The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-06-14
KEOKUK MOST INTERESTING
CITY IN UNITED STATES

able impression of everything they
saw and heard.
ave admire the people OF the
middle west for the spirit OF enthu-
siasm and optimism which pervades
all their utterances regarding their
cities and their country in general.
said Mr.. Vigen.
Chief keokuk and Mayor Lotion.
The visitors expressed deep inter
est in the statue of Chief keokuk IN
Rand park. Indians are source OF
perpetual interest to Scandinavians,
and the journalists wanted to know
all about the old chief who once
lived in that part of Iowa, and after
whom the city was named. Mayor
Ed S. Lotion has for years possessed
an Indian tomahawk which he treas
ured highly. This relic he presented
to Carl j. Engstrom, of StocHholm.
Sweden, editor Of Svenska Dagbia-
den. The newspaper man will donate
the tomahawk to the museum at
Stockholm,
when they told us the story OF
Chief Keokuk we asked what had
finally become OF him, said MI.
Vsgen. We were informed that ne
had died somewhere in the west.
This recalled to our minds the fact
that as the white man had settled
the country the Indian had gradually
given way before him. Nevertheless,
the right Of the Indians to the lands
was recognized by the American gov
eminent and ample provision was
made for taking care of the red man
under government supervision. Inc
American spirit of fairness indicated
by this procedure we very much ad-
mire'
Admired Our Civic Adjuncts.
"Other things in Keokuk approved
OF by the journalists were the parks,
the hotels and the railroad station. |
The parks especially appealed to
them. You would not find any such
parks in cities no larger than this
in European countries they said. !
Scandinavians being great readers
of Mark Twain, all of whose books
have been translated into the Scan
dinavian languages, the visitors were
much interested upon being shown |
in Keokuk once occupied
by the famous author. They were
also shown copy Of an old city
directory, part of the type for the
printing of which had been set by
Mark Twain when he was working IN
a Keokuk printing office.
Commenting on their general Inn
pressions of America, Mr.. Vigen said
that, contrary to an opinion more or
less prevalent across the water that
the Americans are a nation of relent-
less pursuers of the almighty dollar
to the exclusion of all other inter
ests, the journalists had found them
rather a people OF idealists. We In
Europe have discovered not only that
the Americans have ideals, but also
hat they can fight for them he said.
Admire Our People.
1.-THE Danish editor thought Ameri-
cans are given to the enthusiastic
following OF strong, magnetic lead I
ers. 4 will say this for them, how
ever he said, that, SO far as ! have
been able to interpret their charac-
.er, I am of the opinion that, no
matter how powerful a hold their
leaders may have, the people are
LUCK W WlluuldW lACtI oupPOft -
hey discover, or think they discover,
hat the leadership is not what they
to be for the best interests
II the country
"The Scandinavian journalists were
invited to visit America with the
dea that such visit would help
create a stronger spirit Of friend
ship between this country and those
hey represented. That as result
If their sojourn here they are leav.
ng with a better understanding OF J
American conditions goes without
saying. One of the party suggested
hat up to this time the old coun-
ries had been unable to realize that 3
hose who have immigrated to the T
United States have thereby severed 5
heir connections with the home land |
md have here become part Of a {
ew nation He said the journalists
lad learned on this trip, however, ]
hat it is mistake to consider as |
swedes, Norwegians and Danes the (;
people in America who came from
hose countries; that when they 7;
each the United States they become t
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