davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-04

ing is annually going on and will so on
so long as this lake is not drained, and
IAN abundant supply of Young fish Will
always be on hand to take the place IF
the large ones that are caught. 1t does
not matter If considerable number
of the large fish are taken annually ii
the supply of young ones are on hand
ITO take their place. but OH the other
hand if the river is ditched down to
this lake, which would destroy all of
the spawning grounds on the river
above the lake, and if the state would
permit them to continue down thru .he
lake, thereby taking great portion Of
the water from the lake and prevent
ing the ingress and egress OF the fsil
in or out of the lake, this would wipe
out all the spawning grounds on the
head waters of the Iowa river. If there
was a prospect of having another gov
eminent fish hatchery established N
our state, we would all be anxious TO
lend our influence to secure it, yet we
have a natural hatchery in this
lake with an annual output of
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-04

it was found last fall that for the FIVE
year period they have been tearing
things up with all the above named
radical changes" they had spent a
little less money than the old time
"peaceable'' board did the five years
before. DO you see the point? The tax
payers in our community do. They
have now three years in succession
built a new modern. up to-date school
house each year and propose to keep
on until there are comfortable accomo-
dations for the children while they are
enjoying what the hornets have pre-
pared for them. How did the hornets
manage to do this? Well, in the first
place, they are farmers. and till the
soil for living and need not be sup
ported by the public tit Then again,
they used whole lot of common sense
in investing the money. School boards
generally spend the money. The hof-
nest invest 1t, that is, they mix d little
common sense with 1T and that makes
1t reach q good deal farther. Then
again. while they are busy men. they
still have time to read school journals
and keep posted. Every school officer
in my township takes a school jour
nal. By the way, / would suggest to
Mr. Sumter that he take school jour
nal too. and if possible, get his school
board to take one. The school board
in locality with such remarkable
hustlers as those 200 signers" seem to
be, would certainly find time to read
a journal. and might, perhaps. learn
some things that would go we'll with
their parliamentary law and business
methods
Go Thou and Get Hornets.
To the taxpayers and patrons
of "our schools" in Sumter's local
ity / would suggest, get a few good.
halthy. lively hornets started among
your fund managers" a little bit. Just
for fun, you know Perhaps you might
incidentally learn something too. I will
extend that suggestion to every school
township in the state Of Iowa and fur
thermore give you my word of honor
that you will never have done anything
that paid you as well or helped your
children more To our present legisla-
ture / will say that If you, before you
adjourn, remove the local township
treasurers you will have done more for
the Improvement Of our rural scho Dis
than any other legislature has ever
done or ever will do. Will you do it and
save our children from the selfish
grasp Of the average fund managers?"
To Mr. Sumter I will say, have waded
thru the washy swashy gush you cf-
fered JUS farmers" but when you use
the endearing terms Gus" "we,' "our
schools etc, pleace excuse and ex-
clude me- ] will rather be among
the hornets. Are you afraid of hornets?
OLE T. RIKANSRUD,
Kanawha, Iowa.
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-04

