The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1906-06-14
Mr.. LAcEVs EuLoeY ON IOWA.

representative IN congress, from any
state in the union, is more favorably
known than Hon. John F. Lacey, 'the
gentleman from Iowa." and no repre-
sentative more conscIentiously be-
lieves in, or more earnestly repre-
sents, his section.
Mr.. Lacey's response to the toast,
Iowa." at the Iowa banquet given at
the Waldorf-Astoria hotel on the 28th
of last month, is SO generally inter-
esting, so enthusiastic for his state
"a characteristic that cannot be too
forcibly imitated) and contains sta
tistical information concerning that
state of such value to our business
readers, that we reproduce it here
with in full:
April 26, 1906. At Iowa banquet at
Waldorf-Astoria hotel, in New York.
Response of Hon. John F. Lacey,
representative from the Sixth Iowa
district.
Toast:-"The Land of Gods Farm;
The Land Between the Mississippi
and the Missouri"
Mr.. POSTMASTER and Fellow To-
vans: Last summer was entertain
ed at banquet at nome, Alaska,
and listened with delight to the en-.
thusiastic eloquence Of Tie gold min.
ers of the frozen north.
When my turn came told them OF
land where the pay streak" lay
on the surface, was six feet thick and
$50 miles north and south, by 800
miles east and west; mine Of wealth
where there were no tailings after
the annual cleanup" but the soil re-
mains as good as ever, ready for
another years production; land that
produced last year of poultry and
dairy products alone to the value OF
$49,564,651, and whose yield of corn
exceeded by 100000 all the gold
and silver produced last year in the
United States. 4
You have given me, Mr.. Toastmas-
ter, too big subject for few min
utes' talk.
Iowa is indeed Gods Farm" A.
few years ago was riding down the
Justly celebrated valley of Virginia.
It was truly fertile and lovely land
that we saw from the car windows.
My companions were Virginians and
they continually praised the scene.
A quietly rolling valley, tanned be-
tween two mountain ranges, made a
pretty picture. SIS it not splendid?
Did you ever see anything so fine?"
they said.
/ said, Suppose you should move
those mountain ranges 300 miles
apart to broaden the valley, and then
substitute two mighty rivers for these
nounI aims, what would you think Of
that" ....
They admitted that it was hard To-
conceive of such a mighty area OIL
fertile land.
said, "That would be Iowa."
1t is indeed a lovely land, this Iowa
of ours, from which you, my friends,
have expatriated yourselves, but to-
ward which you still turn with yearn-
ings unutterable.
Through what ages God did slowly
build it under the waters!
Thousands of feet of limestone
formed it's foundation and after it had
risen to the sunshine above the wat
ers the glaciers came and with gi-
gantic force produced the joint clay
through which the water could pass
to and from the surface as it might
be needed. And thus it came to pass
that the land was neither too wet nor
too dry.
A great plain in this splendid farm,
gently sloping to the southeast, with
rivers running parallel with each
other and two mighty streams making
her boundaries on the east and west.
Whether a man is an Iowan by
birth or by adoption, he remains an
Iowan.
met a German Il few years abol
out in the willamette valley in Ore
gon and after talking with him
awhile / wondered what particular
province he came from, and / inquir-
ed, where are you from?"
He promptly replied, Il vas from
Iowa. He had not lived in Iowa for
many years-but once from Iowa, al
ways from Iowa.
And Iowa's fertility is permanent.
The water dissolyes the limestone; 1t
rises to the surface, and, as it eyap-
crates, it leaves the fertile residuum
at the top, thus carrying constantly
from the lime below food for the hun
CRY plant on the surface.
1t is comfort to take this view OF
the source of fertility of our great
state, for it will indeed endure.
Every forty-acre tract would make
a home. A land Of corn and, blue
grass is a land to support life.
Her climate is severe, but the freez'
ing and thawing in the fall and spring
are natures pulverizers and Kccp thel
soil in good condition always.
| was in California some years ago,
when my uncle pointed out a snowy
mountain some twenty-eight miles
away, and said, Where we are thel
thermometer stands at 10 degrees,