Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-05-09

age 1t Is claimed that It will not do
for libraries 10 wait, for the people to
come to them. They must take the
books to the people. For the most
part the librarians are familiar with
this fact but the library trustees who
are business men and accustomed to
pinching their pennies till the Indian
yells are accustomed to believe that
libraries are built to see how econi-
mically they can be run.
Recently Ia the city OF Des Moines
the librarian sent up wall Of anguish
because since moving into the new
library on the river front the library
has been used nothing like as much
as when 1t was stuck away in an old
store building up at Eight and Locust
1t Is learned that some other cities Of
the state are complaining Of the same
thing. Trained librarians say that IN
the eastern cities there is a complete
~ organized system of book distribu-
ton. Book readers. and in those
cities about everybody is a book
reader, go to their grocery store or
their drug store and leave list OF
two or three books that they want.
There are two deliveries of books
morning and evening. 1t is SO easy
to get library books in those cities
that everybody reads. In Des Moines
1T is necessary to take street car,
If you can't afford a carriage or an
automobile and get transfer to some
other line in order to get to the lib
rary and do the same thing to go back
home again. To get boo! from the
Des Moines library is the work Of a
couple of hours to say the best.
State Supt. Riggs owns an automo-
bile that he purchased but recently.
Prof. Riggs is something of a philoso-
pher and after he had owned the
machine a week some one asked him
how he liked it.. His response was:
There are two classes of people who
buy automobiles llionaires and
fools"
Iowa's first primary election under
the state wide primary election law
will be held on the very earliest date
that it will ever be possible to mold It.
The date will be June 2, 1908. The
law provides that the election shall be
held on The first Tuesday after the first
Monday in June of the even numbered
years. June in 1908 opens on Monday
and the primary election will be held
the next day. The primary election Is
therefore a little less than thirteen
months sway.
It Is believed quite generally among
politicians in Iowa that the most Inn
portant political matter is the compile
ton Of the next delegates to the ma
are not mentioned by the primary cleo
1o- wi a all 10
provides that delegates to the county
convention shall be selected by the
primary election and the county con-
vention selects the delegates to the
state convention. The state conven-
ton selects the four delegates at large
to the national convention and the con-
gresional district caucuses select the
delegates from the congressional dis
tricts at least that has been the GUS
tom as to national delegates In the
past.
Should President Roosevelt make a
! statement consenting to be considered
in the hands OF, his friends SO far as
a third term is concerned 1t Is the
belief of many that politics would take
a rest as there would be an end Of dis;
cussion as to the republican candidate.
If he makes a statement refusing un-
der any circumstances to be considered
candidate 1t is the belief of many
that the campaign as to the leader will
be wide open and the question Of state
delegations will then be vital mat
ter. It is quite generally believed that
state matters will take care Of them
selves in due time, and will work out
tremendously.
Ora Williams.