The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-06-03
MANY AT THE HOTELS
A Few Rambling Words Of Comment
on the Coming Of These. WisI.
tors and What II
Means.

rons. Several automobile parties add
ed ito those who took a. day off for ex-
cursion pleasures on boat or cars.
Besides these Sunday and other day
visitors from near by points there is
continuous coming and going OF
visitors from the various eastern cit.
les and many from Chicago and from
northern, western and southern
points, all going to show the promi-
nence Keokuk has gained and is con-
tinuing to gain on the map of the
country.
1t is not we'll all the time to tell all
you know. There are reasons, that
we call prudential, which stay the
hand that would write many a favor
able story. the telling of which might
appear on the face of it to be good
stuff" for the advancement of Keo-
kuk's progress, but which would in
fact be detrimental to the city's best
interests.
Every rumor, even when founded
upon what seems to be we'll ground
ed stories, should be we'll investigated
and verified to a certain extent, be-
fore 1t is limited at to the publicc as
an absolute fact. Many an enterprise
beneficial in its tendencies, is halted,
delayed or absolutely lost to that city,
because some over-anxious individual
or newspaper has prematurely broken
the news to the public in it's unripe,
! immature stage.
A newspaper once printed story
that John Jones of Kalamazoo is in
/ the city looking up site for large
4 cereal factory TO employ two hundred
men and women A neighboring town
always alert, saw this announcement
and then saw Mr.. Jones of Kalama.
zoo. They found out the proposition
and plans presented to and by the
other city and the consequence was
that this neighboring town won the
prize-got the big factory to locate
with them, all because some over
anxious individual or newspaper had
attempted to claim the fruit when it
was only in the blossom.
Wise cities, like wise men, know
the value of silence as we'll as the
voice and pen of publicity and act on
their Judgment.
This Is why many rumors afloat,
spoken oftentimes in a whisper never
get into print. People wonder why +?
They take up the idea that newspa-
per is something on the order of a
garbage barrel, the receptacle for all
kinds of rumors, good, bad and indif-
ferent and the newspaper that does
not grab at them and give them the
greatest publicity in bold, bad head
lines, is lacking in enterprise.
So If you hear any great big ru-
/ mors floating around that presage
something great and don't see it in
| The Gate City it would be very safe
/ to conclude that such rumor Is float
/ ing around on false wings and there
is nothing substantial to it.
There are many enterprises contem-
plated in Keokuk which are not gener-
ally known to the public. They have
not even reached the embryo state
and many of them perhaps never will.
Some of them will doubtless be realiz-
ed. But why lift hopes on them to
have those hopes blasted? This
course would bring depression in.
stead of keeping up hopeful spirit OF
activity and progress.
The people should continue in the
faith for the future prosperity of a
rapidly growing town. The progress
being made from day to day is enough
to satisfy every desire. Nobody wants
| a boom with cracker box bottom
Keokuk is doing well enough. and to
leave well enough alone for the pres.
ent is the wise course Wanting and
endeavoring to go faster on false
ideas and boom cry is calculated tc
impede progress, rather than to helr
it along.
There is a great future for Keokuk
the water power is going along more
than satisfactorily, and will be fur
nishing power at an earlier date thar
was promised when work first began
Then the conditions are even more
than good enough. The many repre-
SShtoeiNSs iioih tho mai! hSeio Poii
tan cities al lover the country are
not coming here merely as sigh
GERS. They are business men looking
out for investment and the location
of various industrial and other plants
and enterprises. Some of them wan
the use of the power to be furnished
others to furnish appliances and take
up other pursuits demanded by an en-
larged city But power must b'
ready to be furnished before an.
large factory or other pursuit wanting
the power can be expected to com
mence business here until this powe
= can be sold to them. Just wait