The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869, 1856-01-07
SPEECH

psag, al he G.. traiioT a fo,sa Gig. on
fSe coaspletion OF aiss Road nth later p'7'f,
- The Sd Of Jaa'sa-y. 1896.
Mr., PaGsIsFST;
Ia HE name Of the Mis-.
,.ssippf and Missouri Railroad Company.
its officers and the gentlemen connected
wita it. tender goa ihe.r grateful thanks
isE the kind and complimentary Eelcrenc,
which has heen made 40 them. And am
sure may say for them all. individually and
seniainsls, sha, no citizen Of Shc state q
Iowa csn take deeper ;etcres il tee pro-
eeeaings D; this DIV than themselves.
Let ole, in return, congratulate you, Mr..
President. iaa;cs and gentlemen, On the
completion eft4e arst section u The road
no arsi !ink il ona Of tic most important
lines a communication on tbs continent
NC expected 3 astc been here scar
ase, and we sheEid have been but ~ III
eams,anees wita which yoaare all tamiiiar-
mean general feeling . dis;rust among
capitalists IA resaF.'. 10 alnnst ali public
enaerprise=, growing oui III siupcndous
'fagd il tne eifs ii Me- 1e.G. and ile dis
ssi.ous MAR naw II p7ogre7 II EggoRs,
Rhsca has di-ias5ed. end sill oehtnaes %
disturb, the FecVn ~ aad 6ae.acss rams
actiuas Of the whole commMejsl o.3.l--
In spite cfrhese embarrassment, cur work
thus far hss been brought lo successful
iermiuatlon, aud the capita. q goGf noble
young State--a Stale unsurpassed IN lis
fertility, it, productveness it's enterprise its
energy and Us pablo iaorai>-!s new con-
neeted By an unbroken line Of Railroad VITA
The grea. marts on Ale Atlantic coast
When say ~ uahuohea lie u Railroad, |
ought to except the Mississippi river, and 70
add, that the bridge. which is now crossing
it ana which IS to unite tie Chicago &.
Reok Island with the Mississippi 4 Nilsson
ri Railroad, viii soon be completed. The
piers, which were retarded by the extraor-
binary and continued rise ID tie river in
October. and more recently iiy the extreme
severity OF the westher, are, with a single
exception finished; the wood work is adyan-
ciDg rapidly. and think | hazard nothing
IN saying that re silall send Psssenge: and
freight trains arresa 4 in the month Of
March, 81 larthesl.
| befeFe | Do net aeerrafa ar value of
the line of Railroad communication through
yonr State, when designate il as one Of
the most important on this continent 1t
aighi he justly 20 termed. iii sfre regard.
ed merely in the light OF connection be-
tween the central and western portions Of
Iowa sRd the Atlsni!c eesboard Bat ii
has fsr more extended Importance. 1t is
10 connect the Upper Missouri and lhe dis
rficts Of country bordering on / and lying
still farther west. including the vast terrific
~ of Nebraska, sith The central and Allan.
tie States, 10 The prosperity Of which The
whole northwest is subsidiary. and TO unite
these great sections Of the country in new
honls Of interest and sympathy and in the
lnHtnsl dependence inherent in their relative
geographical positions, and their respective
capacities far production In this res pect,
shd as the frat finished section al Railroad
west Of the TPpcr Mississippi, il i diff
cnii 20 oVer-estimale it's Importance. In the
mers narrow view first referred to--as con.
aocticn between Iowa and the Atlan,.e--its
,9ll value j. not easily Appreciated. No
nan can coma into your State tHo years IN
succession w!thout being most forcibly i'm
pressed with the rsPld advance j. j. making
q population and gc.2i Improvement; nor
can he dou5t that tFo Raiiroad aestra con-
.tructing rom Roc leland u Council Bluffs
viii be tasked 10 is utmost capaciiy Tor
the conveyance o. passengers and freight
J am confident that the census Of 1860 win
exhibit greater average rate OF Increase in
Iowa during the currentten years. than any
State has attained IN an equal period Of
time, with the sxcept0n. perhsrs, IF Wiz.
roasln from 1890 70 1850 Ia Statement.
| prepared ii ls54 respecting o8r Road. |
estimated the population slIota ia 1860 at
six hundred thousand souls fg months
ago ] met IN Mes YORK distinguished
gentleman, ivH5 has filled one u tie highest
JosttoHs il the genera government, aud
Fho q e3ngersing with ms on lae subject
expressed the opinion tat ,he asnsos Of
1860 woald giE2 your Stase orc million Of
inhabiiaats; and certain ; lite progress Do.
ring the neat four years shall equal tina, