SHELBY COUNTY A SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY BY JOHN J. LOUIS w n Reprinted from VoLtJME II Numbers i and 2 of THE IOWA JOURNAL OF HISTORY AND POLITICS Published ax Iowa City Iowa by The State Historical Society of Iowa ( / SHELBY COUNTY BY JOHN j!" LOUIS REPRINTED FROM THE IOWA JOURNAL OF HISTORY AND POLITICS Published at Iowa City Iowa by The State Historical Society of Iowa ^U^^"^ ^ A SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY SHELBY COUNTY A SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY The purpose of this study is to examine the component society known as Shelby County with reference to its social structure; to trace the development of the original elements to their present state of differentiation and combination ; and to give a general outline of the structure as it now exists. It must be recognized at the beginning that a fairly adequate analysis of the social groups with some of their relations to the social whole involves possibilities beyond the scope of this study. ^ THE LAND Shelby County is the second county east from the Mis- souri river in the fourth tier of counties north from the southern boundary of Iowa. It contains sixteen congres- sional townships numbering from township seventy -eight north, range thirty -seven west, to township eighty -one north, range forty west, of the fifth principal meridian. The surface is gently undulating, well drained by streams which run through broad valleys. The forms of some of the largest valleys suggest the probability that once they were beds of chains of lakes. Only a few years ago some of these bottoms were wide swamps which could not be ' The plan followed is that indicated by Small and Vincent in their Introduc- tion to the Study of Society, modified according to the suggestions of Professor I. A. Loos, under whose direction the work has been done at the State University of Iowa. 4 crossed easily. In its original condition the rolling prairie was covered by tall grass and myriads of flowers. Natural groves dotted the landscape and animal life was abundant — ducks and geese found the swamps a very satisfactory nest- ing place; quails and prairie chickens were disturbed plied to- ward the first cost of the creamery plant. ' 2. Articles of Incorporation of the Clay Township Cream- ery Company, Filed for Record March 22, 1903. article v In case the Company's business should become unprofitable and would have to dissolve, all unpaid moneys invested shall be equally divided among all members who shall be compelled by law to pay their equal share of such indebtedness. ARTICLE VI If a member should withdraw or quit selling his milk without good reason, he shall after six months be compelled to pay his share of all debts concerning said company except in case of death, selling out, moving out of the township, or quit farming. 1 There are forty-five men in this association. 29 ARTICLE VII In case tliis comjiany shall have to dissolve, a two-thirds vote of all members shall be required to decide. ARTICLE VIII This constitution may be amended by two-thirds vote of the mem- bers present at any lawful meeting. 3. Articles of Incorporation of the Corlet Creamery Com- pany, Filed for Record February 16, 1901. article XI, SECTION 2 The object of this association is to handle milk and cream sepa- rated by centrifugal separator and manufacture the same into first class butter and sell for the patrons, factory to be operated on the cooperative plan. Patrons to receive their portion of the net pro- ceeds of each month's make of butter money, each patron's share to be based on what part of the whole amount of milk or cream such patron furnished in proportion to the amount of fat in such milk or cream. Necessary running expenses to be deducted each month and a sinking fund, which shall be increased or decreased by two-thirds vote (to pay interest, taxes, and the plant) to be made to the patrons of each month's milk as soon as all returns are in. There will be no dividends. The a))Ove articles are copied literally from the county records. The tables of figures which follow indicate the political preferences of the county as a whole. They show also how each precinct voted in the elections of 1901 and 1902. VOTE FOR PRESIDENT 1900 PARTY CANDIDATE VOTE Republican McKinley 2182 Democratic Bryan 2010 Prohibition Wooley 32 Peoples Barker Social Democratic Debs 8 30 VOTE FOR GOVERNOR VOTE FOR CONGRESS- 1901 MAN 1902 TOWNSHIP CUMMINS PHILLIPS SMITH CULLISON Cass 91 154 90 156 Center 103 51 95 60 Clay 114 74 126 80 Douglas 114 76 117 83 Fairview 73 90 72 81 Greeley 99 46 102 40 Grove 71 68 70 65 Harlan, first ward Ill 56 87 70 Harlan, second ward... 87 65 99 84 Harlan, third ward 65 49 55 60 Harlan, fourth ward. .. . 72 52 63 62 Jackson 82 102 82 121 Jefferson 137 71 125 88 Lincoln 75 82 71 85 Monroe 114 56 110 69 Polk 94 43 82 48 Shelby 175 117 198 135 Union 121 140 118 130 Washington 84 125 55 127 Westphalia, precinct 1.. 35 115 29 101 Westphalia, precinct 2.. 7 121 8 112 Total 1926 1753 1855 1866 Total vote for Governor 3679. Total congressional vote 3721. The German vote is conspicuously Democratic, especially in the two precincts o£ Westphalia Township. In 1902 thirty-seven of two hundred fifty-nine voters in Westphalia voted the Republican ticket. Among the Germans in Cass, Lincoln, Fairview, and Shelby townships there is not the approach to unanimity that we find in Westphalia, although 31 the Germans are as a rule Democrats. The Germans in Shelby Township are Lutherans and Republicans. Among the Danes there is nearly an equal division in the preference shown to political parties. In county affairs they will often favor a candidate who is personally j)leasing to them, although he may be on the "other ticket." Both Democratic and Republican parties are organized with county central committees, and township and ward chairmen; and the voters are carefully listed, so that it is possible for the enterprising chairman to have a committee- man visit every man known to affiliate with his party. In this way the party canvass is as closely made as in the cities where bosses are working. Even the rural communities have their political leaders, who are sometimes elected but more often self-appointed. By taking hold of the work, and thus becoming influential, by attending township cau- cuses, by