Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-04-16
CITY IS DOING THINGS
Some oflthe Methods By Which
State Capital is Growing
Larger and Better
THREE DISTINCT BOOSTER CLUBS
state Watching With Interest DsveI-
opment Of Its Largest city--ResuIts
Already Attained and Moven,ent for
Cleaner Municipal Government
Promises to Be Successful.

CTOUtS0S w oG SNSSSSC'&s
--
Special to Times Republican.
Eli Des Moines. April 10 Recently the
city Of Des Moines decided to adopt
a slogan by which to advertise the
city. 1t was desired to have some
thing that would become as, famous as
the " WIZ OF Chicago. 1t Was to be
put OH buttons to be worn by she pop
ulace. After some study and the Of
fering of many prizes the slogan "Des
Moines Does Things was adopted. Il
is said that the faith in the future and
not the accomplishments Of the past
moved the committee to make that se-
lection. However, the accomplish-
nlents of the past are not to be sneezed
at according to the belief of Des
Moines citizens, for without any ex-
ira pushing and all by herself, Des
Moines has come to be a city of $4,000,
as shown by the state census for 1905.
But with utter confidence that the
time had come to do things" and the
belief that they would succeed in do
ing them the business men set to work
and as result now three separate
organizations are very busy boosting
Des Moines. They have separate of
fees but are, working In harmony
II the purposes Of each are accom-
plished. Des Moines will be a city that
the state can be proud of. Incidentally
the rest of the state may be interested
in knowing just what sort of a cam
paign is going ON here. Nor. partic-
ularly tt may be OF, interest to the rest
of the state, to know how Des Moines
expects to double its population In the
next five years.
When Des Moines first started on ia
booster program it was the result of
the work of self appointed commit
tee of members of the Commercial club
which started out with twelve members
and was later INCREASED to twenty and
then to twenty five, and finally to
thirty, where 1t was decided to incor-
porate. The first thing the committee
did was to engage a freight agent 10
look after. the interests of The Des
Moines shippers
The next move of the committee was
to Shiresa "a secretary preliminary toy en-
ftering on campaign of advertising the
city in magazines and newspapers, 1t
engaged Lucius E. Wilson. who had
been in Detroit. Then the committee
raised subscriptions. amounting to $17,-,
900 a year for three years.
The one great difficulty that eDes
Moires has to contend with, It that the
city is not known. The other day in
Chicago a Des Moines man spoke of his,
town to a Chicago citizen. who claimed
to have travelled extensively.
ooh, yes. I know Des Moines. 1t is
most beautiful city. 1t occupies such
a fine position upon the bluffs overlook
ing the Mississippi river.
More recently a Des Moines man was
in New York and did business with the
superintendent Of a big. concern there.
Lets see Where. is Des Moines? Are
you east or west of Chica go?i
All of this is kind of CALLING to the
people of Des Moines who have prided
themselves on the fact that there is no
other city in the universe known by the
name of 'sDes Moines."
Des Moines is not entirely a pioneer
in the matter of advertising city, for
some ether cities have conducted cam
paigns along that line with success. In
side of twelve months a southern city
secured the location of twenty-four
branch offices of eastern concerns and
added eleven new factories and indus
tries with 100000 in property, all, too,
as the result of campaign OF adver-
Using in one magazine, the Review OF
Reviews. This southern city. didn't have
any particularly drawing qualities
either and hasn't now as big apopula-
ton as has Des Moines.
I Mr. Wilson, secretary of the booster
committee, has made something of an
during the three months
that he has been in Des Moines. He
claims that he has discovered that Des|
Moines has clay that will make enough
brick for the building Of the entire
United States for the next 1000 years
and has the materials for cement fac
tories as well. He has had analyses
made of the coal and is prepared to tell
the factory men that they can get more
energy from the Des Moines coal for
the money than they can from most
other He is not thru discovering yet.
and thinks there are some other things
that will help in getting the $4,000 peo-I
pie in the next five years. He has not
been idle during the short time he has
been here and has already INCREASED
the population by 500 in addition to
the natural increase by securing the
1oca ti0o of two factories
Entirely separate from this booster
committee is the committee OF 300 that
is proposing to boost Des Moines by
changing it's form of government,
cleaning out the city hail." and putt
ting in a government by commission.
Some time the last of this week this
committee will file with the, mayor a
petition signed by about half of the
voters of the city or more asking that
the proposition be submitted to the
voters. Last Saturday there We're GER
tificates containing 300 signatures in
hand. and enough more still In circu-
! A,4a&lIE1aI,
: "a