Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1851-05-22
Maxim. the mos, Of IL.


There are some communities, as well as men,
whose only palatable alment seems to be excite
ment. II we may judge OF community by the
tone Of its wspapers, it might be said that Ke-
okuk was one Of them. Since the exodus of Hum
merism in that place they seem inclined TO court
the advent of objects which cannot boast Of even
q spiritual existence to minister to this propen-
sity. They have become SO elated at the idea OF
having the whole Of Muddy Lane planked' as 70
leave the impression that when those two miles
Of the material which is to cover it 8 feetin width
are sawed and laid down, they intend to have Ju-
hlee that will amazingly surpass the late celeora'
ton of the completion of the Erie RAN road from
the Hudson to Dunkirk.
An other improvements that do not point direct
" TO the Half Breed city, sheer humbugs in the
estimation Of one Of its editors at least. Last Fri
days Dispatch is in ecstacies at the notice the st
Louis Republican takes Of the Du Buque and Ke-
okuk rail road. What there is for Keokuk to fe-
lcitatc itself upon in the patriotic action OF the
people Of Dubuque, we cannot perceive. The rco-
pie Of dialogue have nobly exhausted their means
in the con structon Of the Dubuque and keokuk
rail road in anticipation of building IT 27A miles.
After that is tinished their aim is to extend It to
Cedar Rapids, say 40 miles and no further. In the
meantime we cannot perceive that Keokuk has
done anything towards meetingits Dubuque friends
it has not contributed a dollar--and yet, on the
credit of what Dubuque has dor e, it throws up Its
hat and hurras for the Dubuque and Keokuk rail
road that is to be 400 miles long, and what IS sun
more surprising, it cuts up the same antics for
something nobody ever before heard ot-'''he 81
Louis and Keokuk rail Road" Some say the Mis-
souri, river is about drying up, and the Mississippi
might as well do the same, after this But the cap
italists Of Keokuk are determined to have Plank
road through Muddy Lane; and they have Alright to
brag some.
Folks, when they are excited are often incon-
sistent. The editor Of the Dispatch seems some
what tinctured with this nirmity. In the article
telling how necessary to the existence OF st Louis
the completion of the Dubuque and keokuk rail
road must be, the editor riots in imagination on
the benefts this road-which is to run almost par
allel with and in opposition to the Mississippi
will confer on st Louis and keokuE, and in the
same paper, endeavors to prove and appeals to the
Hawke Eye to help him in his calculation, that the
cost OF transporting ton Of freight on railroad
will be much more than By the river. He thinks
that when the Dubuque and Keokuk railroad, and
s.. Lox, and Keokuk railroad 900 miles in length
are finished they will afford capital mode Of ex-
portation OF the lead from Dubuque, and much pre-
ferable 10 the river, which less than 400 miles
from point to point. All, yes; but when Burling-
ton talks about railroad to meet the great Gen.
trail railroad, and in SO doing cuts off or saves
more than leo miles of travel, this same editor
lifts up both hands, il to stop the cars, and ex-
claims, "Oh, extravagant Burlington, it will cost
you more to travel one hundred miles by railroad
than it viii $50 miles BY the river" Well, 1t
wont, any how, when the river 10 frozen over, will
np But you want figures. Here they are. Mr..
Rantoul says it will cost twenty-four cents to ex-
port bushel Of wheat from this part Of the west
to the Atlantic cities by railroad. Can you gett
done any cheaper elsewhereP
Some men must be met by argument-others by
ridicuie. We have no fears about Keokuk fright
ening our citizens the interior out Of their pro-
priety, or Of inducing them to spend their money
in building plank roads to Keokuk, when they
know that half enough to build railroad from
here TO Peoria is already subscribed, and that that
road is cure to be built. All the plank roads from
the interior. aye, from the Des Moines valley, will
a. surely point to Burlington the needle does to
the pole. 6. Stick pin there,'' Mr.. Dispatch.