The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1853-08-25
For the Gazette.
couNTY SUBSCRIPTIONS TO RAILROADS

the first / ever prepared for qualifications 7
will, in all probability be the last : a'''
no alarmist, but in cooniag my way on 'he
ton OF fences. during high stages OF NHlef'
from nv residence Ia lie Claire ! have mad
some serious reflections. have thaugHt =
the necessity Of good roads, (and tori Wv
term s.roadsn should be niseonstrued, VIII
here say, tina, mean common wagon roads, }
of our County Judge, oi Railroad Snhsef'p-
tions, of debt and taxatoE--each and all, |
saw. have been yividly brought before my
mind. What theme for thought ana ye'
how needless we all seem to be! Times
have greatly changed within a year pas}'
Il seems but Yesterday, as it were, when
Judge Grant was going round Sect county,
making the welkin ring against pubic dehts
al all kinds. The. State shall not directly
or indirectly become stockhoider IN an.
corporation says our constitution, ana we
all bryathed fretr, when through the perse'e-
rance OF Judge Grant, We saw that, as We
supposed, wise provision placed ~ the ehaf-
TOR of our liberties But it is an easy mat
ter sometimes "to whip the d. ROUND
the stump and spectators are ever ready
with expedients, and they soon discovered
tina. there was no provision IN the constitu-
ton against counties taking stock; so they
besieged the Legislature to pass law con-
terrng such power but the General Assem-
bly for two successive sessions refused Their
demands and kept them at bay. Determin-
ed. however, to not be out generated, Their
next scheme was To get up sort OF an e.r-
parte investigation Of the legality or conati-
tutionality of the matter before the Supreme
Court. So case was brought UP from Du-
bnuue county, in which, somebody, ] SUPP
pose, acted as both plaintiff and defendant
when, after a fiH. far and searching eXami-
nation, two out of three Of the JUDGES deei-
ded that all WAS @. h.
Now | dislike to cali IN question any de-
cisron of our judicial tribunals. | have nj
ways had a sort Of reverence for that depart
ment OF our government; and in times q eN-
element and trial. have looked - i iof
safety. am net one ol those, however WHO
believe that our Judges are always tinmuc-
ulate, though their decisions are binding,
and presume, II free country lie ths, a
citizen can investigate aud pass his opinion
upon the doingS OF one branch OF the gov
eminent as well as another. | do not intend
to say anything about one Of the Judges
canvassing Linn county, in tayer q . prop
ostian that was to come before him Tor j.
aiefqt decision; for that, no doubt, Is 4 mat
Ter Of tlste, about which The people care moth
ing. But how the conclusion was arrived
at, by the Court, that eousties had po@ 81,
III their corporate capacity to take stock IN
railroad companies, Il the money is eApehl-
ed within the county, (or anywhere e'sc) is
more than can see through, though make
no great pretcnsions to knowledge land have
not yet seen the decision. hans seen the
code, however. as il passed and Is pnhdsh7d,
and have been shown an original copy ot It
as it came from the hands d the committee
of revision, with the amendments Of the leg
islature noted, and II il evident thar no celt
power was granted Or intended to be.
In the code, as tits now, | find the questions
that the county Judge has power to submit
to a vote Of the people enumerated and d.
fined. Among others, he may submit,
whether the county vii! construct, q I'd &
construct, any read or bridge which may
call for an extraordinary expenditure" II
il claimed, | believe, that this clause con-
fers power to subscribe stock to works Of IN
ternal improvement. But BY an examine.
ton Of the code, as il came from is framers
Immediately after the above quotation is the
following distinct proposition or question:
Whether he county riR sHlmit 10 any ror4 d
in!srad Improvement" This clause, be i,
remembered, was stricken out by the Lcgis-
lature, and all relating thereto: bat notwlth-
standing all this, and Notwithstanding that
the code expressly provides that the word
.'road,' wherever it occurs, shall mean moth
ing IT ore than county road, common
roud,'' or u estate road,' yet it is decided in
the face and eyes Of rational men, that coun-
ties can "subscribe to any work OF internal
Improvement Well, it is no use to talk
any more about that for il is decided.
What is the end Of this debt creating pol,
icy to be! VIII not ruin and taxation be
the certain result! Should it be the object
Of any Government, Tor even one Of the OBJ
jccts,) either county, state or national, to be-
come involved in speculations, Am I'M.
necessarily alarmed! These are questions
| wish some one would answer, for If an
wrong ! want to be set right, We have all
looked with horror upon the enormous State
debt OF Illinois and Pennylvania-but theirs
are mere drop in the bucket, to what our,
is likely to be. We have just one hundred
counties in Iowa, and upon the suppositioI
that each one takes $500 600 stock in some
railroad company, and from present appear
ances it is more likely to go over that amour
than under it, we would owe and pay in
Aerest on the nice little sum Of 10000 600
Just half as much as the State debt Of Penn
/ sylvania, with all her W calth and population
md $4OO0,COO more than the State debt o
I