Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1905-05-04
Modern Journalism.

The curtain has risen on the
political stage. The public can
see the actors, also the manag-
ers, come on the platform with
the proposition that if the peo-
pie will pay $4,000 for a new
court house at Logan they will
be allowed to tax themselves
for draining the western part
of Harrison county. One can
imagine himself in the middle
centuries when the feudal lords
came down from their castles
demanding of the tradesmen
that were going to distant trad
ing points so much or all of
their goods so they could go
unmolested on their way.
But there came a young
emperor who demanded of these
feudal lords that they come be-
fore his court and swear al
legiance to a new order; that
they must cease robbing these
tradesmen or levying any triE-
ute, or else be wiped out by the
sword and their castles laid in
ashes. There will also rise a
Young giant who will demand
from our modern political lords
that they quit exploiting the
people of this county. The
people have the power to do
this any time they see fit, using
the ballot, and free themselves
from their oppressors.
There has hardly been az
election in this county the last
five or six years that this bra
zen lie, that the people in the
east end of the county would
be taxed some way for the
bitches the west part intended
to construct, was the campaign
cry. But we are told politics
has nothing to do with miser-
able economic conditions. All
the history of the drainage
proceedings show. Let the
farmer investigate and he will
find the power behind the
throne.
Does not the resignation of
Edgecomb from the board of
supervisors show that economic
interests and political feudal-
ism came in conflict. The man
of progress ran up against
stand pattism. Edgecomb's
honesty, his whole manhood re-
belled against political condi-
lions dictated by political lords.
The people on the west side
should demand the resignation
of Hall and hurry from hold
ing any office in this county.
But this is government by the
people, where a half dozen are
the people. The Filipinos
Should come over to Harrison
county and get lessons in self
government, where the people
have such grand autonomy
drainage land ans. better their
condition.
1t is not necessary to repeat
the arguments for draining the
bottom. The Soldier, Willow
and Boyer don't carry the
water as they did when The first
settlers built their homes ON the
banks of these streams. The
Soldier and Willow are for
miles filled up with the wash
from the hills and will continue
filling up more and more and
the man that thinks he has high
land on the bottom and not in
terested will find out that he
was sadly mistaken. The low
lands that acted as storage
basins for hoodwater are also
filled up, and where should this
water go except flooding the
higher bottom land The time
| is not far off when the Willow
will have filled up the low land
west of it and will seek the low
land north of Missouri Valley,
swamp all the land and set the
west part of the town under
water.
The effect will not be felt by
the farmers alone. The pro-
duction of real wealth will be
so lessened or entirely wiped
out that all business ability,
financeering, push or advertis-
ing can create no substitute for
this wealth or alter the result
one fraction. If all the towns
on the bottom could in some
way or other be destroyed and
have the farms left to produce
wealth, they will build up these
towns again. But let the farms
become swamps and the frogs
will entertain the lonely mer-
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