Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-05-05
BUSINESS men
REGRET ACTION
IN INTERVIEWS COMMERCIAL
ASSOCIATION MEMBERS DE-
PLoRE MoRRELL SITUATION
TELL WHAT PLANT MEANS
All Express the Hope That the Mat
ter Will Adjust Itself Amicably
to All Parties Con-
cerned.

| cerned.
I The announcement that John Nor
rell & Co. would suspend operations
Friday, May 6, has been received by
many business men with keen regret
In expressing their views on the mat
ter, the business men approached de-
plore the cause of the promised sus
pension, and all voice the hope that
some way may be devised to adJust
the differences. Among the views CIV
en- this morning are the following
! j. B. MOWERY-I have in my pos
session a copy Of the circular issued
this morning by John Morrell & Co.
regarding the future of their business
in Ottumwa The tone of the circular
has ring to it that interests all per.
sons in this locality and in financial
way the business man and farmer
throughout the country adjacent. In
my Judgment If the plan indicated In
the circular is carried out it will be
| very detrimental to the business OF
| the community and l know that 1t will
be something that will be regretted
by the business man and farmer.
My personal acquaintance with the
firm extends back to its very incep-
ton in Ottumwa and I have been in
close touch with it and know it's work
ings. l know we'll that it was one Of
the great helps in the money market
during the trying times OF 1893 and
that it kept up it's payroll each week
to the different families of the en-
ployes and gave market for the
stock produced by the farmer. and
thus was the means of circulating
more finances than perhaps any other
institution in southern Iowa. I think
it high time that the people Of Ottum-
wa consider seriously and see If some
thing cannot be done to adjust the
matter in such a way that the Morrell
plant will continue on as before. the
people helpful to them and they help
full to the community.
JOHN C. JORDAN-The situation is
to be greatly deplored. If this mat
ter was only confined to the John Nor
rell & Co. interests. it would then be
very serious to the general business
interests of Ottumwa and to the great
number of employees of that COM
pany But this seems to = fraught
with greater danger than involves
those interests alone. l have before
me the circular issued by John Nor
rell & Co., and after reading same feel
persuaded that it would be difficult
to induce other interests of like ma
ture to locate or even entertain any
idea of locating in Ottumwa in face
Of this circular, which states that they
have been unfairly treated in the mat
ter of taxation in Ottumwa compared
to other like enterprises in packing
eenters outside of Ottumwa.
J. w. GARNER-I think the posi-
ton taken by John Morrell & Co. is
the proper one under the circum-
stances. The position they take is
that they are willing to pay their pro-
portion of taxes as do their competi-
tors throughout the state and against
whom they must compete to do bust
ness. I understand that this firm is
paying from fifty per cent to 200 per
cent more than it's competitors in
Iowa, in fact that near competitor
doing practically the same amount of
business pays but $4,000 In taxes
against $4,000 that Morrell pays.
One can easily see that the compar1-
son is unfair to them to have to pay
three times as much in taxes as CON-
petitors who do as much business.
The firm is the largest industry In
the city and has been perhaps the
greatest factor in building up Ottum-
wa of any industry ever within Its
limits. What they ask seems to me
to be but just and fair. The firm
has never asked any bonus since the
house was established in Ottumwa and
I am satisfied that If the citizens
could get another similar industry of
as great a size to locate here, they
would willingly vote free taxes for
ten years and bonus Of $150,000 as
we'll, and that gladly. We have a
commercial exchange here composed
Of 612 business men of the city and 1t
will be hard for them to interest any
enterprise to locate here and invest
their money when they learn Of the
treatment accorded John Morrell &
Co. Mr.. Foster is not man to shirk
his duty and is fair man on whose
word would rely implicitly.
J. B. SAX can scarcely credit the
report that the Morrell Packing Co.
was about to shut down. have not
seen the manifesto, said to be issued
by John Morrell & Co., and do not
care to comment on it, until l have
had chance to study it. However,
every citizen and business man must
deplore any condition which causes
our captains of industry to feel that
they are not properly appreciated or
literally dealt with in the community
which is so largely benefited by their
operation. All growing and progress
sive cities welcome and hold large In
dustries by liberal treatment and
would deprecate having 1t published
broadcast that Ottumwa taxes its prin-
cipal factories out of existence.
Our Commercial association Is max
ing a great effort to increase the
population Of Ottumwa by inducing
new factories to locate here, but Its
work will be in vain If there is not
more harmony between our largest in
dustries and our Cit government.