Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-04-18

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ELooKER-oN IN lowA#
s.::s-s.:..
Burt April I.-Only a few years ago
While travelling up this way the writer
heard on every hand the need of a sys-
tenn of irrigation for Iowa. We had put
in so many miles of tile, had plowed up
nearly all of the sod, had cut off the
trees along the river banks. so that the
soil would not retain the moisture of the
winters snow and the spring rains.
Hence TO retain the crop producing
qualities of Iowa dirt the state, county
and individual must combine for gem
eral system of irrigation.
Today there is a general opinion that
state, county and individual must COM
bine for a general system of drainage.
Along miles Of roads in this part of tho
state there is standing, almost running,
water on each side of the roads, and has
been in many cases since a year ago
this spring. The lakes and pond holes
are full to Overlooking. Low ground has
had standing water now in many
places for over year, where corn and
oats have grown every year previous to
1902, that Is to say, for the past twenty
years. And only the big. long county
ditch will help this state of affairs. The
trouble is the former natural drainage
spot is now full of water and there is no
place for this water to run down hill.
Hence the need of the big ditch. And
yet the writer expects to live long
enough to hear talk again of the need of
system of irrigation for Iowa!
The other night the writer was on
the dark rainy night at sixty miles an
hour to make up for lost time. Sud-
denly the air brakes went on and the
train came to quick stop. The engi-
neer told the inquirins conductor he
had run over man. And back of the
sleeper surrounded by the trainmen's
lanterns and curious passengers was
bundle of what three minutes before
had been man. Evidently the whole
train had passed over him, for the
body was stretched across the track,
while an old sack used for carrying
personal belongings was near by.
Everything seemed to point to the fact
that this man had gone to sleep on the
track, using the sack for a pillow. And
III was also a fair inference that some
body that day or some other day had
sold that man the liquor that caused
him to lose what natural sense he
possessed, and to lie down on the rail-
road track with as little fear of results
as an old COW on the road crossing.
And the train men not wishing to soil
their hands or clothes. rolled the heap
of flesh and clothes off the track, the
conductor called out "All aboard" and
on we went, leaving the remains for
the section men and coroner when they
were notified by our stopping at the
next station for that purpose. Some
facts are self-eyident. First, If that man
had never acquired the taste for liq-
uor he would not have sought such q
sleeping place. Again, If there were no
liquor manufactured, sold or shipped
into Iowa this bundle of broken bones,
flesh and torn clothing would not have
furnished copy" for this column. But
to draw a prohibition argument from
all this, it should also be stated that if
there We're no railroad tracks and trains
in Iowa this man would probably be |
alive and well today.
And here's something all who travel
and get acquainted in different towns
notice duplicated everywhere. And
that's the man in every town who "if |
he'd let whisky alone would be a mighty |
good citizen" He's nohody's fool and
when he isn't full is an awful nice fell
low" Probably hasn't been sober for
ten years. Has drank up two farms
His father left him $4,000 in the bank |
and a good farm" Always has "a nice
woman for wife and his children are a
credit to her bringing up" Has taken
the Kelly cure twice" Yes, they ought |
to send him off under the inebriate-law. |
but his wife hates to- The druggists |
and saloons all refuse to sell him liq- |
uor, but he sends off and gets it."
There's a Jew whisky agent that comes
along and takes his order for It," Has
had the .jim-ja twice, and unless he
quits he won't live three months" All |
the reader has to do is to select the |
town and the citizens OF the town give |
the name of the man. And not only in
Iowa is this true this year, was last |
ear, Will Dt lCAl Jul ~ 10 en-
actly what was talked in New England |
forty years ago, is talked today and |
will be forty years from now. These
men start out as boys hear all this talk,
see the object lessons, and then a few
years after furnish the subject of con-
versaton by their own actions. And |
right here again there is no chance for
a lecture in favor Of prohibition or a
talk condemning mulct or high Ii |
cense law. Towns and states under any |
and all manner of prohinitive and re-
,trictive legislation furnish identical |
of the awful effects of the
liquor habit. This kind of moralizing
tends toward impeaching the wisdom of |
the Almighty in allowing the mind of |
man to conceive the idea of manufac-
turing the dannabe stuff as we'll as to
utterly destroy the reasoning faculties
Of the man who acquires "the drink
habit"
q - III 1.414~l,'
Id, :. 4, Na%;opal Nna