Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-01-26
LET THERE BE LIGHT.

If a man We're to read all the county
papers in Iowa this week, he would
learn that the county printing IS the
subject uppermost in Importance in
about ninety Of the ninety-nine coun-
ties. From the trend Of the argument
ii would also appear that the average
board of supervisors is endeavoring to
print just as little of the county's at
fairs as can possibly be done without
having the law put to it.
1t is mistake for county govern
ments to be parsimonious about pub
lefty Not because the newspaper
needs the money, but because the peo-
pie need the information. Boards may
jew the rates down and be saving
money for the county, but they should
never try to curtail the publicity.
Nothing, not even policemen or COM
mon honesty, can do so much for good
government as wide publicity. II any
body doubts this let some board Of
equalization print the tax assessment
Of each taxpayer in the county, and see
how shockingly sudden publicity will
equalize assessments as between John
Jones and Thrifty Smith. in Minne-
apolis they actually use this method of
equalization and post the proposed
valuations OF real estate on the walls
Of the ward school buildings few
weeks before making them final. and
the publicity does the equalizing.
Plenty Of publicity will force crook
ed men to give an honest administra-
I ton. 1t will make honest men more
careful and more active in proving
themselves efficient. In Marshall coun-
4 ty we have supervisor sneering at
5 a mayor because the latter advertises
s himself. It must be confessed that this
Z mayor does work the newspape for a
good deal of space, and the rates are
I beyond the vanishing point, but he is
giving his town the best administra-
ton it has had in twenty Ave years.
1t is safe assertion that this mayor
never reads about his works in the
newspapers but what he throws out
his chest and resolves to make more
I desperate effort still to live up to his
reputation.
y The case of the woman in Hoboken
IL one in point. $50 you have decided
] not to leave us, Mrs Benson ?" her
neighbor asked. Yes replied Mrs.
Benson. We did get all ready to move
and listed our property for sale, but
when we read in the real estate mans
nd of what beautiful home we had
Ne just couldn't give it up
The tax payers Of county never
lost a cent by reason of having their
county affairs published in news
paper The editor of this newspaper
is a business man. In fact, he does
more business than editing. If he
/ should ever find himself in charge of
Iublic affairs he would insist upon the
widest publicity of county affairs, even
In the other fellows newspaper, for his
newspaper training has shown him so
many pretty little schemes for graft or
.favoritism go glimmering by reason of
a good story picked up by an enter
prising reporter; schemes that could
and would have incubated into a whole
nest of nlaladministration, had they
been permitted to hide in the darkness
! that too much publicity could not be
obtained for the good OF the public
service according to his notion.
Why will a man go down the line"
in Chicago when he goes regularly to
church in his home town? Darkness.
Why will a man pay his fine for drunk
erness in police court without
murmur, and move heaven and earth to
keep it out of the paper? Darkness
4 Why will men believe that they can
put on prize fights, conduct gambling
joints evade saloon laws, if they can
only fix the newspaper? Darkness.
What is the net result when boards of
supervisors become parsfmonious In
publishing to the world the affairs of
each county office? Darkness. Let
there be light, and there was light.
.HOL d YOUR HORSFS.n