Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-06-22

From Thursdays Daily.
The Grocer and Butchers annual
picnic came to an orderly and quiet
close last evening after a highly sue
cessful and enjoyable day in Eldon.
The welcome extended by the mayor
end citizens of Eldon to the visiting
merchants and their friends from OF
tumwa was hearty one and everyone
was shown. as far as lay in the power
Of the residents of Eldon, that the city
was completely in the hands of the
visitors
Afternoon Events.
Despite the fact that the various
events planned for the day were not
begun until after dinner, thy were new
ertheless successfully carried out aft
CT they did begin. The address IT wei
come and response, which were to
have been given in the forenoon. were
gtvn in the afternoon in the grand
stand at the fair grounds all the avail
able space in the grand stand being
packed full and many crowding the
race track in front Of the grand stand.
The principal address of the day
was the one given by Mayor Edmund
j. Bradley. who spoke most interest
ingly on municipal government. Mr..
Bradley has made a study of this ques-
ton and has spoken before the state
legislature on the subject. He was one
Of the hardest workers for. the i'm
provement in the laws in regard to mu-
ntcipal government during the recent
general assembly and Is we'll qualified
to deliver an address on the subject
The following Is Mr.. Bradley's ad-
dress:
Ladies and Gentlemen, Grocers and
Butchers OF the City Of Ottumwa:--
1t affords me great pleasure to appear
before you today. You gentlemen, ac-
tive In a commercial life and STURDY
builders of great city, and extend to
you the Inequalities and best wishes
Of this city. Allow me to dtgress and
\ talk to you about our city govern
ments, which are the closest to you
and ministers more to your wants
than any other and conduces to you
health, life and happiness. had the
honor of being elected by this city as
a delegate to the League of Iowa Mu-
inequalities, an organization gotten up
to better the condition of the govern
ment Of Iowa Cities. which met In the
city of Des Moines last September On
the floor Of that convention l found
an honored and distinguished citizen OF
the state Of Iowa, resident of the
capital city and an ex- member of the
legislature, advancing a radical change
IN our form of city government. want
ing us to recommend for passage by
the legislature the commission plan d
city government. In my humble way
4 I opposed these ideas with all my
might, holding that 1t was ininical &c
a free government and departed from
, a government republican in form, and
remembering the traditional teachings
Of the signers Of the Declaration Of In
, dependence and the immortal warnings
Of the makers Of our grand old con-
, |.stitution Of our country, written at the
cost Of human blood, that our govern
! ment should not be changed for slight
or transient reasons; conscious Of the
fact that the illustrious Washington
, defeated at Valley Forge and at Bun.
ker Hill. yet he went on his triumph.
ant march to Yorktown; remembering
that undaunted Lincoln. who said tina
this was a government of the people
], by the people and for the people
standing for equal rights for all ant
: special privileges for none, and for tn
greatest good for the greatest number
e and calling to memory that patriot
Patrick Henry, in the Virginia legis
lature, who said Give me liberty O
give me DEATH" and being adrnonishe'
by McCauley, the great English 'histor
! Ian, who predicted that in the latte
days in America. teachers would arts
, preaching false doctrines, threatening
: the dissolution Of this republic; know
4 ing that our revolutionary forefather
established republican form Of gov
eminent In which the sovereign powe
is in the hand of the people, exercises
by representatives, they divided tn
II government into three departments
$ namely, the executive, legislative an
judicial, each having its particula
v functions to perform.-the executive I
: see that the laws are carried out tn
legislative. which Blackstone has trul
: said is the greatest power that on
man can exercise over that Of anoth
% er-the law making body; the judicia
d that palladium OF liberty that safe
guards the people, clothed with powe
i. to interpret the laws and to decid
/ cases at law without fear or favor
affection. and to maintain its imper
y turbability In wars or instruction
: and which has maintained it's ancier
: dignity down through the corridors {
"A time and the vista of centuries. A
this meeting of the Iowa League {
d Municipalities, was selected by tn
president of the committee on stat
h legislation. representing all the elite
of Iowa. In movement for bette
$, laws to govern the cities of Iowa Wit
=. my associates we met in the city
Des Moines in the month of Januar
m and We prepared a bill known as tx
" League bill.h After conference wit
: our distinguished governor, we met
joint committee of the senate ar
house Of representatives and our bi
passed and became law on March 3
$, 1907.
r Originally the mayor of all low
S. cities was the executive in name onl
/: but this bill makes him the executi,
ID in fact, separates the executive fro
the legislative and divests the legisls
ture Of all executive functions, heret'
fore exercised. The committee Of Il