The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-06-14
Carthage Man Pleads With
Local Men to Think Over
This Project and Then
Do Something.
MEANS MUCH TO BOTH

! dent of Canton Club, M. P.
Berry, President of Car
thage Club, Speakers.
That Keokuk could just as well
have the trade from Carthage which
goes to Burlington and Quincy, and
could get it if there was an inter-
| urban connecting the two cities, was
one of the straight from the shoulder
jabs which A. w. O'Harra Of Garth
age made last night in his speech
| to the Keokuk Retailers league. Mr..
O'Harra said that the trouble was
| that Keokuk men were too content
! to wait for someone to build the inter-
urban. He told how he had taken a
| party of business men from his city
over to Keokuk to confer on the
proposition and how it had not been
! favorably dealt with by the Keokuk
men. While it would mean the guar
anteeing of interest for certain
number of years, on the bonds, Mr..
O'Harra thought the investment would
be most profitable for both Carthage
and Keokuk business men.
"To look at a map" Mr.. O'Harra
said, you would think there were
transportation facilities. There is the
Wabash and the r.. P. & w. The lat
ter arrives in Keokuk about noon or
whereabouts and leaves at two o'clock,
giving time just for dinner, and moth
ing else Then there Is the Wabash
which tells us it is due at 1896
o'clock, but which has never been
able to make record Of two days
in succession arriving at the same
time. 1t costs us "a cents to Hamil-
| ton, and 81 cents from Hamilton to
Keokuk on this train. Mr.. JINGLE there
has tried to remedy this, and to help
/ us out by having an electric car at
/ Hamilton, so that we can go to Ham
! ilton for "a cents and for 10 cents
| from Hamilton to Keokuk on the
electric. But Mr.. 1ngle's plan won't
work out because he can't have a car
there at 400 and 11:05 and 11:10
and HIS and various other times to
meet the Wabash.
"On the other hand, we can go to
the depot at $50 and go to Quincy
and can return conveniently after
spending the day. Or we can go at
the same time to Burlington. And if
you merchants could only go down
u OuT uepOJ anu See Tie JUS llldI
go out on these trains and the
would do something.
Big Territory TO Draw From.
Don't forget that there are $4,000
people in Hancock county, all of
them with money in their pockets.
Don't forget us as you look across
your river, give the situation serious
thought and remember that the people
of Hancock and Carthage are with
you in any move to bring the cities
closer together. Why take our mayor
even. he's from Keokuk, while we
didn't just go over and pluck him
away from you people, when he
moved over here we recognized his
ability, and Wen do much for Keo-
kuk men, even to electing them as
our mayors"
Mr.. OHarra also had severe in
and was interrupted with applause
several times. my friends will won
der what I'm doing here with the re-
tailers; they think / never dealt in
anything more than hot air and
trouble" he said But / am a re-
tired merchant. l retired when / was
eighteen My father kept a general
store, and l went into the store when
| was able to recognize a customer
across the counter. Then one day
there came into our community a
volume as big as a Bible, but not
with the same kind of covers. 1t had
pictures and figures and the state
ment that merchandise could be
bought of them at one-half the price
of the local merchants. Those pic
lures and figures got on my nerves
and l decided to go into business
where lying was regarded as legiti-
mate and so l read law.
Some people think the merchants
should be protected. / always thought
that if given an equal show, the
home merchant would not need pro-
lection. The country store Is neces-
sity A man who breaks suspender
button would be caused considerable
embarrassment, doubtless, were he to
wait to send up to those stores on
the lake for it, even if it did come
at half price And think of the poor
fellow who has had his last chew of
tobacco.
The Retailer Helps Everything.
The retail merchant has something
more to do than just supply the wants
of the community, too. We want fairs
and band concerts and celebrations
and when the subscription list is
passed around it is you retail mer
chants names which are on that list
But / have never yet seen the mail
order house names on it. They are
not on the tax rolls, either, for schools
and paving. The man with pack
on his back must pay license be-
fore he can sell his goods. If these