Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1853-07-20
Celebraeion Of the Atm a. Lyons.

LYONS July 5th 1853.
Messys Edaors:--The fourth Of July was
celebrated here yesterday in very appropriate
manner The day was delightful. Not cloud
was seen to obscure the sky and if the coun-'
tenance is an index to che thoughts. the sky
was not more serene than the minds Of those
present: all seemed to enjoy themselves i'm
mensely. and when it is remembered that we
not only met to celebrate the fourth Of July,
the birthday of our country's Independence.
but in the language of the orator of the day,
the commencement Of great work, the Iowa
Central Railroad there will be found great
reason for the people of Iowa to rejoice.
At an early hour in the day, our town was
honored with large concourse Of people from
both sides Of the Mississippi. The Star Span
gled Banner was elevated amid the cheers of
hundreds.
About eleven o'clock procession was form
ed on the public square, headed by an excel
lent band of music AN proceeded to an ad-
joining grove where after prayer by the Rev.
j. s. Mowry, the Declaration Of Independence
wasfead by Thos. Crew. Esq and very neat
and appropriate GRAFTON, an extract from which
is given below delivered by our townsman I.
s. Briscoe, Esq. His style is good. AID as an
orator he stands second to none perhaps in the
state.
The occasion which has called us here to
day from all parts of our country and many
portions Of cur state, is one of no little inter-
est to an Iowa man. We have come to cele.
brate the commencen ent of great work-a
work which if consummated will promote the
welfare OF the great west and the Union, be
yond the widest dreams of its projectors. 1t
is an enterprise my fellow citizens worthy OF
your highest considerations The completion
of the Lyons Iowa Central Road, and others
throughout the state, will place you at once
upon All equal footing with our sister states
No state IN this broad Union surpasses Iowa
in salubrity of climate and fertility of soil. Nc
state possesses more attract ions to the stranger
than this-nonc offers more inducements to
the settler.
The first Railroad ever completed in the
United States, was the Manchester road in
Massachusetts, in 1904 four miles in length
the cars were dawn by horses. The steam en-
CINE at this time had not been invented. The
people of that day looked upon this enterprise
(if such it might be called) with dstrust.
was not till 1907 or that the engine was in
vented at all. This great piece Of mechanism
was accomplished by Robert Fulton, WHOSE
name will only cease to be given to pos
terity when the current Of the father III. " at err
shall be turned back. The people y -
chusetts seeing the advantages tlat Voult
arise from such works-extended the road t,
some distance. Massachusetts, made the frs
railroad Of which history informs us, though i
was on small scale, yet she soon experienced
from necessity that a more extnsive work of thu
kind would have to be constructed TO meet the
exigencles of tie timSs She delayed not
moment to petition her Legislature for char
ter but her Legislators like the courts of Geno'
and Portugal when applied to by Columbus tt
fit him out fleet that he might go in search o
a continent somewhere beyond the Pacific
denied them: that same impossibility which
existed in the minds of those Kings that there
was no western continent, .pervaded the As
sembly Of the Old Bay State, that to construct
\ 2 load on the plan, which was asked by he