being sent as a delegate to the county convention, by doing political joV)s for candidates, these leaders are rewarded later by a deputyship or possildy by a nomination to a county office. In addition to the Republican and Democratic parties there have been organizations of the Prohibition party, the Populist party, and the Free Silver Republican party. Other parties have received a few votes. For example. Debs, the Social Democratic candidate for President, received eight votes in 1900. The Prohibition party has a following of less than forty men who believe that the only way to settle the liquor (juestion is to vote the ticket of that party. That there are plenty of peoi)le who do not favor the li([uor traffic is shown by the fact that there are no saloons in Shelby 32 County. It is impossible to secure a sufficient number of petitioners. For several yeai's prior to 1900 the Peoples party had a loose organization. In the election of 1900 only six voted for the presidential candidate of the party. At one time the party was assisted by the establishment of a weekly news- paper, The Industrial American^ which was to be the organ of the party. Through vicissitudes and changes in owner- ship the Harlan American, has become a Democratic organ, and the majority of the members of the Peoples party are now voting the Democratic ticket. Fusion has become absorption where the Free Silver ele- ments have joined the Democratic party in this county. The Free Silver Republicans joined the Populists in 1896, and later both joined the Democratic forces. The three county conventions were held at the same time in diffei-eut rooms in the court house at Harlan. Later a joint meeting was held and fusion agreed upon with much rejoicing. Among the social aggregates in this county are churches of the following sects: American and Danish Baptist, Amer- ican and Danish Adventist, Congregatioualist, Catholic, Christian, Dunkard, German and American Evangelical, Epis- copal, Latter Day Saints, Methodist, Presbyterian, United Brethren, and Union. The small towns of the county are all well supplied with churches — so well, indeed, that the congregations in many places are too small to support a pas- tor for full time. And so one pastor is sometimes called upon to fill two pulpits. The Catholic church finds its adherents largely among the Germans, and their church building at Westphalia is one 33 of the best in western Iowa. A few Irish C^atholics attach themselves to the German churches in various parts of the county. There are Catholic churches in Harlan, West- phalia, Earling, Portsmouth, and Panama. Some of the Ger- mans who live in the southern part of the county attend the Catholic church at Avoca. The Danes are found chiefly in three churches — the Bap- tist, Lutheran, and Adventist. Many of the young people and some of the })arents attend churches which hold no ser- vices in the Danish language. The Danish Baptist church in Monroe Township, as well as the one in Harlan, holds morn- ing service in Danish and the evening service in English. The Lutheran center is Elkhorn for the Danes and Shelby for the Germans. The Dunkards have a church building at Bowman's Grove in Center Township. They attract some attention by their piety and their simplicity of dress. The poke bonnets which the women wear are especially conspicuous. The earliest settlers of Shelby County were members of the church which was established among the people who left the Mormons at Council Bluffs — then known as Kanes- ville. The Latter Day Saints stiU have a strong congrega- tion in Grove Township where many of their people settled. Harrison County, which is just west of Shelby County, also has a large number of these people. Some of Harlan's early settlers were Latter Day Saints, and a small congre- gation still e.xists in this town. The Methodists have the largest number of congregations in the county. If one could assemble instantly and without notice all 34 the people in cliurch on a Sunday morning it would be a representative assembly — representative of the best moral and intellectual elements in the county. But many wives and mothers would appear as the sole representatives of their families. It is safe to say that the assembly would constitute a minority of the people. Indeed, all the churches filled would hold not more than seventy-five per cent of the people living in the towns alone. The church societies play an important part in determin- ing cliques in all the towns of the county. Even the county seat is hoj^elessly divided for social functions by the lines which are laid for church activity. The young people of each church flock together, and even the older people find the company of other sectarians distasteful at times. Some- times there are smaller groups within the church itself. The several churches or sects differ on questions of popular amusement such as card- playing, dancing, theatre-going; and groups are easily distinguished in some of the churches on the basis of card -playing. Sometimes distinctions are drawn which are clearly false and entirely artificial. The presumption is common that a certain church has a monopoly on the richest denizens of the town; that another represents the "best society" in its large membership; and that still another is "the poor man's church." These distinctions are non-essential to the differ- entiation of religious groups, and are simply man and woman made, distinctions fostered in the sewing society, in the young folks' entertainments, or in conversation wherever it turns upon church matters. The young people enjoy the union meetings of the young 35 peoples' societies for religious work; and the effect of such meetings is marked by its broadening influence. One pastor has organized a club of men whose special function is to im- prove the Sunday evening meetings. The clul) is constantly supplied with work to do and, therefore, has some reason for existence. The holiday vacation of the young people attending col- lege causes a readjustment in the groujjing for the time l)e- ing. The renewal of old accpiaintances and the effort to entertain the friends who have returned for the holiday season have a marked tendency to break down the church lines. In many cases the bond of union is in the hostess alone. There are family reunions, neighborhood gatherings, quiltings, and