Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-03-15
! LOCAL COMMENT

| shalltown hereinafter designated th'
taxpayers must dig up this year siis,'
S07 for three mon on their city council
to spend for city purposes. The thres
men to be elected will hold office fol
two years at least hence in their second
year VIII spend another Sll6,S0I o.
other peoples money; s2eS,6l% OF tas
money In all. Then II the SS50,oOo bono
Issue Is voted the three men on the
next city council will have s5s36l4 o.
other peoples money to spend, oh, the
spending Is going to be good but what
about the spenders? II II were a private
business Of such magnitude no mar
would be employed for an officer OF the
company until ne had been thorough!
investigated as to character and bus
mess ability. II any bank should SC
much as intimate that there might pc
suspicion as to his integrity he would
be dismissed from consideration. Then
II he had a poor rating In the >eredi'
guide, that Is did not pay his store
hills promptly he would be considereo
either too extravagant or too incom
petent to handle half a million o'
other peoples money. His business
ability would be weighed carefully. a
man who never seemed to have enough
capacity to accomplish very much eoi
himself would seldom be selected by
stocNholders' committee to handle
that much OF stockholders money.
But in city politics 1t Is different. ii
he is a good fellow in our lodge, be-
longs to our church or seems to treal
his wife and family decently he Is gooo
enough for handling the taxpayers
money. especially is he well qualified II
nc has plenty of time to stand around
in public places and be a good mixer
with a glad hand for everybody. To
be known Familiarity by ones first name
gets more votes IN a city election than
to have been so busy at ones private
affairs in the past as to have acquired
some experience In business. The voter
who puts $50 to 800 year into city
taxes upon his home and is asked to
sign for aSbond issue mortgage for an
additional amount larger yet votes foi
city officers upon social grounds oni!
but IL he had invested that much every
year for ten years in stock In cor
poration he would demand a rea
fnancier, q business success In life, q
man of irreproachable integrity to
manage the company. He would even
go out Of town to get the right man.
People living in the Third ward be-
tween Linn and Nevada streets and
south are convinced that what they
need to make living In that part q
the city worth while is extension q
street paving. It may be expected tha'
there will be demand for paved streets
from that quarter when the new city
council is ready for business. The
Third ward lost out in It's development
in an early day when the Second ward
went ahead with street paving. West
Main street out to the city limits, anc
South Sixth street to the city limits
ought to be paved this year or cary
next year while the Marion street ano
North Center street roads should be
heavily graveled.
1t NAV be as good as the average
county for Marshall to contribute
$4,000 to save christian Armenianf
from starvation but 10 cents per capita
toward a cause so urgent means tha'
the average man thinks more OF
! weeks cigar smoke than he does o1
saving the lives of starving women and
! children in Armenia.
4
Any organized. cooperative move
ment on the part of Marshalltown ner-
chants to extend the zone Tor retail
trade is to be commended. \ few
years ago we did not have any yer,
large stores in this city. Annual sale:
of $4,000 to 800, 900 at one store wert
considered large. Since then two new
| stores have built up combined sale!
volume of 100000 per annum and still
the other stores are doing more bus
| mess than they ever did. Business cal
! be created by advertising. In territor.
not supplied with such stores as arr
! in Marshalltown it can be diverted
| from Chicago. However, merchant:
will find some difficulty going beyont
the zone Of the Times Republican. Fo
fifteen years T.-R. solicitors have beer
driving into every farm yard which
| is served by mail from New Sharon
below Grinnell to Northwood abov
Mason City. To the east and to tn
west every farm house has been visite,
regularly from Tama, Toledo an
Traer on the east to Ames on the ives
and farther up the T.-R. men dane
all around Waterloo on every rura
route in Butler county. FRANKLIN
| Wright and Hancock. It's circulation
is dense, of course, nearest home, with
in a forty mile radius but it has man
readers beyond. Strange an advertise
with money to spend would not max
a detailed examination Of the actua
location and "saturation' Of a news
paper list before determining his cam