davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-13
THE FARM AND THE TOWN.

Washington Post The census office
estimates that within few years SO
per cent of the population Of the Uni
ted States will be urban and dwelling
in cities of 5000 n tabitants and up
wards. The farm is deserted that the
town may be congested. Man is a
Gregarious animal, and it is natural
that he should seek the society of his
fellows, but ru,al life has both adj
vantages and pleasures, and some
thing ought to be done to stop the
drain from the farm to swell the cue
rent of the city.
1t is possible that during the past
century the American farmer was the
most improvident and wasteful man
on earth. The useless sums he put in
lenses that could have been advan-
tageously dispensed with would pay
every national DEBT in the world twice
ovei. This folly caused vandal waste
of forests that would be Invaluable to-
day hed they been spared; but the
American farmer impoverished ta,
soil in the Sc me reckless ia hitn that
he destroyed the forest. There was
waste, waste, waste everywhere.
And now a generation has been born
to the farm that must practice thrift
even as their fathers committed desc.
lation. Farming is business that
calls for brains and culture. No man
is fit for the farm that cannot get from
1t profit, pleasure, conquest. He must
battle with drought, with weed, with
insect. He must know when to plant
and how to plant, when to cultivate,
when to harvest and how to harvest
and surely more than one-half of the
population Of such land as ours ought
to find homes on the farm.
Just now the land owning farmer
is prosperous. His trouble is scarcity
of labor, through labor saving machin
cry has wrought wonders for the farm
The American market, the most opu
lent in the world, monopolized by the
American manufacturer, has robbed
the farm of it's labor for the shop
and the figures are startling.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-13
STOCKPORT.

Stockport, Dec. 11.--Pitt Plumer OF
Hillsboro was in to city Tuesday. q
Mrs. J.. H. McCarty left Saturday
morning on the train for Hiteman td:
attend the wedding of her husbands
youngest brother
Alvie Harlan and w. T. Dow returns
ed Saturday from Chicago
G. w Johnston and wife and Mrs.
Stoner spent Thursday In Birmingham,
William Parnitzkie spent the first
of the week in Des Moines.
A. Fairchilds will soon move to Eli
don, where he will make his future
home.
Olney Harlan, w. T. Dow and G. o,
Swan attended the stock show last
week in Chicago,
Nat Brown went to Ottumwa Tues
day as a witness in the e. H. Skinned
trial
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-13
LINCOLN sTEFFENs

Howard Burwell in Washington
Press.-He talked about graft, what it
is, how to cure it. He seems to be
the advance agent of Bryan and gov
eminent ownership of everything out
of doors, from railways to factories
and franchises.
Yet he said graft was in the depart
ments of the government at Washing
ton, and it has been especially traced
in the P. P and Interior departments.
His sole remedy, deposited as sting
in the tail end Of his speech, as an
emergency dose to dying patient,
was, add more and more and greater
and more complicated departments to
the government, to breed mites and
maggots in hundreds of new cheeses.
That remedy, on his own showing of
graft in the government would be in
infinitely worse than the isolated dis
eases that we know now.
Graft? Yes. there is, always has
been. always will be, as long as human
nature is temptable, and one man is
smarter than another. We belong to
natural history, and prey on each 9TH
er just like the animals, birds, fishes
and insects We have to fight this
parasitic graft in pure self defense,
continually in some of it's protean
forms. Tom Deed used to complain
that when we get a bad thing righted
and fixed, ut won't stay put" There
is an inevitable gravitation, and that
means a downward tendency, and eter-
raj vigilance is the price of many
things besides liberty
Business, he kept saying, is the
main cause of graft.
Crafts chief evil is its tendency to
and make an oligarchy of privilege
and wealth and power, seeking not the
general good Of all, but the interest
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-13
RUSSELL.

