Muscatine journal. [volume] (Bloomington, Iowa) 1849-185?, 1854-02-03


EprroRs MuscArrNE JouRHAL-G Gentlemen : In put-
fishing the proceedings Of tn meeting in Wspseno-
mock township, opposed to paying Railroad taxes, II
seems to me you take very unusual course. You
beg leave to say, misrepfcssnts ~, (but, hope
You dwell largely on our great wealth. I admit,
gentlemen, that We have an excellent soil, and fa
our people are Industrious, economical and moral-a
cure foundation for wealth-but, with q very few
ceptions. We have net yet available wealth. Nearly
all our farms are yet new We strugglirg to make
them productive BY improving them, and unless they
are put in proper state Of improvement all the rail
70 d. and cities In the world will not mako them
souros Of wealth. This requires all our available
funds aud mach more than We possibly raise.
Not more than farm In has got suitable barns
and stables, nor one in twenty divided in properszed
fslas. You perceive, then, that We have only foun.
dalton rudment Of wealth. which only Be real
ised BY time and industry. Our means our powers
and energies may be destroyed by taxation. Iuord
nate taxation Is curse on community, second only
in Its paralyzing effects to psrsonai slavery.
You talk Of INTEL gence in one Sentence and in
the next Of our marrow visws"that our ideas are
covered with the rust and mould Of half century,"
and that our zeal 10 suicidal. BY this understand
yen to say that a. q Community We are opposed TO
the construction Of Railroads. through the county,
which is far from the fact. With respect to the
Railroad now constructing through our township, I
presume there Is no place where the people generally
gave tire right Of way more willingly, or who sub.
means. But We are people who dislike debt, and
particularly that Il should bc forced on Us in viola
tion Of Law BY the mere will Of the mel ,rty. We BE-
ieve that where the wants Of trade dem and Railroads
they will bs profitable, and capital will mako them
the sake Of the profit, without forcing money ont
Of the pockets Of those who arc unable or unwilling
| TO nay. e. -
that reason submit 70 anything that the m rity IN
Muscatine and her vicinity Gee q, to dictate to u.s.
have heard that idea Quoted in town, bat in no other
place have ever heard it before 1t used to be
sidered that fertile, we'll farmed and consequently,
productive county built up the town, int suppos
that 10 of obsolete, moudy and rusty ideas o.
half century since. You claim right to tex be-
you assert, will be to advantage and you
Consequently claim the rightto manage our s rs for
our sdsaptage. These are Of the claims tyranny
has always hsrped up,n-vis their superior iael'i
gence and the interests Of the "dear people, Towns
have always affected to think that when they are de-
stroyed, all the in diligence and all the salt Of the
You advocate Tin my opinion) a most perniciou.
Irinciple-namely, that majority has right to rule
ell OCCASIONS without Law, and in violation of Ger
sonal rights and private property or in other words
that the m'j rry have right to vote the property Of
the minority, not for public purposes but for great
monopoly in which that minority have no interests
moro than the world at large. You say such princi
pies - We entertain will "stop the wheels Of govern
ent substitute confusion for ORDER anarchy for
ernment," &c. This is mere rhetorical flourish.
And You again compare this Railroad tax to school
taxes, &c. Arc you not aware that school-tax is fol-
the direct benefit Of all the children, without distinc
ton, and that there is 20 moLopo'y in the case
fair illustration would he County Ba, h weuld
it not strike D. mocratic friends with hsrror t.
levy tax in Muscstne county to start Pank in
Muscatin wih 500 900 capital, although some Of
you might be 10 favor Of the measured Now ell that
| can be said for Railroads be said with as much
propriety for tax for b INKS and ouch Bsnh
would probably be quite Or ftable and m " 10 n
useful to the county the 0 kaioosa Railroad
We believe as sincerely n any other people in the
light Of the j,rity to ru'e where there is to be
ruler, but We copscientiously believe that there
certain iBaienshe rights TO private property Il
remain undisturbed BY the msjprity unless for public
purposes and under sanction Of positive Law and w
a. willing even the citisens Of Muscatine to
pay taxes to carry the wheels # government both
in county and State, ard for all real public improve
monts, but 10 no instance for mcnopolies however
useful or Profitable. Let them always be built BY
vo. untsry contrt utiops.
In the same c'lumn you arolcgise to the majo-is,
that it Is sometimes necessary to publish unpopular
doctrines for the purF Of maintaining the freedom
of the press and ass TT truly that it is ftcn BY
the ict Of opini,n in dspusd cases, that truth
is Orc ught to light, and error made to disappear.
| 1t is on that account that venture to write thi
article in defence OF mysef and fellow citscns, for
from the tenor u your editorials had come tn tb,
corcusion that paper exclusively dew ted Il
the interest If the town, ard that the country oil
but ltt'o imPortrn,c, only NJ it built M the town
do " II enough, Wapsenonock being in your estima
tion very remote part of the county. We labo
! under many Disadvantages in contendipg with th,
pen, for what conceive to be inherent rights
We farmers, muck more used to handling the pillow
than the pen while our opponents men OF the city
and the pen is their vccsti, with the editors eve
ready to smother any little article we may send fo
publication, in eopieus editorials. W.