carpet-rag sewings in the country, and Ken- singtons in town. In Westphalia weddings often bring three hundred people together. On these festal occasions there is usually an abundance of refreshments and entertainment. Beer and dancing are essential at the typical wedding in Westphalia. There are many weddings among the Ger- mans which are consummated without the "celebration," but as a rule all the friends and neighbors join in the felicity of the wedding day, letting it take precedence over all other claims and duties. Fraternal societies flourish in this county. The Masons are strong, having lodges in Harlan, Defiance, Shelby and Irwin. Together with the Eastern Star, the sister lodge, these form a strong bond of union among a large number of the leading citizens of the county. The Odd Fellows Order was established in Harlan in 36 1873, a year after the organization of the Masonic Order. There are lodges of this society at Shelby and Irwin, but their membership is not as large as is that of the Masons. Associated with the Odd Fellows is the order of women known as Rebeccas. The Knights of Pythias once had a flourishing lodge in Harlan, but like many other insurance orders interest de- creased. The organization, however, still exists. On the other hand, the lodges of the Legion of Honor and the Ancient Order of United Workman have passed entirely out of existence. In addition to the societies already mentioned there are the Woodmen of the World, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Maccabees, and an attempted organization of a new Homestead of Yeomen. The Modern Woodmen and their sister society, the Royal Neighljors, recognizing the necessity of something more than inexpensive fraternal insurance to hold a group of peo- ple together, have equipped their lodge rooms comfortably and provided kitchen and dining rooms with proper furni- ture. They spend many pleasant evenings together as a big family. I am confident that the lodge has acquired many of its three hundred members through the influence of the good-time social side of the organization. The Danish Brotherhood established in Harlan in Febru- ary, 1903, already has a membership of fifty persons. Sim- ilar lodges in Jacksonville and Clay Township have about the same membership. The A. P. A. was very active in the county for a short time when that society was flourishing generally thi-oughout 37 the country. Their organization in this place was disbanded because of internal dissension. The P. E. O. society maintains a subscription library con- taining about fourteen hundred volumes of choice fiction, travel, biography, and children's books. The ladies explain that the "new books" are the ones most called for, and hence the library is made up largely of recent works of fiction. The society charges five cents per book, with the privilege of keeping it two weeks, or one dollar for a certificate for a year. For two years the ladies have managed a course of entertainments which profited them about two hundred dol- lars last year (1902) and about one half that sum this year (1903). All money received is put into books. The library is open every Saturday afternoon and evening when books are issued by a committee which works for the sake of the cause of a public library. The lack of necessary public sup- port prevents for the present the possibility of a Carnegie building. The Political Equality Club, Woman's Christian Temper- ance Union, and the Woman's Union are societies among the women for purposes of improving moral and political con- ditions. The Woman's Union is not a select organization,, but it is open to all women who are interested in improving- local conditions. Recently the society interested itself ia beautifying the town by encouraging the cultivation of flow- ering plants and the care of lawns, parkings, and alleys. A flower contest among the children was one of the devices; used to accomplish the desired ends. Other minor organizations tend to group and re-group the people. It is moreover a fact that a few people belong to 38 many societies, and many people belong to no organization except the church. At the same time it is true that the many need the benefits of associations more than the few. SOCIAL ORGANS There are three general systems of social organs: (1) Sustaining System; (2) Transporting System; (3) Regulat- ing System. Under the sustaining system are included all social organs which are engaged in the production of wealth in either the extracting or the transforming industries. The transporting system conveys wealth and population from one part of society to another. The regulating system coordi- nates and renders efficient the activities of the sustaining and transporting systems and disciplines and developes the phys- ical powers of persons and society. The regulating system is essentially concerned with the generation and communication of psychical influences — knowledge, feeling, and willing. Every person or group of persons holding a piece of land performs the service of gaining control over food conditions or of uniting the land and population. Now there were very few conditions placed on the owners of Shelby County land as they acquired possession of the soil. A land agent (men- tioned above) was to sell land to German Catholics, and for every acre sold he was to pay fifty cents to the church. The government has, of course, exercised its special func- tion at various times to appropriate property needed for the public welfare, for highways and raili'oads. Many of the residents of the towns have taken advantages offered by building and loan associations. Others have ex- perienced the disadvantages arising from poorly organized 39 associations. These latter cases should be discussed under the topic "Social Pathology." Loan offices are established now where the savings of the frugal Davenjiorters or the assets of insurance companies can be borrowed on good security at a low rate. The local banks also furnish farmers and cattlemen ample funds with which to carry on their business. ORGANS OF PROTECTION It is impossible to separate the ideas of protection of pro- perty from the food process. In the early history of the county the family performed all the services of shelter and defence for itself. Hotels there were none on the prairie, and in almost every cabin where