Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-05-14
Looker-On In Iona

Tama, May 14.-For the reason the
management of the Iowa Central rail-
road claims to be unable to secure
American labor at $1.40 per day to
work on the section, they have brought
into Iowa Bulgarians and set them to
work under an American foreman. It's
unnecessary to mention such labor in
the beginning is very expensive for
the railroad company, these Bulgarians
being unable to understand the Eng
lish language and an interpreter has
to be with each gang Of three or four
men. Again these men require a
boarding car as they prefer to board
themselves and boarding houses and
hotels also have the same notion. In
one town on the main line a small
race war" was started and only avert
ed by the Bulgarians being transferred
to another town. There seems to be
an understanding among all railroads
that $1.40 per day is the only price to
| be paid section men, and such wages
| in these times only gets men for the
! time being out of work, and as soon as
something better is in sight they quit
Last year to get around this arbitrary
price of $1.40 per day some railroads
paid their men for seven days work a
week at s1.4O but only asked them to
work, six days each week. Weary Will
+, lie soon caught on. He went to worl,
Saturday morning and quit Monday
evening and of course got pay for
three days. This would keep Willie in
grub for several days, and by that
| time he would repeat the performance
| a few sections away
| The writer is told that ninety tick
cts We're sold last Sunday for Marshall
town, of course for the Sunday revival
meetings. One banker here says If the
c. & N. w. r: R. would put on an ex-
cursion train with one fare for round
trip. running from Belle PLANE in the
morning and returning after the night
meetings they could fill a dozen
coaches. One of the funny experiences
and hear some man tell of story che
| town yesterday" and the same old
yarn has been credited to Springfield
Ottumwa, Spokane and any old place
several times. If such stories have
been told. in the Marshalltown taber-
nacle, the T.-R reporters are not CIV
| ing US full report. And as the writer
happens to know a very good report
| is being made by very competent re-
porters it would seem a clear case of
where "the boy lied"
An old settler of Belmond, one that
came there in 1858, says in that year
oats We're not sowed till about June 1,
and then they had a good crop. Its a
matter of general remark how little
Kicking" the farmers are doing this
year on account of the backward
spring" AS rule they can be counted
on to do their share of growing but
this year it's the town man and his
garden patch, that asks our sympathy
and coincidence
| Prosperity and money making have
serious disadvantages even in Iowa In
one Iowa town the owner of a very
,, fine residence finds sS7 taxes to pay
and q paving tax soon to follow. In the
same town the owner of some corner
lots which he has been holding for
an advance for some years, finds his
paving tax will be 5000 on his prop
erty, and besides his share of taxes fol-
paving around the park and public
schools. One very sad case is that of q
merchant that opened up a. little shol
in an Iowa town a few years ago, an6
this year his taxes are $3.50. Almost as
much as his stock was worth wher
he commenced business. He is firmly
convinced that four good saloons il
his town paying $1,000 each as mule
i
quantities of the stuff is shipped in ant
not cent of revenue comes to the
city" He even claims the drug store:
should pay a muict tax of $500 PEI
year One learns considerable in trav.
cling around.
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