Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-03-26
Looker-On In Iona

Grinnen, March os.-The board of
supervisors OF PoWeshiek county pub
lished in the Herald here, the proceed
ngs Of the board" and for the first
time in the history of the town the
public had a list of the names and
the amount every one received in the
way Of help from the County" 1t was
q startling revelation. Here in as
! prosperous a town as in Iowa. town
OF about $500 people, where there is
work for every one nine months in g
year, where no real poverty is sup
posed TO be, the sum of about $1,000
was paid out by the board thru the
overseer OF the poor. In addition to
this there is a soldiers widow fund
which well posted men say distributes
about 81 500 a year. Then there is an
associated charities organization that
also helps the worthy poor, nearly all
| in the way of gifts and clothing from
the we'll to do. Summed up in round
| mum bers Grinnell is giving out in the
way of charity $4,000 a year. What
| makes these figures look so big In this
prosperous town, is what a speaker be-
4, fore the Charities Association said to
his audience. That not a city Of 1oo,-
600 people was actually giving that
amount Of money. Publishing the
names has caused much comment.
Some think it an outrage on the worthy
poor the really unfortunate. helpless
| class of people in Grinnen. Others in
the majority say it was the only way
to check the growing evil Working
men are indignant to find in the list
of names, other men that laid around
all summer. wouldn't do lick ofework,
and were helped by the county all win
| ter" Taxpayers mention cases Of able
! bodied men with grown boys earning
! good wages that have been helped by
! the county," Case after case is men
toned where hard working women
| with families, but lazy specimen of
| a husband that will not work even
when offered him, these women have
to ask the overseer for coal and pro-
visions, and the man knows he can
| sit by the fire and keep warm and eat
at the common table the food the coun-
| ty furnishes the family. Esquire
! Chaffee, while overseer of the poor for
| Grinnell. had a case of this kind. This
man owning little home got in the
| habit of going on the county" every
J winter. The squire determined to break
UP the habit, SO when the usual appeal
was made, there was not coal in the
bin and no food in the house." the
squire said, "all right. we have lot
of room at the poor house. All Of you
come down to the depot tomorrow
morning I'll buy your tickets to Mon
tezuma and give you an order to live
on the poor farm the rest Of the win
ter. but shall send no more coal or food
down to your house. Strange to re-
| To-, h,rxy
tickets for Montezuma, neither did he
have another application for help from
this man that winter. And no one
starved or was frozen to death that
winter in Grinnell. Just what to do
is the question. There is report that
the supervisors propose to act az over
seer in the town where they live, and
thus get m ore closely in touch with the
situation.
| But no one can get in touch with the
political situation In Grinne1i. in Powe-
shiek county. or the Sixth COMPRESSION
al district Kendall wants to succeed
himself He represents six standpat
counties and one progressive. Hence
these tears Then. too, Kendall has in
Cured the political enmity Of some
standpatters, postoffce deals and old
scores Major Lacey. the king bee
standpatter. from Standpattersville
has it in for Kendall, go when Tom
Bray, OF Grinnen. announced himself
las candidate for congress- he was
lcertain Of Lacey's support and that Of
Lacey's friends. which with the pro-
lgressive support OF Poweshiek, the
lacey standpat influence In the other
!. lsix counties, 1t looked good to Bray