there was room on the floor a traveler was welcome to sleep. It is told that in the fifties west- bound travelers could always pay for their lodgings and meals, but when some of the disappointed gold seekers came back from the west their grateful appreciation of the kind- ness of the host was sufficient compensation because it was all they had to offer. Then the family dispensed its own medicine, made its own clothes from calico and homespun, captured game, made sweetening out of sorghum or maple sap or watermelons, prepared a substitute for coffee by roast- ing various cereals, used coarse flour and coarser corn meal, and cracked corn. In fact the family provided its own de- fense against nature and protection from the elements in almost every particular. Every township in the county has its trustees, who with the clerk constitute the board of health. The county em- ploys on contract physicians whose duty under the terms of 40 the contract is to care for the sick among the poor. In 1902 the county spent $937.53 for medical services for pau- pers, and f$l,430.72 for quarantine and expenses in conta- gious diseases, making a total expenditure of $2,368.27. Quarantine is enforced in all cases of contagious or infec- tious diseases. The school board of the independent district of Harlan passed a rule that all children who have been absent from school on account of sickness shall present a certificate from a practicing physician stating that the child has no conta- gious or infectious disease. The school authorities and the board of health cooperate to the advantage of both. The county is on the whole well drained. The towns havnng water works draw the supply from wells. The sup- ply of water for Harlan is from wells which are within fifty feet of the Nishnabotna River. There is a thick bed of fine sand through which the river water would have to pass if any of it got into the wells. The city provides a dumping ground and inspects alleys and private premises in the inter- ests of the health of the community. This is done by a committee of the city council. In 1891 the city of Harlan voted to establish a system of electric lighting. A sum amounting to $15,000 in bonds and $3,500 in warrants covered the expense of installing the plant. The rates established and charged down to 1902-3 are indicated as follows: RESIDENCE 16 CP. COMMERCIAL CHOPHOUSE 1 Light $1.00 SI. 00 81.00 2 Lights 1.25 1.25 1.25 Additional 35 .50 .65 Churches and lodges are required to pay three cents per night for each 16 op. lamp. 41 But these rates were unsatisfactory because the plant was running behind. In 1901 there was a deficit of $10,207.62 charged against the electric light. The present city council urged on Ijy the Commercial Exchange, began to investigate and devise plans whereby the plant could be made to pay its own way. Several sources of loss were discovered; many lights were in use which were not recorded on the books of the city clerk; there was a considerable loss in the operation of the engines and dynamos; the mains were in poor condi- tion; the power house was too far from the center of the dis- trict using the lights; but the greatest source of loss was found to be that many of the consumers burned all of their lamps whenever the current was on. Smallleaks in the purchase of wire and other supplies were also found; and discounts and other rebates heretofore unnoticed are now obtained. In the past eleven months the system has made a net gain of $1,344.72, due to the more careful operation of the plant, an increase in the number of lights and the use of meters. The council has just adopted the Westinghouse scale with a meter rate of fifteen cents per kilowatt for each 1 6 candle power lamp for thirty days' use. At present there are sixty-three meters in use — thirty-five per cent of the service. Meters have not been put in unless the consumer advanced the price of the meter and accepted the service of lights for the sum of $17. The city retains the- title to the meters. It has already been shown that the use of meters will more than double the capacity of the plant. The plant consists of boilers, engine (Corliss), two dyna- 42 mos of 175 horse power and a voltage of 220 direct current, producing 643 kilowatt hours per day of an average of eight and one half hours, and generating a current of 856 horse power. There are 45. 8 miles of mains and 3 miles of branch wires (all overhead work). There are 1,700 lights used at present. The total cost of the plant to date has been 122,303.62. Income for the current year is indicated as follows: Commercial and private lights ST, 037. 96 Public lights 800.00 Other sources 1,800.00 Total §9,637.96 Arc lights used in business houses are furnished at the rate of ^4.50 per month. The meters save consumers one- third of the former rentals. One case may be mentioned where eleven lights with the meter cost less than four lights on the flat rate. Fire limits have been established within which no frame building may be erected. A voluntary fire company of sixty members does splendid service whenever there is a fire. The telephone system makes the sending of the alarm and its spread a matter of only a few minutes. Here the trans- porting system overlaps the sustaining system. Many insurance companies have agents here who oft'er to insure against loss by storm, fire, lightning, or accident. There are two mutual fire insurance companies which have a large number of policy holders. One company deals in farm risks only, the other confines its insurance to town dwel- lings. Both companies afford a very cheap and an entirely satisfactory insurance. 