The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1909-11-17
RANK "STANDPATTERS."

Shelby County Republican,: Many
of the farmers of Iowa are "progres.
sives'' in politics. and they are proud
of it. That is their privilege, and
they have many things of which they
can justly be proud. as the progress
sives stand for not few commendable
policies.
| In other respects, however, the far
mers of Iowa are the rankest sort of
standpatters and mossbacks. In
the matter of schools, for instance,
and roads. and in their slowness in
adopting advanced methods of agricul-
ture.
We are persuaded that the Iowa
school system is about the most anti
quated on the map. Yet, it will be
remembered, an effort made by the
educational depar ment. couple of
years ago, and submitted to the last
legislature, was sat down ON so hard
by farmers that the legislative COM
mittee didn't dare report it out. We
are not we'll. enough acquainted with
the terms of the proposed change of
system to say whether ur no it pos
sessed merit above the present system {:
but we do remember that it was
crushed largely because it proposed
changes. The burden of the vail of
its opposers was that the present sys-
TEN is good enough.
While at Twin Falls, Idaho, in
September we witnessed something
that illustrates fully the difference
between the conservative Iowan and
the progressive westerner. Adjacent
to each school building in the city
was a plot of ground which was
used for stabling the horses and
holding the hacks used in hauling
the pupils of the adjacent country
to the Twin Falls schools. The
Twin Falls school district is about
ten miles square, and every pupil
on the tract. who lives too far from
school to walk conveniently, is
hauled to school in the morning and
nome at night.
The result of this arrangement is,
that every pupil in that whole section
has all the advantages of the excellent
kindergarten, primary, grammar and
high schools of the city. 1t it were
not a consolidated district, the pupils
from the country would be compelled
to get along with such schooling az
they could get in schools like The
country schools of Iowa-schools ii
which from two pupils up, get wbat
learning they can from young lad!
teacher who frequently does not know
the distance to the next town; tn,
school being housed 10 a shanty on ,
bleak hillside, the surrounding acr,
overgrown with weeds and grass an
wholly devoid of shade trees. prope
fences or proper conveniences.
: Time was when the schools of low
were the equal of the best. That wa
when Iowa was pioneer state AM
the progressive young people of othe
states were rushing into it's prairie
to find homes for themselves. No,
e it's progressive young people are push
b ing further west, and the conservative
remainder is resting upon the laurel
won by the pioneers.
d Another evidence of western pre-
: gressiveness is afforded by Los Ange
g les and San Diego counties. California
y The first named county recently vote
It three million dollars and the lai
named million and half to be use
IS in the construction of good road
y And there is not SO much iDcenti>
is for them to do SO, as California roat
1t at their worst are just about as goe
II as Iowa roads at their best Shelf
Il county, Iowa. is as we'll able to vo
e million and half for roads as
i San Diego county, and Polk count
r could we'll afford to spend three mi
ls lions along with Los Angeles: mu,
more so than can the California cou,
70 ties. for the Iowa need is so mu'
e greater. This paper has nothi1
II specific to propose, but it is tru
d nevertheless, that the great state
l. Iowa ought not to rest until it b
II provided a remedy for it's bad road
3. They are source of millions of 10
Re yearly. of untold hardships to tear
9, and men who must travel, and
l. every way they are disgrace to Il
m state.
n We do not believe Iowa desires
80 be a "has-been," "wasser. !"
m mossback. - in the march of civiliz
e. ton. 1t will have to "get mo
X on" in good many important ,
" rections. il it does not desire to b
IS come all Of those things, and me
J. too