Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-07-14

/ their festivities without my assistance
and was blue to the backbone.
Again came the sweet voice calling
and looked over my shoulder to be.
| hold Nina Lowering running after me.
1--WE been looking for you everywhere
said she. ooh. I've had such an expe-
| rience!"
"Come with me-" said I and led her
| into convenient ice cream ''parlor.'
| where we found table in a quiet cor
ner.
Il have the story!" she whispered as
soon as we were seated. Listen. Mr.
Olmstead told me. begged him hard
but he didn't know why I wanted it
The facts are these: There is very
public spirited man named Curtis G.
Goodwin
"What!" gasped.
I'd never heard of him. It seems thai
this man knows all about the bribery in
the franchise business"
Yes said I, there's no doubt of It."
ut was he who did this thing" said
she, Sin the interest OF the public. Mr.
Olmstead says so"
This is joke!"
mot at all. my friend. / have seen
Mr.. Goodwin. called upon him. told
him that I had learned that it was he
who persuaded Mr.. Stoughton not te
speak"
half rose from my chair and stared
at her.
What did he do?" gasped.
''He was terribly excited. He looked
as If he was going to faint or have a
fit. He offered me $50 IL I'd tell him
where l got the information, and Their
print it. You see, he thought I was 9
reporter"
my blessed grandmother" ex-
claimed. this beats anything that ever
happened! We have landed the story"
"Of course we have"
but it's all an accident. Mr.. Ohm
stead was joking with you. Curti.
Goodwin is the chief of the railroad
syndicate and the crookedest old rasca
that ever breathed the breath of life
Mr.. Olmstead had no idea that it was
he who called Stoughton off. But il
was. We've caught him. He was sc
amazed that he gave himself away. He
called Stoughton off because he was
afraid he might say something injudi-
cious. In fact. Stoughton was In a
place where he couldn't either speak OF
the franchise or not speak Of it. Why
didn't l see this before? Nina, you're
the only reporter in the state"
Well, that's the way l got my story
and I had a clean beat on it. But
didn't get to the lawn party. I worked
all day and all night. and with the aid
of the knowledge that it was Goodwin
who had coerced Stoughton I dug UP
crookedness right and left The up
shot of it was that we wrecked Slough
toms power and forced the mayor to
veto the franchise.
1t was great public good. and
wish to point out that it all resulted
from the courage which inspired the
little scarborough News to say that
Joshua 3. Stoughton was not fit man
to address his fellow citizens on the
subject of civil liberty when he him.
self was the slave of corrupt money.
The press is not always accurate in it's
statements. and some of the reasons
may be CLEANED from this brief narra-
tive. 1naccuracy of statement is not
confined to the press. nor to the plat
form, nor to the census report, nor to
the weather bureau. 1t is a general
human failing.
But the power to expose and defeat
rascality Is being more and more cen
tered in the press, which is. take it for
all in all, the proclaimer and defender
of our liberties and the perpetual dec
laration of our independence Of the
modern tyrant, greed.