43 The Danish farmers perfected an organization which was intended to equalize hisses occasioned by hailstorms. The Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Association was incorporated May 7, 1898. Among other specifications in the articles of incorporation, I find that policies to the amount of ^50,000 were to be issued before any insurance was valid. Each policy holder was to pay a share of the loss according to the ratio which his policy bore to the whole amount of insurance in force. The company ended its existence after a severe hailstorm which ruined the crops of nearly every policy hol- der. No losses were ])aid. The county carries insurance on its public buildings to the amount of $SG, 850. There was a time when there was no need of banks, but now twelve banks serve the people by protecting the money entrusted to them. One of these banks keeps its deposits in a safe which occupies a conspicuous place in a large win- dow in plain sight of everyone on the street. The fact that the city employs a night watchman and that the safe is claimed to be burglar proof makes the location of the safe in the window an additional safeguard. ORGANS FOE THE PRODUCTION AND EXCHANGE OF WEALTH In this community the organs for producing wealth are largely extractive. Agriculture is the occupation of a large majority of the people. Of 17,932 people who live in this county 5,350 live in the towns. Less than one third of the inhabitants are not engaged in farming. Of this number many who live in towns depend on the farms to provide them with a livelihood. The transforming industries are few. A carpet and rug factory which makes and sells a 44 very good loom has grown out of a one-room carpet weav- ing shop solely by the skill and ingenuity of the boy who saw how he could make a lever throw the shuttle and return it. Similarly from a Ijlacksmith shop in which there worked a man who saw how he could make gasoline furnish power has come a gas engine which is a marvel in simplicity and power. A company has been organized to enable the suc- cessful enterprise to be carried out more completely. The company has already provided new machinery for the factory which will turn out gas engines, motors, and automobiles. A canning factory erected in 1903 consumed the product of over three hundred acres of sweet corn. Contrary to the custom of promoters of such enterprises the community was asked to provide only the site and guarantee the jjlanting of three hundred acres of corn. There are many other minor industries which might be mentioned in this connection, such as flouring mills, brick plants, cigar factory, broom factory, creameries, and indus- tries which are partly domestic in their organization. Here also we list masons, carpenters, dressmakers, shoemakers,' bakers, and so on through the list of those who in the union of the land and population add their capital of tools and strength to produce wealth. Exchange is still carried on in some parts of the county in primitive ways. Barter is used extensively in buying pro- duce from the farmers, many of whom find it difficult to use all the credit gained by the marketing of eggs and small fruit. Some have resorted to seeking special patrons at first hand without the assistance of the storekeeper. 45 Oue merchant has discontinued the use of due bills because of the many errors which arose. He now issues metal checks which call for goods at his store to the amount stamped ou the face of the check. It is interesting to note that this "tin money" is readily accepted by his fellow merchants. Inquiry proved that business courtesy was not the explana- tion of the ready acceptance of this medium, but rather the fact that the merchant who issued the checks could redeem them in goods or cash and that he was willing to do so at any time. Much of the exchange is conducted ou a credit basis by the use of checks and drafts. The deposits of the three banks of Harlan aggregate over a million dollars. The postoffice is used by many as a banking institution in that they depend on postal money orders to forward money in small amounts. The express companies perform the same function. ORGANS FOR THE TRANSMISSION OF WEALTH The organs for the transmission of wealth are few in ad- dition to the function of the family in inheritance. Agents of various life insurance companies and benefit associations are found here. In accordance with the statute there exists a commission for the purpose of assessing the collateral and inheritance tax. ORGANS FOR TRANSPORTATION The organs for transportation in early days consisted of oxen or horses and wagons as private conveyances and the stage coach as a common carrier. Until 18(59, when the Rock Island Railroad was completed to Council Bluti's, it 46 was a two days' trip to market or mill and return. Then Avoca became the market place for many Shelby County people. The ridges which run nearly north and south furnished excellent prairie highways the entire distance to Avoca. Many a farmer who now has to drive up and down the hills with his loads of grain longs for the good old times of the ridge road and wheat at a dollar a bushel. In 1878 a branch railroad was built from Avoca to Har- lan by a company called the Avoca, Harlan and Northern Railway Company whose function was to prepare the road- bed which the Rock Island agreed to tie and iron. The local company succeeded in getting a tax levied in Lincoln, Harlan, Westphalia, Douglas, and Greeley townships. This tax varied from one to four per cent on a doUar of taxable property, varying with the advantages to be gained by the operation of the railroad. After the road-bed was com- pleted the Chicago Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Com- pany leased it for ninety -nine years. The main line of the Chicago Milwaukee & St. Paul ruus across the northwestern part of the county passing through ■fw"^*'*^ I^^fiance, vPanama, and Portsmouth, and has 24.81 miles of ^ track. The Rock Island has only 17.1.5 miles of track, while the Northwestern has 18.72 miles in the branch line which was extended as far as Harlan in 1900. Previous to that time the Northwestern ran only to Kirkman. The Great Western has completed a road diagonally across the county from northeast to southwest. Two additional roads are much talked of, an electric line from Des Moines directly west and a line from Manning to Marne. These roads would pass through country that is now twelve miles from 47 a raili-oad. This territory is now reached by no ])ul)lic con- veyances, and the only access is through private means of transportation. The mail carrier sometimes takes passen- gers, and creamery wagons assist in the public service of transportation. Hotels have their omnibus lines and baggage wagons, and many dray lines have been established. Numerous livery barns supply teams and vehicles for many persons for whom private conveyances would be too e.xpensive. The delivery wagons and messengers of merchants form a considerable part of the transporting system. The oil wagons in town, which follow definite