The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-01-18

6u,Ou0, and this larger amount | de-
clined, for the express reason that
thought 10000 horse power was suf-
fcient amount to demonstrate the
selling price in this market and de-
sired that the other 10000 horse
power should be left for consumption,
If possible, closer at home.
This question of home consumption
may come out good deal like home
rule in Ireland. 1t has always been
maintained, at least by the Irish. that,
home rule is the proper thing, and
as a semi-Irishman / claim that home
consumption of power is proper
thing, but il it takes as long for me
to prove out. home consumption as it
has taken the Irish to get home rule,
| am afraid that most of our product
will be sold outside of the Mississip-
j valley, and this must not be.
1t has always seemed to me that
to accomplish anything difficult the
best way to go about it was to seek
the natural way. The natural thing
in this particular case is manifestly to
have our product sold as nearly as
possible to the point of generation,
and as nearly as possible in the places
its consumption can effect the great
est good.
And / claim that the greatest bene-
fetal use for horse power from the
Des Moines rapids is along the Mis-
sissippi river at points closest to the
power station. am not going to
tell your people of Quincy that you oc-
cupy, in my Judgment. just as favor
able position with reference to ideal
conditions for factories as does, for
instance, the city of Keokuk, but
will say, however, the fact that you
are on the Mississippi river, and that
our main power trunk line to the city
of st. Louis will pass very close to
the city of Quincy, and the fact that
you have many natural advantages for
the up-building of a large industrial
center, that il these various elements
can be united in a strong public spir-
your city many new and valuable fac
tories, and secure for yourselves
large commercial benefit, at least par
TALLY growing out of our develop
ment at the Des Moines rapids
With cities, as with human beings,
success is not directly related and
commensurate with opportunity. We
have seen many men richly endowed
with high class minis fall way be-
hind The fellow with fewer talents,
simply because, among other things,
the turtle kept at it and the hare went
to sleep. could mention many
cases in cities where everlastingly
keeping at it outweighed minor disad-
vantages. and carried the cities way
beyond their competitors. Take, for
instances, the cities of Seattle and
Tacoma. do not think any one will
dispute the fact that Tacoma has
greater natural advantages in most
every direction than Seattle, and yet
as direct result of a. splendid, get
together, hard work campaign for the
benefit of the town, Seattle is today
in reality great metropolis, and Ia
coma is about one-third the popula-
ton, and according to some reyela-
tons in the last census a considera-
Bile number of them may be in the
cemetery.
Another instance that might be
mentioned would be st. Paul and Min
neapolis, where it is we'll known that
in the early days st. Paul was given
the preference by the railroad people.
and powerful interests tried to build
up st. Paul as against Minneapolis
and yet it is fact that the public
spirit of Minneapolis together with
it's water power, made 1t city far
superior in population, general hap
piness and commercial wealth to ST.
Paul today
So it might be very well that the
city of Quincy, by the aid of cheap
power. and even though not situated
along the pool of the dam, might
easily outstrip all of the cities from
the dam to the north, and this could
be achieved by a better organization
amongst you people for the securing
of new factories In other words,
think it is condition we must all ad.
nit that opportunity does not amount
to very much after all unless it is in
diligently and actively used.
1t seems to me that the time is par
ticularly opportune for movement
toward the west on the part of fac
tories now located in the extreme
east, and particularly in New Eng
land
Ii would not be quite the thing for
me to make this statement without
tasking your patience a little longer
in explaining why think as I do up
on this question. Many reasons coult
be given, but will only enumerate
two or three
In the first place the time has gone
by when freight rates arr to be much
longer manipulated for the upbuild-
ing of any favored manufacturing cen
ter. and before long ] think YOU will
find that there will be 2 gradual and
certain approach to q system of rates
wherein the manufacturer in the mid