Forum Flashbacks: Feb. 22-28
MARYVILLE DAILY FORUM, FEB. 24, 1999
25 YEARS AGO: Hold on tight – Nikki Nowland gets a push from her dad Keith Nowland Tuesday afternoon while they were sledding in Maryville. A day off from school because of the snow storm was a welcome break for many Nodaway County youngsters.
50 years ago
Maryville Daily Forum, Feb. 27, 1974
The Maitland American Legion-Community Center building was officially dedicated Sunday afternoon, wrapping up some 3 ½ years of work by members of the community.
The dedication address was given by the Rev. Ray Forsyth, pastor of the Nodaway Parish of United Methodist Churches.
A large crowd attended the dedication, but action on the Community Center began some time ago, in November, 1969, when the Chamber of Commerce and Women’s Division voted to enter the Maitland community in the Missouri Community Betterment program.
For the purpose of choosing a better program, a survey was taken to give the people an opportunity to say what they thought was needed most in the area. When surveys were checked, at the top of the list was a lack of communications and a community center.
Nine months later the communications were taken care of by the monthly Press News letter. The first edition was published Aug. 12, 1970, and sent free to Maitland box holders. The news letter is self supporting and still being published.
The community building, being a larger project, needed more planning and has been a long-range program. Several ideas and plans were discussed but nothing came from the results.
Finally, at a Community Betterment meeting, it was decided to do something definite and a proposal was made and sent to the organizations and city council with a letter suggesting a community building board.
Seven people were chosen to begin some plans. They were Bill Bonner, city councilman; Nelson Crider and Russell Peterson, Chamber of Commerce; Mrs. Delores Christian, Women’s Division of the Chamber; and Max Summers, Gordon Roberts and Lois Derr, Community Betterment members. Crider was chosen as chairman, Summers as vice chairman, Mrs. Christian as secretary, and Roberts as treasurer.
100 years ago
Maryville Tribune, Feb. 23, 1924
Tom Tallon’s Views On the Amendments
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EDITOR’S NOTE: Missourians voted on 21 amendments to the state constitution in a special election on Feb. 26, 1924, that had been proposed during a constitutional convention held in 1922 and 1923. Amendment No. 2 would have increased the requirement to put a constitutional amendment on the statewide ballot from eight percent of voters in two-thirds of Congressional districts to 12 percent. It also would have raised the requirement for a referendum to be placed on the ballot from five percent of voters in two-thirds of Congressional districts to 10 percent. Amendment No. 2 was handily defeated both in Nodaway County and across the state.
Thomas Tallon, president of the Nodaway County Missouri Farmers Association, submits the following explanation of the opposition of his organization to certain of the proposed constitutional amendments to be voted on next Tuesday:
“If you will permit me through the columns of your paper I will endeavor to tell the voters of Nodaway County why the Missouri Farmers’ Association is objecting to the Ten Amendments as given in the “Missouri Farmer,” our official organ. I am going to make this as brief as possible in order to save space, therefore I do not think it necessary to give a thorough explanation of the Ten Amendments.
“Taking as the first, Amendment Number Two, as one of the most objectionable of said Amendments, I will say that if this Amendment becomes part of our organic law it will leave the people of Missouri without recourse so far as a referendum is concerned; in other words if the Legislature of this State enacts a law and hangs it around the people’s neck they must put up with it no matter how objectionable it might be. This Amendment should never be written in the Constitution of a Democratic form of Government. …
Yours truly,
THOMAS TALLON,
Pres. Nodaway County, M. F. A.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The 50-year and 100-year flashbacks are courtesy of the Missouri Digital Newspaper Project from the State Historical Society of Missouri, accessible at shsmo.newspapers.com.