routes in the country a few times each week, serve a large number of people in a substantial manner. Farmers have united in their etfoi'ts to transport the farm produce easily. The men exchange work usually of a like kind. It is not uncommon to see a dozen wagon loads of hogs brought into town in a procession. The number of teams used is limited by the size of the drove to be trans- ported. At such a time every farmer helps his neighbor and is helped in return when he markets his own hogs. Many loads of lumber are taken to the farms after such a market- ing. THE COMMUNICATING SYSTEM The transporting system does a great service to the pub- lic by providing a means of communication. The railroads which make possible the present postal system, and the tele- phones and telegraphs by which rapid communication of ideas is accomplished are the material means which unite the people of Shelby County with the world. What it 48 means to be shut out from the rest of the world is felt oc- casionally when accidents or storms prevent the arrival of the usual mail. The communicating system of Shelby County expressed in miles consists of the following: C. «& N. W. R. R 18.72 miles C. M. & St. P. R. R 24.81 " C. R. I. & P. R. R 17.15 " American Express 18.72 " U. S. Express 41.96 " Harlan & Avoca Telephone and Telegraph Company . . . 35.10 " Western Union Telegraph Company 60.68 " There are about four hundred and fifty telephones in Harlan and vicinity, and of this number over fifty are on the rural lines. Iu(j[uiry at the central office brings out the fact that the busy time begins about seven o'clock in the morning and reaches its height by half past nine. Business is steady until noon when there is a lull during the dinner hour. From three until five and from seven until eight are busy times for "Central." There are very few calls after eleven o'clock at night. The desire to talk seems to go in waves over the town. Sometimes there is not a call for several minutes; then suddenly there will begin a wave of calls which sometimes lasts for twenty minutes. The ser- vice is continuous and offers good connections with neigh- boring towns. It is of much greater service than an earlier system which was operated twelve hours in twenty-four with no Sunday service. The press constitutes a very important part of the com- municating system. In this county at present there are six 49 weekly papers published in addition to five Danish publica- tions. The latter are written elsewhere with the exception of one whose name translates The Voice in the Wilderness. The local papers published in the county seat contain col- umns of notes from various correspondents in other towns and in the rural districts. Greater attention is given to local news than to items of wider interest because there are many daily papers taken. The three rural free delivery routes greatly increased the circulation of the daily papers. Commercial agencies keep banks and merchants informed as to the standing of business men in other communities. The banks serve as local commercial agencies because they can give information concerning the credit of almost every resident of the vicinity. The weather service forecasts are announced by display- ing flags on one of the business houses, by bulletins in the postoffice, and by small flags displayed by the rural mail wagons. The Commercial Exchange of Harlan gathers and spreads I information concerning the locality, and as an organ of communication forms a center in which the public spirited men of the town come together to make plans for the ad- vancement of common interests. The Agricultural Ex- change, consisting of nearly one hundred men, is urging the matter of better roads. The Fine Stock Association built a large pavilion on the grounds of the Shelby County Fair Association for the purpose of having a place for the sale of fine stock. The groups which gather at such sales and the hundreds who attend the annual fair are important aids in the communication of the knowledge of the best products and the best methods of production. 50 Church, school, and lectures furnish continual information for the population. Sermons are filled with practical facts bearing on the morals and spiritual life of the people. The schools broaden the horizon of the child's experience by- giving him new material for thought and connecting him with rich experiences of the past. Public lecture courses are popular and have become an important feature even in some of the smaller towns in the county. The commercial traveler not only tells the retail merchant of the best things which the wholesale house has to sell, but he learns of the demands made by the people on the retail dealer. When the drummer reports a general demand for some special article the whole set of productive and trans- forming organs are set in motion to supply the new call. Other minor means of communication are found in the groups which gather in the postoffice, at lunch counters, in billiard halls, and in business places and offices. Adver- tisements in the newspapers, on the bill boards, and by means of printed or typewritten letters sent through the mail in plain envelopes, or delivered by messenger, furnish the people with much undervalued information. THE REGULATING SYSTEM The regulating system shows many interesting phases in its history. A few extracts from the county records per- taining to the first elections show how the County Judge and the Justice of the Peace were once in control of aft'airs. It is noteworthy that these early records set forth the elec- tion of certain men to ofiice, but do not give the number of votes each received nor the names of the opposing candi- 51 dates. Other details were omitted which are now found in county records. Below are several extracts from the records showing the location of the first county seat, the division of the county into townships, and the results of early elections. Council Bluffs, December 3, 1853. A majority of the voters of Shelby County, Iowa, as shown by the petition and certified to by the District Clerk of said county, the county officers being electors. I therefore appoint Marshall Turly of Council Bluffs City, .T. F. Vails of Crawford County; Lorenzo Butler of Harrison County, who within two months of receiving notice of said appointment, be- ing sworn, or two of them