Russell. Dec. 11-Mrs. e. M. Blanch-
ard of Charlton visited over Sunday at
the home of her daughter, Mrs. ]. A.
Vinsel.
Sunday.
Miss Leva Childs and Dick Johnson
of Coatsville, Mo-, arrived on No.
Monday for visit with the formers
aunt, Mrs. Flo Childs.
A. j. Woodman returned Friday from
Des Moines, where he has been attend
ing a convention.
The women of the Baptist church
cleared about $40 from their dinner and
sale Saturday.
Fred Thompson left Friday for La
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-13
ANrI.LoRBY BILL

In his message to the next Missouri
legislature Governor Folk will recon-
mend an anti-lobby bill. This is not
a new proposition, but one that has.
been discussed from various stand
points for some time. OF course the
person it is intended to hit is the man
who uses money and corporation influ-
ence in the passage of bills that are
opposed to the interests of the people.
The problem is to so formulate bill
that it will hit this class and not In
clude the persons who visit the capt.
tai in the interests of good legisla-
ton
Those who talk loudly about lobby
lists seem to forget that there are lob
byists for the people as well as for the
enemies Of the people; that there are
lobbyists for public interests as we'll
as for private interests. Legislatures
are sometimes so constituted that there
is less need of the private corporation
having a man on the ground than
there is for some particular uplifting
organization having representative
there.
1t is to be presumed that both have
representatives In the body of the leg
islature, for all interests are usually
represented, and If the persons promot-
ing bad legislation are more ably rep
resented than those seeking good leg
islation, the bad will prevail.
1t is some times found necessary for
municipalities to send lobbyists to the
legislature, there are always the rep
resentatives of the various tenn
perance organizations, either
separately or combined, the
woman suffragists always have
workers among the legislators. How
the one is to be admitted and the
other fenced without is the question
the assembly will have to wrestle
with that has such bill before it.
A la wmay be passed excluding paid
lobbyists, but after such an enactment
is passed the difficulty will. be in en-
forcing it. Evidence must be produc-
ed that a man is paid, and it is need
less to say that If such law is passed
this will be made hard thing to do.
| 4 v Z
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-13

senator would modify many of his
views about the negro problem because
however sincere he may be in advo-
eating them, he is too far ahead of the
crisis. For instance, he ought not to
predict race wars. Thousands of peo-
pie believe that race war is newt
able, and it may be inevitable, still it
is obviously duty of all good men,
white and black to do the utmost to
compose difficulties rather than aggra-
vate them. If we assume that there
is going to be race war, then efforts
to prevent it will be nullified, whereas
If we proceed upon the hypothesis that
such a disaster may be averted, then
effort will be directed in the proper
channels and 1t may happen that a
way will eventually appear to settle
all the trouble without convulsion.
1t is entirely too early for any man
to say what the ultimate outcome of
the negro problem is to be. There are
many forces quietly at work. the re-
suit Of which we may not know for
generations to come. Generally speak
ing, conditions are rather tranquil in
the south and the phases Of the prob
lem which perpleX us most are eco
nomic rather than social or political.
The north is just beginning to learn
by actual experience some of the diff
culties-those difficulties in fact which
do not bother us at ALL When the
negro population has been diffused
over the entire country, as it is sure
to be in time, an entirely new situation
will be presented.
| We admire Senator Tillman and
agree with many of his views with re-
spect 20 the negro question, but we
fear he lacks poise and patience at
| times.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-13
slDELIeHTs.
JACOB Rils, LECTURE.
Will be Entertaining and Instructive
to Evervore

to Everyone.
Next Tuesday night at the First
Methodist church Jacob Riis will por-
tray, as only he can. side of life
that but few of the middle and more
fortunate classes are acquainted with.
Jacob Riis was the greatest police
reporter ever developed by the New
York daily papers. He took an intense
interest in this line of work 1t gave
him the opportunity to study the poor
er and criminal classes Of the great
metropolis. This he did in a more
comprehensive manner than was ever
attempted by anyone else.
This lecture will be in the highest
degree entertaining-it will be more
than that-it will be immensely in
structive. 1t will tell of something
of which the most of the audience now
know but little.
One of the true sayings is: "One-half
of the world does not know how the
other half lives'
Even this could be changed to say:
"One-half of the world does not know
the other half is living"
AS a whole, the people of this world
know little of each other. Each set,
to great degree, moves and lives
within itself. Too much so. Often
those who believe their views are
broad and far-seeing, are, by reason of
their association and position, getting
a sight of a very small fraction of
what they might If they stepped little
to one side. it takes actual contact
with the people and conditions to learn
of the people and conditions. 1t takes
actual contact with people of all
classes to know people of all classes.
This is the experience of the police
reporter on the daily papers-whethel
1t is in New York or the smaller cities.
He meets them all He is forgotten,
but he does not forget. He knows
many stories too big to publish.
He goes with the police to the man
sion that has been burglarized; there
he sees the beauties and comforts OF
the modern home, mentally jots down
the answers to the questions asked by
the officers; listens attentively, asks
some questions himself, and then with
his story going through his head, he
runs to the Office and writes.
Then he is sent to see what has
caused the police call from part Of
town where people only exist, but do
not live, where whole families crowd
| together in a howell that he is afraid
will collapse before he can get out
of it.
| He interviews the railroad official in
his private car, and the next assign
ment sends him to home, where he
sees the family weep over the crush
ed remains of some unfortunate train
| man of that same road
His next trip with the police patro
may take him to saloon brawl, q
railroad wreck, fire, a murder, sui
eide, raid on some den, scene of &
hold-up, or the hospital.
This is the life that Jacob Riis car
tell about-because he knows about 1t
He has lived in it-has been a part
of it.
His lecture will be lesson to those
who near it. G. P. C. I
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-13
Of favored few that are not the best

