The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-07-18
Conference Of Prominent Citizens Called by
Mayor Lotion Takes Long First Step
Toward Building 1t.
MEMORIAL FOR THE kEOKUk SOLDIERS
Cost Under Recent Law Can Be Spread Out
Over Forty Years and Will Hardly Be
Felt by Taxpayers of the City.

n.okuk,s memorial for her soldier,
:, ~. world war will be communit,
Souse including city hall, an armory
A. auditorium for large public meet
;noo. a public swimming pool, city
Iii, and other things, II the pIar
.tarted late yesterday afternoon By
seventy prominent citizens works Out
as proposed.
av the same new law, the cost may
\. nald BY bonds and spread out over
INV years, 90 that any individual
..ynayer will not notice it In any one
year. -, ~. -
tho proposition at an election to be
held early this fall.
OF the citizens called into confer
ence on the plan by Mayor Lotion, not
one objected to the plan explained to
them fully.
committee of five was ordered ap-
pointed by the city council to take
charge, in conjunction with the coun-
ell. of the matter and push 1t to a
conclusion as soon as possible.
This committee will make the pro-
tect more definite, by suggesting ten
tatiye plans and arrangements in the
architecture of the new building, what
II shall include, its location, and the
amount that shall be asked for its con-
struction. The figure talked at the
conference was 100000 or more.
How It Happened.
Everybody has had in mind some
kind of a memorial for the Keokuk
soldiers of the world war, many Of
whom were distinguished for their
fighting and all of whom were good
soldiers.
The need Of a city hall has been
felt here for decades, but legal limita-
lions of taxation and other things
seemed to make it impossible.
The last legislature passed a new
law allowing cities to issue special
bonds to build public buildings as sol
der memorials on easy terms of pay
ment for the bonds, by making them
run fifty years, if desired.
As soon as the new law arrived In
Keokuk, the city council began to con-
slider action under 1t. The commits
sioners discussed it long and from all
angles and had the city attorney make
them digest Of the new law in all its
bearings.
Everything Above Board.
Then they decided to hear from the
people of Keokuk.
Mayor Lotion asked eighty citi-
zens to attend a conference in the
superior court room at 4:30 o'clock
yesterday afternoon, and had several
other more or less social affairs
changed so they could be there.
Not all ATTENDED the conference, but
most Of them did. They got full infor-
nation abou. the new project and then
decided unanimously that they were
all in favor Of 1t.
An analysis of the list of this com.
mittee of eighty shows that 1t in
cludes all kinds and conditions OF
men, of all vocations and walks In
life, bankers and BARRIERS, realtors and
lawyers, merchants and manufac-
turers, printers and preachers, and all
kinds of men who make up Keokuk.
Some Practical Aid.
They not only talked and resolved
to push the new proposal, but within
twenty minutes some Of them had
taken very practical measures by vol
unteering for duty as election Off
Gals.
The election will not cost much,
said Mayor Lotion soon after the con-
ference adjourned, "for owners OF
buildings have offered them free Of
charge for polling places and men are
Volunteering fast as election judges
and clerks without pay"
The routine is, that petitions for an
election on the project be circulated
and filed, then an election held after
Que notice, and after that the bond is
sue and selling of the bonds, before
actual work Is begun on the founda-
tons.
This means that while the project
VIII become certainty this fall, if the
vote on 1t Is affirmative, construc
uon can not begin until next spring.
The Legal Phases.
Mayor Lotion opened the conference
IN the superior court room with
Snort statement and called on City
Attorney Clarence H. Dickey to state
me law bearing on the proposal.
Mr.. Dickey read the statute passed
ny the last legislature and made
very lucid explanation of the act In
plain English. He explained that any
OF the named parts OF the community
building may be built into it, but 1t is
not necessary In include all Of them.
tax not over five mills in Keokuk
on $13.000,000 assessed valuation
would yield $4,000 year, of which :
part can be used as interest on bonds
and the rest to pay off some bonds
every year, the city attorney said.
The present indebtedness Of Keo-
AUX is about $214,000 including every
ming from bonds to current bills. The
addition Of 100000 for the new memo
'ial would still leave large leeway
below the constitutional limit.
Figuring Il Out.
Hazen l. Sawyer called attention to !
he fact that under the bond limita-