Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-02-11

i
| in Iowa can make, as fine q showing
for the churches and every good inter-
J est? We have excellent schools. | do
I not know where you can find more
i wholesome interest in behalf of edu-
cation. We are sending our young peo-
pie away to colleges in great numbers.
! When any one says Ottumwa is de-
generate city he ISLANDERS our good
name.
Are Four Glasses.
But how is all this possible What
is the trouble that the good men that
you have referred to do not rise up and
Danish such conditions? Let me tell
YOU Our citizens may be roughly di-
vided into four groups touching this
matter.
First, there are those who know
these things, who care for them, who
want them and are exactly pleased
with things as they are.
Second, there is a large class who
have no very clearly defined moral
ideal touching civic affairs, who do not
particularly want this condition, but
who do not care very much one way
or another, who suppose this Is the
proper and necessary state OF things
and happily acquiesce and become the
willing tools in the hands OF those VINO
manipulate these things.
Third, there Is a class who know.
these things exist, who decry them,
who denounce them. who do all in
their power to rectify them, but who
are in a hopeless minority, and who
are simply trampled down IN this
4 struggle.
Lastly there are those who would
just as thoroughly deplore and oppose
these conditions as the class men
toned. if they knew about them. They
are not situated as to come in con-
tact with the wickedness Of the city
All day they are at their labor or their
business, their evenings they spend at
home with their families as they
should, occasionally they come down
town of an evening, but these things
do not pass under the immediate OBJ
4 seryation, unless by accident and they
have no adequate idea OF the condi-
lions that prevail In our midst.
It Is to this last class I especially ad-
dress myself. They hold the key
Of the situation. If they were only
sufficiently aroused this shameful
state of things would not endure past
one election. 1t is in behalf of this
class that propose to turn on the
light.
An Undesirable Advertisement.
realize there are those who will
rise up and protest that it will give
our city an undesirable advertisement.
Better hush the matter uD than to stir
up such foul odor as will offend those
who do not know it exists. Let me
say that no one appreciates our shame
more than do. but also insist that
t nothing I can do will in any way in
crease the extent of that obliquy.
Ottumwa's shame now smells to
heaven and If there is any quarter OF
, hell that is oblivious 1T is because the
word has passed there that OttumWa is
safe and needs no looking after. II
. there is any place lying between this
: zenith and nadir of the moral universe
that knows enough about us to care al
: all these things are adequately pub
Z lished there now.
So / shall not hesitate from any false
fear of possible harm that may come
from any such exposure. On the other
hand want to say that there is moth
ing so wholesome as the light. MEN
love darkness rather than light, be-
cause their deeds are evil" Or as JOB
: says: "There are those that rebel
against the light" If might be per
: mitted to tarry moment on the phil
osophy of the light, | would have you
understand that it Is the greatest pro
tectiye agency nature provides.
Then If all this is true. how do vol
account for her undesirable eminence
among the cities of the country. 1
YOU have ever tried to battle on thu
2 sea beach where the waves come II
gently and all seems placid on the sur
face you will often find that there il
: an undertow that is treacherousl!
bearing the bather out to dangerous
places. So it is with us. AS Whit
tier expressed it in other connection
High as the tides Of generous i'm
pulses flow,
AS far rolls back the selfish under
tow
1t has been Ottumwa's misfortune
! for long time to have in her midst {
! little coterie of citizens of a certain
type who have by their fragrant law
lessness, given most undesirable rep
utat1on TO our Guy among OutSlu'
cities, and it is only natural for tn,
e conclusion to be drawn that this clas
! of men are represent among us
The result is we have secured repu
tation for unseemiiness that far out
9 runs our real chafacter and, hay,
suffered thereby
. The deplorable fact Is that from
+ time to time this undesirable elemen
I has been able to no ID the balance o
: power in polictical Organizations ant
T not only dictate the policy but com
q mand the organizations to the exten
that it is regarded as hopeless to OF
e pose this band of public pirates, an,
y the only peace we can hope to secur
is for all good men to relinquish tn
g fight and settle down to the fact tina
s Ottumwa is a wide open city and tina
t such policy cannot ard must not be il
Z terfered with.
t The result has been that our cit
e administration has BEEN in league wit
h this lawless element and instead G
S ,,c;po tho oify'c polict force tn prot or