The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1852-06-23
Letter of the Rapids Convention

Letter of the Rapids Convention
Committee.
Below, we publish the letter Of the commit
90 anpoined bv the burlington Rapids Con
,en,ion, to collect and forward for the. con
alteration of Congress, statistical lnt"rma-
10, concerning the commerce of the Mis-
sissippi I, will be observed, that IN place
IF devoting themselves to collecting suchi
formation as they were expected and insiruc
ted TODD, they have perverted the power dele
gated TO them in good faith, 10 the consumma-
ton of an object purely local 10 them and in
which the Convention felt no interest. They /
have converted that honorable trust, into an
engine IF war and destruction against enter
prise of vital interest to the state and the great
West and have stamped TO secrecy and mi&repre
scptat,on in enforcing their crnfy designs upon
he attention of Congress.
BuRLISGT0x, lowA,l
February, Is, 1852.
DEAR SIR The convent n for the improve
ment cf the navigation Of the NJ ssssppi river,
composed "f Delegates from Missouri, Illinois,
Iowa aud Minnesota, which assembled at this
place on the 2}d October last, appointed c'm-
mittee consisting of the unders signed, with IN
structons to procure statistics showing the val
ne of the commerce, &c of the Valley OF the
Upper Mississippi, and submit the same, with
such other information bearinr upon the snhiec,
as might be deemed proper to our Repr's-
cntatives in Congress, at as early period as
possible.
Fully alive to the importance of this matter
| we have been actively engaged in procuring
| the necessary information, and hop@ to be able,
| within short time, ~ forward sarh an gray
of facts in reference to the necessity o! this I'M
| proyernrnt, as shall commend 1t to the Immed-
ate attention, at icnst of every Western mem
Der cf Congress. In the mean time, we take
the liberty of addressing you, rs the Represen-
tative of an intelligent aud populous district,
Interested like ourselves, i'll the speedy rem IVA
Of the distractions now existing to the naviga-
ton Of cur great river, and OF respectfully re
guessing your co operation in preventing sac
r.fice of the interests OF the great Valley OF
the Mississippi in the Halls Of our National leg.
isla.urc for grant Of land 10 b'lild a railroad
running from Dubuque 70 Keokuk, parable
wish the Mississippi cIvrr, Crossing all It's mum
eTous tributaries, and. if following s'raigh
line, crossing the great river at least tour tunes
travers.nr a section of country which, TO say
| the least is not dcnscly settled, and totally III
capable of supportig road even II h..'..s
prof ct wh:cl: never c,uld be carried into sue
ce sui execution if the State possessed the rev
cnuns arising from all the lands sold within it
borders, for the next ten years, t. appropriate
i is instruction. But sir, we will venture eve
further with our argument Dubuque, whenc
this contemplated road is to commence, airead
has a connection secured to her, by means 9
y the great central road of your own State, wit
the Mexican gulf, and with all the southern an
: eastern sea board What more can she rcas3r
q ably ask Is 1t in accordance with any know
rule of Justice, to make this point, already
terminus oil one Of the greatest railroads
Il the world, on the east side of the MISSISSIPPI
river, also terminus of like road on the we
side : By what rule, either of common sense
or necessity, would Congress prom ,te, by gran
: of land, the construction of such a road, con
&c nenciny in reoion of frost and ice, crossn
e all the natural dtains Of the country, and bul
at an immense expense, TO terminate in I'll
same State where it commences, connect +
. points Of any Importance, either in a local
national point OF view, against the protests
fully one half of all the people of the Stat
e and ont side of the STATE, of the whole Nnrt
g west, That spirit oftaIrness and equity, whie
le has long since been implanted INTO the prime
cples of the Government, ''the greatest gne
to the greatest number, would for ever forb
r so arbitrary violation Of all we have been Ii
re 10 hope from Congress. That grants of lar
8, should be made to Western States for ohec
truly national intended TO connect distant po
- lions of different States and sections ofour Uni'
N is fast settling into fixed principle of our Go
e ernment. -....
J. But is to be hoped thai, in all snch case
Congressional committees will carefully scr
y tiniZe and discriminate in favor # wortl
schemes and projects which promise to be OF n
Of tional advantage. To your care do we comm
d these mighty interests, in which you, ourselvt
- The convention by whom we were appointe
= and the whole Northwest have so deep co
cern. We conurc you 10 guard watchftll
~ against insidious eff rts, come from what On;
= ter they may; such as we have alluded to,
barter away our only hope Of free, uninerrn
ted navigation Of the great Mississippi,
y schemes ofinternal improvement, never int
e dcd, by their advocates, to be ought but steppi
: stones to high places and honors.
We beg you to expose, tcarlessly and emerge
ID tically, any and all of these attempts, and re
a upon receiving the everlasting srl'iude a
J. thanks of the whole population Of the Valley
!. the Upper M-sippi.
> We are, very respectfully,
l. your obedent servants,
r. HENRY W. STARR,
. l.. ID. STROCKTON,
DAVID RORER,
= J &. HALL,
s L. TALLANT,
N w. F. COOLBAUGH,
Committee appointed by the Contention
for the improvement Of tie .Wssls-
s. sippi rir'
at Hon. TnoMPs0S CAMrRRELL, Nj. G.,
% Washington, ID.