Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1909-05-19
NEED OF PUBLICITY FOR IOWA.
Il. Ii. Hill, Secretary of the Greater
iowa Club, Delivers a Very
Interesting Address.

Charles City, took for his subject
the present need of publicity in this
state and made the statement that
Iowa is losing population. The
speech contains many interesting
facts and it is we'll worthy of the
perusal of every man in the state.
1t is as follows:
Il am glad that | have been given
the opportunity of addressing you
on the need Of publicity for the state
CT Iowa because the subject should
be of especial interest to you. You
have a great deal to gain through
publicity for your state. Your posi-
ton is such that you will exert en-
ormous influence in a state publicity
campaign. Further, gentlemen, it
if your fault that Iowa faces the
need as she does. Kansas, Cali
fornia, Wyoming, Washington and
other states have a personality
Iowa has no personality. Who ever
heard of the Iowa spirit? This is
what the state publicity must do. II
must create an Iowa spirit. 1t must
give to the state of Iowa a decided
personality. Let me tell you, rapid
ly, the condition that exists. Iowa
is losing population Out of 1872
III people born in Iowa, 554,340
were living in other states when the
last federal census was taken. Be-
tween the years 1900 and 1905 fifty
three Iowa counties show loss in
population of over 8 per cent aver
age, and the ensuing five-year peri
Cd will show far greater per cent
loss. A land agent of one Of the
large railway systems is authority
for the statement that Iowa people
own land and mortgages controlling
in area to two Iowas.
During the last year fifty fam
lilies have left each of the three
counties north of Des Moines. On
November 15 last, in three counties,
| fifteen carloads of household goods
were packed and waiting shipment
to Texas. Iowa has served as a
nursing ground for the population
of the entire west. Iowa men and
Iowa money are taking the larger
part in the development of the Pan
handle of Texas. They are paying
for the irrigation bitches that are to
turn Idaho into the promised land.
They are dry farming Wyoming.
They are truck farming in Colorado
They are making fruit ranches in
Washington. Any two by four town
west of the Missouri river boasts of
one or more Iowa artisans. The
irony of it is that any one of these
men could have done as well or bet
ter in the state that he left. What
l. 80 al -
faith. Iowa men are in the position
of the deacon who prayed all morn
ing for rain and went to church
without his umbrella. They believe
in the future of Iowa, but waive a
gaudy semi-arid land advertisement
before them and they are off. Tell an
Iowa man of the possibilities of
cheap land, and if you are a per-
suasive talker you can sell him.
Companies with Semi-arid lands to
sell find their best markets in Iowa.
This condition exists because of the
apathy of the Iowa people. For
twenty-five years we have not lifted
q finger in our own behalf. We have
stood idly by and allowed Iowa men
and Iowa money to go off to the
last end of the jumping-off place be-
cause there was no one to tell them
the truth about Iowa and the truth
about the locality they were going
into. We have allowed the state to
become overrun with a hoard of
land agents, each one a salesman
selling faith in some other locality,
and we have not uttered one word
on behalf of Iowa. We have prayed
tD IN, hut foi Cd 70
brella.
Men have gone to Texas to raise
onions because there was no one to
tell them that onions could be grown
in Scott county, or for that mat
ter, anywhere in Iowa, and with bet
ter results. Men have gone in irri-
gated districts-lured by the large
acreage yield-because there was no
one to tell them that the same sort
of intensive farming would get re-
suits on Iowa land. Men have gone
into districts that are in the dry
class CT have reference to the ques-
tion of bathing the material, not
beverages) because there was no one
TO tell them that government experts
stood aghast at the unprecedented
rainfall, because there was no one
TO tell them that the land salesman's
rain follows the plow' was more or
less talk. Men have gone out of the
state who would not have gone were
Iowa given publicity. This condition
exists because we have gone on the
supposition that we could raise corn
and God would take care of Iowa.
He won't He has given us natural
resources, but we have to exploit
them. We must give the state pub
licity that We may maintain our
logical position in comparison with
other states.
Have you ever made COMPARE
son between Iowa and the states
that are attracting our men? Do
you ever remember real serious
crop failure in Iowa-general over
the state? Do you remember few
years ago, before rainfall followed
the pillow to such an extent that 1t
surprised even the government ex-
perts, of the years when dozens of
the semi-arid and dry farming states
couldn't raise even the usual crop OF
sage brush and jack RABBITS?
"Mr Henry Wallace, who was a
member of the Country Life COM
mission, told me that they heard