THIRTEENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART IV 205 



stand, Mr. Cooper has built more water power than any other three men 

 on the face of the earth. He would certainly estimate to its full the im- 

 portance of cheap water power. But listen to his testimony: He said 

 that he had made careful estimates of the cost of power on a representa- 

 tive commodity. The commodity he took* was flour; and he swore that 

 it cost approximately one and two-thirds cents a hundred pounds to make 

 flour, so far as the power is concerned. The difference in freight rates 

 between Quincy and St. Louis in first-class traffic from the Atlantic coast 

 is 9 cents down to 4 cents for the lower classes, while the power only 

 costs one and two-thirds cents a hundred pounds. That is representative 

 of the rate on thousands of articles. In other words, if you wanted to 

 build a factory, and were considering going to Keokuk or to Quincy, 

 thirty-one miles down the river, if Keokuk offered to give you the power 

 free of charge as long as you are in business, it would pay you to go 

 to Quincy instead of Keokuk, because of the freight rates. Of course there 

 are other factors than power and freight rates involved in our manufac- 

 turing and jobbing business, but I have found in my short life that there 

 isn't very much difference between our human morals in the long run. 

 You will never be able to build up factories in Iowa as Chicago and St. 

 Louis have — you will never get a Chicago or a St. Louis in Iowa — until 

 you are on a parity with Chicago and St. Louis. 



There was a statement made last night about the development of this 

 country. That is a very interesting proposition to me. You know we 

 are closer to the center of population and to the center of production 

 than those states and cities in the east, and I do truly expect to see the 

 day come when this will be the industrial center of the United States. 

 The center of population is just over here in Illinois or Indiana, close to 

 the Mississippi river. The manufacturers in the east are looking for lo- 

 cations out here in the west. They know that if they don't come out 

 here to this section of the country, their competitors will, or some other 

 competitors will grow up here and take the business. They are coming 

 here, and the question is, where will they come to? Will they come to 

 Chicago and vicinity, St. Louis and vicinity, or will they come into Iowa? 

 Already, the far-sighted financiers of the country realize the strategic 

 importance of locating in this part of America. Where did the steel trust 

 locate their great plant? At Gary, Indiana, close to Chicago. Where did 

 the Standard Oil Company build its great new plant? At Whiting, Indi- 

 ana, close to Chicago. The Sugar Creek Refinery is just out of Kansas 

 City. The greatest milling houses in the country are at Minneapolis. The 

 greatest production of live stock is down south; corn up here; wheat and 

 oats right through this section. Those two greatest financial concerns in 

 the country, fully appreciating that fact, have come out here in the heart 

 of the United States, close to the Mississippi valley, and it is only a 

 question of time till where you and I now are will be the industrial cen- 

 ter of the United Statesi. If we can only get on an equality with these 

 rival cities, we can have a few cities within the state of Iowa. The regu- 

 lation of these things is necessary. 



