Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-02-10
What's the Matter With Iowa?

Iii@ 1o18 - @sO Nv OWd VldlluldC
turers' convention at Cedar Rapids, La
what's the matter with Iowa. 1t ma,
be conceded that a certain stareotypec
answer TO this inquiry is easy and popu
lar. From some points of view ii is also
truthful. We VIII agree that when lows
was made the Almighty pulled off His
most distinguished transaction in real es.
tate. Here Is the most wonderful garden
spot that the lanscape artists OF the re.
public have hedged within the boundar,
lines OF a single state. 1t has 81 per cent
OF the area of Japan, and Japan has A.,
UO.OW people. Only one acre in every
seven in Japan Is productive; not one ii
seventy of Iowa's acres In u~nproductive
Yet Japan has approximately twenty
times the population of Iowa. and is one
or the great powers of the world-a truly
great power, despite that it possesses less
40 per cent. the arabic area of Iowa.
it may not be too wearisome to point GU
that in the decade closing with the las
century the poulation OF the entire United
increased 20.7 per cent, and that OF
increased only 1871 per cent. What's
the matter with Iowa keeping up with the
process.onf Why, New England, with its
farms and broker down country
communities. increased 10 per cent. and
New York Il per cent. New Jersey in
30.4 per cent.-twice as much as
COMMUNICATING that the octopus had
been doing quite we'll at home. Texas in
creased &c per cent, and while there are
no returns from hell. the statistics on
same decade. What's the matter
with Iowa? Wisconsin and Illinois. on the
east, increased respectively % and 26 per
cent: Minnesota, on the north. "a per
cent. Iowa, only 1861 per cent. Why.
south Dakota. which had just been
the worst series of crop failures
Ira IT'S history, increased as much as Iowa;
and It was SO dry up there that when
people wanted to whistle to keep up Their
they couldn't scare up enough
moisture to wet their whistlei
On the whole. maybe there is some G X
for asking what's the matter with
Iowa. Leps see If 1t is possible TO reach
an answer to the question.
In 1890 the greatest industry In the
States was the manufacture of
ron sid steel. What state led in this IN
M why? Pennsylvania. &C course.
ii had the raw material-coal and
In that same year, the second great
est industry in the nation was slaughter
and meat packing, whose product was
worth almost the same as the output OF
IRON and steel. And what state led in
meat Strengthening? Iowa, because 1t pro-
iuced more raw material for the indus
try; Iowa. because it had millions Of fat
millions of hogs, millions OF tons
Of cheap coal to furnish power for great
establishments. Ies, Iowa. OF
course.
Pity 'Tisn't. True.
Wouldn't that sound well? Wouldn't we
all be pleased to be able 70 say 1T?
Wouldn't we be prompt, IL it were true, to
back to our inquiry, ''Iowa's all
if 1t were the fact?
But unfortunately it isn't true. The sor-
rowful fact Is that Iowa was seventh in
the list OF states in the Strengthening and
industry. 1t had only half as
much output as Indiana and o~ne-eleventh
as much as Illinois. 1t was cerdited with
lnly one-third as much as Kansas, half
as much as Missouri, a third as much as
Nebraska, and, inally--save the marki-
, little less than Massachusetts,, Iowa.
with It's millions OF hogs and cattle. be-
mind Massachusetts in the packing indus
nv, Why, there aren't enough hogs in
Massachusetts - honest, s~elf-respecting
logs. not Incorporated ones, | mean-to
q good average Iowa township out of
he poorhouse. And yet Massachusetts
packs more meat, pays out more money in
wages for doing 1t, has more capital in
yested in the business, h Iowa. Again,
what's the matter with Iowa?
The Strengthening and meat packing in
iustry, in which Iowa ought 10 lead the
lation, IS only typical OF others. Take
Iowa is among the states leading
IA the supply of hides and pelts; but il
Ioesn't appear in the list or states hav-
ng a leather industry worthy of the
lame. Take agricultural implement man
fractures. Iowa is the best customer in
he whole world in this line; but 1t can't
III III ~ n ~ AA1 80 NAANAA -
ONES to manufacturing. Take liquors,
and malt, which constitute one
II the greatest industries. Iowa is at the
OPP In producing the raw materials, and
lespite some effort 10 the contrary, is a
good consumer Of the product. Yet
( would take a microscope, W. constableS
a double-barreled search warrant to
discover a decimal small enough TO repre-
sent Iowa's share in the manufacture
And so of a dozen other industries that
be indigenous here. Just think
IT, II. in the item of hosiery and knit goods,
be 1t said, TO our everlasting
socks for its congressman, actually
Knocks them off of Iowa in the matter of
What's the matter with
Sioux city's Position.
Perhaps a little study of the great in
iustry in which Iowa ought TO lead the
will give some light on the situ-
ation in general. Iowa produces about
900. 600 hogs annually, and packs less than
900 900 of them. Illinois produces fewer
logs than Iowa does, and packs. several
INES as many as Iowa produces. Iowa
"a thraa hacking and live stock centers.
of them ranking with the really
sreat markets of the county. They are at
1ttumwa, Cedar Rapids and Sioux CITY.
these the last named is the most inn
p~ortant, and il not an Iowa market at all.
rlis fact is the nub of he whole matter.
year just about one-third OF the hogs
nd one-sixth of the cattle received at
City came from Iowa. Geograph-
caiiy and politically Sioux City is an Iowa
but commercially and industrialiy
+ is not of Iowa. 1t is an interstate city.
made by Missouri river freight rates: ITS
took market receives more hogs
south Dakota than from Iowa 1t receives
vice as many cattle from South Dakota
Is from Iowa; and X receives six times
Is many sheep from South Dakota as
Iowa. Sioux City receives as many
q, ttIl fy.nxn AFfnnnGnfn nc from Iowa : 1f
'aceiyes almost as many hogs from Me-
lraska as from Iowa. In short, IL Sioux
1ity did not receive a single head or hoo
rom Iowa, its live stock market would not
80 seriously interfered. NO pent-up Ut.ca
her powers. !.
Sioux City. then, is a live stock and
center in spite OF belonging TO
owa. How about the other Iowa cities
which, lie they would engage in this great
industry, must rely on Iowa for their sup
They must slaughter and pack Iowa
lrock, or none at all. Most of them
daughter none at all. Where are the
3 years ago operated in the cities and
owns of iowa? Why didn't some OF them
.row up into great industrial cities such
Is Kansas City, Indianapolis East 81
outs, South Omaha, 81 Joseph, South
Paul?
Railroads Discriminate.
Because railroad rates Disseminated
,-ainsts Iowa. Icwa's stock was wanted
or packing in Chicago; the railroads
TO haul 1t there; and there is where
I goes, Iowa's packing houses nave gone
,ut of business.
How was it done? Back In 1890 and in
years prior to that time, packing house
PRODUCTS were hauled TO Chicago at a
ate just about one-half that charged for
stock Rates were hen based on the
value and cost of the service.
[ was fair and reasonable that packing
louse product should take a less rate than
i've stock. There Is no hurry about n
hog II can't die again or the road;
t ISN'T IN danger from freezing In winter
,r s~unocating In summer or shrinkage at
N.Y. season. More OF 1T can be hauled In a
From any point of view it IL cheaper
reight to haul, as has been fully demon
repeatedly in hearings before the