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

some new locality. Let us say that
on Monday morning there came to
you a representative of good. strong
power company, seeking your fac
tory for his territory The power
company's representative would tell
the manufacturer truthfully all about
what he could do for him in the way
of cheap power but the manufacturer
could very properly reply that there
were other things besides cheap pow,
or to be considered before he could
move
a representative of some wide-awake
city. He may be the Representative
of the city or OF a strong commercial
body within the city. This repre-
sentative says, for instance, that he
represents the city of Quincy. and
he tells the manufacturer that he is
there in an official capacity, and in
doing SO Immediately gets the close
attention of his listener If the rep.
resentative of the city is qualified for
the job in hand, and If he can hon
estly present to the manufacturer a
set of sound reasons, in the way of
reasonable taxes, good clean city
government. a good water supply, a.
healthy place to live, the best trans
portation by water and by rail, plen-
ty of places for labor to economically
and happily live, and power at less
price than is possible to secure it
by steam. and absolutely depend
able supply, this sort OF representa-
Etion will decide the manufacturer in
nine cases out of ten to come to your
city, where otherwise he would not
come.
On this question of a satisfactory
place for labor to live have had
many years experience with labor,
and while I do not believe that any
one person should assume infalibili-
ty upon any doctrine, I think the time
is very rapidly coming when the
American laboring man will success
fully demand more than he has in the
past, and as far as I am concerned
he is entitled to more.
Personally / have some doubts as
to the wisdom in factory cities of
building model tenements, and build
ing the so-called model town"
may be entirely wrong in nv
judgment of the laboring man. but
as | view him, he does not care par
ticularly to be restricted as to how he
shall live OF to be sent to some par
ocular form of house or district and
be told there you must live and no.
where else and ! think that out here
on the prairies of the middle west we
will find the laborer doing better
work, and more of it. and living in a
much more contented and happy at
mosphere if he is allowed the same
treatment and range of choice that we
ourselves would like to have.
In conclusion there is one other
subject j want to touch upon, and !
realize that it is very important as
1t has been before you for many
years very live issue, and ] refer
20 the improvement of the MISSISSIPPI
pi river for navigation purposes. The
plans of the Power company have
been designed and at great expense
to US, so as to prepare for large I'M
provement in the Mississippi river,
and we do largely improve and in
fact create perfect navigation from
Keokuk to point about twenty-five
miles north OF Burlington.
1t is manifestly TO the great interest
of the Power company now, and al
ways will be, to see the navigability
greatly increased, not only above
Keokuk, but from Minneapolis to the
gulf.
I believe, however, from what asso-
Citations I have had with undertak-
ings of magnitude, that this navi-
gability can only successfully pro-
coed along rational lines. This ra-
tionalism will require, first of all, a
greater necessity for navigation than
now exists.
Many Of you will differ from this
view, but | hold it Is fundamental
before you can maize an effective APP
peal TO the congress of the United
States for the kind of navigation you
need, that you must demonstrate the
existence of large business that
could use this navigation.
In other words. the best way in my
opinion to stimulate the Improvement
in navigation will he to show con-
gress, along the banks of the Missis.
sippi river, large manufacturing in.
dustry seeking outlet. not only by
the railroads, but by the river, and
when you can point to something