Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-10-05

Nelson w. meets sheep, he calls for
Aside from telling the senate how,
on any given proposition, Nelson w.
bogies we have had in recent years.
clamoring to see his hoofs and horns.
Cannon happened to get together,
looks Of the thing, people claimed
than match factory.
Senator Aldrich retired just in tim
moose or tramped on by the elephant.
can walk down town without having
in from the street. Meanwhile, the
where without any head, although sew
much. and that the people were taxed
to death. They said we will fix it so
you can buy cheaper. They were then
TOR low tariff, just as Wilson and
Roosevelt are for low tariff now. They
talked the people into the belief that
they needed a change. The people
said "lets have a change" and they
voted for the change, and got it..
The result was that in the first three
months of that administration
there were more bank failures than
there had been in all the years of the
system of national banking, and al
most every railroad in the United
States was in the hands of receiver.
Then came Coxey's, Kelley's and Ho-
CAMS armies, during the spring and
summer. BY the time fall came, the
people who were out OF work had lived
|up all their savings, and by Christmas
time, millions of men, women and chill
dren were in need of enough to eat to
keep body and soul together.
Right here in Ottumwa the condi-
ton had come to be so serious that
something had to be done to keep
worthy people from starving. The
situation was more than serious-it
was desperate. Men and women who
were here at that time will remember
it. 1t is just as easy to bring on those
conditions now as it was then. A tariff
for revenue did it then. It will
do 1t now >,
BY the first Of January, 1894, a citi-
zen's relief committee had been ap.
pointed. At the first meeting Of the
city council that year, the relief COM
mittee made report, and T. r. Bick.
LEY stated that 1.-THE men of Ottumwa
did not ask for aid, they only ask for
wo. k'' Among others who made
suggestions at this meeting were T.
H. Picker, William Reece and the
late A. w. Buchanan. The city mar
shal's report for the month of Decem-
Der 1893 showed 100 arrests for va
grancy.
The next issue Of the Courier Of
fered to print free the advertisements
of all those who wanted to advertise
for work. 1t suggested that all those
who wanted work, should register at
this office. The same article called
the attention of the council to the fact
that the condition of Ottumwa was a
condition Of the whole country and
that what ever was done in the way
of relief, should be handled In man
ner that>our own people should get the
benefit.
Thursday morning, January 5, 1894,
the Courier placed book In the ONCE
for those who wanted work to come
and register BY Friday night, that
list contained more than ITS names,
and the following day 1t published the
names Of 200 men, among which were
the names of workmen representing
all trades, as we'll as day laborers and
| teamsters. These men did not ask
for work at their trades, they asked for
any kind of an honest job that would
enable them to get money enough to
buy Just the bare necessities of life
This list contained the names of many
men who are in Ottumwa today.
This same Saturday night mass
meeting was held at the city hall to
| try and devise some plan whereby
some work could be had for these
men. They did not want charity-they
only ask for the opportunity to make
bare living. T. r. Buckley was made
chairman and William Reece and T. B.
Couple secretaries Of this meeting
Mr.. Buckley stated that he had been
asked by committee of workmen to
present their necessities to the city
council, which he had done, at prev1
Gus meeting. The meeting was ad
dressed by the late A. w. Lee, the late
William Daggett, the late Captain s.
H. Harper, W. B. Wycoff and others
and committee appointed to act with
the relief committee of the city coun
Gil. This committee was as follows:
The late Thomas Quinlan, William
Reece, Thomas Couple, T. R. Buckley
Steve Mcbride and John Ninemire.
The following motion Of Mr.. Copple
was adopted:
"That the city hall be considered
general headquarters for the unem
ployed, that register be established
there for every man in the city who
lis out of work, to register his name
address, length Of residence in the
city and the number in the family de
pendent upon him."
The object Of this was that in furn
ishing employment, preference should
be given to those who had the most
persons dependent upon them.
A meeting was called for Monday
morning, and at that meeting plans
were talked over and another meeting
called. At that meeting Mr.. Buckley
made a report that was signed by the
above committee, with J. Miller, secre
! tary. At this meeting, in addition to the