Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-05-06
IOWA LAND AT $500
Congressman Lacey Makes That
Prediction.
SAYSlT HAS BEEN ENTIRELY TOO LOW
Story About a Deserted California
Town Puts the Iowa Congressman in
Speculative Mood and He Gives
Voice to His Ideas.

speculative WOOD ana ne 0lveS
Voice to His Ideas.
Washington, May 1.
Congressman Needham, of Califor.
MIA walked into the committee room of
public lands, of which committee Maj
or Lacey is the chairman, and remark.
ed: Lacey, here is one of the worst
hard luck stories you ever heard. In
certain section of southern Califor.
mia, adjacent to a fine river, there is
a magnificent plot of ground. Nature
seemed to have carved it out for a
town site. Until some months ago it
was uninhabited; there was no settle.
ment for many miles. A traveller no.
ti2ed the advantages and was impress.
ed with possibilities. He interested
others in the matter with the result
that still others were interested. A
town was laid out; the people from an
eastern section, attracted by glowing
accounts of the original discoveries,
focked in and settled. the adjoining
country. Stores and residences were
built in the town; banks, newspapers
and every variety of enterprise seemed
to be represented. The town was
booming. In the very midst of the
hurrah and apparent prosperity it was
discovered that the soil for miles in all
directions was utterly untitled for ag.
Ticultural purposes. That was the end
of that town. In a comparatively
Short time magnificent deserted town
stood upon the plain. There was abso.
lutely nothing in the situation to re-
quire even the attention of watch.
Iran."
Bouquets for Iowa.
Congressman Lacey admitted he had
heard nothing worse than that and
then proceeded to throw some choice
bouquets at Iowa. He said Iowa con.
agricultural section in the United
States. No matter which direction
you follow, when you leave Iowa you
gradually leave thu rare fertility
which has given Iowa the reputation
throughout the country as the garden
state of the Union. Major Lacey is
an oplimist of the ultra type when the
subject Of Iowa land values is under
consideration. He admits that the re-
cent advances in the price of farms
has had tendency to make. it appear
that Iowa land is high, but he says this
is because land has heretofore eeen ri.
diculously low. Hundred dollar land
is but little way into the future n
every section of Iowa,in fact that figure
has been passed in the older portions
of the state. The nan with the farm,
will be the man looked up to one of
these days.
Conner Again Honored.
Congressman Conner was again
highly honored by Speaker Henderson.
by being named as one of committee
of three to visit officially, On behalf cf
the house CT rep1. sentatives, the naval
academy at Abns polls and witness the
graduation e1erclses of that famous
institution.
Misrepresent Hull.
Certain daily papers in their effort
to injure Congressman Hull, in his eff
forts to secure denomination for con-
gress, are resorting to a species of
Misrepresentation that is not particu-
larly creditable to the journals max
ing the statements. In the endeavor
to make it appear that Governor Hull
has not accomplished anything par
ticularly noteworthy in securing a mil
lion dollar army post for Des Moines,
the statement is made that Indianapo-
lis is about to have new army post
and that this will be accomplished
without any fuss or feathers. There
is scant material upon which to base
such story. The facts are that in
the sixties grounds were purchased
outside Indianapolis for an arsenal.
The city grew, stretching out to the
grounds and finally surrounding them
until at this time the former arsenal
grounds are within the city limits.
The proposition is to obtain authority
to sell the grounds. No action has
been taken as yet toward an army
post for Indianapolis, not even the
preliminary work has been done. Gov
ernor Hull says, and as he is chairman
of the committee before which the
matter must come, he speaks with
knowledge.
Indianapolis May Get Post.
Indianapolis may finally get an army
post but it will be at the close of a
campaign of wire-pulling and patient
persuasion. Such appropriations are
secured only after long and persistent
effort.
Des Moines Fortunate.
Speaking of the good fortune of
Des Moines Senator Hansbrough, of
North Dakota, said that after great eff.
fort he was able to secure authority
for the establishment of an army post
at Bismarck, eight years ago. During
these eight years he managed to get
congress to appropriate $125,OOO all
told for this purpose. Des Moines
has had and has now sure in sight
more than half million dollars of
government money for the army post
and has not yet compiled with the re-
quirements-the conditions made by
the city of Des Moines in consideration