The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-04-19
sTop NAGclNe THE COMPANY

/ StOt bNStN0ttNS Tx WIN IStiNI .
The ruling of Judge Mcpherson OF
| the United States court, in one OF
/ what are locally known as the Green
/ Bay cases, will meet with general ap.
prevail hereabouts, and may be taken
| as an index of what future decisions
| by the higher courts will be in the
rest of the cases, when they are tried
On their merits in court Of equity.
The people at and above the site
| CT the water power being built here
know better than any judge or other
man can inform himself, or be in
| formed by testimony, the character of
the water power company or its re-
| lations with other folks. Neither cor
| porations nor persons may be judged
accurately by what they say; but
corporations, like men, can be esti-
mated with great accuracy by study
ing their actions.
The water power company has con-
sistentiy verified by its acts the an
nouncement made by its vice presi-
dent and chief engineer, Hugh L..
Cooper, near the beginning of its work
here, that it is very anxious to get
along amicably with its neighbors
and all the people within It's sphere
of influence. T. has treated every
body not only with fairness, but
with conspicuous liberality, in all its
business affairs.
The company settled with approx
imately eight hundred different per-
sons for overflow damages to land
above the dam in Iowa and in Illinois.
Every one of these eight hundred
was perfectly satisfied, except about
a half dozen who held out for prices
that seem exorbitant to the rest of
us When seven hundred and ninety
four persons are satisfied. to six per-
sons dissatisfied, either the company
has been fair or liberal, or there Is
no longer any virtue in public opinion
and the judgment of the masses.
These eight hundred persons We're all
land owners, practically ali of them
farmers, and small farmers as farms
average in Iowa today. That 794 out
of eight hundred of these were salts
fled is the best proof possible that
the water power company is just and
| fair, and the litigation compelled by
| the other six will be looked askance a,
by the public as we'll as by the
/ courts.
AS matter of fact, the 794 were
more than satisfied. Many persons
will recall being told by some land
owner how well he sold the land that
the water power company bought tc
/ overflow. That there was satisfac
ton is proved by the settlement itsel!
being mutual; that there was delight
IN the mind of the farmer in many
cases is common knowledge here or
the ground where these farmers live
or did live.
There is much other evidence tina,
the water power company is realI,
leaning backwards in its efforts te
be straight, and is really liberal ant
generous in its efforts to be fair te
the people. This is a broad noIic,
/ that is laying a solid foundation fol-
relations with the public which mus
benefit the company as much as il
4 does the people. Since the dam Is
believed to be built to last over foul
thousand years. any other than a per
manently right policy would be fool
ish on the part of the company.
The water power here is really The
asset and concern of all the peopl.
) from Burlington to st. Louis on botl
) sides of the river, not to speak of tn,
rest OF the United States. In the In
terest of all these people it is to b,
hoped that the litigants seeking higl
, prices for their land will stop pawn,
/ good money to lawyers and withdray
r their suits, or else that the suits vii
" be tried as soon as possible. Nobod-
|. here has any doubt as to their out
3 come in favor of the company