The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1852-03-31
From the National Iutelligenc
ILLINOIS CENTR IT pia,poarN >.

=
ILLINOIS CENTRAL RAILROAD q
A complimentary Dinner I. n;r III =
day evening by a Committee .f tho i,,;"o;,
Central kailrod Company to the nl;,,,,.- n.,.
CATION in Congress, Mt Willward's It'll :.
honor OF the success at The messurea- rrs,,'
nary !" the commencement Of the road C..
Grswoid. Esq was in the Chair, 5supported nv
Hiram ketchum, Esq There were preseat
also, Dnvid A. Neal, Esq, Vice sPr.,,dr, -
Morris Xetchum, Esq, and other officer, ~ ~
the Company, with the Attorney General. and,
Hon Messrs Rockwell, Ran.oui, Alien. and ~
other members Of the House Of Reprcs cnta.o
On the removal Of the CIotlf Mr.. Hiram
Ke:chum sketched succinctly the history Of I'm. r
undertaking and the plan Of action by which
seven hundred miles of railrs ad are to be built
in four years, uniting Chicago ON the north
with Cairo on the south, and the point opposite
Dubuque, on the west, into one great system-i
Mr.. X. alluded IN the vast advantages III this
road, not only to Illinois but 10 the whole West.
nay to the whole Union, as it would open un To
high improvement, perhaps the finest connected
body of land in Tie world. The Honorable
Secretary Of the Interior had been prevented
by other engagements from attending in per-
son, ss had the disting uished Secretary of.
State. Tn" latter had, however, handsomely
acknowledged the invitation in the following
terms
-- WASHINGTON, March -, 1852
it was not in my power to accept the invitation
| re ceived yesterday, Of yourself and your New
York friends, TO dine with yon at your hotel
| to day. You are n re, understand, upon bu-
siness connected with the Illinois Railroad, and
the members of Congress from that State are
expected to be among your guests, 1t would
] have given me great pleasure to meet those
gent enen, and IN ressing my qualification that
that magnificent work is now about To com.
mence-and that its completion within no long
time is put beyond contingency. The undera.
king IS equally vast in its plan and its impo.-
i tance; and, with the exception of those inca.
surcs adopted the session before the last hardly
know whether the present President Of the
I United States has given his sat station TO an act
Of Congress likely to have larger influence on
the prosperity of the Country
Several years ago was in Illinois, and pass.
ed, for great extent, through the country in
and through, which this railroad runs. thought
| had never seen so immense n tract of valuable
land; and subsequent discoveries Of many
sorts Of the most valuable minerals produce
entire conviction that the State Of Illinois may
become as prosperous in its manufactures as in
its agriculture. Ere long we shall see another
/ and similar work, commencing at the southern
extre nifty of this road, and running through the
4 Southern States, till it reaches to Gulf of Mex
leo. This is not only probable, but certain, if
no great political evil shall in the mean time
beiall the country. t,i.fs
The grant TO the Illinois railroad disposes of
: a large portion of the public domain, and it will
!, be well disposed Of; and this grant and other
similar grants made already, or now in con-
temptation, while tney leave the residue of the
public lands more valuable, do not essentially
: interfere with the objects which have thought
just, and have for a long time z,aIously sun.
ported, of giving land enough for homestead
to every actual settler on the sole condition Of
actual resident for a short term Of years In
my opinion, the public good and the happiness
Of individuals alike require this. God gave the
earth to man to be titled, and land is OF no val
ne whatever till the approach Of cultivation
shows that it is about to become the theatre for
the application OF human labor, the all-produ-
cling source of comfort and wealth g .
Nobody can contemplate these great lines OF
internal communication, running through many
States, without perceiving at once hair impor-
tant effect. Nothing can tend strongly TO hold
the States together, or, if may borrow an ex-
preston from Language usually applied to that
which is the object OF your thoughts TO day.
4 nothing is more likely to keep the Government
and the Union from running Of the track -i
pray you, my dear sir, to accept tor your
self, and to signify to all your associates, not
only the assurance of my high personal re-.
CARDS, but also mv7sincere congratulations al
i the success which has SO far attended their
most val liable and important undertaking.
remain, with entire regard. yonr obedent
servant, DANIEL WEBSTER.
DAVID A. NEAL, Esq.
In reply to toast from Mr. Ketchum in
honor of the State Of Illinois, Hon. Senator
Douglass happily responded, going at some
length and with much effect into the highly
valuable and important National and State and
Sectional results to be anticipated from this
road, which benefit all the parties connected
with 1.-THE United Statea, the State, and the
stockholders. This road would connec, with
road to Mobile. thus uniting the Northern Lakes
with the Gulf of Mexico. iH ~ IA i
! Hon. J. J. Crt'enden felicitousy replied to
toast acknowledging the friendilincss he hid
shown to the enterprise, and the prompttudc
with which he had acted on certain law points
connected with It.
! Addresses were also made by Hon. Messrs
Fickl;n, Rantoul, Allen. and others, and, in re-
ply to.a toast complimentary to the Press, By
/ Mr. Sargent, Editor of the Republic .seli VIZ
/ We regret that the latcness Of the hour at
which this is prepared precludes more length
ened notice of very interesting occasion.
THREE CHEERS For IOWA. 81