Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-05-27
Local Comment

When Councilman Herman's depart
rnent gets down to business on this
road dragging 1t will be discovered
that all Of the unpaved streets Of this
city can be dragged with ten teams
working half day each at 81 or less
for the half day. When the Nicholson
ford road was first graded the T.-R.
| maintained g drag on it for one entire
season which proved to be an unus-
ually wet year and the total number Of
| draggings that year was twenty one.
The five year average in Hardin coun-
ty has been ten draggings per season.
Thus by employing ten teams at half
a day each the unpaved streets OF
:Marshalltown can be dragged thor
oughly twenty times in a season for
$500. Let sautomobile owners and
owners oe teams digest these facts and
| urge upon the council that the good
| work be kept going. Incidentally Mr..
Herman wants some more teams to
contract for half day stations.
Webster City can give the mayor
and council of Marshalltown some
| pointers on electric lighting. Twelve
years ago the city invested $4,000 in
an electric light plant Since then she
charge to the tax payers, has sold light
to her people at 10 cents per k. W.,
while Marshalltown people have paid
| IA cents and now Webster City finds
| that her plant. tho obsolete and out Of
! date, is worth twice the original in
vestment Her people have voted $685.,
| 900 in bonds to be used along with the
surplus on hand to rebuild the plant
strictly modern. Webster City has
| about half the population of Mar
shalltown and has been paying about
half the Marshalltown price for cleo
| trio service.
1t was fortunate outcome that the
wiser heads were allowed to control in
yesterdays local Shrine meeting for
had the unreasonableness of few in
dividuals not been checked the lodge
would have been disgraced before the
world when as matter OF fact the
Masonic order locally and generally
comprises the very finest body Of men
that ever Joined in fraternal bonds.
The saloon petition failed in the dis
trict court at Ottumwa for the same
reasons that the remonstrance failed in
'Marshalltown last year. 1t was knock
ed out because Of technical errors in
the signing OF names but whereas the
drys in Marshalltown took their medi-
cine without whimper Of complaint
the attorneys for the vets at Ottumwa
are crying out in tho Ottumwa Cour-
Ter that the intent Of the voter has
been perverted by the technicality Of
the law. However, the court ruled out
enough names on technical errors to
beat the saloon petition when the pc
tition could not have been defeated on
Withdrawals alone. At Ottumwa the
total vote was approximately so per
cent more than in Marshalltown. The
saloon men filed a petition there with
an apparent majority OF 856 while the
same majority here was only 237. The
Ottumwa drys filed 35s Withdrawals
which should make It possible to file
24o Withdrawals here to be in the same
proportion. This many would defeat
the petition in Marshalltown without
counting Implications or errors. AT
Ottumwa they found S7s Implications
which would call for at least 252 in
Marshalltown to be in the same pro-
portion and this number here II found
would alone defeat the saloon petit
ton without counting errors or with
drawals. At least 121 Implications
were discovered ON the Marshalltown
petition on the first day It was counted
and the lawyers have had a months
time to find more. At Ottumwa the
district court. upon appeal from the
board OF supervisors, ruled out 143
names because they did not coincide
technically with signatures on the poll
books. At Marshalltown we should
find ninety-six to be in the same pro-
portion and these with the duplica-
tons should knock out the saloon pc
tition without counting single with
drawal. No wonder the saloon men
here are sore and are writing threat
ening letters to factory employers The
Jig is up In Marshalltown July I.