The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-08-30
Careful Study of the Facts and Forces Which the History
of the Past Proves be Determining in the Growth
of the City Industrial Center
MEMORABLE LAWS OF lNDUSTRIALlSM
Keobus Position in the Midst of Economic Forces Aided
bv the Best of Modern Skill in Developing New
Manufacturing Center in the Mississippi Valley.

Agriculture is the fundamental
basis of prosperity oi every KIM On
land.
Manufacturing always settles down
In the midst of The most fertile paris
OF country.
In Europe, where sufficient time
has elapsed for permanent ADJUST
ment of things under economic laws,
the manufacturing is chiefly done IN
In the United States, the great
agricultural part of the county rs
the imperial valley of the Mississippi
river, extending from Canada 70 the
Gulf of Mexico and from the Rocky
to the Allegheny mountains.
keokuk in the Nucleus of Prosperity.
In the very center of this Missis-
sip2i valley, exactly on It's mloaie
meridian, almost exactly in It's mid
die latitude, is Keokuk.
The city limits lie on the state
lines dividing three OF the great
states of the nation, Iowa, Illinois
Missouri. These three states, as
large as some great European coun-
tries. could support themselves ana
grow rich, il they were walled In
from all the rest Ct the world. In
that case, Keokuk would be their
natural and logical capital and me-
tropolis.
The census bureau maps show that
Keokul1 is within dozen miles OF
the corn production center OF the
United States, on one slde, anu "
the pork production center OF the
United States on the opposite sloe.
Iowa stood first in the last census
20 try nd
The center of population OF the Unit
ed States, still east of here, is head
ed toward Keokuk,s the line OF its
movement for the last fifty years
pointing exactly toward this city.
InexorabIe Laws Beginning to Work.
Still comparatively in its youth,
the United States is showing the eff
feet Of the economic laws, fixed in
Europe, which move manufacturing
into the fertile valleys.
Already the best agricultural state
in the union, Iowa is today producing
a greater factory output than agrl-
cultural productive output OF her
manufacturing is larger than the ire
mendous output of her agriculture.
Missouri has about three times the
manufacturing of Iowa. Illinois is
one of the chief manufacturing
states in the nation. The municipal
ity Of Keokuk actually touches the
boundaries OF all three OF these
states.
Astronomers apply observations OF
movements and some mathematics
and foretell future situations Of heav-
emily bodies and the appearance and
courses of even cratic comets
Equally, the laws OF economics, ap'
piled to observations of great move,
ments of humanity, accurately fore
cast future conditions of industrial
ism.
Manifest Destiny Of Keokuk.
However carefully made, these ap
pIicatfons of memorable laws prove
that the destiny Of Keokuk lies ii
industrial supremacy in the future.
How soon it shall be accomplished
depends upon the rather slow move
ments of a comparatively new ma
ton, the aptitude Of manufacturers
to see things in the large and with
a wide horizon, and upon the pres
ence or absence of delaying factors
like the present world war.
The facts of the last five years in
dictate that the industrial browning
Of Keokuk as one Of the chief manu-
featuring cities of the nation is ap
preaching with relatively rapid speed
The war has deranged all manufac
turing and placed all manufacturer:
In chaotic state Of mind which