= .SAAssS 49,
folks.
The vast mass Of people hate graft
and grafters, that is, the graft that is
not their own special brand
We do not doubt that Steffens hates
graft in general but this lecture bus
mess, and writing of "frenzied finance
zines, that he Is vital part of, togeth-
er with Phillips and Lawson, is graft
within graft, a ring within ring. Stef-
fens presumably makes his living that
way. Pitchfork is plainly working a
graft-that is, making an annual in
come of from $4,000 to 100000 off
from the chumps of the north, who
waste their money and time on this
fake and fraud, by going round stir
ring up race hatred, fanaticism and bad
blood, at the rate Of 5000 per fake and
stir. Sam Jones worked 5000 graft
every summer at Chatauquas; Billy
Sunday ditto; ditto, Bryan; ditto,
Folk; and Steffens is not lecturing
merely for his health, and gets $110 a
night for talking graft; ring within
ring, as he said, graft inside of graft.
Isn't that a species of graft? His lee
ture was not worth intrinsically any
thing like $110; it was voted heavy,
poky and uninteresting, and many
folks went to sleep under the anodyne.
| 1t did not draw" enough to pay his
bill. No lecture is worth more than
the receipts in the box Office. If Sun
day draws $1,000, as he did at our
Chautauqua, he Is well worth $500 to
| his employers. man, commercially,
is worth what he will draw But this
whole lecture business is absurd and
outlandish and outrageous in it's finan-
cial aspect. 1t is species of graft.
Audiences are played for suckers and
bored within an inch of their lives.
They want to sleep but there is no
good place in the opera house to
formed four times by Steffens, and fl
nally remarked, II am made patient
through suffering" He was paid $110
and he sold' the audience lots more
than that. He might try curing his
own little graft, and see how it would
come out.
Steffens started in by saying that
there is almost no graft in Iowa; it is
one of three or four states that are
clean, he said. He added that he would
give proof of this before he was done
but he must have forgotten it, as he
did not recur to it. AS loyal Iowan
we were glad to hear him say that, fol
we have been hearing SO much Of q
different tenor Mr.. Blythe-you've
heard of him, mayhap-lives in Iowa
and is general counsel for the @ rail
way, and that corporation runs through
this state, and if there had been the
corruption flowing from that source
as charged, surely the practiced anG
eagle eye of Mr.. Steffens would have
got some glimpse of it. But he never
once held this awful man up to oul
gaze, in a humorous sense we We're
a bit disappointed. We wanted to fee
/ the novel sensation of blood actually
4 freezing in our veins. Who is mista
i ken-Steffens, or other witnesses?
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-13
sIeouRNEY.

