The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-08-06
WHAT is THE MATTER WITH
iOWA7

WHAT is THE MATTER WITH
Mr.. H. w. Green of this city hands
The Gate City copy of The Traffic
World and Traffic Bulletin, a Chicago
publication devoted to traffic ques-
tions, containing an interesting article
on What is the Matter With Iowa?'
which is reproduced below and which
will be of keen interest to Iowans.
The article is as follows:
When William Allen White pro-
pounded his famous question: What
is the matter with Kansas" and then
answered it, he added several inches
to an already sizable popularity
among his fellow citizens and in
creased by many cubits the stature
of his national reputation, to say
nothing of what happened to Kansas.
Now comes the Iowa Railroad Com
mission. and wants to know what is
the matter with Iowa that the rail-
roads do not love her. In the limo
Icence of your heart you answer at
once: Bless you, nothing is the mat
ter with Iowa. She is the. greatest
agricultural state but stop! There's
THE rub, Says the Railroad Commits
sion: While God has decreed that
this shall be the greatest agricultural
state in the Union, the railroads have
declared that it shall be nothing else
but an agricultural state.
The decree dates from time immem-
orial-"when Adam delved and Eve
SPAN but the declaration is said to
bark from the days when one Will
liam Larabee was governor of Iowa,
and when the tenderness of the rail-
roads spanking place was but newly
acquired.
! Possibly the railroad position is that
Iowa and agriculture having been
happily welded for these many years,
/ far be it from them that any steps be
taken that may lead to a state of big
amy, polygamy or polyandry. (Agricul-
ture being husbandry, probably the
last-named term is more fully in con-
Isonance with grammatical properties.)
But Iowa believes her capabilities are
/ greater than agriculture alone can
stand equal to. It is not that she
loves her aged consort less, but that
the vital current within her youthful
veins causes an anticipatory thrill at
the thought that with little greater
freedom she may emulate or surpass
1.-THE attractions of sister states for j
younger and more enterprising partner
Be it said now, also, the sponsors Of
Iowa's future greatness as manu-
j featuring state, ii certain desired con
: ditions of transportation are fulfilled
: have made out strong case; but tn
!, statement is without prejudice as t.
: any arguments the other side ma.
i have to advance as to why it should
mot be so-or, to return to our figure
, by way of sforbidding the banns. A
: the present moment we are consider
) ing the matter on an exparte shown;
SO far as recent developments ar
concerned.
l In brief just filed with the com
r mission on behalf of complainant II
7 the case of the State of Iowa vs.. Chi
: cago, st. Paul, Minneapolis & Omah
t Railway, ct al is shown map l
t Illustrative of the all-rail class rate
8 from New York to the Missouri rive
5 and showing by groups the advance
I in percentages of the rate to Chicago
a In this map the front part of low
: looks like a target riddled with Dir
I shot-or like a section of land I
n eastern Quebec, where many of tn
J. farms are one or few rods wide an
n from half mile to a mile long. Fac
J. section represents an advance
It rates over the section farther cas-
e and it is pointed out that while, gene
e ally Speaking, farther east thes
2 Jumps are from one to four per cen
II and it would be natural that the SCI
lions taking the same rate should b.
g come larger and the percentage of ris
II smaller as one goes further west, ye
r in eastern Iowa there are many larg
jumps in percentages and one Of =
per cent. Stated in a few words, til
eastern two-thirds of Iowa cover
e rates from 129 1-3 to 191 per cent {
II the Chicago rate, or an advance of
n % per cent, while territory of abor
~ the same extent in Illinois is covere
= by the 10 and III per cent rate. r.
I verting for a moment to the large
smile, what Iowa wants in lieu {
the bird-shot appearance is one plum
of the bull's-eye which shall answe
:, for the whole state--or at most, tia
= with few scattering rifle-ball hole
:. in the distant rings touching the Mi
:. souri, River But in another brief file
: at the same time in the action, Gale
= the Mississippi River Case" in di
- tinction from this, known as the IL
:, terror Iowa Case" it appears that
=, large portion of the dissatisfactio
4 comes from the fact that Quincy an
10 other towns on the east bank of til
- Mississippi in Missouri and Illino
have about IL per cent on the Chicag
20 rate the advantage of Keokuk and til