The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-01-30

lisher's point of view. When that re-
port of the census department was
read in bulletin form by the city edi- /
ors of the country, you can picture /
| the smile and almost hear them say
in unison, by George, here is a bully
story" And the following day the
country was advised through scare
head displays and dime-novel intro
auctions that Iowa showed loss in
population during the past ten years.
A week or SO latter the census de-
partment issued another batch of sta
tistics, this time dealing with the agri-
culture OF the country. 1t showed in
good plain type that during the past
ten years the value OF Iowa farm lands
increased from s1,256,o00ooo to ST.
S00,oo0,0o0, or 123 per cent. The
value of farm buildings increased 80
per cent The value of farm nipple
ments and machinery increased 65
per cent. The expenditures for labor
increased 81 per cent. And the good
citizens of Iowa spent $2s,000,0U0 dur
ing the past five years for automobiles.
My, my, what picture Of poverty
and distress. No wonder all hope
has been abandoned
But let us venture back into the
newspaper office OF the country and
watch those city editors as they read
that second bulletin showing the great
forward strides made by Iowa during
the past decade The city editor picks
up the sub-heads here and there, OBJ
. serves that Iowa is doing what was
generally expected, calls over the
: cub reporter and says, Here, Jones,
: write a stickful about this census re
port" And the next morning one
per cent of tho newspaper readers of
: the country find that small paragraph
{ and one per cent of those who find 1t
read 1t.
!. Gentlemen, you know conditions
a. and you know that am right. You
!. know the damage to Iowa's reputa
4 ton has been done, and that s500,00(
i spent in publicity can not repair that
;, damage. We rant and rave about the
Re conservation of this, the conservation
I. of that, and the conservation of the
q other thing; you ask me to enumer
/. ate the needs OF Iowa. and I tel
h you that what she needs first Of al
: is the conservation OF her enviable
a reputation. both at home and abroad
> Circulate the good news generously
3. guard the bad news zealously; make
;s the smile Of optimism chronic and lie
IA hope and faith and courage become
n. second nature.
l. We are on the Threshold Of a cam
Of paign for a Greater Davenport. We
"a contemplate the expenditure of $40,
u 900 per annum toward the materia
upbuilding Of Davenport, but when WI
NJ have an opportunity to secure fac
of tory that may employ thousand
ir men, through the subscription t.
q some of it's stocks and bonds, | cal
8. see this same retail merchant sayin,
&C mo, I have no money to help locat,
as factories in Davenport. Business ha
at been poor during the past year, an
" it takes all i can scrape together t
r. maintain my investments In Mexico.
err Either that, or he will have move,
as to Mexico and his store will be TO
II. rent And he is not the only man Il
e. Iowa who has the cart before tn
ge horse. Something must be done t
C. change the opinion OF these men
he their vision must be clarified; thei
money must be invested where it vii
10 bring them both direct and indirec
ad returns. The money made in low
must be spent in Iowa-we must hav
I'M factories and trolley lines, and lie
bt some other state invest in Mexico
va and near Marysville.'
he Not so very long ago the citizen
20 Of Davenport invested IN s200,00t
II hotel-not because the business wal
nd ranted 1t. but because the lack c
vn business demanded it. Travelling me
ST. remained over night in Davenport
es- am told, only when it was compulsor.
and when the new hotel was suggeste
is there went up cry that there We
~ not enough business for the then e.
Of listing hotels But the promoters pr
,g- ceeded upon the theory that tho
lr- oughly modern first-class hotel woul
ed attract new business. They we're RICH
In and today the new hotel, as well 6
- one of the old ones which has bee
On remodeled, has more business than
an can accommodate. Suppose that 500
te. 900 had been invested in Mexica
ed mines or Canadian lands?
lb- have heard it estimated that durin
the past two years 100000 of low
money has been invested outside
ed the state. Probably this is very 10
il estimate, but suppose we adopt 1t q
,er basis for moments argument. Ha