Weekly miners' express. (DuBuque, Iowa) 184?-1849, 1847-12-29
Rnfl Road.

hose, who believe that this is The che. IN !;
q, most expeditions, and witha!l - al,
system Of communication as .an Ia 80,
ablished. The history Of he rapid pro-
.ress Of railroads in me Tinted states
q put recent da.,e YET, in every in
sa''co Wnere c-Apital has been invested
n snsn'' y IN a view to meet the necessi-
les q The country, as well as 10 crafty
ne 81 Avarice of the money jobbcr, they
navo not only yielded handsome per
cent, but have proved a great blessing 10
the country through which they pass 49,
Wsliie every State, east and south Of US,
is becoming more or less identified with
improvements Of this kind; while they
are concentrating their own surplus capi-
tai, and by ,l.t means inducing the irni-
crafi~- OF foreign capital; while they are
-xsending their trade, expanding their
resources, Increasing their population,
and cnlarging the boundaries oil. .hei,
Wealth--is it asking too much, that the
inhabitants Of our young and Furnishing
State, should direct their thoughts in This
channeli We are planted upon a soil
with productive qualities as rare and d.
versified as any upon the face Of the
globe, su,roundedby delightful climate,
with people possessing all the elements
Of an enterprising genius. With such
natural advantages Of soil and climate,
coupled with an unusual degree ofindus-
try and ambition, we cannot fail to be-
come eventually one Of the weaIthies,
States in the Union, if our efforts are d.
rected with view to developing the
great resources OF our country,
The subject Of railroad from Keo-
kuck 10 Dubuque, through the interior of
The State, may, for the moment, and at
this early period Of our existence as q
State, seem somewhat novel underta-
king--yet, it is being seriously agiated
in the southern and interior portions Of
the State. A public meeting was held
last week at the county sea, Of Linn coun-
", to consider the prac!icability Of the
undertaking, and we irus, that they will
send Us the proceedings, shatw we may lay
them before our readers. II the stock to
build this road could find no purchasers,
except among the inhabitants oflbe Stale,
we might at once conclude, that the en-
,eTprise would prove futile at this time.
But as-all great enterprises of this de-
scription, have been carried forward more
by foreign than hn,na capital, we haaa
every right to conclude that we should
not be left TO our own resources for the
accomplishment Of this object. Had we
q communication to Keokuck by railroad,
we should not only avoid the danger aud
necessarily enormous expense Of getting
over the rapids Of the Mississippi, but we
should avoid the frequent and proracted
delays Of getting to market, during GER
tain stages of the water, when boats can
not pass over the rapids. Another fact,
which should not be forgotten, is, that
we should have the advantage Of two
markets-an eastern and southern mar
ket. For We should not only be brought
in direct and speedy communication with
ST. Louis, but also with New York and
Boston, by way Of Chicago. The grading
of the railroad from Chicago to Galena
has already commenced, and i, is conf
IDENTIFY presumed that within three years
that work will be finished and ia success
full operation. Should that be the case,
and a railroad from Keokuck tothis place
be carried forward, as matter Of course
interest and convenience would dictate
that the two shouldbe united. This done,
and our exporting community would en-
Joy the privilege Of running both ways;
either to an eastern, or southern market,
as their inclination, or interest might
prompt. A large portion Of the travel,
too, which goes by the way Of Pittsburgh
and other old established routes, would be
diverted from those routes, to this. The
saving that such line decentralization
would offer to the producers Of this coun-
Try, would be almost incalculable. In
the same proportion as the farmers faci-
lilies for getting 10 q good market, are in
creased, are the products Of his land, and
the lnnd itself increased in value. The
very first day that railroad from Keo-
4 kusk to Dubuque, 70 Galena, and from
that 70 Chicago, should be completed, eve
ry foot of productive land in iowa would
be Increased ID value twenty per cent at
least. Let US take hold, then, and agi-
iate this subject Properly agitated, and
foreign capitalists will moi be wanting 10