Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-06-27
THE REPUTATION OF THE TOWN.

q long article on the grating opera
lions Of q swindler who has pursued
long career Of crooked and shady
| transactions in Iowa and elsewhere and
who finally died by accident or suicide
under a train The record and modus
opsrandi Of the man is laid bare. Some
one wrote the article who knew all
about the mans methods and had
known all about the man and his
operations all the time. But. thruout
the entire article tnsistence is made
tha. the Iowa town in which he lived
and from which he operated Is not in
any way responsible for the CRATER,
that it endured him, knew all about
him. that he lived there and spent ms
money there but il washes its hands
of the king CRATER.
L is to be regretted that this public
-epudiation came after the man died i!
has less force and is of little moment
row. AS much may be said Of the
Biographical sketch. II came TOO late TO
be anything more than an Interesting
story. Exposure and population of a
dead CRATER is easy but j. doesn't
amount ID much. Really the time TO
cry stop thief is before the robber has
finished his operations and is beyond
check or punishment.
Perhaps were the dead man who has
been pilloried able TO write biography
and current history he would have in
teresting tales 10 tell. He might re-
call incidents where he had soid notes
10 innocent purchasers" whose inno-
cence was purely technical and whose
eminent responsibility would suffer by
the relation; he might tell true tales of
the Pecksniffs who hid behind him and
shared his loot The story Of the graft
er, when he tells 1t as he rarely does,
duplicates many. for no man ever sue
ceeded in a long career Of graft who
had not associates and helpers whose
wealth and high Responsibility were
among his hidden assets and who
p-ofted by their connection.
1t is pity that the story Of the
dead CRATER might not have been
written while he was able 10 talk back
if not in his own defense at least in
reprisal.
In another Iowa town man died not
50 very long ago who had been a gam
bier and had laid in wait for his prey
like a python. He had grown rich in
his nefarious calling. OF this man
little was said until he was dead-and
then too much considering that SO little
had been said or done while he was
living He had one of the finest houses
in the town. but no home and ter
rible tragedy entered the house and
laid the home SUCH as it was desolate.
But while he lived he had friends and
supporters among his 1oHnspeople for
he had money 10 spend and invest. He
! carried the air of respectability, was
greeted gladly on the street'and walked
boldly and even arrogantiy among BET
ter men than ne because respectable
1 ity had not repudiated him living.
I No doubt it was so in AIgona. The
man who is pilloried today found vel
! come ard greeting among those who
are now ready to repudiate him and
who tho they shook their heads at his
morals while living grasped greedily
/ for his gains. No man stays in q town
where ne is utterly discredited and
! friendless.
! Say what we may, no town or COM
munity can escape by Reputation af-
| ter death The time to repudtate is be-
fore the books are closed and judgment
| finally rendered Individually and col
| lec.ively We are responsible for the
grafters who make headquarters among
us and find tolerance and even favor.
| Omaha must live down the record of
/ the years when crooks sheltered there
under the pledge to refrain from oper-
ating within the city corporation She
must live down, e she ever may, the
record Of the pickpocket concession
I and the thousand sources Of her Ill
repute gained by tolerance Of Grim
inals. The Reputation OF a town is as
the reputation of a family. 1t can
not be escaped by reputation after the
fart