Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-01-27
LOCAL COMMENT

80
The action of the members of the
Iowa Soldiers Home, in deciding not
to participate In county politics be-
fore the prospective republican pri-
mary. is indeed a most commendable
one, because it comes voluntarily from
the men themselves. There has been
general feeling for many years that
the nonresident members of a state
institution should not take part in To-
cal politics, and the members of the in
stitution themselves have come to a
realization of the unfairness of the
situation. With Il membership of 500
men, and probably 600 of that num-
Der voting, the Soldiers Home holds
the balance of power in almost any
election The majority of the mem
bers pay no taxes here, and are not
legal residents of the county, but
rather of the counties from whence
they We're admitted. There are some,
however, who We're admitted from
Marshall county, and others who have
families residing in the city, but not
in the Home. These two classes are
not affected by the decision of the
veterans in their mass convention.
They will vote in the county primary,
providing they are republicans
Neither does the action taken by the
veterans mean that the members VIII
he out of state politics. Not at all.
They are residents of the state, and
will vote on all state issues. County
affairs, however, will be let strictly
al " hn hn with
of the caucus, altho there is nothing
binding about it and no demands by
outsiders. 1t is a case of volunteering
again for what these veterans think
is right
The smaller cities and towns will be
more or less interested in the bill be-
fore the Iowa senate introduced by
Senator Newberry of Strawberry
Point, relative to injuries received on
sidewalks and street crossings. Cities
are often held up" and made to de-
fend damage suits because of the neg
ligence of some private individual.
This is especially true during the WIN
ter months, when walks and crossings
are covered with an accumulation of
snow and ice. The bill provides that if
walk is in safe and proper condi-
ton, aside from the possibility of its
being covered with snow and ice,
person receiving injuries by fall can
not collect damages. In other words
any one walking on a snow or ice
covered walk must accept his chances
of being hurt, providing the walk is in
good repair. Marshalltown has had
nm f1,yo
ments in recent years, and no doubt
the city council would welcome legis-
lation along this line. The bill is said
to be patterned after a Massachusetts
law, where, it is claimed, many of the
smaller corporations are not able to
keep walks and crossings cleared of
snow and ice at public expense.
y
The letters of lMarshalltown BUSH
ness men to the Times-Republican
and the many good ideas they have
advanced are being commented upon
by the Iowa press. The organization
of Boosters Club" seems to be
looked upon with favor, and the Bur-
lington Hawkeye, altho jumping at
conclusions gives the following advice
as to the organization and its aims:
"Marshalltown is to have a Boosters
Club. The name is quite immaterial.
But an organization whose members
will work day and night, intelligently,
and in perfect harmony,
could work wonders in and for any
city. The trouble here and there is,
that too many men believe that they
have done their full duty by simply
handing their name to the secretary
and paying their dues with greater or
lesser regularity. The organization it.
self amounts to little. If the men who
can and will work together just take
hold and keep things moving, they can
effect much, while an organization
with a big membership may not ac-
complish anything worthy of note in a
twelve month. If Marshalltown gets
an organization of boosters who will
boost, there will be magnificent re-
suits, and if she does not get that sort,
then she will be better off without the
A revivalist has held meetings in
for three weeks, preach
ing twice to five times per day, and
reaping a harvest of fifty or more con-
verts yet thru all his preaching there
has been nothing sufficiently sensa-
tional to justify scare headlines. Dr.
Lamkin has shown himself to be an
earnest, hard working evangelist, and
his conversions last or make
better citizens Or not he has done no
HARM He has dignified this class Of
exhorta ton and the presumption is
vastly in favor of his having done a
good work.
A very estimable woman writes to
his paper calling attention to the I'M