Demoine courier., 1856-01-31
From he Gate. City.
The DeS Moines Improvement.

la a piper on Railroad Management,
published IN tue American Raj Road
Joarnol. published at New York, July
18Th, 1854. we find the following:
While the iluLson River Railroad
has suffered less from corrupt manage
ment than any other. and while, with
some feW exceptions, the directors ave
acted with q single eye TO the best inter.
esls to The company, yeiiihas suffered
hardly less than any from unwise and
incompelen. management. From The
commencement, Of this enterprise there
has been a continual row in the internal
adm inisiralion Of It's affairs. Through
The influence Of n mar, presidents, en-
gineers, superiaiendeats and other in
potlani officers have appeared and dis
appeared with the rapidliy and regularity
Of the actors in a drama. Men who
have acquired an honorable reputation
upon other works, have been sreriiced
on this to mere caprice or whim, or be.
came obnoxious to "a power behind NE
throne Ii is no use 10 tell US that the
constant changes tina. havo been going
on in this road have BEEN either neces-
sary or proper, OF that the company has
not suffered seriously in consequence
We freely admit the merits Of this work.
We believe lis ultimate succe g. We
DO not reproach the generalgood faith of
its managers. but like oil other New
York projects. bad management has
been he gren, drawback on It's success ;
We have not copied the foregoing para.
graph on account of any interest we have
in the pro;ec, above named, but TO. the
reason that the STRUCTURES on the manage,
ment Of tha. CON pany are more or less
applicable 10 that of almost all corpora
lions for The carrying out Of great public
Improvements. A~
The. last portion Of the above, by a
very natural transition. brought to our
mind the \ ew York Company formed
under the laws of Iowa. for the pur-
pose Of Completing and bringing into
use The Improvement of the Naviga-
lion Of ihe Des Moines River. The
management of The affairs Of this CON
pany is not only a matter OF interest 10
the stockholders, bu, also a matter Of vi
al aud immediate interest TO avery large
portion, and of p~roximate in,eres, to all
the citizens Of the State Of Iowa. The
lille progress that has been made by this
company in the construction OF works
from the perfection OF the Navigation OF
the Des Moinea River in a continuous
line, from The mouth of The rirr, up to
Fl. Das Moiues,' leads US tr ask. wheih
er there is any probability Of the ID. n.
a. Il. n. Co. completing 'aH the work
for the improvement Of the Des Moines
River, from the Mississippi to saiu Rae.
Don Forks, on or before the Is. day OF
JULY, 1884, Ga this matter we seek
information from those who understand
ma,,ers better than ourselves. We know
that the company have no. complied with
tina, clause Of their con,rac, By which il
undertakes and covenants TO complete
at least one-four.a Of said work each and
every year. commencing on the LIST day
of July, 1884, Who will asser! thai
one -iourih Of said work was, on the is,
day Of July, 1855, OF is even now. in
January 1856! This fact augurs i'll for
Tie completion OF the whole work 'on OF
before The Let day OF July, 1885, as the
company have agreed with the State ol
Iowa, in their contract. and is but a Poo'