Daily Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1854-1855, 1855-02-08
From ill., spanaenes of,hc n. X. Esene Posil
lsEsrson Davis Claiming Title to Rock Island
-sympathies o. the Administration, etc.
Wasu,Nsros, January %, 1855.

western papers in regard 10 bridging the
lM;ssissioei between Rock Island. IN Illinois,
land Davenport, in Iowa. In iiie speech
Ima,le by General Dix at the great festival IN
honor OF the completion OF the last link OF
Iron road connecting the Atlantic with the
mississippi, he stated that the work was 10
be taken up at Davenport and projected 70
the Pacific by the northern or middle.state
route. This enterprise Is stiiiin progress
and most important branch Of tits that ~
ling in the State Of Iowa, and terminating ~
1.-THE Missouri river.
/, But ditIicultihs are interposed by DR. JET
Iferson Davis, who is the administration IN
lthis reuard az in most others. and mas enlre
I control o.er the President. Davis was one
Of ,hn ,ea-party who combined to give ten
miIl,ons Of dollars for the Messila Valley,
10 give away to somebody tor n southern
railroad 10 San Francisco. He has no idea
lof permitting any northern road to get the
start Of il in any way. So he has turned up
4 ! stale claim Of the War Department 10
\ Reck Island, and has undertaken 10 stop
I;he bridge by ejectng al comcrs from this
I.mllitUry post TIE War Department has
been irving its best for twenty years to
lcet the island Off hands, by sale or other
.Alse.l
I poiuset and Marcy both begged the gene
lral land office to take it, and Marcy wrote
letter to the Military Committee 1.-The Sen,
ate wears ago, telling them that tbs island
twas OF no further use for military purposes,
and confirming his statement by letters
from General Talcott, Adjutant- General
Homes. and Quarter Master General Jesup
The record is covered over with abandon.
,l.p of . In I A. :
a military reservation. 1t was well enough
for a frontier post, for protection against IN
dian incursons; but the people OF Illinois
have no need OF i % ward oil attacks from
the present "Iowas."
] Now, the State Of Illinois, finding this
tract within their jurisdiction, authorized the
Rock Island Bridge Company 70 Universe
liz with railroad to connectwth the bridge,
making part Of the great national highway
to the Pacific. Thereupon, Jefferson or
dered out his warriors and menaeed these
!! bridge builders with military annlhilation,
unless they vanosed forthwith and surren-
| dered the island to him. The war; ors, how
lever, found discretion the better part of val
lor. and retreatel from the field OF action
| Not being able to frighten these Did
Yankees, the War Department next un-
/ Gerto K judicial proceedings, and commenc-
4 ed two or three suits at law, laying their
damages in each at 3250,000 for treSpasses
on STRIPS Ut land, that are worth, perhaps in
/ all. a thousand dollars. It's nothing 10 buy
| Messila valleys at ten millions for southern
Inse aud occupation. bat all the powers Ct
/ the Government must be brought to bear
to prevent northern state from the eNer-
lcise ofits Own eminent domain 10 laying oat
4 a road over its own territory, on tract lying
wholly useless, abandoned, on the pretext,
THAT twenty years ago i was the site OF a log
fort, built to protect the squatters against
i the lndians!-
4 I But Jefferson was not content with mill
ltary process and suits at law He has com
: menced a s1it ia ehaneery, and has invoked
1.-The equity power Of the United States courts
to drive of these trespassers, protect the
wood and stores Of the island from unneces-
Isary waste, and to stop that Odd bridge"
I that is bound 70 help those internal YAM
KEGS on the way to Nebraska and the Pa
scitic The motion for an Injunction in this
cause came on some time this month be-
tore the Hon. Thomas Drummond, Of the
Circuit Court in the Di4iric, of Him is and
Twas transferred from him to the Hon. John
i Mclean, on stipulation that it should be
brought on at the city of w ashngton on the
c4th day OF next month"; Though the mo-
Ttion apparently contemplates action at
I Chambers, we presume that the hearing will
be public one, and then the country will
learn the extraordinary efforts that have
been made by the administration to pat down
the northern road TO the Pacific, while it has
been extending its ten million facilities to
our southern brethren"
! This interesting question has become COM
/ plcgted within Il few days by misunder-
standing between the Secretary Of War
land the Senators from Illinois, in relation
TO bill that passed both houses ofCongress
unanimously, granting some thirty acres of
1.-The upper part of Rocs Island to u man by
the name Of Sears, who has lived there
some twenty years, and expended ten times
the value Of the land in improving the nav-
CATION Of the Mississippi. But this admin
Iistraton is death on all mProvement--ex-
cept southern railroads. Jefferson Davis
came down upon the bill with his usual mil.
itary ardor, and have understood from good
authority that there are implications IL the
premises which smell conioundcGly Of gun
powder, and nobody knows what may hap
pen. 4 veto has been talked Of, and ad-
i9urned questions Of yeracity stop the
way" The allegation is, that one of the
officers Of "our army in Mexico" charges
another of them with taking an unfair adj
vantage, and running his bill through Con-
gress by ''false pretences. They are both
men, so you had better keep
your eve on the wires. II ] hear of any
thing fatal, I'll telegraph you
ExrLosroS Or Four HUNDRED KEGS or
PowDER.-On Thursday evening Of last
week, at. Wikesbarre, the large powder man.
ufactory Of Messrs. Parrish, Silver q CO.,
Z ,nilnc h4ll1n. Tho hnrnn1fl 1.,.