The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-05-17
Mason city Shows Real Thing in
This Boosting Idea According
to Or. 6. Walter
Barr.
ONE BANKER Is MODEL
keokuk Exeels In stores and Street
Lighting However-some Other
Points Of Com
parlson.
How does Mason City compare with

4
Keokuk?
A representative Of The Gate City
asked the question casually of DR.. G.
Walter Barr, who answered pretty
II lily as follows:
They have about the same popst
lation. Mason City has grown greatly
in the last few years, and as con-
sequence of this rapid growth It Is q
good deal spotted in its buildings-it
has some half dozen specimens Of
residence architecture that probably
are not excelled in the world, and yet
the most Of the houses are hardly up
to the generality of residences in
Keokuk.
Local Patriotism and the Price.
| The public spirit and local patriot
ism In Mason City are good for a
crouch, however, and far ahead Of
Keokuk. Last summer they built
three fine new school houses, and a
$4,000 building for the manual .raln-
ing and domestic science departments
of the public schools They used $20,-
LEGO or $4,000 of their own money to
add to Carnegie donation to build
better library building. One man
who began there as boy at IS =
week is now president Of bank. |
wish the Keokuk bankers could see
the building that bank buil.. 1t is
about as large as the Hotel Iowa, the
bank part finished in solid mahogany
and marble, and it would make any
Al<~ hot fc
same man is president Of very big
cement manufacturing plant six years
old and has heavy investments in a
half dozen or more other Mason City
enterprises Of large size and import
ance. When asked how he came to
be so busy in business, he replied:
We'll, 1t grew rather naturally
into one thing after another in order
to build up this town. had to invest
in good many things in order 20 get
/ them to locate here or to start here ,
keoisuk's Better Retail Stores.
| "Keokuk excels markedly IN its re-
tail stores. There is not a drug store
or jewelry store visible to the .rav-
eler sojourning In Mason City that is
within hailing distance, as regards
appearance, with any OF those In
Keokuk. The same thing applies to
all lines Of business. observed there.
from house furnishing stores to NOV
ing picture theatres.
THE fact is, that Mason City seems
to care little for looks, but spends a
lot of money and patriotism on the
real thing. Keokuk has them beat a
long league on hotels, street cars,
fraternal society halls and buildings,
show windows and white way lighting.
Blu. their public buildings, banks,
street paving and other things paid
for, out Of taxes, excel what we have
here in Keokuk,
I All Friends and no kickero.
| 1.-THE people there are all active
friends to all the capital invested
there They will all fight for their
half dozen big cement, brick and tile
manufacturers, any day. Somebody
started a fight on the electric COM
pany operating in Mason City, and its
rates. and an ordinance fixing rates
satisfactory to the company was
brought up under Initiative and refer
endum and passed at an election
three to one the day before we Keo-
kuk people arrived there. Mason
City seems 20 believe in treating in
friendly spirit all capital and cap
italists who come there.
Il should say that Mason City has
reached remarkable stage OF growth
and prosperity in the last ten years
by good team work among it's citizens,
spending big lot Of money 70 i'm
prove the town, and all pulling togeth-
er for every single industry and thing
in the city. Although I fshed for
complaints somewhat. could not find