FOURTH ANNUAL YEAPi BOOK — PART V. 20'^ 



lor this magnificent little city upon the l)anks of the Cedar. Think of 

 It, from the State of Iowa — the State of our adoption — and the one that 

 Has never to beg the question wherever known upon the face of the 

 globe; there is less than 3 per cent of illiteracy in the State; that it has 

 voters for every 3i^ per cent of its ijopulation and casts a vote which I 

 ;im proud to announce, because that is the right of every citizen — not 

 only his right but his duty — to exercise the right of franchise, which is 

 given him. I mention this simply to show you the intelligence of our 

 people. 



r can speak for Waterloo from my own knowledge, from what I have 

 read in' the different papers, journals and magazines, what I have heard 

 irom the traveling men (who always know all about the commercial 

 enterprises of every city) from all parts of the compass, from the great 

 markets, from all the people we meet — that Waterloo is held up as an 

 example for others to follow. Its wonderful manufacturing industries 

 and its great commercial interests; its stores are palaces, but the enter- 

 prise and push of its people certainly is to be admired. 



These things have not come about by chance and certainly their citi- 

 7,«<ns, in whatever calling cr profession they may be, are entitled to a great 

 deal of credit, because it has taken self-denial and hard work and *'never- 

 say-fail" determination to win this grand position among the cities of the 

 United States and that of Iowa. 



I appear not here particularly to eulogize the city of Waterloo. I 

 am only stating what is true and not flattery. There is a saying that 

 if the opportunity is taken advantage of at its tide you will succeed. 

 They, through their business men and good counselors, saw their oppor- 

 tunity when their tide moved and they improved it. Others must not 

 ))e jealous, because these opportunities come to every man in every com- 

 munity in a lifetime, and if taken advantage of they, too, must succeed. 

 No doubt many others must be behind this city, although I must say 

 that the State of Iowa is proud, and I can say that all up and down this 

 beautiful Cedar Valley, and the valleys of the Wapsie, the Des Moines, 

 the Turkey, for that matter, and also inland, the State is dotted with 

 active and lively towns and cities of different sizes. This comes about 

 by the intelligence of their people, which is shown by a statement I made 

 a few moments ago, that there is only 3 per cent of illiteracy in the 

 State. 



But we are an agricultural State. I think the president once said 

 if we ever amounted to much it would be through agriculture. We do 

 not deny the charge. The nearest you come to living to that which is 

 nearest to every honest mind and heart and conscience is the honor of 

 yourself and the respect of your neighbor and the honor and confidence 

 that he confers upon you. There is nowhere in the wide world that you 

 meet this cordiality and this honest purpose and intention of mind and 

 soul as you do in the rural communities. We are not criminals; we 

 do not need to have police stations in the cities of our State, nor at the 

 polling places to know whether a man has the right to exercise his right 

 of franchise unmolested — whether he is a hero or not — but he knows 

 That he has that right and he respects his neighbor's right and his neigh- 



