Demoine courier., 1855-08-23
From the Chicago Democratic Press.
A Young and Rising State.

Al AVunS anu OlcsH6 OtoVCt
Netx TO Illinois there 10 not one Of the
new States that gives SO much promise
Tor the future as Iowa. We gave some
figures the other day which illustrates
This point in q very striking manner
The amount of public land taken up in the
State during tbs fiscal year 1855. end.
ing with June. The number Of acres
purchased in the State was 3,273,7 39,
for which $4,O64,9ll was paid in The
U. s. Treasury. There were taken up
in Missouri during the same period g.
O96,525 acres, for which only Sl,249,
I'll was paid-S2 81 5.640 less than was
paid in Iowa for nearly tie same guam.
tty OF land. All the lands sold 10 Iowa
brought The maximum price of 1925 per
acre, while those in Missouri, which had
been many years in the market, brought
on an average but 43 cents per acre.
The soil is no doubt as good in Missouri
asin Iowa, but the incubus which checks
the progress OF the former has made tina,
difference in the original value Of the land
III the Two States. In all departments Of
industry there is an equal difference
Iowa, though SO many years younger 40
a State than Missouri. lie rapidly leaving
her in The march of in proyement. The
time 10 not distant when the same dis.
parity OF condition, though s,ar,isS With
nearly equal advantages. will be obscssa>.
able between Iowa aud Missouri that
now strikes one SO forcisly when ins,i-
tusing a comparison between Ohio aud
Kentucky.
The natural advantages of Iowa are
extraordinary. Within her limits are
$4,000 square miles OF as rich soil as 10
anywhere to be found in the world in
the same compass. There can hardly
be said TO be a waste acre in the State
"swamp lands" are unknown thero.--
The greater part of lis area consists Of a
succession Of small undulating prairies,
well wa,ered, and generally well sup.
piled with groves OF timber. OF miner
ais i, has an abundant supply Of coal,
lead and gypsum, and in agricultural re-
soures il is unbouHded. With an eastern
water line IN the Mississippi, the State
stretches to the Missouri on the West.
touches Missouri on The South and Min.
neso,a on the North. II is iptersec,ed
by some half.dozen streams, flowing ,hro'
it seusheasiward into the Mississippi,
furnishing a great amount of water. pow.
er, and giving a pleasing diversity 10 the
natural features of the country. The
principal of these are the Cedar, the Iowa
nd the Des Moines Rivers, the latter of
which rises in Minnesota, and trayerses
the State diagonally for about four humid
red miles. 10 this enumeration of natur-
al advantages, we must not omit 10 state
that no local causes of disease exist in
the State, and that the climate is miIder
than in ,hs States further east between
the same parallels Of latitude.
In order to afford convenient points OF
comparison in the career of this young
and vigorous Stale, i, will be necessary
to recur TO its early history. In 1885,
only seventeen years since-Iowa was
organized under a separate territorial
government, having previous to that time
been under the same government az
Wisconsin. At that time there were
only about $4,000 inhabitants in the Ter
ri,ory, which in 1910 had increased 10
$4,000. After eight years of indepen-
dent existence, Tin lS46) Iowa was ad.
mitted into the Union as 4 State, with a
greatly increased population. which ia
1850, as shown by the census, had swell.
led to 1919. 009. A State census, COM.
ple,ed in June Of last year gavsa,popu.
lalion Of $4,000.
With such resources and such a popu.
lation, both IN numbers and spirit, the
progress OF Iowa lie in the ratio of Gao.
metrical progression. Up to the bexiu-
ming OF harvest immigrants poured in
from the East in a flood tide. From
early spring till that time. a continual
stream OF wagons went over the Mlss,s.
sippIat all the crossing places, and the
population OF the State must have been
very greatly augmented within the ,as,
six months. We believe il is quite with.
in bounds TO say tina, it will reach half
a million by next January. We do NOT
think 1t extravagani to predict tia, III.
census Of 1860 will! show a population
of at least. three quarters Of q million.
The railroad Improvements in our
State for the last 4 years have been Of
almost as much advantage to Iowa as 10
Illinois, by furnishing easy access 10 liz
good and cheap lands. Those designing
to settle in the northern portion Of The
State have gone over the Gslena and
Chicago Road. This season, multi,udes
have gone over the Rock Island Road.
and since the opening Of the Chicago and
Burlington Road, other muIdtudes have
taken that route to the land Of ppomise
These roads, with the Illinois Central
and others yet 20 connect our Stale and
City with Iowa, will be Of inealculable
advantage 10 II hereafter. Iowa too i
awake to the importance Of ~internel rail.
road communication, and not mar '
months will elapse before she will have
a railroad running her entire breadth TO
Council Bluffs, soon to be followed bv
one OF about equal length further nor.b.
The character OF the population Of 10.
/, wa - q guarantee that the moral and in.
seileciual advancement of the State will