Demoine courier., 1854-09-21
THE RAILROAD ENTERPRISES OF
kE0kUK.

port that the people OF Davis county are
not favorable to the Fl. Madison and
Bloomfield railroad. 1t is pity The
Dispatch cannot learn to mind its own
business. How can il expect to have
the confidence or respect of the, people
of The Southern tier of counties, willis,
il, is constantly engaged in misrepresen,.
ing and trying to cry down their most
cherished local interests. s.z--ses,r ~. sss.1
We understand tina. persons from Ke.
okuk have left their own line of road and
s,rayed on that of The Fl. Madiaon road
West, telling TO several of lae c,lzens in
the Northern part Of Lee and .he South.
ern part Of Henry county, that The Fort
Madison road has been abandoned, and
that now Keokuk is going Immediately
10 work TO build roud from Keokuk to
Muscatine via Salem. MI. Pleasant, &c.
When will Keekuk quit her ilumbug ing
and SC, herself TO work TO build rail.
road somewhere, if it were only TO Mud
Jy Lane. - - 49,.
Blu. few years ago she made a great
blow about. building plank road TO Fl.
Demoine, and finally did succeed in
building il on, some IL miles. at The ex.
pense of wha, would perhaps built a rail
road half way to Muddy Lime, and all
that she has done since has been merely
to start schemes without the least in,en-
ton to execute them, and to misrepre-
sent and TO retard the projects and efforts
Of other places. She will find that this
"jog in the manger" policy won. win
much longer. The people begin 10 un,
derstand her every where. and she mus,
now go to work al some road in earnest,
or she will sink into insigniicance.
But before these lines are closed It
may be well enough to enumera,e the
several internal Improvement schemes
with which Keokuk has heretofore hum.
bugged the people of Southern Iowa..
About tht first was to build a railroad
around the Rapids. A survey was made
If the road. nbou, $4,000 Of Peter
Funk" stock was subscribed TO it., and a
big pamphle, report was printed and cir
cuIa,ed. showing lis feasibility.
About The next was TO dig a canal
around The Rapids, and The. people Of
Southern Iowa will moi forget The Extra
Dispatch" which flooded the country.
announcing in the most hyfalu,en terms.
that The canal had become certainty. as
The grea, frm Of Bangs & Bros. had Ia
ken The contract OF building it. 49, -
The third. or Rams Hora scheme"
10 unite Keokuk and Dubuque with a
railroad which should run by every vii
lage, house and chicken coop in The in.
terror of Iowa. This made big roise
in IFS day. csused great many persons
to visit and purchase lands and start bu
siness at Kcokuk, and elected Jones of
Dubuque TO the II. S. Senate, and then
was unceremoniously dropped.
The next was to build a railroad to ST.
Louis. This turned out to be a ..small
po,a.oe affair" as they got no encour-
sgemen. a! the other end of the line.
The fifth may be sc, down as The ..La
fayel,e moonshine affair."" though i. made
q great deal of noise in other places be-
sides Iowa. Ba. when the people came
to contemplate the folly Of building a
70 ilroad $40 miles in length, from Lsfay.
eile, place of 5000 or 5000 inhabi,.
ants only, TO Keokuk, village of less
than 5000 inhabitants, il very soon be.
came a matlcf Of jest and ridicule only.
The sixth scheme Of building bridge
over the Mississippi river had much good
sense in il, and if persevered in ltmighi
have amounted 10 something.
The next YVES TO build railroad N.
E. TO Chicago and s. w. to Kansas, but
as this plan was not advocated outside
Of the Dispatch, i. is perhaps wrong TO
note it in this place. c
The eighth was the form alton of a
company, TO build railroad through the
southern tier Of counties in Iowa to the
Missouri river. Had this plan been per
severed in. there would, several months
ago. have been formed a union between
tina. line and the Fl. Madison & Bloom
field road, which must have terminated
fayorably to both parties. But the Keo
kuk line West was hardly started, before
il was abandoned. and slough The For.
Madison line is still pushed on with zeal
and industry. SO, ksokpk. and especially
the Dispatch, labors hard TO ,hwart its
construction. Ass e .sar.3s eaEs.
The ninth may be get down as the one
10 build railroad to +. Demoins via
the s'Divide" and Fairfield. go
The tenth is the one for which arli
cles Of association have been formed, aad
which is 10 build railroad 10 Fort De-
moline by the most practicable route
Ii This plan or project were henssily
persevered in, something nigh. be. made
on. Of il, though il Is not likely ina, j.
could be made pay ing road. as the ten.
dency Of the Demoine Valley trade, ex
cePt what can and will 60 down the De
moline river, which will soon be i'm
proved by slackwa.er navigation, is east
for tho Atlantic cities, and mol for Keo.
kuk or any other village on The Missis-
sippi river which has no railroad con.
neciion with the East. e 80
The eleventh prcjec. was 10 dniie op a
railroad with Burlington somewhere cas-,
of the Demoine river, and run west 10
some point on the Missouri river. Blu,
as Burlington has LAID down her wes,ern
road ,nd IL ooino On In = srno h,,s;r as :.