they are found too
low to permit reasonable earnings on
the Investment they will be set aside.
Milk Association Formed.
Sixty farmers of Linn county who
have been selling their milk to city
dealers at two cents q quart have
!. foruedsan association.to protect them
selves from a stationary market and
with view to compelling the milk
dealers in the city to pay them in pro-
portion to the price of milk in the
cities. The farmers are inclined to-de-
mand two cents in the summer months
and three cents in the winter. In Des
Moines the market price for milk to
consumers is now 10 cents quart.
Despite the great quantity of pastur-
age and the cheapness of hay, the milk
making quality of the grain and hay
this year is said to be less than in
former years, hence the increased
price. The farmers who produce the
milk now propose to gain share of
the profit made in supplying the milk
trade in the cities.
Des Moines Stands Third.
It is learned that the Rock Island
railroad handles more baggage at the
Des Moines station than at any other
point on all its lines except Denver
and Chicago. It sells more tickets at
fhSc ~ al
on its system except Chicago. The
daily sales of tickets here amount to
about $1,000. The Northwestern, the
Great Western, the Milwaukee, the
Burlington and the Wabash do the next
largest amount of railroad business
out of Des Moines, in the order named.
Cummins to Lecture.
Gov. Cummins has consented to deliy.
or few lectures on political economy
before the classes studying that
branch Of social science at the state
university. Dates in February will be
fed for the lectures. The prominent
position attained by the governor in
his discussion of the Iowa tariff idea"
in the east led to his being asked to
deliver the course of lectures at the
university, in addition to his own per-
sonal prominence, but his lectures at
the university will not partake in any
particular OF the tariff question, 1t is
said.
Urges Manufacturing Display.
State Labor Commissioner Brigham
has urged on the Iowa commission In
charge OF the exhibits of this state at
the st. Louis exposition, to make an
especial display of the advantages of
Iowa as manufacturing state. This.
he believes, will be of more value to
the people of Iowa than any other
expenditure of money. He has APP
peared before the commission and ar
gued at length for his idea, and some
Of the members of the body are in fa-
vor of it. The exact scheme for maxi
ing an exhibit has not been determined
upon, as yet, but the members of the
commission have been allotted certain
phases of the exhibits, and will be ex-
pected to superintend the exhibit in
their several departments. Prof. L..
IL. Pammell. of the state agricultural
college, has proposed to the commits
sion that plot of ground 200 by 800
feet, in the shape of the state of Iowa
be planted with the vegetation which
would naturally be found in the differ.
ent sections. the rivers to be repre-
scented by cinder paths. The commits
sion is considering this idea.
Treating Liquor Users.
There are now 90 dipsomaniacs or ex-
cessive users of drugs in the inebriate
department at the Mount Pleasant hos
pltal and 40 at the Cherokee hospital.
More than 200 have been committed to
the wards, but have been paroled or
discharged cured Members of the
board of control are now making an
investigation into the situation In
theat fok1rtnl S,,p fr3x ~r4tf,, n rtHvV A De-