The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-05-06
'KEOKUK ENDORSED AS BEST
. CITY ON EARTH BY CITIZENS

u VI UIIlLlnO
said il the water power company
was taxed our taxes would be reduced
one half What l said was that II all
the people in Keokuk were taxed in
proportion to what they are worth our
taxes would be cut in two. II this
we're done, people would come in and
the city would throb with life. SO
long, however, as the city Is run in the
interest of few, as much has been
done as can be accomplished"
Sarcasm Prizes Off Lid.
In a talk bristling with sarcasm and
some touches of humor, DR.. S. M. Gas
ton pried off the lid and touched the
match to oratorical effects which liven-
ed up the meeting "When I came to
Keokuk twenty years ago it was about
the time of the silver agitation" the
doctor said. II was offered a three
story building on Fifth street for $3.50
and paid Office rent at the rate of
$3.50. Today you can't buy that build
ing for $4,000 and I'm paying Office
vent Of SIS per month. You can judge
for yourself whether this Is the sort Of
condition that you would have prevail.
You can judge whether 1t is the right
kind of prosperity.
"Then came the water power COM
pany and poured in it's Vandals and
its Huns and its Hessians, who spent
money like drunken sailors. Bring
these people to time? Surely we should
do somthing to bring these people to
time. And then when they built the
dam some of the people had to move.
My old friend John O'Blennes was one
of these. Why those fellows went to
work and pulled the wool over the eyes
of that man and took his property and
paid him two thirds more than the
property was worth.
"Oh, yes; those water power fellows
were smooth individuals. Good look
ing, well educated young men that
came in here and stole 1873 Of our girls,
know what I'm talking about. l lost
three myself; no won't put it so form
ally suggest that ]. F. Sanders be
appointed committee to pick the poW-
err house up on his shoulders and carry
1t off,
Howls Of laughter and not few
cheers greeted the doctors classic as
he sat down.
Wants Instances Cited.
Frank NJ. Ballinger followed DR..
CASTOR. He said he was reminded OF
the verse from the Rhubiat which
says:
''The moving finger writes, and
having writ moved on; nor all you
piety or wit cancels one half line
of it, Or tears wash out, word.'
Mistakes which KeokuS has made
are written on the tablets of memory
and time, and people who come here
to look over the city look to the tab
lets and see what we cannot efface,
lMr. Ballinger said.
.Keokuk,'' he declared, "has antag-
onized capital in the past. Twenty
years ago stood on the floor Of the
C ouncil chamber and besouGht the
council to let ]. C. Hubinger build a
free bridge across the river. He had
two millions at his command then. You
people fought me then, and only to-
day have you the thing which Hubin-
ger would have given you twenty
years ago.
Where are Circumstances?
People come here tonight and cry
unequal taxation and yet there are ne
accusations. Who is it that has such
taxation, and where is it?
The washwoman laborers we heard
q bout are to be respected, but If they
come here let them come with accusa-
tons. If wholesalers of the city are
not paying taxes, why don't you as citi-
zens go before the board of equaliza-
ton and have the taxes raised. II the
retailers are oppressed why don't they
20 before the board. These vagaries
and myths are not worthy of consider
alton for a minute.
THE man who makes these charges
must assume one of two attitudes:
either that we are ignorant and don't
Know, or else he must bring some
charges directly before an intelligent
and We brag Of the brains
md intellect that we have produced
,ere. There are no direct accusations,
,nly innundoes. Let him come out
v it'll his charges, and the people will
attend to them.
Just word as to the water power
Before the water power
anne here, Keokuk was off the map.
was unknown. Then came the |
nance to get the water power project |
,ere. Every citizen. and Sanders. too, |
Who was living here then. had "a |
nance to object when they considered !
he proposition Of taxing them on a
basis for certain number Of |
ears. No one objected then. They |
,ot Keokuk on the map and we are |
nown from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
teal estate has advanced from so to |
90 per cent. Working men who for
nerly go. $1.25 per day, get M.75 and
3. so per day now. The water power
roject has brought factories to us, |
nd If we can't live up to our agree
aents then let's quit and wipe the |
own off the face of the earth and |
love'
AS Ballinger was speaking time and
cain he was interrupted with ap-
lause and at the end Of his talk there
,as a deafening salvo Of cheers ring
ng through the old court house.