Muscatine journal. [volume] (Bloomington, Iowa) 1849-185?, 1853-12-30
Railroad CoaGet ii3us.

public interest, we publish it without hest
tation. But We must beg leave to differ
from the writer.
What ere railroads for? Whence come
the goods destined for the interior? Where
are the main points Of distinction for the
produce raised in the interior?
Railroads are nothing more or less than
media of exchange and travel; and the
mole rnpid the transit and the fewer the
distractions between the place of departure
and the point Of destination, the more fully
the railroad answers the purposes Of its
construction. Presuming that this is un-
derstood everywhere. we find in it an an
swer TO the objection that the construction
OF the Cedar Rapids II ad for the road to
Moscow is a section Of that road will cause
the loss Of the subscriptions of Mahaska
and keokuk counties. We do not believe
that Mahas&a will refuse TO issue her bonds,
or that Keokuk will vote down the PROPOSE
ton to subs srbe, on this account. Indeed,
We doubt whether they eyer would have
thought of subscribing, if they had not
supposed that they were to have eastern
connections in the winter as we'll as the
summer; and choice, in all seasons, of rail
road or river communication. We depre-
cate that Japanese narrowness of CONNER.
cial vision which leads any city to try to
fence in her prosperity by restrictions en-
trade; or to imagine that commercial great
ness can be hooped up and sailed away for
preservation, lie picked pork. Let Mus
catinc assume prouder and higher position
than this. Let her look for future advance
ment to fair, open, honorable competition
with all rivals, wheresoever they may ap-
pear. High prices for produce and low
prices fer goods, will bring buyers and SELL
ers to Muscatine, let the advantages of
communication with other places be what
they may.
great part OF the produce coming upon
the Gskaloosa road will have southern
destination, and very large paoportion of
the goods going west upon that road, will
come from the south. Here, that we need
fear nc competitors is too evident to tails
about.
In the east and west trade we are and will
continue to be entirely competent to COM
pete with Daycnpor. or any other point
Suppose the bridge across the Mississippi to
be built, produce would be ticketed through
from Muscatinc to Chicago or New York.
without being rc-handlcd at Davenport.
ha,p th.,o n, IL,
both ways, we could afford to give such
prices for produce and sell goods at such
rates rs will secure to Muscatine her full
and ample share of trade.
But the proposed bridge at Davenport
will not be built. 1t is said that more than
one branch of the United tatcs government
has prohibited its construction. If this has
not already been formaey done, the friends
of the bridge have no authority to look for
anything else. The structure, on account
of the formation Of the banks, cannot be
elevated high enough to be out of the way
of the cbimneys of steamboats,; and there
fore, if built at all, it must be draw
bridge We know no instance of such
bridge across navigable river certainly
no. one like the Mississippi, where a multi
tude Of boats, increasing in number with
the steady increase OF population and trade,
must pass daily. During considerable
portion of the year, the Mississippi is bur
dened with numerous RATS, as much entitled
to protection, and as carefully protected by
general laws. as steamboats, or any other
kind of floating craft. These unwieldy
masses are not under complete control Of
their steersmen, and raft two or three
hundred feet long, could never approach
such bridge without danger from piers
hundred feet apart - particularly when
the river is very high and swift. Because,
then, bridge would endanger property and
constitute an obstruction to navigation, we
do not think it will be built.
We can send produce to Rock Island by
steamboat, as cheaply as the Davenport
people can ferry it across. 1t is the hand
ling o. freight that makes the expense of
re-shipping for short distances. The cars
could not be ferried over, because the river
is constantly varying in depth and breadth,
unlike some OF the eastern crossing places.
While, then, there will be the same
process Of loading and re-loading Mt Da-
venport and Rock Island as between Musca-
tine ard Rock Island, we have this acyan-
tagc: that thirty miles of steamboat trans.
portation, can be accomplished cheaper than
thirty miles of railroad transportation, of
heavy freight.
Suppose the Fort Wayne Serpentine . ir
Line Road built. What then? Would not
the produce in depot at Washington be
more likely to seek its ultimate marx ct
through New Boston ,cM au eastern con-
nection, than through Muscatne witlioui an
eastern connection
But the Fort Wayne ssAir Line,', as it is
called. will never be built. Two men (of
whom little is known) take contract for
900 miles, ut ttce2fy millions of dollars and
without any evidence of ability, except some
instances of bad management, the people
are as cooily called upon for confidence in
the road, rs if somebody had only proposed
10 Hall l. =