Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-06-03
Local Comment

The employment Of S. W. Rubee to
landscape the city park is one of the
wisest moves that has yet been made
by the present city commission. the
mayor and council and particularly
Councilman Lambs department, Is en-
titled to public commentator for 1t.
The Marshalltown cemetery Is reputed
to be the most perfect work OF land
scape art between Chicago and Dem
yer, and being in possession Of local
talent of Mr. Rubee's high order our
city should have applied it to its public
park long ago. An incident that oc-
CURED in Sioux City last year will be
of interest in this connection A large
company had been formed there TO
promote a cemetery with perpetual care
feature. 1t was planned TO make the
new cemetery's beauty such as TO IN
sure the success Of the real estate Ven-
ture and a landscape engineer was
needed. The company wrote 10 Chl-
cago and to Omaha cemetery assocla-
tons to recommend man for THIS
work. When the replies returned noth
the Chicago people and the Omaha
people independently of each other,
had recommen ended man in Marshall
town by the name of Rubee. He is the
man who will beautify our public park.
Before the saloons close. as they un-
doubtedly will after July l, it should
be mentioned that building improve
ments have been mighty few and far
between in Marshalltown all spring.
A contracting carpenter who once
worked a large force here and still
lives here is working as a journeyman
hnf he Wi
not return to contracting until labor
becomes more rea sonahle. Just what
he complains Of is not clear for car
penters themselves are not getting
much higher wages than they ever
did however. conditions are too I'M
settled to suit him and one of the
leading contractin carpenters here
announces that he is going out OF the
contra citing business. A plumber eN-
pressed the remark the other day that
the plumber who had a job this sum-
mer had better hold on 10 1t. Master
painters are taking only the painting
that actually comes TO them ana are
holding their forces down 10 the mini
mum. One man gives as his eXplana-
ton: Good painters are worth Az
cents per hour to us. but we can't
afford TO pay it to Incompetent men.
And SO it goes. These conditions viii
right themselves as time passes, but
so long as they are with US now ana
have been all spring. lets don't wait
until after July and then say that the
"Holy-rol!ers have killed the town.
The board of supervisors will meet
at 10 o'clock Monday morning to can
vass the saloon petition Of consent. The
,1,i, hot h.Au no a
show enough duplica tons and names
enormously signed TO invalidate the
petition and that they will file with
cirawals in large numbers besides 1t.
has happened in these contests in 9TH
er places that on the morning OF filing
the court house square has been sur
rounded with automobiles In waiting
to rush saloon men out to obtain with
drawals of Withdrawals and that scene
NAV be enacted here. altho II is not
vet known when the attorneys for the
drys will file their Withdrawals. Inc
law permits them to file any time be-
fore the board takes final action so
that each withdrawal can be held BACK
until the board actually arrives atthat
particular name on the petition ne
saloon attorneys have requested thAt
the Withdrawals be filed the Gay be1ore
the board convenss which would De
today. so as to give them time in which
to canvass the list but this the attor-
n.vs for the drvs have so far refused
RI concade However, it is possible that
on Monday when a withdrawal or
name is actually filed, even after the
hoard has convened, the saloon attor-
news may vet secure time in which to
rush a COMMITTEES by auto out to get
man to rescind his withdrawal, so the
automobile brigade may be IN evidence.
The attorneys for the drys Will do eV-
ervthing they can to protect tnelr
withdrawals from tone harrasslng ap-
peals of saloon men If the board mas
an insufficient number OF names leit
on the petition, as 1t Will propaplE DC
forced to do the saloon men can Se'
appeal to the courts but the experience
at OttumNa. where petition win
margin Of $50 fell short does not offer
much encourag ement to one with Only
80 gross margin in ,Marshalltown
II would be a very strange circum-
stance if the legalizing act rushed
thru the legislature to permit a bond
issue for the purchase of refundlng
warrant outstanding should now be
held to have legaljzed warrants OBJ
tanned by the former mayor when the
city attorney had previously held 10
have been illegally issued. This Is
matter which the present council
should push to q full determination.
Surprising a man should have recov-
cred from the city money for a blIl
which he had never paid, would that
legaliZing act bar the city from reroV-
ering even tho be held a city warrant
for the amount?
Bv noon today following very
heavy rain Friday morning every I'M
paved street in this city VIII be as
smooth as a race track and delight TO
Travellers Such are the results OF the
councils compliance with the new road
dragging law. And the same condition
will prevail in almost every township ID
every county in Iowa. Talk about
river to river road 900 miles long hero
is 10O,O miles of road improved IN
half day when the trustees OF all OF
the townships have obeyed the new
law And they will all obey 1t sooner
or later or mandamus proceedings Will
be instituted against them under COM
mand of the attorney general OF the