The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-07-28


Of water. Writers have not stated as
yet just what makes this increased
head. It should be stated, however,
that, levees on both sides in the main
held, and it may not require dis
ttnctton between levee running with
| tho flood plain and one running across
the flood plain, to enable one to say
! that leyees that reclaim increase the
head OF water and SO the. depth and
area OF flood above. This is true of
levees on one or both sides of river
and 1t seems that as roads are bound
to be affected it is the bounden duty
of the United States to take notice
of the conditions in the vicinity of
each mail box as we'll as navigable
stream. Keokuk needs eleven miles
Of water front and has already mapped
about that, but no detail survey had
been made and no correlation Of sur
veys has been undertaken. The height
of floods cannot be given in sea level
figures, nor the height Of levees.
Hence there Is no scientific floodway
along either the Des Moines or the
Mississippi and Keokuk and vicinity
means both rivers. Yet It is now be-
lieved that the U. S. war department
mississippi river commission) intends
no relief at Keoluk, notwithstanding
It's surveys go up the Des Moines, CIV
ing height of hills up as far as the
yellow banks on the Iowa side and
quite lot of Fox river in Missouri Is
included in the bounds OF the Missis-
! sippf There seems to be disposition
to let the county or private levee dis
tr!cts. proposed and actual, IN this
vicinity take care Of themselves. This
indeed may be we'll as no public
money can be expected until there is
called for some adequate survey, or
| 1t is shown surveys made arc proper
and to be endorsed by an engineering
body such as Is the commission.
1t is said the new Iowa law pro-
vfdes drainage trustees in lieu Of the
supervisors. II these trustees are to
be men Of special training or qualifi-
cation, and not men OF no interest or
knowledge in reclamation projects. it
may do, but our road supervisors now
are more under the supervisors than
ever and even with the county engi-
neer appendage We are not getting
the real worth Of our money. The road
| boss is little more than a King drag
slave even when dozens OF culverts
need proper placing and dozens of
mudholes need draining (onto. the
land adjoining Of course, as provided
under the old law, not grading so as
to make surface water accumulations
aside the grade. However, Iowa still
has no proper test Of efficiency and
this is due more to the courts ways
than It is to failure Of the state high
way commission, for the courts would
very likely hold that a boss is clothed
with discretion even when prejudiced
and indiscreet, that he has inferior
jurisdiction and the superior is re-
served only for obvious crime, and
the governor in spite Of increased
power, would follow suit Hence the
farmers and the merchants should get
together and insist on law giving
the road boss check and rival by
way Of enabling trustees to contract
work either to petitioners or adjacent
owners and pay for 1t out OF the road
boss money. This includes aprons to
bridges, mudholes on grades or at foot
Of hills, washed out ruts, culverts with
one end plunge and all other matters
pertaining to construction Of roads or
reclamation Of lands. All this Is, how
ever, but a subordinate matter and
temporary or precautionary, as vir-
tually the whole state will doubtless
ultimately como under the Jurisdiction
of some hundreds Of United States
reclamation districts, and very many
problems of leveeing, draining. grad.
ing. will be settled as part of recla.
nation. The Office of experiment sta.
lions has already proc eeded too far
for any backward step to be taken
and the U. S. supreme court has gotten
,cyyr {r--
Iowa courts Will never get and do not
want if no way Of really exercising
superior Jurisdiction over those not
fitted for inferior Jurisdiction can be
found The Iowa courts have no use
for science, but they are very cour-
teous to interiors to their face and
so is the governor, while the Iowa
law has failed to state which IS the
superior Jurisdiction, the road district
or the drainage district and to make
1t clear that reclamation does not
mean merely overflow protection
based on records Of flood heights
made prior to improvements, but pro-
lection based on liberal allowance for
heights under changed conditions
1t should also be strenuously insist
ed on that no state reclamation dis
boundary considerations should gov
ern and so every boundary stream
could have fioodway not only along
boundaries, but covering all effects of
cut-offs or Strengthening, draining or
leveeing and draining. Also, that no
public district can be financed after
the plan is executed, but no discretion
as to the sort of credit afforded by
public districting should be allowed to
prejudice any interest or defer any
equity as to costs in detail. 1t will be
seen that we are approaching an era
in which the land investor will know
his land is not to be charged with
costs of reclamation to an extent
greater thu 3 fair and for improve
---,,- = which the United States and
it~ ---t roads will share. The invest
O. VII feel sure the work of "Tama