The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-01-13
BOOSTER SPIRIT
CAPTURING CITY
Continued from page is

Dear Judge: have you favor of
the 9Th inst; also letter from Mr..
tombstone on the same subject. If
it were possible. / would certainly like
to be in Keokull and attend your meet
ing on Thursday You know feel
just as much interest in the success
l'of the water power project as though
4 I were still resident of the old
+ town
Since my residence in Des Moines,
I I have had an opportunity of see a
good deal of boosting and encourage
ment as adopted by growing, fhriv-
ing community When I was in keo-
kuk at Christmas time, | ielt that the
opportunity that all Keokukians have
been looking for has arrived, but
also felt some apprehension lest the
people of the town did not appreciate
| the chance offered them, and were not
ready to undertake the responsibilities
which must be assumed if Keokuk is
to get the advantage of what is now
offered her.
The construction of the water pow
err means the greatest opportunity
ever offered to any city in the Mis-
sissippi valley, but the people of Keo-
| kuk must be alive to the situation,
and they cannot sit idly by and EXPECT
4 the Water Power Company, without
! local cooperation. to do everything
| for that town. The electric power can
! be easily transmitted in the surround
1 ing neighborhoods. and other places
I will be quick to take advantage Of the
I situation. 1t appeals to me that a
! definite plan should be adopted, on
1 two lines.
1st An active, energetic boosting
organization should be created some
good, live man, experienced in these
! matters, should be put at the head OF
1t, and arrangements should be made
4 to advertise advantages. While it will
! be two or three years before the pow,
er is completed, it requires two OF
4 three years preparation either to or
ganize new companies or arrange to
move old ones. This organization
4 should be started by subscriptions
covering SO much per annunr say fol-
period of three years. In Des Moines
$4,000 has been raised for that
purpose. and notice that Dubuque
has raised 100000 It might be vel
for committee of two or three Of
the younger men to visit Waterloo ant
Des Moines. and learn how places are
boosted and advertised. Every prop
erty holder aud every business inter
est in Keokuk can afford to make 8
/ fairly liberal subscription towards al
| object of this kind, and there ought
/ to be no serious difficulty in raising
by subscription, $4,000 or $4,000 6
year for the next three years. The
secretary should be prepared to re
ceive visitors, explain the advantage:
or residence and manufacturing, and
have tabulated factory sites, where
enterprises desiring to locate can f1nt
convenient and fairly cheap locations
Negotiations should be opened "
with the railroads that do not have ia
cilities on the hill, to afford competi
tive freight service. I have no doub
the Santa Fe railroad would consider
building In from New Boston. They
4 already have line surveyed and lait
out for that purpose. If you can at
1 ford cheap and competitive freight fla
cilities for the land lying back of tina
city. along the Main street extension
Eroad, or any Of the main roads lead
ing out of the town. you can offer jus
as good factory sites, which should b,