shall locate the seal of justice for said county as near the geographical center as may be having due regard to the present as well as future population of said county. ' Samukl H. Riddle, Judge 7th Judicial District. The next item has no date, Init the entry immediately preceding is dated February 21, 1854, and the one immedi- ately following, July 3, 1854. I, James M. Butler, County Judge, do hereby divide the county of Shelby into two townships for the purpose of holding elections in the same, which precincts are known as Galland's Grove precinct and Southern precinct. At an election held in Shelby county, Iowa, on Monday, the 3rd day of April, 1854, William H. Jordan was elected to the office of County Judge; Milton M. Beebe was elected to the office of Sheriff; Alexander McCord was elected to the office of Treasurer and Re- corder; Adam Cuppy was elected to the office of Drainage Commis- ' It is interesting to note that the seat of justice was located in tlie northeast one-fourth of section 27, township 81 north, and range 40 west, which is in the northwest comer of the county. The present county seat is very nearly in the geographical center. 52 sioner; James Ward was elected to the office of Prosecuting At- torney; and James Perry was elected to the office of Surveyor. April 1, 1854. James Butler, County Judge, T Thomas McCord, Justice Peace, I County ( Canvassers. Uriah Roundt, Justice Peace. i At an election held in Shelby County, Iowa, on Monday, 7th August, 1854, for the purpose of electing one member to Congress, Governor, Attorney General, Auditor of State, Secretary of State, one Senator, County officers. County Judge, Recorder and Treasurer, District Clerk, a School Fund Commissioner, Prosecuting Attorney, County Surveyor, and Justice of the Peace, the result is as follows, to-wit: For Member of Congress . For office of Governor ... Auditor of State . Augustus Halle had 43 votes Rufus B. Clarke 9 '< Curtis Bates 33 " James W. Grimes 19 " Jos. Sharp 29 " M. L. Morris 11 Andrew Stevenson 18 " At an election held in the county of Shelby on the 2nd day of April, 1855, there were votes cast for the office of Register of State Lands — Anson Hart had one vote. For the office of Des Moines River Improvement, Wm. McKay one vote, J. C. Lockwood one vote. Prohibitory Liquor Law — for, four votes; against, fifty votes.' On the first Monday in April, 1858, an election was held to vote on the question "shall stock run at large." The total vote cast was 113 of which number 62 voted in favor of the law and 51 against. The above extracts show that the early records of the county as kept are very incomplete. The records of the > It is to be inferred that the liquor law was of so much interest that the two offices to be filled were almost entirely ignored. 53 Justices of the Peace show many cases settled. One part of the record given below suggests the scope of work under- taken by the Justice's court. State of Iowa, Shelby County: An inquisition holden at Elkhorn Creek, near the east line of Shelby County, on the 7th day of April, A. D. 1869, before Martin Poling as Justice of the Peace, acting as coroner of said county upon the body of J. W. Wilson there lying dead, by the jurors whose names are hereto subscribed, the said jurors upon their oaths do say that the said Wilson is supposed to have been killed on the 15th day of November, A. D. 1868, by lightning. In testimony whereof the said jurors have hereunto set their hands the day and year aforesaid. Attest, W. L. Davis, Maetix Poling, J. P. D. S. Bowman, Elias Monroe, Jurors. I return a transcript of the above to the clerk of the District Court. Martin Poling, J. P. Acting as Coroner. The judicial system, courts, and lawyers are above the many authorities which arise out of the public sentiment for right doing. These centers of authority are the church school, and the indefinite "they" of public opinion. It is in a measure the product of church and school to which is; added the sentiment or opinion which seems to grow and scatter itself from nowhere in particular to everywhere ioi general. Wherever men meet and talk this same intangible force is growing. Not only are fashions fixed by this same: influence but morals, religion, and politics come under its sway. Custom and precedent are powerful allies of public opinion especially among the conservative people. > 54 The press has great regulative power. Whenever efforts are needed to secure any enterprise or to make any reform the papers do a great deal to influence public action by the information supplied and the arguments offered. Not a week passes but the press urges the resistance of some wrong, the assistance of right, and the advancement of the common welfare. A certain bookstore refuses to sell trashy stories to boys and girls, thereby raising the standard of the reading of many young people. The Woman's Union in carrying out its plans for a cleaner and more beautiful city is regulative in its nature. All the associations or societies which are educational in their nature must be regulative to the degree that they impose local conditions. The organs of government are specifically regulative through police, the courts, and prescribed administrative regulations. SOCIAL PATHOLOGY We have noted that the area studied is a composite society, possessing not only a social body with its organs, but also a social mind which acts, directs, and makes itself felt con- stantly. It is the product of association and the cause of social activities. The test of the efficiency of the whole organism or of any part thereof is the greatest possible good to the individuals who compose it. That there are many who are not getting the greatest possible good is due in part to the social disease from which no social organ is altogether free. Diseased individuals cannot adequately perform their 55 social function, and so the social fabric is weakened by the physical ills of the members of society. As a rule the boards of health in every township of the county are alert and careful to place contagious or infectious diseases in quarantine, but sometimes those restrained fail to realize the necessity of a conscientious observance of regulations. There have been no serious epidemics of ravaging disease. The occasional case of typhoid fever or similar diseases can be accounted for by unsanitary