The Hawk-eye and Iowa patriot. (Burlington, Iowa) 1839-1843, 1840-12-17

take TO the Ocean through hazardous
and tedious voyage Of from 1000 to 5000
miles, to the mouth of the Miss.-and
then, in many cases as much as 1900 to
100 miles up that river-that for the
armament Of the States in the Valley Of
the Mississippi; the immense expense
of this transportation, to bring the arms
to that river, is exactly SO much money
cast away; because, it may be saved by
an armory on the Mississippi-that this
expense is increasing every year with
the population of the country and is
therefore not only an increasing injury
to the public treasury, but an injustice
to the western States who have right
to the manufacture, within their olvn
area, Of the military means they are re-
CURED to use in their own defence.
As to the position of this National
Armory it ought unquestionably to be
some where in the Valley of the Missis-
sippi, and on the waters Of that river.
And this, because of the remarkable fact
that from such location eleven H1tes
may be armed without ,ranshipments,
supposing Iowa and Wisconsin to be
States: while the navigable waters of
Alabama through her whole length, and
of the lakes around Michigan (making
l3 States) are open to the arms by a
single transhipment at New Orleans, in
the one case, and in Wisconsin,, in the
other. And this, wi,hou, considering
westernVa. western Georgia, and western
Florida which could always be armed
quicker, and easier from the Valley of
the Mississippi, than from the east. And
here it should be considered. that this
location affords not merely a delivery of
the arms at some point on the soil of
the State but, the sending them home
as it were, by one shipment into the
midst of the population; by means of
the numerous navigable rivers tina, pour
into the Ohio and the Mississippi, ,hro'
the length and breadth of these States.
The location for this Armory should not
evidently be on the waters of the Ohio !;
for if suitable water power could be
found below the falls, within the 400
miles 10 the mouth of the river: IN the
first place, all that region presents the
well-known objection of the summer and
fall diseases as do in less degree the
whole of the upper Ohio. And this will
not be esteemed slight objection, il we
witness the effects Of those same diseases,
at tlarper's -ferry Va, place Of as good
health as any on the Ohio. Yet these
diseases, ever since the establishment of
that Arnory has had the effect of caus-
ing the arms made there, to cos, con-
siderably more than those made at the
other Armory at Springfield, which has
unexceptionable health the year round
find IN the second place, If located on
the Ohio, it would have the very serious
objection Of being cut off from the Val
ley Of the Mississippi, for considerable
period of the year by low water in the
summer and fall, and by low water and
ice in the winter.
And IN The third place, this would be
carrying it away as it were, from the
great body of the States in the Valley Of
The Mississippi, for which it would be
mainly, and indeed almost exclusively
established.
For without these States in the Valley
of the Mississippi. it would be no way
necessary as Ohio and eastern Ken
lucky might be very well supplied from
the east, without such an establishment.
Such location would therefore take it
too near to the National Armory in Va
It would take it acithoM the very area of
country in which it is alone wanted; and
thus leave the objection of eastern trans
ror,ation still unreieved
But if the summer and fall diseases
present such serious objections to the To-
cation Of large Armory on the Ohio.
If they cripple so much the Que already
established a, Harper's-ferrv; their in
creased duration and intensity in all the
region of the lower Mississippi, would
presen. insurmoun,able objections to the
establishment of a National Armory
there. That single cause. would render
such an establishment entirely inefficient
and of no avail, for or months in the
year. But, there are other objections
equally formidable. Such are the ex-
ceed,ng high prices Of all the necessaries
of life, and consequently of the wages
Of mechanics and laborers, and the high
prices of coal and iron owing TO their
distance of transportation.
The combined influence Of these
causes, would most probably and speedi-
ly carry the cost of muskets up to such
an enormous price. as would lead to an
early practical, if not an absolute dis
solution Of the Armory; even if there
were suitable available water powers in
this region. There are however none !;
save some two or three which like the
falls of the Ohio, would require an i'm
mense preparatory labor, equal OF itself
to the cost of an Afmory, before they
could be made available for the applica-
ton of machinery or in other words.
before the Government could begin the
building of the Armory.
We now turn our eyes towards the
upper Aississippi; which is the region
of health. cheapness, and abundance !;
and which is between those parallels of
:.