|, or I, together with the comparatively
few other neighbors on that small piece
of ground six miles Square, have. in
round numbers, put up 100000 for
school purposes. Now look at your boy.
Use common sense. Does 1t look to you
as IL he got 1t? Let us use our conf
mon sense moment and investigate
how well he is prepared to meet the
world after he have put up this amount
Of money to prepare him. We few
farmers on this same piece OF ground
six miles square put up each year a
few hundred dollars to improve our
roads 1t needs Il clerk and three truss
tees to manage this for us. Can your
boy or mine when he is OF age take
that township clerk book and keep
track of this little business for us in
a creditable manner unless he has been
to some higher school than our rural
school to learn 1t? Or, can he be a
trustee and take that book and check
1t up properly and know that the clerk
has kept 1t right. unless he has been
somewhere else to learn it? Now bring
your common sense to bear on this
point. Has your boy or mine been
reasonably well prepared to meet the
world when he can't take decent care
of even the simplest little business
matter that comes up on this little
spot Of ground six miles square? Be
candid about it.
Did the Boy Get It?
Does il look to you as If he could
possibly have got the benefits he ought to
have got from the 100000 you and your
put UP for his education,
not to speak or all the extra trouble
the parents had to keep him in school?
II your common sense tells you as 1t
has told me that the boy never got it, I!
then the question hobs up. what be- |
came of all that money? know what
became of III in the localities where
have lived and am living now. You dig
into it and see what became of 1T in /
your locality. Ask the managers of
your funds and the protectors of our |
Perhaps they will know.
they will tell you. oh we'll, (
hat is another matter Fellow farmers, I
or the good OF your children, look up
matters along these lines a little bit
Perhaps YOU will learn something.
Parliamentary Training.
Our friend Sumter, very kindly calls
our attention to the fact. that this pro-
sosed law viii abolish many of our To-
al public offices and that our boys will
hereby lose the exceedingly valuable
ito be schooled In parlia-
nentary law and methods OF transact
ng public business in our districts and
BOARD meets" Well as to that have
My this to say and say 1t advisedy. {
The Lord deliver my boys or any other
Joys from being schooled in parlia
nentary law and the transaction of
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-04
.MarshalltoWn

the coming. summer.
/ believe that this Is one Of the most
important questions before our people
at the present time, and it should be
carefully considered by all in order
that it may be solved right. Municipal
ownership of these utilities is, in my
judgment, the only correct solution Of
the problem. Yours very truly,
FRANK g. PIERCE.
GMr. Pierce has sprung suggestion
which will not be displeasing to
Messrs. Jones and Hovey, for / have
heard the mayor say that it has been
intimated to him that Jones and Hovey
would like to sell to the city on very
easy terms, at a price Of 100000 Sew
eral engineers have given it as their
opinion that this property is not worth
in physical value more than 100000
so that 1t il: easy to see that municipal
ownership can be accomplished on
Jones and Hovey's terms. Howevs..
IL the city owned the street railmaT.
it is probable that the opparturit* g
extend car lines would make polis.:eiaw
out of real estate men, fully ~
as the desire to overcfarsie 'l
would debauch local stoclllo'&ass
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-04

i ago. Stoves usually with the door
broken off the hinges and propped III
on bricks as the legs had been broke
or perhaps frozen off Everything elss
in comparison. Then those hornets be-
gan to get their disturbing influence in
/ The ''peaceable" old-timers did all they
possibly could do, underfand and ov-
erhand, to save the taxpayers, the rura
schools, Our schools" and the COM
munity in general from the threatened
wreck and ruin and with about the
same amount of sense as Mr.. Sumter
shows. However those pesky hornets
won Out and have been in control for
five years. What is the result? Judge
from their doings.
Last fall all our schools opened up
for the third successive year with
teachers all of whom held first grade
or state certificates hired for full
year at from $50 to $50 per month.
Radical change" enough perhaps, TO
make Mr.. Sumter and his like SILVER
for the safety of "our schools" Or
perhaps more correctly for our funds ;"
But there is more coming. Those pesky
hornets made all kinds of radical
changes" during the five years. Planted
from 10 to 100 trees on the school
grounds, put up about seventy-fl five
square feet OF natural slate blackboards
in each school and furnish dustlcss
chalk. Textbooks in vocal music small
dictionary in each seat, free writing
material, paper pens, ink, tablets, pen
ellis. everything a child needs. More
textbooks bought in two years than
the "peao cable" board had done in sev-
en- years. Supplementary reading 50
that we now have several sets of read
ers for the teachers to choose from.
Levied library fund to the full limit al
lowed by law. Nice hard oil finished
book cases five feet by four feet, six
teen inches deep. A large number of
small sized seats so that our children
need not go to school four or five
years before they can rest their feet
on the floor Large new up-to-da
stoves. When the high grade teach
ers were secured the board added alge-
bra, physical geography and civil gov
eminent to the course of study and
bought TIE books. Put up mail boxes
for all schools. The old rusty tin pail
has been replaced by sanitary earth
en- drinking vessel with filter. etc
What 1t Cost.
But enough about the rad
ical changes" these dangerous
pesky hornets brought 4 about.
We'll" you say, they certain
ly did good work for the schools, Ill
the short time of five years, but how
about the "funds?" Am glad you re-
minded me of that. There Is where my
pointer comes in. These pesky hornets
were so busy looking after the schools
and the education of our children that
they forget all about the funds and so
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-04
| Collegiate Hint to the Cheerful Giver

