Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-01-16

Below is printed a very full synopsis
of Governor Shaw's inaugural address,
delivered at the Auditorium in Des
Moines last Thursday.
Senators and Representatives and
Fellow Citizens:
Within the biennium that has
elapsed since it was my privilege to
submit similar address to the men,
beers of preceding general assembly,
much important history has been made.
The first great altruistic war of the
world has been fought, and the bless
ings of western civilization have been
vouchsafed to two and half million
insular Americans. The only flag that
never knew defeat has been carried
in behison to new lands, and its I'M
Z furlment has cast shadow upon no
home. The United States by honor
able and constitutional purchase and
treaty is now the possessor Of the Hi
waiian islands, of Tutuila in the Samo-
an group, of Guam, and of the Phil
ippine archipelago, and has thus be-
come the actual and acknowledged,
as she has lone been the natural and
logical, mistress of the Pacific ocean.
The whole round earth is throbbing
with new life and vigor. New areas of
agriculture, new opportunities of man
ufacture, new possibilities of COM
merce, and new hemisphere for
advancing civilization have swung into
view like the transit Of a world.
After paving high tribute to the
memory of the late Senator Harlan,
and taking retrospective glance over
the past one hundred years, Governor
Shaw said:
What Iowa Has.
Suppose we briefly take an invoice
of what we have. Iowa, during sew
eral of recentqyears, could have annu-
ally furnished every man, woman and
child in the, United States a pound of
cereals per day for 365 days. This is a
larger ration than the average people
of the world consume. In addition,
we would have potatoes and other veg
etables, grapes by the car load, apples
some years by the train load, and 9th
er. fruits; a million dollars worth OF
canned goods per annum; two and a
half millions eggs day; twenty-five
car loads of honey, and all the beef,
and pork, and mutton, and wool, and
butter, and cheese that can be pro-
dlced on eight and one-half million
acres of pasturage, and with four mil
lion tons of hay. BY feeding some of
this grain we are able annually to
slaughter million hogs and cattle
worth $15,000,000, and export five mil
ion more worth 65,0O0,OOo, and half
million dollars worth of fat sheep.
We can keep our people from freez-
ing with the product of Iowa mines of
two and half tons of coal per capita.
Not only is Iowa an agricultural
state, but she is making very credi-
table showing in manufactures. She
ships wooden goods, spun and woven
/ in this state by the car load to the
best known wholesale firms in Phila-
delphia and New York, shoes by the
car load beyond state lines, manufac-
tured lumber into several, and cast iron
wheels into more than half of the
states of the Union. She produces an
/ nually a million dozen pearl buttons
( and gloves and mittens by the car load
I Besides these. all over the state small
\ factories of different kinds are spring
\ ing up, relatively of little Importance
and yet in the aggregate worthy OF
consideration.
Her facilities for producing beet sug-
ar are unsurpassed. The beet produc.
7 ing lands of Europe cost per annum in
rent and fertilization, from SIS TO $2C
per acre. Most of the cane sugar
lands cost, including water, quite as
much. iowa lands require no expenses
of this kind, and produce beets of I'M
excelled quality; and the pulp, after
the saccharine matter is extracted, is
claimed to be as good food for dairy
cows as before their reduction. Shall
we have sugar factories? The question
n must be speedily decided. What tho
it requires 100000 or 100000 for each
plant? There is on deposit in the
banks of Iowa today over $160,0O0,00o
of which more than one-third is owned
by farmers themselves, and in many
counties of the state the farmers OWL
rs per cent of the bank capital also.
should be pleased to see beet sugar fac
tories exempted from taxation for tel
years. Tt is probable that if they ar,
built considerable of the capital re
CURED will come from other states
Will we lose anything by inviting it t.
come?
Common Roads.
The highways Of Iowa ought to b.
greatly improved. Easy means of com
munication is the solution of all ques
tons of commerce. Internal improve
ments distinguish an energetic ant
hopeful people from one where slotl
and ignorance prevail. I am convinced
from observation, where the expert
ment has been. tried, that it is far bet
ter to have highway taxes paid in cash
z and aXDended with the same care ant
under like restrictions as protect thu
disbursement of other public funds.
After referring to the Importance
OF building up the American merchan
marine, Governor Shaw refers to tn
question of sound money
Good Money.
The United States is conceded to b
the great agricultural country of thu
4 world, and our manufactures find few
rivals. There is no valid reason why
u : L -. I. 4