Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 September 1902 — An Editor’s Observations [ARTICLE]

An Editor’s Observations

What The Fowler Republican Editor Says of Rensselaer. V " ■ ' a ■ . f The country for 6 or 7 miles north of Rensselaer is splendid. Fine farm residences and farms are found, the crops are good and the pride of land is advancing Zeigler and Barce, formerly Benton county men, have been offered advanced prices for their i farms. New blood is getting into I this territory. Many Illinois men are here and as a rule they are progressive fellows bound on beautifying their homes, introducing good stock, fixing up the fences, etc. This country will be filled With telephones, gravel roads and all the marks of an up-to-date civilization one of these days and it will all be due to the enterprise of these men. The people in Rensselaer seem to hail the coming of this class of citizenship; they will be glad when the day of rail fences, antipuate methods of farming and rock piles in the middle of the fields, is past. There is a proposition ifow oil foot to deepen the Iroquois river with a dredge for a distance of about 22 miles, Makeever, Judge Thompson, et al are interested. Near the source of the Iroquois river are extensive areas of swamp land. The whole country there is a bog. If this bog can ever be redeemed there is no doubt about it making first-class land. The viewers are now looking up and down the river and the proposition should go through. Rensselaer is a beautiful city and a wealthy one. Across the -river from the business section of town are the residences of Delos Thompson, Thomas McCoy, Daddy McCoy, his father, and a son-in-la W of. Thomas McCoy’s, who is a doctor. All these residences are very neat and pretty and have extensive lawns in front surrounded by iron fences. Daddy McCoy is a benevolent old fellow. He dote much for the poor people in the city, and they say he wonld be missed more than any other man, should he die. As an example of his largeness of heart, it is related that when the heavy rains came and almost ruined .his tenants’ crops, he went out to many of them and said: “Boys, you shall never suffer as long as I have a cent ” He is a great politician. Be had an appointment for a debate once with a Populist up Jn the north end of the county. The Populist was a windy cuss and McCoy knew it. It became McCoy’s privilege to speak first, but instead of talking he bad the band play, then tbe glee clpb sing, then the band play again, and he kept this up till late in the evening. Then McCoy talked a short time and. telling bis glee club and band to come along said: “Now if anybody is d n fool enough to stay and hear you talk, all right.” The whole crowd wont home; they had i had fun enough. E. Babce