Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-04-06
Local Comment

Marshall county Is out of debt. She
is rich. Her agricultural show or
county fair will educate her farmers to
become richer and more prosperous. 1t
will enable the merchants of Marshall
town to display their wares and build
up their trade. The gathering OF
thousands of people in the city for a
week every year will create activity In
town and help to keep up realty values.
The fair grounds could be bought out
Of cure funds OF the county without
increasing taxes, and when bought
would increase in value every year the
county owned them. BY making the
purchase the county would fare ex-
actly as the farmer who found his
debts all paid, surplus In the bank
and bought the adjoining forty for
cash. Let's vote to have the county
buy the fair grounds. Marshall county
people never lost a cent owning Mar
shall county land.
The time has now arrived to organ
lie that entertainment committee
which will show strangers about town
every pleasant Sunday afternoon. Sew
eral travelling men stand ready to So
licit for funds among their number and
the Retail Merchants association has
money In the bank. Get busy. Do
something.
A change in local factory organiza-
ton which brings thirty-seven new
people to town will help some Three
Of the families have bought homes, in
fact this was about the only way they
could get a house in which to live.
Some Of our builders better be doing
something to fill an urgent demand.
II
The Searchlight club no sooner COM
pletes a very enjoyable course OF
meetings than 1t plunges into plans for
a season even better than last. The
Searchlight club idea is good one and
should be extended. Business, and
professional men and clerks have found
the meetings very congenial. The fac
tory men, railroad men, mechanics and
artisans should form a similar club and
put on a course of lectures Of peculiar
interest to themselves. The worlds
wonders in building, mechanics and
transportation could be discussed by
expert lecturers with exceeding inter-
est and the men from our shops, trains,
machines and benches would find the
same enjoyment in social smoker as
the professional and commercial men
do. New discoveries in engine build
ing; the use of concrete in sky Scrap
ers; subways in New York, London and
Chicago; cement and coal deposits of
Iowa; development of motor cars for
railways; the government irrigation
work; the building of the Panama
canal; building materials Of the past
and future, all could be discussed by
specialists and made very entertain
ing. Such a program could be varied
with lectures upon problems in munic-
ipal government; q man like Samuel
Gompers or John Mitchell could be
secured. A club 400 strong: could pro-
vide such a course of entertainment as
was never enjoyed by technical men
before.
The outburst of indignation ex-
pressed at recent meeting of the min
isterial union was the elimination of
much abuse For several years the
preachers and all Christian people OF
this community have been barred from
any effective organization for the bet
terment of their city by the vicious,
assinine and most contemplate leader
ship which has been forced to the
front by the personal publication COM
planned of. Things they might have
done they could not do because they
could not divorce their movement from
the curse Of association with irrational
individuals who were making so much
noise For the purpose Of clarifying
the atmosphere and clearing ground
for brand new start, the eruption OF
suppressed conviction which took place
in the meeting of ministers will have
a good effect When it is once estab-
lished that reform is not all of the un-
reasonable kind the preachers of this
city, who are men Of broad minds and
very sincere purpose. can speak their