The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-11-23
Necessity Of Settling the Green Bay
Bottom Matter lntelIlsently,
Exhorted by Rurlns-
ton Paper.
JUST
ADJUDICATION
Large Question Must be Fairly Treat
ed by Both Sides and no DIFF
ferences Must be
Made.

With regard to the Green Bay bot
tom controversy, the Burlington Ga
zette. makes the following pertinent
statements:
The matter of IN adjudication be-
tween the property owners of the
Green Bay bottom and the Keokuk
Power Co., arising from changed river
conditions, the result Of the construc-
ton of the great dam and affecting
the lands in that territory, should be
accomplished along lines of sane and
reasonable negotiation.
That public officials, with whom the
responsibility rests Of solving prob
lem OF SO grave Importance to the
property owners within this territory,
as we'll as to all other interests in
cluded, should approach it in other
than a spirit of high resolve to reach
fair and equitable adjustment on the
merits OF all considerations involved,
and only after the most careful and
exhaustive investigation, is to be re-
GREETED That such public officials
should be actuated by petty personal
tiles or small politics or personal in
terest In passing upon a question OF
SO large Importance is Incompetent
sible and should be frowned upon and
meet with public disfavor.
The spirit in whic. these negotia-
tons may be conducted will reflect
much that not only concerns the well
fare Of the residents of the Green Bay
bottoms, but of Burlington and Des
Moines county as well.
1t cannot be denied that first and
paramount in this consideration is that
&our fellow-citizens of the Green Bay
bottoms should receive absolutely just
treatment, that no shenanigan or
trickery Of any kind blind them, or
those whose duty it is to guard their
interests, to clear understanding OF
what that interest is. j. is only fair
to say that thus far the Gazette has no
knowledge Of the least disposition on
the part of the power company to be
other than fair and liberal in treating
conditions created by their operations
ana for which they are justly respon-
sible. The people of the Green Bay
territory have made rden spot of
the low lands on which they settled in
the long past and have built up q
farming community Of the very best;
indeed, a veritabie garden spot in its
general aspects with comfortable
homes and prosperous conditions, re-
suits of years of hard work and fru-
gality. These people are friends of
Burlington and Burlington has shown
in many instances in the past its
friendship for them. 1t is natural that
people of this class and calibre should
be keenly alive to their own interests
Justly interpreted and it is equally
certain that eventually they will be
found on the side of and advocating
an intelligent just and equitable SO.
luton Of the problem.
On the other hand there have come
Into our midst people who are invest
ing millions OF dollars in gigantic
enterprise of far-reachino possibilities
doubtless far beyond our discernmcnt
at the present time. The money that
y goes into it all comes from the out
+ side 1t is rank folly and foolishness
Ito assert that such an enterprise will
not be of vast benefit to this section
Fof this country. 1t is idle and of no
sayail to discuss how and in what way
iand to what extent we will be bene
fitted. 1t cannot be other than bene-
fetal. Our part of the county has not
been blessed with new business enter
1 prises OF magnitude and importance
Of recent years sufficiently that we
should not hail with undisguised sat
lsfaction all that may desire to come
to US.
The Power Company is operating
under authority OF the government.