The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1851-07-24

y Si@oo per mile, and ono Of eigh, MIL,
length only cos, $ll0O per mile. ~. '
GLIDING toll houses and all expenses. !
New York hcnlock lumber can be 49,.
1t from FIVE to six dollars per .Aou,,. a'''
Here the lumber would DO The o,..,
aud would cost nearly double wha, + A. 4"
in New York but ADM, this the dir.
10 grading would make our road cost T.
than tho average certainly. The c,,s.
upon the level prairie would hardly i,
item. All that is required il 10 h.,
kind ofdouble pillow drawn by a woke 8
on to make the grooves in which Ia L.. =
inch slcepcrs lcDgth-wise Of The ,o,d {;
bedded.eycn with tho surface; acros, A..
lay planks eight fee, long and turn e,..
up against their enas successfully, vas'
pow to the width Of some six fee, o. -:
side leaving room TO turn out and MI:
a ditch in the bed from WHICH the i,
row WINS turned, which in most cash, v..n
be sufficient to keep !, dry, if no, I'LL
labor would deepen i, and YOU h,yo !.
lee, plank road over which We coaIl =
with case and security a, all season, If i,
year. Tho cost Of such a road Gould :,
exceed $500 per mic, il made Of 0ioo ),
present prices, but if proper pain, vc,,
taken in contracting i, nigh, DO done e,
much less. Pine is boin. used for nl,n.
roads leading out Of keokak aud olbar Il,
ces in the west, oak would be- much mar.
durable and might pay the djiTsrauce !,
price. Forty miles Of plank road win ba
sufficient for the present in this county 6c
teen miles north and twenty-five wesl, OH
er counties would doubtless extend ,hsm
These forty miles at $500 per mile would
cos, 800, 1000.
Now the plan which ! would propose, sub.
ieet TO be revised BY any more feasible one
would be TO form n company aud oIl,o
subscriptions for as large a portion Of II.
stock practicable aud let The county like
the balance, and procure loan 10 NEE, T.
II is county enterprise aud there is no
one portion Of the county that would no,
DO benefited by it, The increase oltaxaBs
property would pay the interest upon such
a loan; ba, it would not have 10 pay il, ,hs
road would pay its own interest and primo.
pie and become continual source Of feve.
nue. capable 0! educating every child iaits
county. How is il in other lSales! Ia
Now York Of all the roads coursins through
it, though built a, larger cos, than ours
no, one pays less than ten per cent, most
If them twsnty, and many as ligilas forty
and fifty per cent per annun. Slch ste
The facts. That our roads waull compare
with the best in profit in few years no
one thai examines The matter candilly and
compares the future with the past eau
doubt.
We should organize 10 this mpycmen, II
once, form company under the provisions
II the statute aud have the stock in mlrke,
md have the thing properly agilalcd-hF
Is benefits only need 10 be understood to
DO appreciated. DJibliess that class who
III all communities oppose every proposal
for public improvement bns who are the
first 10 avail themselves oil tie Advantages
they afford, will say iha, or prairie rods
are good enough, all wc want is lev
bridges, that tho subscription cannot be
raised, that we arc too poor, I'VE had bel
err wait-and thous md like bug bears.-
1t is true that The praifie roads are good
portion o! the year, but that is tho portion
when they are least needed, when Inc lar
mer has no time to use them. We arepoor
in moaey but rich in soil and location, 70
have an innate wealth beside OF which Inc
wealth Of California for practical benei's
to society is Insignificant. We have oa!
to open the mines and there is no tear u
our failing TO procure u golden harvest
We canno, hope TO reap'unlcss we SOW OF
get rich by sIoth and inactivity. We may
say wait, bat will waiting break our pf't
ries or build us houses? Shall VIC be better
prepared for activity after years o. nd''
lcncc? Will Muscatino and Dubuque
wait? May not even Camanche acquire
the ability 10 dispute with US for the les'
IF our trade while we are waiting! No.
keokuk and Dubuque are building piaah
roads, Muscatine is agi,a,ing-shall we no.
then organize and act? L. F.f
For the Gazeste.l
WIG COUNTY CONVENTION.