Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1850-11-07
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BURLINGTON:
7, 1850.
The Dcs Moines River Improvement.
We gather some interesting facts from the ias'
Keosauquo Jefersoaidn, as to the conai'on anu p'o
rress OF the Des Moines river improvements ah"
the state of public feeling. in that reg'on' IN view
Of the discouraging prospect Of the speedy cohpie
,ion or the work. Our friends on the Des MONIES
are evidently beginning to despair OF anything be-
ing .ccomp,i shed towards the permanent and sue
res.f Improvement Of their iiver,unlcss the state
legislature this winter will agree to pledge the nn-
sold lands in order TO borrow money enough to
complete the work.
The JeSr,oaian SAYS that tho work has been cleft
20 drag along with just about income enoughto pay
the current expenses Of the Board OF Engineers
That i. was found in that condition by the present
board; that the sale Of lands amounts to compare
lively nothing; that the work has been stopped on
the canal and has only been continued on the dams
by the mill-owners At Bentonsport and Bonapafte,
who wish 10 use the water power, but who have
no other present prospect ofpayment for their la
nor. This picture is unpromising enough, and is
drawn, too, BY 4 warm friend to the improvement
Of the Dcs Moines.
The question very naturally presents itself
s.What is to be dones" Congress has, win grea'
iberalty granted to the state twelve hundred thou
sand acres OF fertile land to aid IN the
Of the Des Moines This land situated in the fair
est norton of the state and said TO be worth, at
reasonable stimate, two dollars and fifty cents an
acre, il found to be almost wholly unstable. How
Is this dihhculty to be removede
The friends of the improvemenoproposc that the
Board Of Public Works shall be authorized to issue
bonds, and raise money by the sale Of them, the
lands being pledged for their redemption. This
was proposed by the President Of the board in his
report to the legislature three years ago. We be-
lieye il met with little favor from the legislature,
and still less with the public at large.
The estimated cost Of the Improvement OF the
river as high up the forks is we believe, eleven
hundred thousand dollars. If the lands could be
disposed Of al the minimum price fixed by Con-
gress, the money would he amply sufficient to COM
plete the work. or this, however, there is very
poor prospect. Congress seems to be anxious to
ret rid Of the public lands. Under the late bounty
have been granted away. In few years, if not
this WINTER aQuarter section at least will be grant
ed free Of COST to every actual settler Large do
nations from Congress counted by the friends
Of those works, to aid in the completion of the Du
buque and Keokuk, and Davenport and Council
Bluffs railroads. The donation to the state for the
Improvement Of the Des Moines though generous
and liberal one, has been lessened every day and
10 still diminishing in value, by the action of Con-
gress. Few persons will buy land OF the state at
one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, while
government land, quite as good, can be entered
with land warrants, at disount Of thirty per cent
The government is, in effect, selling land at ninety
cents per acre. and forbids the state to sell at less
than one dollar an quarter. 1t would be better,
then, ia opinion, for the state to shut up her
land ONCE, dissolve the Board of Public Works and
dismiss the corps of Engineers. or ask Of Congress
permission to sell her lands at the market price
- low at any rate, as the government: land offices
are selling. There can be no reason why the state
should continue to pay salaries TO ahost of officers
10 do nothing. Either give them something to dc
or dismiss them, we say. 1.-THE price Of lands is
hare he limit hiatt hav nil ean
The people Of the Des Moines valley do not like the
idea Of sacrificing the land given for the improve
ment Of their river To sell it for less than sCon
gress prices. seems to them like giving it away
We think they make too high an estimate of tn,
value of the land. Two dollars and fifty cents i.
more than tits worth. They find that at dollar
and twenty five cents, the Board cannot sell NOR,
Of 1t than barely enough to pay their salaries ant
current expenses. They ore receiving nothing Il
help on the Improvement of the river. nwould be
economy and good policy, we think, to reduce the
prizes ofthe lands and realize all the money posi-
BILE from the sale ofthem at early day as prac.
ticable. The lands are worth no more than they
viii bring in the market; and if the Board could
sell the whole at haf-price, and realize the money,
the people OF the Des MONIES valley would be the
gamers in having it expedtiously expended in the
improvement Of the river. What can they count
upon II the lands are continued at the present pr-
ces9 They can expect nothing else but that the
work on the river will drag along at its present
pace, and that all the money received will be con-
sumed in paying the salaries of officials.
Az TO the proposition before alluded TO-, which
seems to have been favoric project with the late
board and which, for all we know, may be quite as
much 80 with the present-that the board shall be
authorised by the legislature to issue bonds and
raise money BY the sale OF them we think the meas
urc would be very Objectionable one. The state
would be bound for the amount of the bonds. We
are opposed to giving any such power to the Board
We would much prefer that the state should bor-
row the money on her own credit and pledge the
lands for the payment Of the interest and principal
To authorize the board to issue and sell bonds
would place In their hands power very likely to
BE- abused. But suppose either method of raising
money should be adopted, the same difficulty re.
mains - to the lands. They will not sell any fast
er by reason Of the Board haring Anticipated bv
loan, the money to be realized from the disposal OF
them. They will have 10 he sold to raise the money!
either before the improve ment is completed or az
forwards. To borrow the money and mortgage the
lands 10 only TO postpone the evil day. The diff
Guilty had better be met boldly, face to face at the
outset. The price Of the lands will have to be re-
duced to the market price of other lands of eoual