The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-12-02
Keokuk Delegate to River Improve
mens Meeting makes Address at
Banquet Last Night at
Quincy.
COMMITTEEMAN
Song, Down on the Mississippi"
Written by viii S. Wins, For
H7e-'y Of keokuk, Sung by
Quincy Man.


association closed last night at Qufn
cy with big banquet served at the
Hotel Newcomb- At this banquet, c.
z. Mcfarland. o. this city, who is off
ctaily representing Keokuk st the
convention, delivered an address on
Waterways" He was on the pro-
gram with q number OF noted speak.
ers
He also had the honor of being
elected z member OF the resolution
committee yesterday afternoon His
picture with seven other convention
men, appeared in the Quincy Wing
this morning under the caption
Prominent Men Who Took Part in
Banquet OF River improvement Work
ers in Newcomb-"
a song. Down on the Mississippi"
written by viii s. WINS, formerly of
this city, was sung by Harvey Chatter
of Quincy MI. McFarland's address
follows:
Although l ship in and out of my
house hundreds Of tons OF freight ev-
cry year, only an infinitesin>l part OF
1t could by any possibility be sent
either in or ont by river-Why, then
an l Interested in river and terminal
mproTements-Ill tell you why and
wish l could drill the answer to this
question into the minds Of every man
in the middle states-tflis matter of
river Improvement bringing with it
an enlarged use OF the rivers, Is not
a matter OF interest and Importance
to steamboat men, the barge lines, to
large shippers and manufacturers
only. It goes through them down to
every small merchant and nanufac-
turer, to every laboring man to every
owner. Greater use of the
river means more business, more
business means more jobs, more mon
ey in the bank, and better demand
and greater value for homes and real
benefits one part OF the
community benefits all parts-and
that's why I am interested in this
question, and why every man, woman
and child IN the states bordering OF
these great rivers should be an en-
thusiastfc booster for the things
which will make them the great high
ways for traffic which they ought to
be.
This question is no dream, no mat
ter OF mere Imagination. ! think of
he story OF the little boy whose i'm
agfnatfon often ran away with his
geracity. II worried his mother a
great deal and she wondered how she
could stop it-at last she thought she
had hit upon plan to remedy the
difficulty and she soon had chance
to try it on One day the little fellow
came running into the house with his
eyes bullying out and crying: Mann
ma, mamma, there's a great big lion
but in the yard with great big name
and great big tail and he's going to
cat US all up" The mother went to
the window and saw the neighbours
big st. Bernard dog out in the yard
and she said to the excited boy:
Johnny, that's no lion, Its old Row
er. Now you go into your room and
kneel down beside your bed and ask
God to forgive you for telling such
story" The boy went into his room
and came out in few minutes and
his mother asked him: Well, Johnny
did you tell God about it," yes :"
Well, what did God say to your"
HE said. oh that's all right, sonny,
by gosh I thought it was a lion my
self for a minute" 1t has often
seemed to me that this association
and others OF its kind were spending
their time seeing lions" We have at
tended these annual conventions and
heard splendid speeches, educational
and insDirational. We have had these
fine banquets and listened to the flow
OF wit and wisdom-but somehow or
other the rivers haven't flowed any
deeper, the river terminals have no.
sprung into life. 1t has been long,
uphill job-but It seems to me there
Is change at hand. It seems to me
we are no longer looking at a dog in
the yard, but a real lion. . seem to
hear his grow1s coming from all d.
rections-from the great fields of
Minnesota, and the Dakotas, from the
lumber camps and copper mines of
Wisconsin-from the great manufac-
turing and shipping cities, Chicago,
Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and st. Louis,
( from the coal fields OF Pennsylvania
and Illinois. from the great corn fields
OF Illinois, Iowa and Missouri, from
the cotton fields OF Tennessee, Ar.
kansas and Mississippi and from the
cane brakes OF louisiana These
sro"s mean ciscontent with the pres
eht state OF affairs-they mean that
inc thliLlons OF people who live in the
river states will not allow this Dues
ION 70 De played with any longer
thac they VIII not permit any little 2x
poFk Dafre4 legislation to interfere
"ith TINS great question and I be-
SHch meetings as this are no.
ices 10 congress that any representa-
1--WE or senator who gets IN tbe wav
OF this popular movement viii NJ.
only thlhE ne has run into a lion. but
that ne has gotten mixed I'd with a
whole drove OF steam rollers
And. gentlemen, II seems Ia mo xo
are beginning to get genuine rcqnI,o
: We hear OF real work neina, done arI
real money being spent. We sec tho
beginning OF the working 1ff, ~ 60
, plan for passage from the laLes r.
I the gulf-old and almost abandoroI
cauala being rehahiIItaied