Sigcurney, Dec. 10.-Cap e. Millerl
and wife will start for California Tues
day morning, where they will spend
seve!'a. weeks visiting different partsl
of the state.
Miss Clara Wyant Is home from Ce-i
dar FAILS to spend few days with herr
mother in the northern part OF ire.
,itY.
]. M. Kelly died at his home on
South Main street on Saturday morn
tug between II and IL o'clock. He haT
becn suffering with dropsy for the past
three weeks the disease coming upon
him suddenly and gained rapid head
way in spite of all that could be done to,
relieve him. His relatives thought he
seemed better the day he died. He
passed away suddenly, no one thinking
the end was so near.
George Alderman and wife We're CALL
ed to Hedrick Saturday morning by the
death of Mr.. Akerman's father.
Misses Mabel Psnnell and Alice Will
liams spent Saturday in Ottumwa.
Mrs. s.. utterbach returned from
had been visiting relatives and friends
for the past few days.
Miss Clara McWilllams of South
English Is visiting relatives and friends
in the city
The grand jury is in session. Satur-
day they visited the county poor FARM
after which they adjourned until Tues
day
MILFORD Utterback returned to hisi
home here last Saturday evening, aft
err having spent several days visiting
in the south part of the county.
j. S. Robertson of Hayesville was az
business caller in the county seat last
| Saturday.
| A. L. Howell of Hedrick was trans
acting business here Friday.
| Attorney j. C. BEEN OF What Cheer
was in the city the last couple Of days
on business matters.
w A. Jacobs Of the southwestern
| part of the county was attending to-
business matters here last Saturday.
w. ]. Jack of Kinross was business
caller in the city last Saturday, look
ing up real estate and visiting friends
b. B. Jacobs of Hayesville was trans
acting business in the city last Sat
urday.
w. w. Wine Of the northwestern
part of the county was a business CALI
er here on Saturday.
| William Sloan of South English was
looking after business matters here last
| Saturday.
G. G.. Woodin of Oskaloosa is visiting
relatives and friends in the city.
/ w. A. Elder of South English was a
business caller and visitor in the city
| last Saturday.
The women of the Presbyterian
church have been conducting bazaar
in the empty store room on the north
west corner Of the square for the past
several days. They have great va
riety Of Christmas goods for sale and
have been drawing large crowds Of
buyers.
Miss Patti Folman of Lancaster Wis
| tied relatives and friends in the city
| over Sunday
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-13

the guests were invited to the dining
room where cocoa. cake. cocoanut.
cookies and candy were served.
Other Items of Interest.
w A. Evans fell on the ice Sunday
evening and sprained his left wrist
very badly.
Frank Morse left Monday for Milton
to visit his father, c. D. Morse. for
few days.
Mr.. and Mrs. Ed stoner and John
Colliver, ST., of West Grove were call
ed to the city Sunday to the bedside
of their brother, R. Colliver.
Revival services will open at the
Christian church Jan. 6, 1907 and the
sisted by Rev. H. A. Northcutt a. for
mer pastor of that church who has
entered the evangelistic field
Claud Atwood of Ottumwa spent
Sunday in the city.
Earl PUNK of Pulaski was the guest
of friends in the city Sunday.
H. H. Cenil and wife of Mark were
business visitors in the city on Mon
day.
Mrs. Ida Mast and children Of OF
tumwa returned home Monday, after a
short visit at the parental w. H. Mil
Ter home.
The infant child Of Mr.. and Mrs. Mil
dred Gibson, southwest of the city, Is
quite sick with pneumonia.
The officers of the Masonic lodge re-
| Gently elected for the ensuing year
were installed Monday evening. The
meeting was the first held in the hall
since the room has been recarpeted
papered and painted.
Mr.. and Mrs. John Steinman, after
an absence of twenty-five years, have
a. cd N,r Lot Il
are visiting their daughter, Mary E.
King, at the w. w. Pawer farm, near
| Pulaski.
Ola Barton of Fairfield spent Monday
with his parents, Mr.. and Mrs. L. T
Barton.
Myrl Cravens of Hastings, Nebr., is
visiting at the home of his aunt, Mrs
l.. T. Barton.
Arrangements are being made for 8
debate between the Bloomfield and
Moulton high schools to be held afte,
the holidays. The question has moi
yet been submitted.
A debate will be held in the high
school Friday afternoon on the subjec
Resolved, "That Chinese Labor is 6
Detriment to the United States.
The high school studens are now pre-.
pairing for the district declamatory
contest to be held In March. The loca
4 contest will be held in January ant
Prof. York intends to have student!
select subjects before the holidays
Heretofore the State Declamatory as
ISOLATION has divided the territory int
two districts, but hereafter the humble
will be increased to four. A callet
meeting Of the State Declamatory as
ISOLATION will be held in Des Moines a
the State Teachers association for tn
purpose of electing officers and decid
ing where the contest shall be held.
Amos Steckel and the Misses Stecke
pleasantly entertained a few friends a
4 dinner Sunday.
The Misses Steckel will leave thi
week for Los Angeles, Cal, to spen
the remainder OF the winter with thei
aunt, Mrs. John Morton. and assist i
the care of their uncle, who is still in II
health.
M. Murphy and family anticipate
hacpy Christmas in the new home q
their farm near the county farm, whic
is rapidly nearing completion. TIL
rev house is two story frame build
ing Containing ten rooms, which ar
row being papered and painted whic
will complete the work for the winte
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-13

