Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1922-03-13
payne WRITES
Up THIS CITY
Well Known Editor of Iowa
Forum Writes his I'm.
pressiOns of the
City.
DONE ITSELF PROUD
Tells Some Early History
With Which he is
Familiar.
DONE ITSELF PROUD

Monday evening to the members OF tn
Rotary club, has the following in TIT
current issue of his paper:
The editor was the recipient on Mon
day evening of courtesies from thu
Rotary club of Webster City and hat
the opportunity, therefore, to renew un
der favorable conditions a local &C
quaintance that began up there nearl!
forty years ago and has continued witt
intermissions of less or greater length
throughout the period of Iowa's great
est development and prosperity. In this
development and prosperity it is appar
ent to us that Webster City has had
its share. The town is the county Seat
of Hamilton county, and it early secur,
ed and has since maintained certain
dominance in the county, such as marks
the typical and most successful county
seat.
The county, moreover, is one of the
great agricultural counties Oh the Wis
consin drift, where the earlier settlers
had to contend with an excess of flat
ness and wetness, but where. when the
adequate drainage had been put in,
the prosperity juts naturally oozcd out
of the soil. They even put up the claim
up there that Scott township which is
the southeastern corner township of the
county and which is broken by neither
town. railroad nor considerable irreg-
ularity of surface. is shown by the
computations to have the
highest percentage of strictly titled and
tillable land of any township Of regula-
ton congressional size in the United
States.
City Prospers.
q From such premises, of course. Web.
ster City has grown and prospered
Some of the best and strongest men in
the state settled there. and they and
their successors have kept the name
of the city and county Mt the front.
The town has gathered the legitimate
gain that was to be expected from the
trade Of such county. and it has de-
veloped something in the way of manu-
featuring. Never, so far as we can
recall, has it gone after the location
of any state institution, and it has mad
therefore, no notable favOrs from the
state: but it has taken care of itself,
realized upon its natural advantages
and done itself proud.
Library and Parks.
Naturally and properly the spirit of
civic pride has been strong there. and
has it been both shared and
by some Of the prosperous
citizens there, who have since passed
on and left their riches behind them.
Accordingly the city has the finest IL
brary that we know of in city Of
anything like the same size, and the
same is SO richly endowed that its
trustees hardly know what to do with
al their money. Two considerable
parks, one north of the city and one
TO the south of it, have resulted from
smaller. though similar. benefices. and
the city as whole appreciates what
has been done for it and what it in
TACT is. The early and characteristic
spirit of progress that has ruled up
there is evidenced further by court
house that was built in the latter '7Os
and is one of the earliest really hand
some court houses to be located i'm the
state. In this court house. as we re
all. there is tablet commemorative.
If those who went from Hamilton cOun-
v to the rescue of the settlers at Spirit
Lake in 1857. and in the library are
ablcts to the honor of those who went
rom the county for service in the civil
var and in the world war. Latest Of
heir exhibits up there is a hotel that is
lot to be beaten in town of the size
md Importance: and altogether Web
ter City is properly pleased vita it.
elf.
Early Political Conventions.
Webster City has in our time been
he host of a good many political con.
entions. We did not see Major
IOlmes get his, first nomination for
congress- there after most amazing 20.
itical processes in 1882: but we did
20 him renominated there by common
onsent in 1884. Then in 1883. when
udee Miracles health failed and hei
esicned from the district bench. the
invention met there to name his sue
assor: and it was only after ballOtingt
II the day and away into the night |
hat Hindman Of Boone was finally
by margin of one vote over
.ayle of Eagle Grove. Six years lat i
r the Story delegation went up there
wing to get judge Of its own: hut
met a combination that sat down
non il hard and sent it home empty
anded at the end of a single ballot.