Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-05-28
Local Comment

/; The So-called Hull rate ordinances
have now been formally adopted 10
the second time and it is to be hoped
that they are perfectly legal so far a.
the record is concerned. The law O
Iowa makes it the duty Of city councils
to regulate public utility rates and i
should be proved out in MarshalltowI
whether city council can do its dut.
under this statute or not. While these
rates are very material reductions from
present rates, they are not as low a!
prevail in other cities and when the
court orders the company's books int
review, il the ordinances are resisted
there should be no difficulty in prov
| ing them remunerative.
| On the other hand Jones & Hovey
should come forward now and NEE
the city fairly by accepting these rates
If they would do it and would guar
antee reasonable street car extensions
they could get franchise renewal ir
their own name and this they must dc
before the year 1913 or their $4,000
of bonds will have to be paid as the
banks refuse to renew the bonds until
new franchise is obtained. two
years and half is short time in
which 10 get right with the public, sc
now is a good time to begin.
Messrs. 3. w Sinclair and T. l.
WATSON. of the Baptist building com
.nittee, were in Ames last Sunday to
confer with Baptists there regarding
their methods of financing building
enterprise They found in Ames that
one man, a banker and not member
of any church, is largely responsible
for the public improvements when
Ames handles with so much ease. Par
lev Sheldon, mayor, banker, democrat,
and non-church member. is the king OF
boosters there. When the Methodists
wanted to build, it was Sheldon who
urged them to build right and for the
future. so they tackled a $4,000 build
ing in town of $500 inhabitants.
Sheldon loaned them most of the money
at first and on dedication day they
raised s26. 600 completing their build
ing free of debt. Then. when the Bap-
fists started a s17,50o building Shell
don again loaned the money and on
dedication Sunday Sheldon was at
work in the audience raising money
Dedication Sunday raised $4,000 for
them and there was not single MEM
her Of that church who could be con-
siderad a yyell-to-do man. Sheldon LED
the campaign for city sewer system
in Ares. He is mayor now, but a
town builder always. The Marshall
town Club ought to raise bonus to
move him to Marshalltown.
Two wears ago there were 1,o42 votes
cast for Cummins in our five city
wards to our 432 for Allison represent
ing the proportion of progressives in
this CITY. Allison in a conFatose con-
dition on the day Of that election died
shortly afterwards and in November at
the special primary 1885 votes were
"a st for Cumn7ins and 1s2 for Lacey.
his standpat opponent. Since then cum
Minis has gone to the United States
senate where he has become the ma
+iona1 leader of a minority of the sem
ate which is determined to protect the
public interest from the greed OF spec
ial interests working thru such power
full leaders as Aldrich and Elklns- mere
in Iowa there is a campaign being
waged to undermine the infiueace OF
Cummins by electing a standpar gov
ernor and a standpat convention ana II
is I'D TO 1.o42 progressives in this city
to cast their votes for Garst for gov
ernor. for Cosson for attorney general,
and for Thorne for railroad commits
sioner.
The CITY council doubtless acts Cor
what il considers the best interest OF
the city in refusing to permit street
nayements to be laid "a feet wide in
o,,-lvine districts but engineering ex-
perience has proved them practicable
and the saving of 30 per cent in the
total cost of paving helps to bring 1t
within reach of all It results in long
err payements However, somebody
will have to explain wherein there is
consistency in declaring a single pave
ment "a feet wide as too narrow While
resolving that two parallel pavements
each only Is feet wide with curbs and
a mark between are wide enough for
such thoroughfares as Seventh and Je-
rome streets.
Property owners on the streets thus
parked in the center should view some
of these streets in Des Moines where
an inadequate park fund has left the
park unimprovad and unkempt. Unless
the city is put under bonds to provide
perpetual care property owners had
better enjoin the work.
When one Friedersdorf told the Per-
sonal Liberty League that We liberals
should stand together like Tammany
does and like eve did in the caucuses
for judge the mayor Of Marshalltown
extended the advice by remarking that
they should all stand together in the
election of men to the legislature and
the county office. This is good politi-
cal advice and will undoubtedly be
acted upon. If the members of the
Personal Liberty League will select the
legislature and county candidates
which they favor in the coming repub-
lican primary and announce their tic
ket the Times Republican will gladly
publish it for them. This is the fair
way to control legislation, county at
torneys, sheriffs, the courts and all
government. 1t is votes that count,
only let the campaign be in the open
where all can know the real issue.