Ill.,, arrived here last Thursday for a
visit with her uncle, John Pierce, woh
Is just recovering from a spell Of sick
ness.
Mrs. A. F. Bridger was visiting a
daughter in Fremont Friday and Sat
urday. While there she attended one
of the entertainments on the lecture
course
Messrs. James Seaton and Clark
Nordyke We're Ottumwa business visit
ors Thursday
Reese Haworth and wife who have
been visiting In Oklahoma for some
time, returned home Thursday evening.
Miss Blanche tombstone, who has
been employed in printing office in
Ottawa. ILL.,, is here for q two weeks
visit with relatives.
Leo Bridger of Chicago had slight
attack of appendicitis last week. His
father, A. F. Bridger of this city, went
to Chicago Thursday night to stay with
him until he recovered.
Walter Duke and w. A. Brady took
in the stock show at Chicago last
week.
Mr. and Mrs. Guy Gardner, who Wis
tied in Merrimac, recently, returned
the latter part of the week
Jesse Cowguill, who has been farm
ing the past summer on his farm
southwest of town, had sale Friday
of stock, farming implements, grain,
etc.
Mrs. America Sea arrived here Fri
day from Des Moines and preached In
the Christian church Sunday morning
and evening.
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-13

Probably the tallest man in the next
legislature will be Clifford B. Paul of
Anamosa, who enters for his first term
after several years Of service as SUI
perintendent of schools in Jones
county. Paul is feet, 4 inches in
height Like others who are extreme
ly tall, short or wide he has been the
object of many jokes, one of which he
tells upon himself He reached this
extreme height when quite young and
still in possession Of boyish face.
While standing in the rear of church
one Sunday among other boys Of his
age, he was startled by the request
from the minister: "Will the boy
standing on the rear seat please get
DOWN."
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-13

AS Of the body dependent
and strength it that this vital fluid be germs
impurities posons AS long as
tilted disease assured any npurty acts
some special blood disease Pustuar ptons ashes
different affections that the blood
condition result too much acid the irritating
blood and scrou Contagious Blood Poison
blood diseases
hereditary faint the blood and the
ways The skin pald
the neck often enlarged and usually fully developed
troubles has itself perfect remedy down
makes this stream Of life pure and Nothing reaches
strengthens
heathu
Rheumatism Catarr Scrofu
Blood Poison and all blood permanently
by 1t is made entirely Of roots
all blood purifiers Book the blood medical
sent gaE 9sysET SngEEEYGc
Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-13
CONVICT LABOR

In the lower house of congress
bill removing convict labor from COM
petition with free labor passed prac-
tically unanimously. This is one OF
the laws requested by organized Ia
Dor. Efforts in this direction have
been crowned with success in some
of the states, but it has been a little
harder to reach through the national
legislature 1t had to be done through
the interstate commerce regulation
power of congress. The law as 1t
passed the house prohibits the trafhc
between states of articles manufa ctur-
ed by convict labor
Iowa has not been battle ground
for free and convict labor as some
states have. the prisoners having been
EMPLOYED more in the manner that Is
approved by organized labor and the
forces that oppose the prison contract
system The passage of such law
will probably prevent any such con-
tention in this state as has prevailed
in others.
Illinois fought it out only recently
and had considerable trouble in max
ing the change. The prisoners are
now engaged in doing work for the
state. Printing plants have been in
stalled, and all supplies for state and
county offices must come form the re-
formatories. Convicts are now en-
gagged in making furniture for state
buildings and doing other work that
the public has to pay for, for none OF
their products are placed on the mar
ket in general competition.
At the Chester penitentiary stone
crushers have been installed and the
prisoners are now engaged in getting
out the material which is made use
Of on the roads, and Governor Deneen
has interested himself in giving II
Iinois good roads. Governor Folk has