The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-01-16
THE MATTER OF acoNsERvA
TfONr

Al1 lSU1r ldy41S hEpNulSdl Eds
an editorial article IN reference TO the
KeoEuk water power project which
calls for attention separate from the
other newspaper utterances on Sc
subject reproduced in these columns
The firgt paragraph is not materially
I different from Others. as will be seen
on perusal.
Down in KeokuE they have been
celebrating the achievement OF hais
century's effort. Near tat city the
river flows over ledge Of rocks, max
ing rapids fin the Mississippi river
i These rapids have been the bane of
( nayigators. A canal was fnaIIy built
around them. The extreme fall of wa
ter makes ii an ideal site for dam
Ii is that dam that the people Of Keo-
kuk have been working On for half a
century. They have finally succeeded
( in interesting capital enough 10 build
the dam Ii is going 10 take SIS, 00o,-
900, but tina: expenditure viii develop
100000 horse power. power enough TO
turn great deal OF machinery. TO run
railway trains and TO make light and
power for the adjoining cities Ii Is
possible TO transmit such power over
long distances nowadays. All the
power that can be developed viii be
utilized, for even far away st. Louis
may draw upon that source
So far so good. But in the second
paragraph Of its article The Republi-
can reverts 10 the threadbare subject
of conservation of natural re-
sources" After looking al the matter
first on one side and then On the
other, the Republican concludes:
Nevertheless we are letting corpor-
alton get the benefit Of the water that
flows through that stream by natural
laws" Its second paragraph, full
text, is as follows:
The Mississippi water power is a
natural resource Are We conserving
it when We are permitting private
parties to build the dam and TO get
hold Of that immense power in per-
petuity? But they say that without
such development, the water is going
10 waste and the power that il might
generate is Of no use. Is it not be-
ter to utilize that natural resource and
make ii of some use to mankind?
That is the way the argument runs.
But, nevertheless, we are letting
corporation get the benefit of the wa
ter that flows through that stream by
natural laws. The only consolation
In the matter is that when the river
has been damned and the water har-
messed, the power will be useful to all
mankind. It will be sold to any one
VINO has use for it, and that upon
reasonable terms. We take it that
there is somewhere power that can
regulate the price that shall be paid
by the consumers"
The Republicans utterance On this
phase of the matter warrants brief
statement of some of the events lead
ing up to the development of the
power by the corporation" to which
that paper refers. When leading, pub
lic-spirited citizens of Keokuk first
took up the matter Of the development
Of the water power in earnest several
years ago in the interest of this city
and this part of the Mississippi val
ley they scattered information con-
corning 1t broadcast over the country.
Following the grant of charter by
congress booklet was published Civ
II
tails and the project was given the
/ widest publicity that could be secured
The attention OF eminent engineers
/ and known capitalists was especially
! sought. The matter was pressed upon
i all suca whose addresses were known
or could be learned and they were So
licited TO interest themselves in the
/ proposed undertaking With single
/ exception they refused to have any
thing TO do with The matter That
exception was Engineer Hugh H. Coop
| er. He personally investigated the
| project. became convinced of its mer-
its and set about to interest capital
/ first but later the capitalists asso-
/ ciated with him were compelled to
withdraw because of legislation I'M
favorable to another water power
plant they had financed. Thereupon
Il MIR. Cooper took the whole burden
and responsibility upon himself and
expended his entire fortune in making
Il the necessary surveys, securing data,
obtaining options and tentative con-
tracts and like preliminary work. It
was only after three years OF almost
superhuman effort that he was able
to induce capitalists to come to his
aid and furnish the necessary mon
ey. It was not possible to find a
single individual who was able
and willing to advance the i'm
mense sum, and SO the aid Of
a number was solicited and Sc
cured. These gentlemen, with Mr..
Cooper, constitute the corporation
to which the Cedar Rapids paper re-
fers in deprecatory sort Of way. But
for them the water that flows
through the Mississippi by natural
laws would in all human probability
continue to flow unyexed 10 the sea
for an indefinite period, as it has
flowed for ages past Wherein would
have been the benefit to mankind or
any portion of it of such neglect OF
4 the natural resource going to waste
at our very doors?
The corporation" to which the Re.
publican refers will not be the sole