Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-05-15
i, LOCAL COMMENT

Construction work is actually to be-
gin on the viaduct. That is the sur
prise Of the season and is greatly to
be welcomed by our citizens. We viii
now assuredly have a viaduct over the
c. & n. w. and NJ. e. st. L. tracks by
fall, but what are we going to do about
the Great Western? Here Is work for
the Marshalltown Club. We can not
sit still and permit traffic over via
duct to discharge at a grade crossing
when there Is a remedy. The c. & n
w. railway pulls all Of its trains over
hill now to enter this city. In the
long run it would be economy for the
road to lease trackage from the inter-
locking switch on the west to the stock
yards on the east and come into the
union station under the viaduct. The
present freight station could remain
where it is on spur which would
stop before +, crossed Third avenue.
all thru trains could run over the in
terlocking switch to a switch at the
stockyards. Marshalltown would have
union station and all the trains
would pass under the viaduct. 1t Is
long road to results as our viaduct
begin on this last lap of the grade
crossing problem. 81
Silent FIRE alarms may prove salts
factory insofar as the efficiency Of
the department is concerned but the
public is deprived Of its warning, and
owners of property will have to be
located and notified by some friend be-
erty is in danger. AS it is now an
alarm ringing from some nearby box
causes owners to rush to the telephone
and thence to the scene Of their own
! fire loss If they happen to be the vic
| tins. To this extent the public alarm
performs a service. People In general
should take it upon themselves to
notify owners promptly now that the
public alarm has been discontinued
&
Two new banks in prospect for the
city would not indicate that Marshall
town was declining in population altho
up to date the census enumerators
have been unable to find as many
people here as were counted five years
ago. The Marshalltown Club has
found a great many more but the Mar
come a matter of record unless the
official enumerators check their list
with the larger one and go out to OBJ
tain those who have been missed.
County Auditor Dobson Is charged by
law with the duty Of taking a new
census if the assessors have not taken
complete one by June l and 1t is to
| be hoped that the county auditor will
| 1,;e I,,$,y 1nf cd hSp
| law. So far as the Marshalltown Club
| is concerned its hands are tied until
| the time comes to start proceedings
| under the statutes which will be done
If the official census fails to count
| the people which the clubs census
shows are living in this city.
The older a country grows the
greater becomes its accumulation Of
capital and savings and the more bust
ness there is for banks, SO that there
may in time be room for a so per cent
increase in the number Of banks but
the tendency in the large cities is
toward larger banks and fewer in
number. For the present there will
probably be accelerated competition in
the banking business.
1
| A few who do not understand the art
OF landscape gardening are wont tc
criticize the planting on thu court yard
| just now Being unable to see the fin
ished work they are not TO be censured
| severely, but reflection should suggest
! that Mr.. Rubee has never made fail.
ure of any landscape work he has un-
| dertaken as yet and the presumption ir
| this case should be that he knows wha,
| he is doing. II any one has any doubt
/ as to this let him visit the cemetery
| and gaze upon the unimproved part al
the east end and then upon the i'm
proved sections to the west. Those who
are unable to paint a picture them.
selves are presumptuous to find faul'
| with one who can. The average farmer
in Iowa has heretofore been content tt
live just acorss the fence from his barr
yard. The only use for trees he has
ever had has been Cor wind breaks
He has waited until ne could retire ant
move to California to enjoy the beau.
| ties of nature and hence there wiz bt
opposition to efforts TO improve the
landscape of Iowa and make 1t attrac.
tive for everybody without knowing
just why. Not being accustomed to thu
| things that will make our own country
attractive but treating our farms al
our workshops rather than as our homes
we kick because we are pre1udicea
Why should it always remain that thu
only place of exceptional beauty II
Marshalltown should be our cemetery
Where is the citizen who has not taker
his visitor there to show of the towr
and yet apologized for having to seek
cemetery as the Seanty spot, OF tn
city? Is it not about time we pulled
of COW hide boots as people ant
made our public places an inspiration
to our citizens to make their private
properties more attractive places II
which to 1--we? The loss OF one citi
zen to California will spend In q ia