The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1853-06-08
TIL + RAILROAD.

: THE RAILROAD
In support of the position heretofore taken b
this journal on the question Of county subscrip
ton to the Dubuque and Pacific Railroad "
desire to make few brief suggestions to o,
readers, which, we would be glad to have thel
read, mark and inwardly digest
When the people are asked to give the ir as
sent to proposition, affecting to a mark. d ex
tent, the public interests, should they not en-
quire whether or not it involves any principl
which lies at the basis Of the public veal /
not the power of levying a tax an extraordinar
power, vested by the people, acting in their pri
mary capacity, in the legislature, as necessary
and only because necessary, to the existence o
society? Does not the imposition ofa tax upo,
the people Of county for the erection Of an i'm
provement, not demanded by the necessities
and uncertain in its bearing upon the interests
of the county, differ radically from the power
vested in the legislature, to levy a tax 10 NEE
the necessary expenditures of the State, coun-
ties &c?
IL it just for bare majority of the people o
county 10 direct the minority how they shal
invest their money and COMPEL them to so in
vest it and this, too, in matter Of no public
necessity?
Is not every man-when he has discharged
the obligations imposed upon him by the neces.
sites Of that society of which he is member
the sole proper and legitimate judge ofthe man.
ner in which he will employ the remainder of his
means!
Is it prudent to reject the application of a
beneficent principle, because in one particular
instance the breach of that principle may be ex-
pedent' do you not thereby establish pre-
cedent for subsequent infractions, all of which
may be disastrous in their results on communi-
ty?
Would not be wiser to wait until the wants
Of trade have compelled the ere ction of the road
rather than attempt, now, to achieve uncertain
results by the exercise of doubtful powers'
Did the trainers of our constitution mean
when they said that ''the general as
sembly shall not, in any manner, create any debt
or debts which shall exceed The sum of one hun
dred thousand dollars, except in case of war, to
repel invasion, or suppress insurrection'" Did
they not intend that the entire energies of the
people, comparatively free from taxation Of any
kind, should be at the disposal Of the govern
ment to "sappress insurrection," ''or repel in
vasion," should those extraordinary events oc-
cur.
Does not the evil Of heavy public debt con,
sst in high tax upon property Is that evil
obvated by the limitation OF State Indebtedness,
while the counties are allowed TO contract debts
ad lsbitum9 If the counties are allowed to
contract debts without limit, night not the ag
gregate Indebtedness of the State, by counties,
be extended to FIVE, ten, twenty, or forty MIL
ionss Would not this practically nullfy the
constitutional provisions Would it not Sc.
riously weaken our ability 10 meet those
extraordinary exigences, excepted from the
action of the constitutional restriction If the
State be denied the power to contract a heavy
public debt, with how much stronger reason
would that power be withheld from counties p
Would not unrestricted county indebtedness
entail upon the State at large, all those evils
which il was the manifest intention of the fra
mers Of the constitution TO avoid
Again Does no: "the general assembly"
form, establish and define the limits Of counties,
egnlate their internal administration and pre-
scribe their corporate powers' II that "general
as emily" should grant to counties the power
10 contract debts without limit, would not this
be a palpable violation of the constitution p
Would it not ssin some manner in direct
manner, "create public debt exceeding one
hundred thousand dollars?' Would not the
general assembly thus delegate power, with
held from it, by the people in their primary ca
pacty' And is it not contrary to common
sense, rs well as to common law, that delegate
can vest in another, authority with which he
h,msef is not clothed'
Is it not bad policy, for young county, just
entering the doors Of her prosperity, to contract
an enormous debt, her ability to meet which
successfully, will at least admi, of question:
Would not its inevitable tendency be to check
immigr alton, to cripple the energies, and serious
ly retard that prosperity, now SO visible and
in city, town and county,
Finally, is the success Of the o;ed loan
Of S2OO, 900, of such vast Importance to the
present and future interests Of Dubuque county,
as to justify disregard Of the fundamental
law of the State and of the painest principle of
justice,
We ask our readrrs-having removed them
selves from the seductions with which grand
railroad project presents itself to the mind, and
re remembering that, ,chat is not right, is not en-
pedient-to weigh these questions calmly, form
their own conclusions and vote accordingly.
1.-THE person whom Merritt has left to furnish
copy for the Express during his absence, may
rest in sate,y-his juveniliiy is a sure protec'
ton. ."-Her
We are thankful. A personal contest with
1t has double defence against US, one, potent
as bars of brass and triple STEEL towit and
namel ly-iis imoeciity and total disregard or
ignorance Of the rules of decent controyersy.-
'C tuhC oSCaoioh W hNis1 '''"s wv ~ AA"I
propose TO occupy the columns Of this journal,
nor any portion OF them, with matters persona
to ourselves, or even to the tremendous editors
of the Herald There are subjects, we fancy,
in which the people would be vastly more
interested, and with such things it is our wish
to fill our space.
ENoRMous FEEs.-AccordIng TO the report
of MIR. Comptroller flagg of New York city,
the amount of fees paid to the Corporation At
torney of that city for the year 1852, amounted
to the enormous sum of $7l ,2G6,03 this was
in addition to other perquisites charged by him
rY We see by the Io,oa Star that the peo-
pie along Des Moines valley are preparing to
wage a war of determination against the dams
in Des Moines River 1t would seem that
those dams, in their present condition, instead
o! aiding, materially obstruct the navigation Of
that stream.
70 We stated few days since that Mr.. I.
Cunning had become the sole proprietor of the
keokuk DISPATCH We should have said also,