Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-11-17
LOCAL COMMENT

Secretary Northcott of the Y. NJ. @.
A., whose duty It Ia toorganize sew
en- counties for the Y. NJ. G. A. war
county that Marshall county was bet
ter organized for all these war funds
than any other county in the state,
you fellows do things down there
was the remark heard throughout the
ristrlct and it Is largely true. Mar
shall was among the very few coun-
ties which came anywhere near it's
quota in the first Liberty Loan cam
paign last spring. 1t was among the
twelve counties which met its quota
on the Second Liberty loan. 1t doubled
on it's Red Cross contribution and put
half of the fund in the bank for the
next drive. Marshall is not only or
sanized to do its full share but the
committees in charge are taking the
broad view that this war work will
continue throughout the war and no
one campaign will be allowed to ex-
haust the field. Des Moines raised al
most $1,000 for the Y. NJ. G. A. war
fund when the state apportionment
was less than half as much per capita
but Des Moines, of course, gets much
from the location Of the cantonment.
Our own county could have raised
S1.00 per capita as it did for the Red
Cross but it would have been inequit-
able to have done so. We will forward
an oversubscription of 20 per cent for
full measure and put the rest in the
bank for the next drive.
Businesslike planning on the part OF
the committees in charge has dlstrl-
buted the tax so widely and SO fairly
that no one has been pinched with his
giving. Many merchants who are hit
for everything and who expected to be
assessed for as much as 500 on this
fund got off for $25 because everybody
gave a little or nearly everybody
These merchants are now ready to UNI
derwrite the next fund for nobody feels
that he has been "stung." A few men
who have given 500 or more each
did it because they wanted to and not
because they were asked.
The apportionment by townships, too,
was eminently fair. Had tax been
levied as the members Of the legisla-
ture are planning to do for Liberty
loans the county outside of Marshall
town would have four ffths Of every
fund to raise because upon the basis
of property holdings 1t possesses fouf-
fifths Of the ability to pay. BY ap-
portioning one-third Of the fund upon
the basis of population, one-third upon
the basis Of men registered for war
and one third upon the basis of ability
to pay the county outside Of the city
was apportioned less than $500 per
farm on a $4,000 fund. This made
the load so easy for every township
that they gladly oversubscribed.
In everyone of these campaigns
some township has failed to meet its
full apportionment always because OF
lack of adequate. organization. These
communities are merely deferring their
debts until they VIII pile UP large FOR
public sentiment Is not going to let
any district off at the expense of
others. When the next Liberty loan
is apportioned the quotas for these
precincts which have failed before
should be made large enough to bring
them up to date even with other pre-
cincts. Those which have failed owe
for what was not paid before and 1t
should be included in their bill. Like
wise in the donation campaigns what
one precinct Stacks on a Y. NJ. G. A.
war fund should be charged up on the
next Red Cross. This is everybody s
war and universal military service is
the spirit of the nation just now.
A few people have thought that
these war fund demands are coming
too often but they should forget it. No
body has yet given until it hurts altho
he may think 80. This country is not
giving out bread tickets as they do in
Germany, Belgium and France. We
have not had our touring cars con-
scripted as they have been in Eng
land. Most of US are still eating meat
and we are going to picture shows.
So long as we indulge in all the COM
forts and luxuries of peace we have
no right to slack on the war funds
even If our private balance sheet finds
u5 AL uCUt oll lAlc ySoA buSllSoS. w q
must, deny ourselves before we deny
our country and our soldiers the
things they need to win the war. Fur
| thermore the average man enjoying
a mans income who gives $500 or
$1,000 to one Of these funds should take
courage from the high school boys
who are pledging $1,000 apiece and
must go out and earn every dollar Of
1t at common labor wages. Most men
who smoke could save that amount Of
money by swearing off for thirty days
on and after New Years.
superintendent Palmer has made a
very just demand upon the public to
assist in preventing the spread Of con-
tagious diseases. Some mothers have
sent their children to school when they
knew the children were in such condii-
ton as to spread disease among their
associates. Instead of feeling guilty
as they would had they been caught
poisoning a we'll they have assumed
the attitude Of merely trying to fool
1 l.