Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-03-06

+ LOOKER.ON IN IOWA /


Dumont, March 5.-As suggested in
a previous letter in this column, But
Ter county politically speaking, is any
body's game" Conversation with lead
ing republicans in Allison, the county
seat, shows that the town is a Cum
minis town by a big majority, and the
writer is assured that the farmers all
over the country are Cummins men,
two to one. From good authority it
comes to this scribe that ex-senator
Craig belongs to the progressive crowd.
altho he was a Gear man for many
| moons The same element of the
young republicans lining up under the
Cummins' banner is found here as
elsewhere, but this self-same crowd
of young republicans here need. and
have yet to find, a Moses to lead them
out of the standpat wilderness. The
machine, the old gang of self-constitut-
ed leaders in Butler county, is still in
control, but revolt and insurrection is
certain and sure.
The farmer DESTROYS of building
big barn is up against a cost propo-
sition almost prohibitive. Lumber has
advanced in prices almost if not quite
so per cent during the past ten to fif-
teen years. and today man with a
big barn on his farm, built ten years
ago. figures the value of the advance
of the price of that barn fully as much
as the advance in the price per acre Of
his land. The same is true If one
wishes to build or sell in town. The
owner "of small house in town" will
soon be accounted rich man. Gener-
ally speaking the cement block, of
which great things were expected, and
promised. does not yet fill the bill as a
substitute for lumber in building pur-
poses Some invention has yet to come
In the way Of glazing, or in the mater
ial used in manufacture, or some other
way, to make the cement block moist
ure-p proof Ii cement enough is used
to make these blocks impervious to
water then the cost is equal to lumber.
This is true also if these cement blocks
are painted after the building is fin
ished. With this in evidence it seems
strange that some inventive genius does
not think out plan to make lumber"
out of corn stalks, and straw, Of which
materials many million acres go to
waste each year in Iowa.
An observing school ma'am" in one
Of our Iowa towns tells the writer that
she can directly trace the bad effects
of the Sunday daily and it's inevitable
comic ca supplement. upon all of her
scholars. She says that 1t is making
it impossible for them to take anything
seriously. That in the simple talks
she gives them day by day, they are
always on the lookout for the joke sup
posed to be lurking in the words she
utters. Again, she is sure that these
comic sections of the Sunday papers
are almost destroying sympathy in the
youthful makeup. She notices a dis
position to think it funny when some-
thing occurs that should awaken emo
lions of pity. Is sure the rising gener-
alton is growing up hardened in mind.
for the bodily Ills of others. And once
more. she claims to be able to tell Of
the reading in the family home by her
association with the child This Is as
true of the Bible Nick Carter. Bertha
M. CLAW, or the "F'renchy' novel. These
children come to school and before
the term is over teacher" knows all
about the family literature. Wonder
if these isn't something in. in the OBJ
of "the Iowa schoolma'am