The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-01-21

eral conferences were held at the
Riverview Club which were attended
by representatives of the shippers,
the Industrial Association and the va.
ter power company, to discuss the
situation. It was decided that the
first thing we should do was to get
the freight officials of the railroads
to come down here and talk the mat
ter over and see If we could not get
them voluntarily to put Keokuk on
the map SO far, as freight rates are
concerned by giving us rates on the
same basis as Quincy and ST. Louis.
Such conference was held with the
/ highest traffic officials Of the Burling-
ton and Wabash railroads., and while
they expressed their sympathy and
ldisclaimed any desire to discriminate
against Keokuk, they stated that If
they gave us the ST. Louis rates they
would have to do the same thing for
every town in Iowa on the Mississip-
pi river, and that the loss in revenue
from such course would be SO great
that they could not entertain 1t for a.
moment. They also mentioned that
the state OF Iowa had appropriated a
considerable sum OF money for the
purpose OF securing rate adjustments
and that it was the intention OF the.
/ Iowa Railroad Commission to bring a
case before the Interstate Commerce
Commission to compel the railroads
to establish the same basis of rates,
j for all towns on the river from st.
Louis to Dubuque inclusive. They in
4 dicated that If we wanted to join our
forces with the state of Iowa in this
matter we We're at liberty to do So.
j We We're naturally loath to get into a
quarrel with the railroads, and more
than likely we would not have taken
4 our troubles into court at all IL we
had not been able to obtain assur.
i ances from them that such course
on our part would not be prejudicial
/, to our interests. We desire to work
in harmony with the railroads and be-
lieye that the cordial relations which
we have sustained with them all
through this controversy will be of
benefit to us as well as to them in
the future. At any rate, our next step
was to get into communication with
Clifford Thorne of the Iowa Railroad
Commission. He Immediately saw the
; Importance of getting Keokuk into the
case, first because we are at the di-
! yiding line where the competition is
, ffercest, and secondly, because OF the
new conditions created by the build
ing OF the dam. That the Interstat.
i Commerce Commission would permit
7 a freight rate situation to continue
) which would prevent community
] from receiving the benefit of the adj
. vantages which have been conferred
t upon it by nature. seemed inconceiy+
able. That the Interstate Commerce
i Commission would, by their refusal tc
I Interfere, practically order the water
' power company to transmit their pow
S er to other communities and thereby
y entail a loss in transmission Of enough
power to support seventy Thousand
people, seemed equally inconceivable
e So we decided to go the limit. and
t were very glad to accept Mr.. Thorne's
E offer to represent us. A week later
! Mr.. Thorne asked Col. J w. Brook
A hart Of Washington, Iowa, to, act
Y with him as special counsel for. Keo
E kuk, and from that time these two
gentlemen have been looking after
our interests in very able manner
and in my opinion this community
). will be under deep obligations to then
Y in the event Of favorable decision
9 by the commission. There was moi
7 sufficient time for the preparation o.
: anything but general testimony FOL
9 presentation to the commission at the
t hearing which had already been SCI
r for the latter part of October at Des
= Moines. But We also filed with the
! commission at that time petition
4 of Intervention asking for a separate
5 hearing at Keolluk, which was latel
8 granted and set for January 18th
: 1912.