The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1854-02-23
The Rock Island Celebration.

lie fkofNe OF DaSchPoTt nave 10y osS"
and i;s air now 10 presume, are not to be
invited 10 participate in the Celebration Of
the II. l. s. Chicago R. r,
Now wha, reasons ask, can be-assigned
BY our neighbors for declining 10 give TO eur
citizens m invitation 70 participate in tic
r2leicincs Of ,he day, which is = bring the
"Steam Horse" 10 he shores Of the "Fathef
OF Waters" ST .Oh For. Armstrong"
L eanno, Be- tia, il is supposed that
Ne are not Is deeply interested in the arri-
val 1t The ears there as themselves. II we
are, then why should not the generosity o.
cur neighhors haze prompted them 70 have
invited Us on tsei- sos' 10 take peep a, the
train as i, for the first time. in all time APP
preached the banks OF cur noble river. We
would have asked them for nothing 70 cat
without paving for it, and as for drinS, So
long as the Mississippi rolls its pure waters
to the ocean We would not have suffered
from thirst
Will our neighbors say that although
living in another State and although the
RAILROAD was u pass Though the centre Of
theirs and uniting two extreme points in
theirs on Lake Michigan and the other
on the afssissippi-will they say that We
have not put fort. efforts as strenuous and
energetic as theirs, for the commencement,
and GOA letion Of the work! Il must be
conceded tina, to Davenport is dGe the credit
of having pu, forth all her energies to re-
move the obstacles intervening al the COM
mcncement oil the work to ret it put into
operation. And 50 deeply did the K. r. Co.
feel tbs that she had the hoaer OF furnishing
the first Vice President Of the Co., under
whose yigilant supervision and activity the
road was promptly placed in the hands OF
its present contractors. And again. sir,
when even the zeal of the Rock Islanders
began TO lag. did they come to the rescue
and taxed themselves for another loan in the
shape OF another issue of debentures, IN order
to raise the sinking confidence Of dealers in
r. r. Stocks, in the enterprise. Our c,t-
zens even went into Illinois AMI harangued
the various counties through which the road
was TO pass, and secured their cooperation
in the work rs Davenport then has thus
stood forward in assisting to push onward
the r. R.. though in the State of Illinois
and she in the State Of Iowa, it certainly
would have been NJ great stretch of gener-
ositE u have given her citizens free, hearty
and .9s,.--ai invitation to participate in the
celebration.
Could they by thus declining 10 Do 50
have detained the Steam Horse on the 9TH
or side OF the river and prevented his pro-
gress westward. we might have admired
their prudence, while We should have cen
sured their injustice and want Of generosity
but when in few mohths the Steam Horse
will at one bound oyerleap the barriers
which for the present detain hin on lie cas-
tern shore Of the Mississippi Can there
be any good policy in the course they have
pursued!
All invdious distinctions ought on such
an occasion TO have been laid aside. The
brawney hand of the laborer-the genius Of
the Mechanic and the fruits Of the industry
Of the farmer have been as necessary to the
completion Of the work as the purse Of the
Aristocrat and il should have been made an
occasion Of general rejoicing as il is one o.
public interest