Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-09-25
Local Comment

The request OF national guard Of
ficers that Marshailtown recruit two
companies Of cavalry and provide an
armory and drill ground may pre-
cipitate the building OF q combined
armory, exposition hall. coliseum
and sales pavilion AZ the fair
grounds, as suggested in these coll
umns for several years. No one OF
these interests could afford such a
building as the need for 1t IL only
occasional but one building that
would accommodate them all would
be worth what It would cost. Such
a building should be large enough to
seat 5000 people. It might be used
three or four times year for such
O crowd. It should be large enough
to contain the entire automobile
show at the fair and would probably
make possible an automobile show In
January. On the balconies above it
should contain stalls enough for twice
the merchants exhibits that are now
housed in the two arcades, and still
furnish balcony room for more peo-
pie than can be accommodated In
the arcades. On tho cement floor be-
low the soldiers could drill .thruout
the winter and upon special .occa-
sions by spreading shavings ov3r the
floor the building could be turned in
to a live stock sales pavilion.
where the stock could be shown in
q ring as they are in the exhibition
hall at the state fair. During fair
time an orchestra or band in the
orchestra loft would keep the crowds
coming. and the building would rem
der twice the exhibition service to
exhibitors as the small shacls and
tents that we use now. and 1t would
justify q much greater investment
II such q building should cost $75.-
900 an entire community could build
1t. because our automobile licenses
are costing the people of this county
more than that now. The first move
should be for the county fair board to
| employ an architect to design COM
plete new fair ground with perma-
nent buildings located and thereby
provide q site for this combined
armory coliseum, sales pavilion and
exposition hall.
The employment Of competent fair
architects and engineers in designing
the Tri-County fair grounds at Per-
ry, as shown by an illustration In
these columns, shows what can be
accomplished within a short time un-
der proper direction. A hit and miss
policy in laying out fair grounds is
not sound, any more than 1t would be
In any other building enterprise en-
failing a large expenditure Of money
and with the idea Of building for per-
| manency.
If the members of the police force
feel that they are able to clean UP
the city and rid it of certain unde-
sirables who apparently have moth
/ ing to do, there should be no re-
straining hand on the part OF heads
of departments. If the police are
Handicapped by their superiors in
arresting persons whom the Officers
believe to be guilty of crimes, it is
time that the superiors were re-
moved and some one placed in charge
| of the department who is in SYM
pathy with law and order.
4
There is no question but that there
are a great many young men in this
city who are without jobs when jobs
are at hand, and who dress better
than do men who work every day.
II money is not obtained honestly
1t must be secured dishonesty. The
patrolmen of a city are In closer
touch with the criminal element
than the office man who Is not on
the street, and a patrolman's judg-
ment should count for something
with his superior If the patrolpan is
worthy Of employment.