The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-03-01
PUBLIC OPINION
Mr.. Ingersoll's opinion.
ne Editor of The Gate CITY,


Mr.. Inpersoll's Opinion.
To the Editor of The Gate City:
| came to Keokuk in 1916; I have
seen the city grow from babyhood to
what 1t is today
know what has helped us and what
has done us harm in the past. b..
lieye / know as much about what is
going to help us or what is going TO
hurt us in the future as any other
man in Keokuk.
am going to begin by saying that
think bringing men from Chicago
who have very limited knowledge of
the advantages Of our location, our
needs, our facilities and resources, to
tell US what we cannot do, and to
give our city officials and our citi-
zens hard raps about the present con-
dition of our streets and alleys, is not
going to do us any good What could
our officials or our citizens do in the
way of cleaning up our streets or
alleys during so days of zero weather
think If those gentlemen will go
back to Chicago and go out on a
tour of inspection they will find Chi
cago in the same condition AID for
the same cause.
/ think the talk about high freight
rates to points west of the Mississippi
as an objection to locating factories in
Keokul6 Is doing us harm There is
nothing in It, The manufacturers
located west of the Mississippi are
not the parties to suffer much from
those high freight rates, as most of
the raw material they will want to use
are produced and to be found right
here in our western states. And the
best markets in the world for manu-
featured goods is right here In our
western states.
Let farmers, men who ship mmanu-
featured goods into our markets,
wholesale dealers, retail dealers and
consumers do the kicking; they are
the parties that are getting hurt.
Our location, our transportation IA
cilities and our resources makes Keo-
kuk the best place in the United
States for great manufacturing city
I think Mr. JOY Is right; we need
some good, live committee selected
from members of the association, but
not from the BOARD of directors. VI
Go not want to put more work on the
board, but whole lot of us would
like to get us into the harness so we
can help to pull. We need good strong
committee made up entirely ot retail
dealers. They are the men most in
terested in the growth OF the city
Some people think the interests o.
wholesale dealers and retail dealers
are the same. This is not true Their
| interests are not the same. There i!
but little difference to the wholesale
| dealer whether he sells his goods Il
retail dealers in keokuk. or SELL
them to other dealers in nearby towns
There is all the difference in the worl
to the retail dealers whether peopl
lin the surrounding country bring thei
produce here and buy their supple
here or buy and sell in those othe
towns
A train serv' ce may be very salts
factory to wholesale dealers and ship
pers, and be as bad as could be 70
the retail dealers.
People who have never been engag
ed in handling country produce d
not know how hard it is to get tn
needed supplies for the retail trad
at reasonable prices. The fact is
does not come to this market. l al
well satisfied with the board c
directors. voted for everyone c
them and ! find no fault with wha
they have done.
Great reforms, great inventions an
good suggestions often come from tn
common people. AS one of the littl
fellows among the common people
cffer few suggestions for what the