Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-02-18
WANT H|TcH-RACks
BACK ON square
JEFFERSON COUNTY FARMER8
PASS RESOLUTIONS At
CLOSING SESSION

u
Fairfield, Feb. 17.-Jefferson county
farmers made 1t plain to Fairfield Deo-
pie Saturday afternoon at the closing
session OF the Farmers Institute that
they expected to take hand IN the
coming spring election in this city and
II not by their votes by their In
fluence have men elected to the city
council who would give the farmers .
square DEAL
Several hours were spent In . heat
ed discussion of the hitch-rack cues
ton. Since the paving which was done
last summer there have been no pub
lie hitch-racks in Fairfield with the
exception of those at the various
churches. There were formerly hitch
racks at the west, south and east OF
the court house square but there were
removed last summer when the
streets were to be paved and have
never been replaced although It 10 al
legged that farmers have repeatedly
asked the members Of the city council
to have them restored.
Farmers from every township In
Jefferson county attended this session
and arguments waved warm.
The following resolutions were
adopted by an almost unanimous vote,
while several of the cooler heads were
striving to calm the more excited
members Of the assembly:
Whereas, It has come very forcibly
to our notice that our home town, the
city of Fairfield, Is sadly lacking In
free public hitching facilities since the
city council has caused the removal
of the hitch-racks contiguous to the
grounds of our county court house,
ostensibly for the purpose Of facilitat-
ing the paving of the streets, and,
Whereas, Said paving has long been
completed with no apparent effort
having been made to replace said
hitch-racks and the said council hav-
ing, moreover, apparently ignored and
pigeon-holed petition presented to
them by our county board, signed by
several hundred jefferson county
farmers, praying for the restoration
of said hitch-racks, and furthermore,
certain members of the present coun.
Gil having intimated that nothing win
be done toward replacing them dur
ing their term of office, bet 1t there
for
Resolved, That we, the farmers Of
Jefferson county do hereby express
our belief that the present city coun.
ell of Fairfield, by its action In fall
ing to replace the hitch-racks, fs not
only placing itself on record as an
tagonistic to the very reasonable re.
quest OF the city's rural patrons, but
is refusing them the use OF property
actually paid for in large part by
themselves and In addition creating
thereby spirit of resentment toward
the town on the part of those who
feel SO unnecessarily inconven1enced.I
We do not ask that the streets upon
which these hitch-racks are located be.
kept clean daily at the expense Of the
city. We favor the plan of keeping
county at large. v
While regretting that present con.
ditions seem to warrant such . spirit
we are glad to note that q minority OF
the council with most OF the mer-
chants and the more practical citizens
generally, are in favor Of restoring the
hitch-racks. Therefor be It hereby
Resolved, That we believe 1t to be
of prime Importance to every mer-
chant, business man and citizen OF
Fairfield, having the mutual well-be-
ing Of the town and county at heart,
to seek to remove the unpleasant feel
ing now existing, and bound to con-
tinue SO long as we know many other
Iowa towns no more dependent on the
rural trade for prosperity than is Fair.
field are far ahead in free hitching ac-
commodations near their trading CEN
tiers. That the city council take action
at once and provide adequate hitching
places in the city of Fairfield for use
of rural patrons.