again to the thought that no monu-
ment could have been erected by the
state, and The boys and girls of the
state, that would have been more last
ing, and of more success as dissem-
inator of loyalty ito and reverence for
the great statesman under considera
ton, than chair of political economy
and history right here in our school
1t is unlikely that any trouble will be
met with in reaching the 100000 mark
in this WORK. One hundred thousand
dollars would put any one Of half a
dozen small colleges in this state on a
footing where the good work already
being done might be assured for all
time to cone. And when we talk of
monument by endowment, where
but in such an institution as the one
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-04

it would always produce an ample sup
ply to maintain the river in a we'll
stocked condition. AS the river flows
across the neck of this lake, great
numbers of fish. enter this lake in the
spring at spawning time, this lake be-
ing such an admirable and natural
spawning ground the fish are drawn
to it by instinct. The margin of tho
lake at the average stage of water is
shallow and well supplied with an
abundant growth of aquatic plants.
making the ideal spawning bed. and
after the spawning period is past the
most of the fish return to the river
again and the eggs arc left to hatch.
and owing to the few enemies that
prey upon them here and the natural
abundant food supply, the number that
is Matched and the growth that is
made by them the first season is
phenomenal. Great numbers of these
young fry return to the river, espe-
cially in the fall and take their course
down stream and this Matching process
and its automatic system of distribut-
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-04

young fish amounting to more
than the combined output OF
ten government hatcheries. This lake
is not only appreciated by the public
as a breeding ground for fish, for
hunting there is no better lake of its
size in the state. There are a number
of cottages on this lake, and in the
fall and spring during the hunting sea-
son there are numerous camps of hunt
ers from different parts of Iowa enjoy
ing q week Or two vacation at this lake.
By g. request Of numerous people the
state thru its representative has asked
the county to not take any action to-
ward the drainage of this lake, but
there is an element that does not seem
to take this action of the state as def
mite. This lake is one of the meandered
lakes and one of the most important
lakes so long as we wish to maintain
a supply of fish in the Iowa river. Fish
protection means more than simply
game and fish wardens on guard to see
there are no fish taken in the closed
season, or to see that there is none
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-04

fit is necessary to have n Compel
ing plant and unless the present COM
pany make very decided Improvements
at once. l believe that it is SO neces-
sary, it would be much better for tina
city to build and operate these plants
than to grant franchise to any pri-
waite party. The city has successfully
managed its water works and street
lighting plant and there is no reason
why @ municipal electric light or gas
plant or heating plant or all. would
not be as successfully managed. With
% municipal plant each taxpayer in the
city would be a stockholder in the same
in accordance to the amount of taxes
that he pays, with the diflerence how
ever thais each stakeholder irrespective
of his holdings, would have one vote
in the election of the directors, that is.
the councilmen.
I believe that the great majority Of
the consumers of electricity and gas
a. the present time are not nearly so
dissatisfied with the rates they are
paying as they are with the service
they arc receiving. Nine-tenths of them
would be willing to pay the present
rate if the service they received were
first class in every way. With a new
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-04

