The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1850-03-13


peton of the whole line. AS we have said be-
fore, this is cmphaticaly road in which Iowa
ought to feel deeply interested as it will be to
her the great highway to wealth and prosperity
state Railroad Convention.
This body met at Iowa City on the 20th ult,
and organized temporarily by calling Stephen
B. Shelleday Of Jasper county to the Chair
Fourteen counties were represented by numer-
Gus, respectable and influential delegation
committee cf two from each county was appoint
ed to draft report resolutions, &c. En- Gov
ernor Lucas was appointed Chairman of this
committee, and submitted an elaborate report
which owing to its extreme length, we are obi
ged to defer for the present
The resolutions are as follows
Rcsolrcd, That it is the duty of the General
Government to provide at the earliest possible
PERIOD for the construction of central National
Railroad from the Mississippi valley to the Pa
cifc ocean, and that grand trunk Railroad from
the South Pass in the Rocky Mountains, extern
alng westward branching at the most suitable
point, and extending one branch to the Bay of
San Francisco, in California, and another to Pu-
gets Sound in Oregon, and also extending east
| ward to the Council Blitfs on the Missouri river,
with three branches; one southwark to such a
point on the Lower Mississippi as may be most
suitable to connect with the improvements in
| the Southern States; one central to such point
on the Mississippi as may be deemed most suit
able to connect with the Valley of the Ohio riv-
or and the various improvements on its borders
and the other branch from the Council Bluffs
eastward crossing the Mississippi at Rock Island
to Chicago on the Southern bend of Lake Mich
igan, would be such central and National Rail
road.
ResoIocd, That the public lands constitute a
legitimate and proper fund to be applied to the
construction of public improvements, and that
appropriations of public lands in sc1icient guam
titles should be made to the several States to en-
able them respectively to construct such Rail
roads within their limits as will unite the aiore-
said National railroad with railroads extending
to the Atlantic Ocean.
Rcsolrcd, That the railroad from Davenport,
at Rock Island on the Mississippi, by Iowa City
and Fort Desmoines, to Council Bluffs on the
Missouri river, crossing these rivers at the most
suitable places for bridging said rivers-that the
road is on strai ght line from Chicago on the
south bend of Lake Michigan, to the Platte val
ley and the South Pass of the Rocky Mountains
and thereby forms section Of the road for which
MIR. Whitney asked an appropriation ofland and
obtained the report of bill in the Senate of the
United States granting him thirty miles in width
on each side of said road at ten cents per acre.
| Under these considerations we appeal to the JUS
ticc and liberality of Congress to grant Iowa so
much OF the public domain within her borders
| as will enable the State to construct the afore-
said road, and to effect this end we ask the at
tention Of Congress generally, but especially, the
members representing the Northern, Middle and
Western States, and feel degree of confidence
that our appeal will not be disregarded. ap,5h
Resolccd, That this convention approve the
address and memorial of the Johnson county rail-
road convention on the subject of railroad from
Davenport to Council Bluffs, as adopted by the
| committee of that convention on the first day of
December 1S49, and forwarded by the chairman
of said committee to our members in. Congress
Rcsolrcd, That copy of the foregoing reso-
lutions be transmitted to the President of the U.
States, to the Vice President of the United States
to the Speaker of II. r. and each of our Sena-
tors and Representatives in Congress, with the
request that they be laid before the Senate and
House of Representatives of the United States
r1aa3 a.9g~l ROBERT LUCAS, Chairman.
The Convention held another session on the
2lst, when the following qualifying resolution
was adopted ~. .,s' s... -'.. <... 's.5 s
ResolDed, That anything in the foregoing res
| olutions to the contrary Notwithstanding, it be
RECOMMENDED by this convention that in the con-
| struction of the above road, the town of Musca-
! tine be made point provided the Chief Engin-
l.eer and Managing Board Of said Road, shall Off
cially report that it would be to the interest of
said Road to 60 to said town of Muscatine, in
preference to afniore interior route, .el 1f,'t
Several other resolutions relating to the pub
lication OF the proceedings, &C., were adopted.
II ,oy Il