Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1851-11-12
From the Dubuque Express.
Every Thing for Self, and Nothing
for the Public Good.

The course pursued by journalists in Burling
ton and Muscarine, for the last few weeks, in
relation to our railroad enterprises has been of
such character, as to elicit but little respect
for their Iiberality and public spirit The call
for the Railroad Convention which convened on
the 18th inst, at Iowa City, although deemed
by many as one, which was not strictly deman.
ded by the exigency of the times. but which
could do no harm, and might do much good,
met an early, bitter and constant opposition
from the Hawk Eye, the Telegraph and En-
quirer. And it may be as we'll to state in this
place, that it was this feeling of opposition to
our railroads and our railroad Convention,
which warmed into life, the present agitation
for the improvement Of the Mississippi rapids.
Had there been nothing said about the interior
railroads, Gen. Morgan would never thought of
spending two or three weeks in st. Louis man
ufacturing capital for Burlington and Musca-
tine, by representing to the people of st. Louis,
that their doom as a commercial city was ire
tricvably sealed, unless they put forth every
effort for the improvement of the rapids This
was considered master stroke for the defeat
of our railroad enterprises, a. although the OBJ
ject of its gctters up, has been too apparent to
mislead the most unsuspecting, the friends of
the Dubuque and keokuk, and Davenport and
Council Bluff Railroads, have too deep an IN
tsrest in the general welfare, prosperity and
| improvement Of the State, to allow the merci
nary object which first warmed this Convention
into life. to engender opposition to just
practicable and necessary public improvement
The settlement and growth of the West, and
the immense and rapidly increasing business o.
the Upper Mississippi. demand the immediate
~ 6uagresS lp removing the obstructonst u
n dusy '0f every man, OF enlarged and liberia
views, to bestow mis- efforts in the accomplish
ment of the work But if it is the design of tn,
getters up of this Con, ention, TO speedily fore,
this measure upon the attention of Congress
for the express purpose of forcing our rairoac
projects out of Congress, and finally defeating
them. which seems to be apparent in the con
tracted views entertained and expressed by oul
Burlington friends it displays narrow, selfish
and soTdid economy y. and foreshadows an early
political grave for those who engage in it. We
have gone in, heart and soul, for the rapids
Convention and we go in with the same
warmth for the improvement. But is this the
policy pursued by our Burlington neighbors in
relation to railroads? No, far from it. From
the earliest agitation of our railroad project,
they have uniformly opposed them. And the
and what they are They opposed the recen,
railroad Convention at Iowa City, while at the
same time, the friends of railroad improve
ments, North and South, and East and West
were vigorously exerting themselves in public
and private. through the journals, and in town
meetings to concentrate public attention to theil
favorite scheme, and aid them in the attainment,
of their object And, notwithstanding this
glazing fact, staring them full in the face, scar
cely day passes but they are herralding forth
copdemnatory articles, that their neighboine
contemporaries are selfshly and penuriousy
local in their feelings and views, and are i'm
pudently browning themselves with p audits OF
| fuisOme praise, that their towering genius and
overwhe ming public liberality and virtue, arc
/ fn~u L.,-a
| that in their conception Of internal improve
ments, they can encircle the State, the nation
and the world. Magnificent vanity, and thun.
ders of applause from Burlington Not satisfi
ed with having opposed the Convention at
Iowa City, and contributed every effort for its
defeat the Hawk Eye has even resorted to mis-
representation in noticing the result of that Con
| vention.
The last number of that sheet contains the
f"i!ow!Hg:
"THE LATE CONVENTION AT Iowa CIrY.-The
delegates from Keokuk passed down on the
Sparhawk this morning, or their return from
Iowa City We Learn that the Convention was
very SHINY attended, One delegate was pres
ent from Dubuque, and one from Pella, the seat
of the Hollanders There was very little har-
mony or concert of action among those
attend No Intermediate point was ag
! on for the road to pass through from Dubuqu(
point namea in the route from Davenport to
Council Bluffs On the whole, the Convention
that was to accomplish so much, may be looked
upon dead failure"
| Let us inform the editor of that sheet that
the Convention was not the meagre affair he at
tempts to make out-that Dubuque would have
been well represented there, had not majority
of the delegates been detained at home to at
| tend on the District Court, which was in ses-
| sion-that in place of their being uery little har-
mony and concert of action among those who did at
tend, it was all harmony and concert--and in
place of being "dead failure" it was very
respectable assemblage of men, convened for
carrying forward an object of more public i'm
portance, utility and necessity, than any other
which has ever absorbed the attention Of our
people We glory in all public improvements,
and would rejoice gladly if the means were plac-
ed in our hands to make all now contemplated
in this State. but we abhor the narrow and sci.
fish mind, which. in its beggarly and abortive
efforts 70 bring within the scope of its eye the
whole State, never sees beyond the narrow
"aralks' of Burlington and lends its energies to
the pulling down of one public improvement
in order to build up another. This sthe char
acter of at least two of our Burlington cotem-
poraries, and the time has arrived for the peo-
pie TO know them and pass judgment upon
them
Mail Deiinqnencies.
Are the people of Southern Iowa to be cut
al h.. t..,,.