Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1853-08-25

Al Iarge ana .enthdslastlc meeting vt
The citizens Of WapeI!o county, held a,
lhe Congregational Church on Tuesday
last, on notion Of Col. GEO. GILLAsPY,
GEO. REYNOLDS, Esq, was called
to the char, and II. II. WARDEN was
appointed Secretary.
II. W. STARR, Esq Of Burlington,
was called upon, and that gentleman pro-
ceeded to address the meeting IN his usu
al aoIe and eloquent manner, in regard
to the prospect Of Railroad being built
from Burlington TO tie Missou'i River,
via Mt. Pleasant, Fairfield and Ottum-
wa, and as to what was expected of Wa
pello county to assist in the building of
said road Mr.. S. stated the particulars
in relation to the manner in which Rail
Road connection was secured to Bur.
lingtoa East 10 Chicago by the way of
Galesburg, TO be completed BY the lst of
May next. and to Philadelphia on an
air line, by way of Logansport, Ind,
in ls months. He also stated singu-
lar fact in relation TO the Railroads of the
United States, which is, that at least two
Thirds Of them lie North of the East and
West parallel of latitude in which OF
tumwa and Burlington is situated. and
tina, S2OO.OOO,000 was invested in those
roads. That il was perfectly natural
that those roads, controlling as they do,
by far the largest portion of the capital
invested in Railroads in the u. S., should
seek an early communications with our
Western frontier in the vicinity of the
mouth Of The Platte, il being the best
and most practicable route for the Great
Pacific Road; AND that we of Wapelo
would be blind to our own interests. were
we to fail in placing ourselves on one of
the main branches of that road. That
while a Northern and Southern route to
the Pacific are talked of, all the travel
across the Rocky Mountains was by this
route, and il was consequently the best
and most practicable OF any spoken
of. Mr.. S. stated that the survey TO
Ouumwa would be completed in about
ten days, and that if the proposition of
the Company was complied with, the
contracts for iii road to the Des Molnes
River would be lie, in October, and the
work commenced and completed in 20
months. That all the company asked of
the counties of Des Moines, Henry, JEFF
ferson & Wapello was 100000; $780,
900 in county subscriptions, and $780,
900 in private subscriptions. $4,000
of lha, was allotted to apollo and she
must do her part; but that if she did not
do il notO she need never do it, as the
Company would not ask us but the once;
that there were other routes projected
for the road, and if we did not raise the
means, other counties would, and we
should be left 10 do the best we could
Mr.. s. stated that il was desired, by the
Company, 10 know what would be done
Immediately; for as soon as the surveys
are completed and are inspected by the
President, the matter will be decided in
ten days. 1t was therefore absolutely
necessary that all the stock repaired,
both private and corporate should be ia.
ken Immediately. As 10 the route, he
said it was the intention Of the Company
to run through the county seats of the
respective counties subscribing, as it was
The desire of the Company to conciliaie
and benefit AL portions of the counties,
and thus insure as much local support for
the road as possible. Mr.. S. portrayed
in a very clear manner the advantages Of
the road to this county, as The Company
would spend 100000 or upwards in our
midst, while we would only spend $780,
900 in actual cash; and that al least So
600, 900 would be expended between o.
tumwa and Burlington. But, said Mr.. S.,
Wapello county must alter her PROPOSE
ton and render it acceptable to the Com
pany, or the road would only be put I'M
der contract as fur as Fairfield, and then
the Company will be a. liberty to go
where they please with the road.
Hon. VIM. THOMPSON took The stand
after Mr.. STARR, and said that jus. 10
months ago he had the privilege Of stand-
ing in the place he then occupied, TO adj
dress a meeting of the citizens OF Wap-
clio, and that on that occasion he pre-
dicted that the Rams Horn" or State
Policy project would die a natural death,
and that the Burlington anG Missouri
River RAJ: Road would be the great
road Of the day. lie felt proud that
this prediction had been verified, although
| he did not claim IN ha Drnnba, ua