south half of the county The west
lake was threatened with destruction
a few years ago by parties endeaVoring
to drain the lake, but thru the efforts
of our county attorney in office at that
time, who was looking after the wishes
and the interests of the people, and
who took the matter to the courts and
the supreme court, put its seal this
lake for the people. Now it is the
east lake; situated one-half mile east
of the MestllalSe that a few parties are
seeking to drain by endeavoring To
have a drainage district established on
the west branch of the Iowa river.
This stream in it's course flows across
a neck of the lake and consequently
is q governor of the lake to great
extent This lake in it's formation and
its location in connection with the Iowa
river, makes it one of the most impora-
ant waters in the state as a source OF
supply of young fish for the Iowa riv-
er. In fact if all the tributaries to
the river We're ditched and the bayous
drained out and this lake left as it is,
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-04

good teachers. To be sure, we have
a normal school at Cedar Falls, adj
mirably equipped and managed, and
doing a great work, but, as was we'll
shown in the county superintendent
section at the State Teachers ,Associa-
ton in December, it is inadequate to
meet the growing demand for trained
instructors in the country districts. If
any person does go to Cedar Falls to
prepare for country school teaching,
he changes his mind when, after
graduation, the city board comes along
and offers him about double the wages
offered by the country school board.
All argument along these lines runs
in a circle, and is bound to keep on
doing so, under the very nature of
things. The country boards say that
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-04

they can mot afford to pay half
trained teachers more than $40 per
month, and that they have no oppor-
tunity to hire any other kind, while
the teachers say that they cannot af-
ford to teach for less than $50 per
month after they have received needed
training; and what is more, they don't
have to take less than that The ques-
ton, in reality, is resolving itself to
a matter of dollars and sense"
(Please don't change the spelling of the
last word in the preceding sentence, as
you read IT'D.
The inability of the State Normal
School to provide rural school teach
ers makes it mandatory for other
schools to do this work. 1 have no right
to question the motives of the facul-
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-04
Rikar1srlld
Editor Times Republican:

Editor Times Repubblican:T
On page four ofssthe Times Republi-
can, of February 10th appears an ar
,~ticle from the pen of one, il S. Sumter
e1titled school Legislation for the
Farmers" While the article is nicely
worded and rather soothing in it's eff
4 feet, yet to one familiar with the actua
conditions in our rural schools sounds
like the gushing and fowery oratory
of a young college boy and carries
about the same amount of practical
sense. That hasty and superficial adj
& vice, il advice it may be- called, might
be expected from that source becomes
apparent to any thinking. practical
Z man when MIR. Sumter says in his in
{ troductory paragraph THE same after
noon the first copy of the proposed
law was received here protest was
signed by some 200 citizens
Now some of us farmers in
this slow going locality We're
also favored with u copy of
the bill, but most of us found that
i it would fequire a good afternoon sim
ply to read the bill carefully and get
a general idea of its scope, not to
mention an Intelligent understanding
of the actual effect such law would
have on our schools and the education
of our children. But here was a farm
I Ing community of 200 members, tabout
the: total number of farmers living in
q whole township who received the
BILL that day and, il Mr.. Sunters
statement is correct, besides tending
to the usual necessary daily work on
their farms, actually studied the pro-
posed law sufficiently to get an intelli-
gent understanding of it's provisions.
and Furthermore got hustle on them
selves sufficient to get together and
sign protest that same afternoon.
While Mr.. sSumters community with
out doubt is an unusually Interested,
Intelligent and active community, yet
1T can hardly be expected that practi-
lcally every farmer in a whole township
would get his mail in time to get thor
oughly posted and even get ready that
same afternoon to join this great pro-
,cession for the intelligent and self sac
rifcing protection of our rural schools.
SO 1t is reasonable to assume that this
movements must have extended even
into some OF the neighboring town
ships in order to enlist the 200 sign
ers This certainly is going it some. I
regret that MI, Sumter forgot to give
his. address or any information as to
where this remarkably active and in
telligent community is located so that
some of US common and more ordinary
and sloW-going farmers might learn
Where to Ego to get inspiration or to
learn how to get a hustle on us. In my
judgment 1t would require at lease a
thousand years more or less, to raise !
any ordinary farm community in our
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-04
Veed LAVA Farmers Plea For the Iowa Farm

