The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-06-09
CITIZENS VOTE To RETAIN
COMPANY | AND BACK It.

enough funds were secured. He point
ed out the fact that the building could
be rented for variety of other pur-
poses which would make the proposi-
tion an attractive one.
Sergeant p. G. Langenbach of the
Seventeenth United States infantry,
who was present, said that If another
company was organized here that the
state appropriation for the upkeep Of
the armory would be $4,000 or over
and that this would pay for the build
ing itself in a few years, or pay the
interest and more on the capital
necessary for the construction of /.
fine modern structure.
Williams Made Chairman.
The meeting last night in the
superior court room was called 20
order by Mayor Ed. S. Lotion. E.
L. Williams was elected TO the chair
and he called on Captain Powell to
give a statement of conditions. The
head of Company L first told of the
new federal law increasing the
strength of the national guard which
will add some $500 more men to
Iowa's $4,000. One of the provisions
of the law, he said, is that each COM
pany must have sixty-fve men at
state camp.
This MEANS" he continued, that
each company must have in the
neighborhood of seventy or seventy
five men enlisted to have the correct
quota at camp. Before this year the
rules were not so strict and a CON-
pany could get through on almost
half that number of men, but this
year we must have at least sixty-6ve
at the camp"
Mr.. Powell said that there had al
ways been difficulty to secure the
consent of some employers to allow
ing their men to attend the camp and
that if Company L was to be fully
represented this year 1t would be
necessary for the members to be
given ten days of for the camp.
Some employers think their men
60 up there for a frolic,' he said.
"Well, I'll tell you, there are very
few of them that could go through
what the guardsmen go through if
they were put up to it. IT is work
from SIS a. m, to S:15 p. m. OF
course there are some amusementa,
and there would have to he, but the
state camp is anything but a frolic."
Mcfarland Offers Resolution.
Following Captain Powell's remarks
the meeting was thrown open for
discussion. c. F. Mcfarland voiced
the opinion that it would be back
ward step for Keokuk to give up Com
pany L. "The boys have done good
work." he said, under handicap and
the city can't afford to lose the COM
pany. We are coming to the time
where we feel that military prepared
ness is a part of city's duties. In
Company L we have a nucleus of pre-
paredness We need Company l.. 1t
is probably because of Indifference
that we haven't taken as much in
terest in it as we should in the past.
But it is our duty to back the COM
pany in the future"
Mr.. Mcfarland then presented the
resolution as given above. Frank M.
Ballinger moved that it. be adopted
unanimously, which was ca.:ied.
Mr.. Ballinger made a stirring az
peal for Company L. Tho business
man" he said, sis mighty small who
wouldn't let his employee off to at
tend military camp. Why it is the
guardsmen who protect his business
and his home. Keokuk is on the map
for many other things, let's put her
on the map for patriotism
These are the boys who have to
do the fighting. It's up to US to back
them up. Any man who is not in
favor of supporting this military COM
pany should move away from here.
It would be disgrace to let Com
pany L 60"
Mr.. Balinger pointed to some Of the
deeds of former Keokuk war heroes
and said that there was not man in
town who was not for America now
and for all time. He also moved that
Captain Powell be retained and Keo-
kuk back him up in the future and
introduced the following resolution,
which was unanimously passed:
BE it hereby resolved by cit-
zens of keokuk assembled, that
we back Company L in all it
has done in the past and all that
1t may do in the future"