The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-10-06
THIS COUNTRY OF OURS.

The National Association of Letter
Carriers in session at ST. Paul Aug
ust so to September was in receipt
of urgent invitations from a number
of cities which desired its convention
in 1911. Dayton. Ohio, Louisville. KY,
4 Niagara Falls, N. Y, Rochester, n. Y,
and Dallas, Texas, eloquently set forth
1 their respective claims through rep
resentatives sent to the convention for
that purpose. One of the argument.
! advanced in favor of Louisville was
that that city is exactly as far from
the principal cities of the United
States as they are from it, and that
/ a return ticket would cost no more
than ticket to Louisville. Further
more there was offered a special de-
| livery on all interior decorations
and no back-stamping of any charac-
ter The spokesman for Dallas did
not confine himself to description of
the attractions of that place, but
launched forth into panegyric of this
country in general. In speaking of
the magnitude and Importance of the
United States he said-and his ut
terances are good sample of south
err eloquence:
The anomaly of history today is
the leadership OF this nation, No
tribunal celebrates without reckon
ing with Uncle Sam. No army starts
upon a mission of conquest without
codicile enjoining recognition of the
United States. No peace tribunal is
complete without a representation
from this government, and no CONNER.
cial treaty is sealed without wonder
ing what the Americans will think
about it and what the Americans will
do about it. Wheresoever bands play
Yankee Doodle and Dixie and The
Star Spangled Banner are played.
American coin is clinked in every
counting house; American ingenuity
is displayed in every market place,
and the American citizen, high or low,
rich or poor, is respected in every
country If the Russian harvests his
wheat, he does so with an American
binder; If he rides upon railroad
train. that train is pulled by an
American engine: If the Englishman
reads his paper by artificial light or
sits in an electric carriage upon his
street or in his subway, the motive
power comes from an American dyna-
mo: if the German has sirloin for
breakfast, the beef came from the
American prairie; if the Frenchman
has breakfast bacon with his coffee,
the hog was fattened in an American
pen: if the peoples of the east are
getting ideas of civilization, those
ideas are furnished by these people
of the Western Hemisphere. Is
Mexico being developed, the American
hand is the developer Is the Cuban
free, the American hand handed him
the Magma Charta. Is the Filipino
getting ideas of civilization in his
head and clothes on his back, the
American has furnished both. In
truth. it seems that this young giant
of the west will play leading part in
disciplining the Turk and compel him
to abolish his harem, decapitate the
bandit and stop slavery in his do
main"
The speaker had word of de-
served praise for the letter carriers
which should not be omitted in this
connection Typically representa-
tive of this great nation of ours are
the thousands of carriers who tread
the streets of the city, seeking the
palace and the tenement, carrying
news of victory and messages of
peace and sadness and death" The
orator went on to say:
"The letter carrier. while he may
not belong to this Association, climbs
the rugged mountains, seeks the
furthermost outposts of the wilder
ness and sounds the unmeasured and
unharvested prairie. In winters
cold and summers heat, in snow and
in rain, the letter carriers carry the
worlds commercial lifeblood safely
and soundly; they carry the heart
throbs of the worlds affections safeiy
ard soundly: they carry the COM
mands of the army and OF the navy;
they carry the wishes and the desires
of the President. potentates. kings
/ and rulers of this earth. Marvelousiy
reliable messengers are these.
In speaking of Texas the Dallas man
referred to its large size and declared
that one hundred million people could
live within its confines and not fuss
or touch elbows. From her bosom,
& on the same dulHOlllN. SOlAcS NAputo4 -
/ cotton to clothe one-ffth of the peo-
pie of the world enough lumber to
/ build homes for all the homeless;
enough corn to make hoecakes for
christendom; enough iron to arm Rus
STA: enough grease to grease every
wheel In the universe, and enough
oats to keep Sunny Jim smiling for
/ the remainder of his natural life.
4 The speaker also reminded the con,
vention that Texas gave to history
an Alamo. a rival to Thermopylae,
and she presented herself. a sovereign
state, for admission into the Union
i AS a further claim TO recognition she
has converted the cowboy to civiliza-
ton and the place of the six-shooter
into the chiyalrous southern home.
THE FOOTBALL PROBLEM.
The principal of the Council Bluffs
high school and the members of the