Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1850-02-08
From tn, Blrlingtoa Gazette.
Plank Roads, ana Ol- Ability 10
Make Them

Make Them.
We publish, IN another column, an ar
ricle from the Ottumwa (Wapello coun-
ty) Courier, in favor of the extension of
the Burlington and Mount Pleasant
PLANK Road to that place, which will be
found worthy of perusal. AT time like
the present, when new rail road projects,
involving the expenditure of millions Of
dollars. ore brought forward every day,
it is highly gratifying 10 discover that tie
less expensive but equally useful improve
ments which we have the ability to make
are not entirely lost sight of. Plank
roads are no longer ALI experiment. They
have been tred in all parts of the coun-
try, and have been found to answer an
admirable purpose. For the lransporla-
ton of many articles of farm pro luce
they are suderior TO rail roads. The we'll
established fact that the farmer. with his
own team, can haul four times as much
over these roads as he ordinarily does at
present, AMI at an accelerated pace, is
fast comforting upon them msrited AM
widespread popularity. Another, and in
our opinion very important considera-
tion in their favor, is, that zoe can make
them, and make them al once; while our
rail roads are all dependent on the liber-
ality of Congress, and at best cannot be
completed and in operation for long
time to come. These are facts which
should not be overlooked by the people
of the interior counties, who are earnest
ly and anxionsly looking for increased
frclities Of communication with the Mis-
sissippi towns.
We have said that the success of the
various rail road schemes are all contin.
gent on the liberality of Congress, and it
will not be denied that such is the TACT
OF course at this early period of the ses-
slon we cannot undertake to predict what
sort of reception our several applica-
tions for donations OF land will meet with.
but when the fact that Iowa, with a sim
gle exception, has already received more
land from the general government for
purposes of internal improvement than
any of her sisters, is considered, it will
be admitted that the dependence is a
somewhat precarious one. Many will
be surprised at this statement, but it is
true; and being true. it should
not be concealed from the people OF the
Stale. The impression has gone forth
founded, partly at least, on the resolutions
which have been adopted from time to
time, at our rail road meetings, calling on
Congress to place us, IN the m ltter of
donations for works or internal improve
ment, on an equal footing with the most
favored States-that Iowa is far in the
rear of most of the other Western States
in favors of this kind. and the adoption
of a policy for equalizing the grants,
(snch rs is looked to by the resolution
recently introduced into the Senate by
Col. Benton, making the State which
has received The greatest amount of land
the standard, would place at our disposal
large additional amount of the public
domain. The figures, however, as given
in the appendix which accompanies the
report of the Commissioner of the Gen
eral Land Office for the year 1913, show
that we are behind but single State I'm.
diana3 in the amount of land already re-
ceived for purposes of internal improve
ment; while, if we take the aggregate
amount OF all the donations made to the
State for dissccIIeul purposes, II appears
we are actually in advance of all others.
We do not allude to these to discourage
our people from persevering in pressing
their application for additional grants
The facts as stated, however, are known
at Washing ton, and their knowledge, here
may be made to serve useful purpose,
in impressing npon the public the neces-
lty OF dong something for themselves.
Let US cease to place our entire depen-
dence upon Hercules. We are not with
out the pecuniary ability to construct
such Improvements as are required by
the wants of the trade of the country,
and have the energy and enterprise to
early them through, when commenced.
Let us, then, at once, bring these into
requisition. The Plank Road already
commenced between Burlington and
Mount Pleasant will be pushed through
nextsummer, and we regard its exten-
sion into the interior counties as fixed
tact. Such an improvement will serve
all the purposes Of more expensive
one at present, and for number of wears
TO come. The road will be graded to
an almost perfect level so that BY the
time The plank are worn out-from seven
~ eight years-it can easily he conver-
ted into a rail road, should the increased
bnsines of the country las it probably
willy require the change. In this point
of view the plank road may be regarded
as but the commencement of rail road,
with the advantage of affording an in.nse.
diate accommodation to the interior trade.
We hope that no time will be lost by
the people of the western counties in
responding TO the call made upon them
in the resolutions adopted at The very
large meeting held in this city on Satur-
day night last. A convention, i, will be
seen, is proposed to be held at Mount
Pleasant on the 9Th of February next,
for the purpose of bringing about con-
cenraiion of effort with the view of ex.
tending the road to several points ON the