The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-07-13

the requirement as to Sunday closing.
WHATS THE MATTER WITH
loWA?n
A former Iowa farmer, who made a |
fortune in the Hawkeye state and then /
moved to Oregon, has created some !
interesting newspaper comment This /
farmer owned $40 acre tract near
Whittemore. He bought the land |
cheaply, made fortune on it and then
went west, paid an extravagant price |
for piece of land and in letter to |
r. ]. White, editor OF the Whittemore
Champion. he proceeded to condemn |
the state which dealt SO kindly with
him. In his letter he says among
other things:
Talk about Oregonians being web
footed should like to know what is |
the matter with Iowa? Thirteen inches
of rain in two months. Gee. but I'm
glad to be living in Gods country.
with no extremes, such as floods, cy-
clones, thunderstorms and billiards"
This raised Editor Whites wrath. |
reply to this mans letter. He began
his reply as follows:
If the above did not come from a
man, who, to say the least, was treat
ed very kindly in Iowa in a financial
way, man who made profit of more
than $4,000 on an Iowa farm in al
period of eleven years, and at that a
man whose ability as farmer was
not rated above the ordinary, we per-
haps would be inclined to overlook this
little slam and to the query, What's
the matter with Iowa2' simply say
She's all right.
Editor White goes on to say that
this man sold his Go acres of Iowa
| land at $50 per acre. and the pur-
chasers made a fortune by re-selling
lit at s110 per acre. The land has ris-I
1 en- $40 per acre since then. Last year
the actual cash receipts from this
farm were s7,45755, not counting the
profits on cattle, hogs. poultry and
dairying, which would probably add
50, 500 Continuing. Mr.. White says:
What's the matter with Iowa2 Well,
let's see-1912 was not much OF
sheep year, and Iowa never laid any
great stress on raising sheep, but we
| find the government statistics claim
that in 1912 Iowa's sheep were worth
twice over the entire Oregon apple
I crop of 1910. Iowa's hens and eggs
were worth more than ali The lumber.
Hath and shingles turner out from
/ Oregon lumber mills In 1910. The
value of Iowa's eggs alone edualed all
the gold mined in California And
/ speaking of apples, that reminds me
that Iowa's Jonathans and Grimes
Golden have taken the blue RIBBON
I away from all competitors. oregon
| included. for the past three years,
I and at the worlds fair. in st. Louis,
lin 1904. an old neighbor of yours won
4 the medal. second prize for his exhibit
/ of different varieties of apples VI
course, we do not set up as an apple
state. but simply mention these facts
to let you know that we know them
! whats the matter with Iowa? say.
Mr. Wallace, II we had all the hogs
I'VE raige each year in this water-soaK-
ed blizzard-scourged cyclone-sWept,
hantrnrt state. we would get enough
for them to establish ITS department
stores such as MONTGOMERY Ward has,
and have enough left to begin raising
another crop next year; and the
8horsee are worth more than four times
3the amount of silver mined In the
limited states, Alaska. the philippines
and Porto Rico in 1912. But at that
va don't need horses very bad in
iowa. as there is an automobile for
every forty-fve inhabitants, and per-
fhaps by next fall we will make It
unanimous and all have one.
Editor White pointed out that the
thirteen inches OF rainfall caused but
little Inconvenience, that corn is now
growing rapidly, pastures are fine.
and the hay crop hummer, and
continued:
,.lat's the matter with Iowa?
When II comes to raising corn, Iowa
Is surely right. Now. listen; last
year the few .nubbins' VIC raised here
In iowa would equal in value all the
goId taken out OF Alaska during the
last ten years II was eight times the
value Of the gold mined In Colorado in
1872, and It would have furnished sui
fcient capital to buy all OF Colorado's
crops and manufactured products last
year, and this is In no sense making
light Of Alaska's gold production or
tCoIorado's crops or manufactured
products either. We simply use this
AZ comparison, and we had to get
|. something mighty big to compare
fewa's corn croT with. Then. too. Won