Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-03-04

1870 e=e@ .@e ns..o.e. !,
+ tt It + It t Il
! old conception of a great republic OF
I; American freemen worthy Of their her
itage? The savages and semisayages
! "appurtenant to the United States" will
soon outnumber those in "the United
States proper" beautiful kettle of
fish surely!
Straws.
The signs Of the times indicate that
the people of the north are at last
waking up to the business opportunities
In the south. They have been slow to
realize the financial potentialities of
that section Of the country, but finally
the truth is beginning to percolate
through their brains. The chances are
that the next census will be a great
eye opener in this respect. Some years
ago the movement OF cotton manufac-
turing southwark became so pronounc-
ed that even 10 prominent a man as
Governor Dingley Of Maine took alarm
and desired constitutional amendment
which would give congress Jurisdiction
over the labor question in general, hop
Ing thereby to enact such legislation as
would neutralize, partially at least, the
advantages possessed by the south,
such as longer summers warmer eli.
mate, less need for fuel, etc. That the
entire cotton crop of the south will
some day be manufactured in the states
where 1t is produced cannot be doubted.
What started me on this train of
thought just now was seeing an item in
newspaper to the effect that COM
pany has purchased 10000 acres of
land In Alabama on which to colonize
northwestern farmers That item alone
would be Of little interest and would
not possess much significance, but 1t is
simply straw showing which way the
wind blows. Iowa and Illinois farm
ers move to Missouri, buying the rich
Missouri farm lands. The Missouri
farmers who sell out move farther
south-to Arkansas or Texas. This
process is In perpetual operation. The
tide of immigration has turned from
the extreme west largely toward the
south, and this movement is good
thing all round. The northerners find
cheaper and better homes, and the
southerncrs find good neighbors.
Poking Fun at Massachusetts.
The Philadelphia Inquirer has lots of
gall-enough, in fact, to poke fun at
venerable Massachusetts, which it does
in this editorial about Benjamin Frank
lin:
Representative Adams wants congress
TO appropriate . comfortable sum to cele-
brats the two hundredth anniversary Of
the birth Of Ben Franklin. So say we all
OF ". Here 10 Q man who ought to be
honored BY the world regardless Of race
color or any condition whatever the man
who was the nrst citizen Of the colonies
and long the first citizen Of the republic,
without whose wonderful tact and sa-
gacity the constitution could neither have
been framed nor adopted II this country
owes honors to any man more than an
other, outside Of Washington It certainly
10 to FRANKLIN, the scientist. philosopher.
diplomatist and sage. who. in the happy
language Of the 1renchman. tore the
llghtntngs from the heavens and the scep-
ter from the hand Of the tyrant." De-
lightful, but not exactly correct
Franklin was born in Massachusetts
which was his chief misfortune, and he
early In life remedied it as best he could.
And he was also born on Sunday, which
was In many parishes OF Massachusetts
infamy for the babe and crime on the
part OF the parents He survived the
shadow which hung over him and achiev-
ed Q position In the world which is abso-
lutely unique. HQ was not straitlaced
Puritan, but rather an easy going citizen
who took advantage OF the morals Of his
age to have good time and never was
hypocritical about It, az he charged his
New England brethren were. He served
his country well and died in a good old
age. having seen many vicissitudes, but
having tasted. on the whole, of the toys
OF life, sensual and intellectual, to SUM-
Client degree.
With all his failings Franklin is the
man to whom this city and state owe a
debt they can never repay except In the
line of gratitude We presume that II con-
sress makes the appropriation Massachu-
sets will want to claim It and will assure
the world that all there was good in the
man was due to his ancestry and that he
deprecated steadily after leaving its pre-
cincts. We trust that Mr.. Adams will
So to this.
3Movins Against High Finance Pirates"
Under the ahOvn haad thu philodo1