lands if the owners refuse to clear the
lands which infect the roads after
proper notice; a complaining owner Of
lands infected by the lands of anotie,
gets relief thru the township trustees
The Botanist at Ames College is made
state botani:;t and in connection with
the secretary of department of agricul-
ture at Des Moines. make reports and
issue bulletins and have general stase
supervision. The county supervisors
have county supervision and make re-
ports and can appoint weed inspect
or: are required to convene the town
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-04
Of Man Suggests a Monumental Substantial c

In reading the editorials of Tues
days seni weekly. I ran onto a senti-
ment seconded by you as suggested by
athe Davenport Democrat. and as an
old Marshall county boy, want to
applaud your remarks.
told friend of mine in a letter
not long ago that the state of Iowa
would never know with what longing
certain college professor in northern
Iowa was looking upon that $4,000 to
be spent for a pedestal, as he thought
of; the boys and girls of this country
whom that amount OF money Nigh.
help to educate. This thought is not
selfish one. No idea of robbing SEN
alor Allison of glory enters into it.
But $40 900 rightly invested would pay
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-04

weed killing part of the road work in
the highways; the weeds listed and
named as noxious are quack grass,
Canada thistle, cookie burr, wild mus
tard, curled and smooth dock, Squirrel
tail grass, buckhorn or ribbed plantain.
wild parsnip, horse nettle, velvet or
button weed and burdock; these weeds
the bill requires the township trustees
and road supervisors to make a part OF
the road work and exterminate; and
railways will have - Gear these from
all of their lands ana Gig street COM
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-04

ties of the larger schools of the state,
but it seems only fair to the smaller
ones to say that we who had looked
forward so expectantly to the pass
age of the law giving schools of GER
tain standing chair of agriculture at
state expense, are very much disap-
pointed in the report these college men
handed in. They are wealthy enough
to hire their own teachers of agricul-
ture, while the younger colleges of the
country need all the assistance they
can get.
Our school here at Mason City, es-
tablished by the patriotic orders of the
country. having a hard struggle with
poverty as do all such institutions in
their years OF incipiency, would gladly
welcome state aid. And this leads
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-04
To the Editor:

TO the EdItor:
1t is desirable to have the press Of
+ the state lend its influence for the en-
actment of a bill pending IN both
houses of the general assembly for the
destruction of noxious weeds in the.
highways. railway right-of-ways. and
other public places, which bill was pre-
pared by the state board of agriclil-
ture after a two years investigation OF
the weed problem turnout the state. It
is believed that the observation Of
Your readers will confirm the facts We
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-04

here could such be better known, or
be more in place?
The boys and girls of Iowa will erect
this monument. Our question to them
would be: why not also erect one to
yourselves, by making the money you
put into this great memorial come back
to you, not in money, but in educa-
tion, influence and cllaracter?"
This letter is to thank you, Mr.. Edi-
tor, for calling attention to the mat
ter I hope you will agitate the ques-
ton So that the next time we suggest
anything of this kind the people Will
be educated to your way of thinking.
and we can put up monuments that
will be monuments in every true sense.
Very truly yours
FRED D. CRAM
Principal Normal Department.
Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-04

ship trustees and the road supervis 1rs
at the county seat once a year between
November and the following April TO
consider best methods for road work
and weed destruction and can have an
expert on these subjects present. for
their time all are allowed the per diem
compensation now allowed by law for
other services in township and county
work. To the general Land owner
whose %ceds do not infect his neigh
bors' Lands, this law does not apply.
- & PACKARD.