The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1851-09-24

wM 4. MERRITT J. D. JENNINGS Editors.
DU BUQU Z, 10 WA.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER %, 1851.
Missouri Railroads.
We zee that the Missourians are becoming
warmly interested in their two railroad enter
pr,ses-the one from HANNIBAL TO ST. Joseph,
10 very well, and we, OF course, hope to see /
their most sangune expectations In relation 10
them fully realized. But why it is that the
good people Of the great city Of ST. Louis have
not long years ago proved up, by their acts
their knowledge of the vast importance OF
railroad from thu, place into the heart of the
lumber, iron, copper and lead regions of letter
son, Washington, st. Francois and Madison
counties, is indeed passing strange to US
There, in those counties, is TO DC seen vast
forests of yellow pine, unsurpassed IN suaiiiy
and quantity BY any, we believe, upon the con-
,iuent-the value of which to St. Louis, if made
accessible by railroad, would be incalcu able
The pitch, tar and turpentine asone' 70 say
nothing of the lumber, lhsf would IN that event
hs nroduced in tAi. region, would add, it seems
to -, largely to the trade of st. Louis There,
too, 10 the Iron Mountain, the Pilot Knob, and
very many other large deposites OF the richest
iron ore ever discovered in any part OF the world,
and which must continue TO remain IN great
measure unavailable to St. Louis until their
nei.hborhoods are reached by railroad. There
too, are the Virginia, and Wales, Perry's,
Bisch's ., the Mammoth, the Potosi, the Mine
La Motto, and We may in all truth say, hun
drcds of other rich lead mines which, compare
lively speaking, are now Of slight advantage TO
ST. Louis, and must remain until such road
10 constructed. There, too, scattered through
all tina, country, between Mine La Motto and
the Merrimac river, may be seen the most I'M
mis,akable evidences of heavy deposites of cop
per- Indeed it is well known that at both Of
these extreme points the copper mines have
been worked successfully upon large scale
There, too, have been found zinc, cobalt, and
many ether materials and metals of valuable
nature.
These facts must, we presume, be well under
stood by many, at least, of the people of St.
Louis and how or why it is that they have not
afforded the necessary facilities for emPtying all
this wealth into the very lap, as it were, of St.
Louis, a. nature seems to have designed, is in
deed most unaccountnble to At present, all
the products of that rich mining region reach
the Mississippi at Rush Tower, St. Genevieve,
and other points below St. Louis; but should
this railroad be constructed, it will undoubtedly
turn it all to st. Louis, and greatly increase
her wealth and commerce.
So fully expressive of our views is the fol-
lowing able article, which we clip from the
Burlington Daily telegraph, that We insert it
entire, and commend the action which it sug-
gests to the hearty consideration OF oil our
RAPIDS Convention At darlington In
October next.
The vast importance to the whole valley OF
the Upper Mississippi Of the early Improvement
of the Rapids, Is becoming too manifest longer
10 escape general attention. Whatever we may
thisk Of railroads, however much we may
appreciate their advantages, still the unob-
structed navigation of the Mississippi, bordering
a. it does upon many States, and traversing
10 extensive a region of country, must con-
tinue to commend itself as the first and leading
object of interest to the whole people Of the
Far West Particular sections, and here and
there = prominent point, may feel that they
have much at stake in the completion of their
railroad enterprises, but all sections, all cities,
and all persons, within the great valley, are d.
rectlv and largely interested in the improve
ment of this great highway of the nation.
The subject has been brought freshly to
mind BY the suggestions of citizens of st
Louis, with many of whom we have conversed
within few days past, and who urge the call
ing Of an Improvement Convention at Burling-
ton in October next, to be composed of dele
gates from Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin,
and Minnesota.
AZ the time ia short in which to secure the
cooperation Of Wisconsin and Minnesota, we
would respectfully recommend to our cit Gems
to hold meeting on this or to- morrow evening
at tarthest, with a view to the fixing time for
The Convention. and for the appointment of APP
propriate committees, &c.
Our st Louis friends say they will come up
Fifty or 4 hundred strong, and 1t is to be hoped
that al the points interested, on either side Of
The river, from St. Louis to ST. Paul, will mani
feet 4 like spirit of zeal and determination in
the matter. Let all these States speak as one
voice, and Congress cannot turn a deaf ear to
our Just demands. Let all these States act to-
gether, and the great work will be surely and
speedily accomplished. A demonstration, such
as these States by union Of effort are capable
of making, and such their greatest interests
imperatively demand that they should make,
will at once arrest the public attention abroad,
and create such an impression upon the public
mind a. will secure for the proposition the char
acter it dcserves-a national onc--and worthy
of the immediate and favorable consideration of
the government Then, for the sake of every
State concerned, aLd for the sake Of the best
interests ofevery man, woman and child within
their respective limits let this demonstration be
made, and let it be snch one as shall speak
forth the power the influence, the numbers, and
the talents OF this great valley.
The people above the rapids 1--WE mean the
farmers, mechanics and laboring men in palticu-
lar) are annually taxed, in the way of extra
freights, with five or ten times much as would
make the desired improvement; and yet so feeble
and DISCOUNTED have been their efforts that for
ten long years Congress has passed the matter
by in silence, either because doubling the extcn,
of the grievance complained of, or not caring for
the isolated and slender petitions sent forward
But there is now an opportunity presented to
bring the question home with power and proper
effect, and it is to be hoped that every town
and every section interested will take immedi-
ate steps to have themselves fully and ably re-
presented.
1t 10 no idle estimate to say that the people
residing above the Rapids annually pay extra
ireights, fon account of distractions, to the
amount Of at least tive millions Of dollars. Our
own city and county. as has been ascertaned by
the books of our merchants and other business
men, annually pay between $2l0, 900 and $500
600 extra tax merchandise delivered, and or
products sent forward,by reason of the obstruc-
tons in the rapids. Burlington alone then is
annually taxed sum quite sufficient to improve
both the Rapids, and this tax she has patiently
paid for ten years past. Shall we not make I
becoming effort to rid ourselves of this enor
NOUS evil. The poor farmers are shaved or
a1h sides-the evil to them is u two-edget
sword-compelling them to pay extra on al
they consume, and compelling reduction il
the price of their products. These are fact
within the knowledge of us all, and occurring