The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1850-11-13
Fer the Express.



given to the friends of our democratic and faith
tul "Agents in Congress, (Alessrs Dodge and
Jones, OF the Senate, and Mr.. Letter, of the
House,) to vindicotc them from (what |, with
many others think) the very unkind, undemo-
cratic and false charges preferred against them
in the last number of the "Express,' which APP
pcared in the absence Of Dr. Holt, the Editor,
who is, however, responsible for the same, if he
did not write it before his departure.
The writer of that article ought to have known
that to one of those "Acents in Congress- the
Qhe Hon. Geo. w. Joncs,) who was then our
Delegate in Congress, when we were united to
Wisconsin, a:c we indebted for the first appro-
pr.atlons ever made by Congress, amounting to
$4,000, for the removal Of the distractions in
the navigation Of the Mississippi, at the Lower
k7pids. The writer cannot be ignorant Of the
tact, that at the last session of Congress, Sena-
tor Jones brought the subject Of the improve
mcnt of those very Rapids to the attention of
Congress, by Resolution offered in the Senate
early IN the session, before any petitions were
received from the southern portion OF the State,
from which alone, as am informed, were any
Seut during the whole session. That our no less
vig'lant and talented Senator, Gen. Dodge, in
troduccd bill in the Senate, making large APP
| preparation for those same works; that he and
MIR. Letter, another Of those "Agcnls in Con-
gresS, and believe an honest and faithful one,
| too, brought the matter to the attention Of the
Senate and the House, and that he, Mr.. LETTER:
with our two Senator'S frequently appeared be-
tore the Committee Of Commerce of both Ilous-
es, and succeeded in having them to insert in
| the River and flarhor bill $50, 900 for the i'm
provcmcnls of the Lower Rapids, the commit
tees believing, no doubt, that that sum would be
suihcient to commence Operations, during the
very short period remaining in the interim of the
sessions of Congress.
The Hon. r. Lane, of Baltimore the talent
ed and interchangeable democratic Chairman Of the
Committee CT Commerce, made repeated, and
no doubt earnest efforts to call up the Harbor
Bill in the House, but was not successful the
majority voting always against them. Is he too,
| the sterling democrat and friend of the West,)
to share in this wholesale dcnunc:ation of
"immcdlate Representatives, as setforth in the
editorials of the "Exprcss' ard "Tribune -
That the 'Tribunc,' Uhc mere echo Of its
namcsake, in New York-a Wing, Frcesoil, and
Abolition shcctD should SANDER democrats and
Observation-Disclosures, is not to be wondered at; but
when paper, protesting to be democratic
journal, so far forgets the obligations due to
truth-not to say dctnocracy--us to come out in
such broad and wholesale ccnsure of sterling de-
mocrats-of our honest, faithful, and patriotic
public servants-it is high time that truc demo-
Gratis should speak the truth in their defence.
l Will not notice the repeated thrusts made at
our nclghbor, Senator Jones, whose devotion TO
labor for the interests "i his constituents, ana his
| Zeal and influence in gaining over members of
Congress to the support Of the interests Of Iowa,
has been freely acknowled red by Wings and
Democrats, friends and enemies, who have visit
ed Washington City, paid attention to the
proceedings ofCongrcss; as cannot but believe
they are the result Of personal hostility and pri-
vatc pque; if so, they will no doubt, like the
arrow shot by weak arm, fall short of the mark
The Old inhabitants, Ike yourscl,know wheth
er Mpssrs. Dod!. and Jones, as Senators, or as
Delegates, or Mr.. Letiler, as Representative
have been true to their trusts or not, and will
continue to honor them as they have done, and
now do, SO long as they remain what they are,
and ever have been, honest and faithful public
"Agents, whether in private in public sta
tons. Who, Of Iowa. Will ever cease to be CRATE
tul to the Hon. a. c. Dodge, for the magniti
cent Dcs Moincs river grant, for the grants to
our beautiful city for her harbor-for our State
Road, amounting to several tho:sands Of dollars;
our Seat of Government for land, and for many
other public objects. You know Mr.. kecscck-
cr, that, to his colleague and bosom friend, Gen.
Jones, IS Iowa indebted for the first law ever
passed by Congress for her bcncfit-that to his
single excrons as our Delegate, mhilst he resi-
ded in HiSconslu, too. for tn" establishment of
our Territorial Government, for the grant Of a
section Of land to each of the towns Of Fort Ma
olson, Burlington, Dubuque, and Peru, and for
the establishment OF our first two Land Offices,
at burlington and Dubuque, and for the restora-
ton OF the latter when removed to Marion, for
the location and establishment at Dubuuuc of
the Surveyor Generals Office, through which
nearly a million Of dollars has been dis
burstd here, to the great benefit of our City and
State. But why enumcrat'? Is It not we'll
known fact to all who were here at that time,
/ h of
and officers of Government in high sta
ton, that our Delegate had rot more Cor his
stltuentS than had been before got by any
Delegate for any other Territory. The writer
Of your editorials ought to have cnquircd Of you
or some of the older citizens as to the course OF
our, "Agents in Congress beior he INDUCED in
such severe censure for their past negligence;
especially, as such thrusts are calculated to
wound not only our immediate Representatives,
but the whole democratic party who elected
them.
Our Representatives are censured because
they "listencd to long winded speeches in both
Houses Of Congress, and never made an earnest
attempt to attend to the business upon which
they were dcputcd.' Now if they made any
attempt, which think from the fore going they
did, how did the writer knows it was not in earn
cSt9 But they sat and ''listcncd to long -wndcd
speeches. 20 we not recolcct an article which
appeared III your paper last winter or spring, !
and which was intended to bring ccnsure on
Gen. Jones because he did not make speech
himself? What inconsistcncy-if not lack of
honest principle!
1t is due to our worthy Representative, Mr.
Letter, to say, that no blame can fairly be at
tached to him, for the failure of the passage of
the Rail Road or Harbor Bills I am assured
by Senator Jones, that Mr.. Letter felt the great
est anxiety on this bills he did upon all 9TH
or objects Of interest to Iowa; made many earn
est efforts, and done all faithful Representa-
tive could do to get them through, but it would
have been sure and immediate defeat to those
measures, for Mr.. Lefller to have called them
up, even if he could have done so, and so the
friends of the measures, both Wing and Demo
crat, advised him, after the defeat of the Mis-
souri, grant That bill owed its defeat to the
i'll. success attending the efforts Of Mr.. Vinton
and other Wing members of Congress, to pass
bill to amend the Tariff act of 1876, SO as to
lay heavy taxes on the people at large, for the
benefit of Eastern Manutac turcrs-thc Lawrcn-
ces, and other mllionaries; when that measure
was defeated, the Wings of the House threaten
ed vengeance upon the Rail Road, lIarbor, and
A. i