Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-06-05
Mr.. LAcEvs EuLoey ON IOWA.

My Business Friends for May:-No
representative in congress, from any
state in the union, Is more favorably
known than Hon. John r. Lacey, "the
gentleman from Iowa" and no repre-
sentative more conscientiously be-
lieves in, or more earnestly represents,
his section.
iowa." at the Iowa banquet, given at
the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, on the 2Sth
of last month, is so generally interest
ing, 50 enthusiastic for his state "a
characteristic that cannot be too Fore
IDLY imitated) and contains statistical
information concerning that state Of
such value to our business readers,
that we reproduce 1t herewith In full:
April 20, 1906. At Iowa banquet at
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.. Toastmaster and Fellow low
ans: Last summer l was entertained
at a banquet at Nome, Alaska, and
listened with delight to the enthusi-
astic eloquence of the gold miners of
the frozen north.
When my turn came told them of
a land where the "pay streak" lay on
the surface, was six feet thick and $50
miles north and south. by 300 miles
east and west; mine Of wealth where
there were no tailings after the annual
clean up" but the soil remains as
good as ever, ready for another years
production: a land that produced last
year Of poultry and dairy products
alone to the vaue Of s49,5S4,651, and
whose yield of corn exceeded by $4,-
100000 all the gold and silver produced
last year In the whole United States.
You have given me, Mr.. Toastmas-
ter. too big a subject for few min
utes' talk.
Iowa is indeed Goods Farm" A
few years ago / was riding down the
justly celebrated valley of Virginia. 1t
we saw from the car windows. My
companions were Virginians and they
continually praised the scene. A quiet
ly rolling valley framed between two
mountain ranges. made pretty pic
ture, us 1t not splendid? Did you ever
see anything so fine?" they all said.
/ said, Suppose you should move
those mountain ranges 800 miles apart
to broaden the valley, and then sub
mountains what would YOU think of
that?"
They admitted that 1t was hard 10
conceive of such a mighty area of fer
tile land.
I said, "That would be Iowa!"
1t is indeed q 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
bllflt 1t under the waterSi
Thousands of feet of limestone
formed its foundation and after 1t had
risen to the sunshine above the wa
tiers, 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 1t came to pass
that the land was neither too wet nor
too dry.
great plain In this splendid farm,
gently sloping to the southeast, with
rivers running parallel with each 9TH
or 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.
l met German a few years ago out
in the willamette valley In Oregon and
after talking with him awhile I Won
dered what particular province he
came from, and / inquired, Where are
you from?"
He promptly replied. II 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 dissolves the limestone; 1t
rises to the surface and, as IT evapor-
ates, 1t leaves the fertile residuum at
the top. thus carrying constantly from
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