Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-03-16
TnEs-REPUBIIcAN MARsHAIIsfowN iowa. MARCH IL 1910


NOT POLITICS 1ur BlLi0usHEss.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette complains
that Politics is the premier business
of Iowa" overshadowing all other in
terests according to the Cedar Rapids
paper That every village has Its
newspaper advertising that its chief
mission is to be republican or demo-
crat. 1t goes on to assert that:
A town may have several elevators,
a stock yard, corn canning plant,
creamery, brick and tile works and
other Industries, but the heavy fight
ing of the mighty men of valor CEN
tiers around the postoffice. The gentle
man who pulls down the postmaster
ship is of more importance than is the
marshal of the day. who halls from the
farm and commands the procession
the day that twenty-nine cars of
cattle and hogs are shipped from the
local station. Iowa has too much
politics compared with the necessary
amount and Iowa has not made such
progress along practical lines as to be
able to reap one-fifth Of the benefits
that soil and climate would guarantee.
Suspicion arises Of dyspeptic tend
encies on the part of the esteemed
Gazette and the impulse is to recon-
mend light diet and perhaps few
calomel tablets taken at half hour in
tervals. A little jaundice now and
then affects the very best Of men.
,~I to- NJ
mayhap correction of a slight astig-
matism makes the world look en-
tirely different So of Iowa,
Iowa isn't eaten alive by politics.
One Of the hardest things 30 accom-
plish In this state is to get out q vote.
The fact Of the matter is that big
percentage Of voters husk corn or take
the day for butchering on presidential
election. that the business man for
gets to vote for governor II he has
good trade that day. that when
Henry Workingman sets
home from his days work he says
%. thunder. there's no use going up
town to vote, they won't miss me-" and
abides in his slippers wholly uncon-
scious that the fate of the nation IS
being thus imperiled- Why We close
he stores one day of the county fair
and never turn key election day.
The business Of the cities and viii
ages isn't postmastering. Folks stop
ong enough TO sign a petition or half
dozen if presented one after another ,
they get even with one man and do a
favor for friend but the average man
doesn't consider that exercising a
political privilege He is being ac-
getting even or boosting
A friend as he would on any other Job
hat pays big money for mediocre |
ability.
About the only way elections and |
politics as politics go affect the farm
and the man with the hog shipments Is !;
~ affecting the market Why a tax
assessor viii cause more activity on |
!, load Of fat cattle than q president OF |
he q. S. A. In the old days We used |
o gather in excited groups and argue |
he thing out on the street corners. |
We don't do it any more unless it hap |
pens tina, a school tax Is being voted |
on Then we get together in punches |
and talk loud and clear.
Politics isn't hurting Iowa. A lot OF !
slack talk let loose to carry an In |
ference that business is neglected and |
he farmer oppressed by the poll |
,ician and driven to Canada or dry !
farming on a desert in order to get |
away from political oppression may do |
harm However none of these seem to |
affect the farm sales. They are many |
and prices keep on aeroplaning up
ward. The elevators and the canning
factories and the creameries and the
banks and the stores and the rest that
goes to make up Iowa seem to be
buster than bees just the same. And
for the past two or three years Iowa
has been the mecca Of statesmen from
all over the L. S, because they could
sell their stuff here and collect for il
afterward
This impression that Iowa Is on the
toboggan instead Of the ai-ship doesn't
come from conditions in Iowa 1t is
Grandmother would have
prescribed rhubarb tea and grand
father would have diagnosed i as
spring fever.