The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1851-12-31
Plank Road Celebration at Mt. Pleasant.


On the 18th inst a celebration was had at
the town of Mt. Pleasant, some 20 miles West
of Burlington, in honor of the completion OF
the Plank road from Burlington to that place
A large number of persons from Burlington and
the surrounding country were present and parti'
cipated in the proceedings. Among those from
Burlington, were the members of the Supreme
Court, who were called out and addressed the
meeting.
W.. find the speeches of Judges Williams,
Kinney and Green, and Col. Woods, and Col. j.
c. Hail. reported in the estate Gazette as they
possess much local interest, we will transfer
hem to our columns.
The pcrusal Of them may have a tendency to
arouse our citizens, to the great Importance of
this subject.
We must be up and doing, our sister city
may leave us in the back ground
Judge Williams snid he had been attracted to
this celebration to render honor citizen OF
Iowa. TO those VIII Sc enterprise had carried
through this great public improvement. He
had attended not to speak hut to listen, and
learn from The citizens assembled here the los
son If their success that his influence to pro-
mote kindred M ures might be enlarged in
| other sections of the State He was not cti
zen of any particular section, but of the whole
| STATE and was at home everywhere in Iowa
Chez rs.
| In anticipating the important consequences to
follow this leading improvement, his memory
| reverted to the history of public improvements
| IN his glorious native Sta'e, old Pennsylvania.
| IA V,~I
over the Allcghanies. He had seen long trains
of horses passing the mountains, with crooked
bars of iron on one side of the saddle, and the
other side balanced by sack of salt. The idea
If turnpikcs-to run graded roads over hills i'm
| passible by tcams-was then started. The
| men of enterprise and forecast seized hold of
| it, and began to carry it out There were then,
as there ever will be when great wogks are pro-
iccted, those who stand back and doubt-esps.
cIally when demand is i.ade upon their money
And he well remembered in the jubllees which
| followed the construction of these first improve
ments, the remark of those who had built them,
to the halters, ssAye, you come no'o to rejoice
/ (Cheers) But the turnpikcs were built. Their
utility was immense; yet the public spirit now
pusht on to greaer achievements. Canals
were undertaken and constructed But an ad
vance Of this movement soon followed. Ca
nails were appropriated to their proper of
conveying heavy freights, and Railroads con-
structed along their routes for expeditions tray
cling and transportation.
Fellow citizens, said Judge Williams, while
we celebrate the diwn of public improvements
in our State, who will not exult in the thought
that Iowa too, will have her day Of triumph
(Checrs.l
We dwell in State which a kind Providence
has made ready 10 yield the highest degree of
prosperity and wealth with less toll and delay
than any other region Of earth. The farmer
coming to Iowa and settling upon wild land,
can do rs much in three or five years to inn
prove his farm and pr, plre pleasant home for
his family, as could be done in ten fifteen
years by telling upon the broken, billy, and less
productive lands of the Eastern States Nay.
who of US from the East cannot recollect many
instances in the neighborhood where he was
born, of fathers and mothers whose lifetime had
been spent in making the old homestead capable
Of comfortably sustaining their children when
this purpose Of toll could be reached until the
old people themselves, were about to leave the
scene of their labor and cares But in Iowa the
young or middle-aged farmer can after a few
years of industry have a well improved farm,
and live with the comfortable assurance that he
has made provisions for the wife and little ones
dependent upon him.
But Iowa has also been pre-eminently favored
with natural facilities for the construction of
public works. Turnpikcs we do not require -
Our prairie roads ready made at the hand OF
nature. But railroads and plan nix roads to open
new channels of trade, and facilitate the inter
commune iton Of orr people, can be built at a
cost immensely below their expense in the East
ern States And though the ratio of wealth is
greater there, yet when compared with the in
creased COST the ratio of wealth to the expen-
diture required, is not greater than in Iowa. We
have no mountains to tunnel or cut through F.: no
deep vallics to level. They are compelled to
eycavate miles and miles Of rock to grade the
line of ralroad-we have soil presenting no
| obstruction to such improvements.
Judge Williams to illustrate the physical adap-
taien of the State for agricultural development
and constructing internal improvements, related
the lrishmen euiogy Of potatoes. The thank
ful Hibernian closed the mention of their good
qualities by saying "that Providence had made
them in blssed little mouth fuls Just ready to
ate
Judge Williams proceeded to discuss the ad
| vantages Of plank and r-ii roads to the farmers,
merchant, and men of every business pursuit.
| He had come 10 Mt. Pleasant from Burlington,
4 distance of twenty-six miles in pleasant drive
of three hours and a half. Alongside lay the
old dirt road rough ard frozen, in a condition to
consume nearly whole day to make the same
| journey over it. He had met loads of h.gs
drawn easily by two horses, which would have
made three or four good loads FIR the same teams
on ordinary roads, and required three or four diff
ftrcnt trips. Estimate the labor, trnnbe and
expense saved TO the farmer by this improved
condition of things, and you can understand
some of the benefits your enterprise has produc
| ed One of these loads startled hm and his
| brother Greene. They stood mp 10 count the
! hogs, which numbered from Isl to 90 Of large
SIZE. You oughtto have seen how cosy and
comfortably the farmer was trudging along.
was sorry ne hadn his wife with him to share
his comfort. (Laughter) You may think this
a merry way to treat Of the subject, but who
would not be merry when SO much good has
been gained.
The merchants Of Mt Pleasant have too
! much sagacty to apprehcnd that the plane road
will enable the merchants Of Burlington to in
,eriere with them They know that the nearer
Mt Pleasant 10 brought to great depot on the
Mississippi, the more extensive will become her
own market for selling merchandise and for
wardng produce. The gain to this beautiful
town viii be tl!rec-fod
The advance of the price of land in the vicin.
Ity otan Improvement like this will far more
than pay the cost Of construction. If five years
ago you had gone to farmer by whose land this
plank road now runs, and asked his price, he
would have said readily s'i'll take five or 81 II
take six dollars an acre" But 90 to him now
and he Will dissatisfaction III ask my wife.
Aid when he applies 10 her she will say, 'You
shan sell this farm at all daughter What
change has been wrought in the ideas of the
farmer. Instead oftalking abou, or So per
acre, he will tell you, s'Sr, that farm is worth
from 20 to $50 an acre" He knows that the
increased value Of this improvement has given
it, will be permanent yes, continue to advance
lis market price. He knows that it will be mere
valuable, and more conclusive to The comfort and
happiness of his family.
AS stimulus to public and private enterprise
Judge Williams desired to impress on every
citizen the fact that farm in Iowa can be pre-
pared the second year for the reception Of seed
and the production of luxurant crops and
that plank roads and railroads can be built over
the praires a. an expense within the means of
our people They can be completed at 50 little
cost comparative with that else here, that an |
obi CATION rests upon us all II improve these
natural advantages. Every man is morally and |
religionsy bound to contribute to the moral, |
physical and political advancement of the COM |