The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1855-09-17
OFFICIAL PAPER OF rHr CRY

place within the range of their inanence,
against Keokuk. To this end they have in
terfered to mar, if possible, every Railroad
project requiring concert of action between
Keokuk and other places in the State. And
the citizens Of Burlington have followed up
this policy by sending delegations to all
points in the Interior, from time to time, TO
operate upon the minds of the people and
stir up their hostility against keokuk, and in
many cases to propose humbug projects of
Railroads to Burlington.
Thus, when an attempt was made, some
two years ago, to unite the Northern and
Southern portions of Lee county upon
Western Railroad with one branch to Fort
Madison, and another to Keokuk, Burlington
exercised potential influence to defeat it.
And when We first attempted to excite an in
terest and raise subscriptions in Van Buren,
and other localities, for the Keokuk and Fl
Des Moines Road, Burlington orators ranged
through the country, and humbugged Birm-
ingham, kcosauqua, Iowavile, Salem and
forty other places, with the notion that Bur
through every one of those towns.
While the strife continued between Fort
Madison and keokuk, Burlington was unre-
uniting in her efforts to widen the breach,
and appeared as if she could not do and say
enough in favor Of the Fort Madison Road
and it's superiority over all others.
Now, however, Burlington has another oc-
casion for attempting diversion against
Keokuk, and in order to slacken the effort. of
the people in the Northern part of our coun-
ty in favor of the Kookuk and Muscatine
Road, she proposes in her usual STYLE of
humbug and bravado, TO build a Road from
Burlington to West Point, and thereby steal
the Fort Madison Road.
Upon this project Fort Madison and Bur
lington are pitching into each other with
right hearty good will, and we cannot better
entertain our readers than by giving them a
lew specimens of the hostile bulletins which
pass back and forth from these redoubtable
towns.
A writer in the Burlington Haukeye
proposes the scheme Of Road from Burling-
ton TO West Point with the following strict
ures ON the Fort Madison terminus. and the
editor of the Gazette endorses the scheme
with a slight variation in the route
t'Since the RECESSION of the Lee county sub
scription to this road, by far the heaviest
portion Of the stock, lies at, and West of
West Point-and although Fort Madison is
the present contemplated river depot, She
has done but little for the project, and can
consequently have but little control over the
balance of the stockholders. | propose that
we get up at once a branch project from this
city through Augusta and Denmark to Vests
Point, about 90 miles, and ut the next reyu i
lar meeting Of the stockholders have it reg-V
ularly adopted AS a branch to their road.
That large number Of the stockholders I
will heartily endorse this movement there is I
no doubt, and a large amount of stock can
be secured with little effort along the pro-
posed line and ut Augusta and Denmark
This will secure them much better and /
more speedy river and Chicago connection |
than the one now proposed
To this the Piaiadealer responds:
Well, we declare. this fellow desires the |
Burlington people to unite with him to steal
our railroad. A road, the project of which,
originated IN the minds of the citizens Of /
along the line was carried into effect.
THIS writer Is also very wide from the mark |
when he says that Sort Madison has done I
very little for the project" Now we in face |
OF this, venture the assertion, that Fort Mad t
isQn has done more for Railroads than any
other'towH in the State of Iowa, in proper
ton TO its population, and that is not small !
and We think he is counting without his host |
when he entertains the opinion that the stock
holders 'will heartily endorse this (his) move
ment.
That a road from West Point to Burlins-
ton would secnrc the people Of the southern
tier of counties ga much better and more
: speedy river and Chicago connection is al |
30 false. The distance being SO nearly equal
would render the connection in regard to
speed the same, were il not for the following
Tact. II is well known that the country for
several miles on the opposite side of the rv-
er from Burlington is low and marshy, and
that the Burlington road is constructed over
this distance with trussel work. while the road
from this piuce TO the connection is over a
country above hlgh-water mark, and is to be I
hrst class road, constructed with stone. and
IL Is the opinion of Railroad men that they
can run train Of cars over this 90 miles Of
road from the connection to this city, in the
sainc space Of time that it takes to run a
train on the Burlington road over their trus !
Sci work from the connection to their city
ihey bcing compelled to proceed over it at y |
very SLOW pace. This fact gives our route in I
TINS particular, to say nothing of the other |
advantages, and the work already done ON /
the road, decided advantage.
The people Of Fert Madison have ALWAYS |
entertained the most friendly feelings to-