conditions in the immediate vicinity. The drainage is good and genera] conditions are healthful. The number of births during the past year exceeded the number of deaths. Small pox, scarlet fever, and diphtheria have caused very few deaths. These dis- eases persist in some parts of the county because the people are unwilling to use the necessary care in disinfecting the premises. Poverty and pauperism do not furnish in a rural com- munity the problems which are so important in the city. But even in such a prosperous agricultural section as Shelby County it seems necessary to have a permanent home for paupers. The county owns a farm of 166.39 acres, which lie in section 36 of Lincoln Township. The farm as now oper- ated contains one hundred acres of pasture. In 1902 this farm produced ninety tons of hay, twelve hundred bushels of corn, and one hundred bushels of potatoes. The farm is not self-supporting; and that the indoor relief furnished is expensive is evident from the following statistics which are taken from the financial statement for 1902 issued by the County Auditor: 56 Dr. Total cash expenditures during the year 1902 | 5,693.17 Inventory of stock and other property at beginning of year 7,034.97 Insurance (per annum) 60.00 Cr. $12,788.14 Sales of stock and other products as shown else- where $4,339.86 Inventory of stock and other property at close of year 5,821.01 $10,160.87 Dr. balance $ 2,627.27 Total number of inmates cared for in 1902 16 Average number of days for each inmate 206 Average number of inmates during the year 9 Whole number of weeks of maintenance 466 Average cost (cash) per inmate per week $5.64 From the same source we gather the following facts con- cerning outdoor relief.^ EXPENSE OF PAUPERS OUTSIDE OF THE POOR FARM House rent $ 24.40 Monthly allowances 807.00 Clothing 10. 55 Provisions 285.91 Medical aid 888. 50 Burial expenses 25.75 Expense shipping out tramp 5.00 Total $2,047.11 The total expense of the public support of the poor for the year 1902 was $4,(374.38. Just what is meant by the ' This does not include private charities or that given by the association of churches of Harlan. 57 item, "Expense shipping out tramp," cannot be stated. It is a fact that the officials of the community have given such parasites a few dollars and a few hours to leave the county. The tramp usually follows the main line of the railroad; so that the tramp problem may be increased for Harlan when the Great Western begins to operate its trains. On Thanksgiving Day each year the churches of Harlan hold a union service, oue part of which is the collection of a thank offering that is to be used in assisting the poor of the community in order to prevent them from calling on public charity. In case of sickness or misfortune temporary aid, judiciously given, has prevented pauperism. The aid is ad- ministered through the pastors, two of whom sign an order upon the treasurer for the money to purchase the necessary supplies. Of a total of one hundred and nineteen adjudged insane from 1871 to March 15, 1903, thirty-two were Danes, twenty- one Germans, and the remainder distributed among other nationalities. From January 1, 1900, to March I.'), 1903, twenty-seven persons have been adjudged insane; and of this number two were Germans and thirteen Danes — nine men and four women. On March 1.5, 1903, there were twenty-nine insane from Shelby County in the hospital at Clarinda. Fifteen of these were Danes. There are two reasons commonly offered for insanity among the Danish people — their intermarriages and living in isolation. Doubt- less hard work, melancholy, and brooding over cares are the causes which unbalance the minds of most of those who have been pronounced insane. During the year 1902 the county paid $.5,791.27 to the State Hospital at Clarinda for 58 caring for thirty-seven patients. The Home for the Feeble Minded at Glenwood received $57.30 for caring for five persons sent to that institution. Although vice and crime have not increased noticeably there is a tendency on the part of too many young men and women to disregard parental authority and to neglect con- sideration for the rights of the general public. Such mani- festations of a viciousness in the garb of good society do more damage ultimately than the thief who steals and is caught and punished. During the past fifteen months there have been four cases of suicide, one attempted murder, and several cases of seduc- tion that have come to judicial notice. In six months there have been five violent deaths by accident and one sui- cide. These things are mentioned not because they are char- acteristic, but because the county has to contend with these difficulties just as does any other community. There is a condition of the social mind that is distinctly pathological. It grows worse as the special organs increase. The individual is becoming more and more forgetful of his relation to the social whole. Social unconsciousness is upon a large number of the population. The only way society can be cured of its ills is for each individual to realize his relation to the social whole and to be willing to sacrifice something for the common good. Prevention of social wrongs will then make cures unnecessary. We have now traced the growth of this society of Shelby County from its first crude settlement to the present time, when the farmer enjoys his fine home with its books, music, telephone, and rural free mail delivery. There is a marked 59 contrast between the oxen and wagon, and roadster and family carriage; forty miles to mill and postoffice, and forty feet to the mail box; the assessed value of all the pi'operty in the county in 1854 at $20,599, and in 1902 at $19,729,- 913.64. There has been almost a thousand fold increase in less than fifty years. To ride through the beautiful valleys and see the fifty herds of registered thoroughbred stock, the large barns, and the fine groves is to be amply assured of the material pro- gress and prosperity of the county. To learn to know the people and their ideals is to be convinced that their social progress has been great and that it will continue with an increase in the next generation equal to the material progress of their fathers. John J. Louis Haelak, Iowa LIBRARY OF CONGRESS InM I'llllll I mil iiii' 111 III i III Hill 1 11 ' II mil II 1 lUiiiiiili 016 087 216 #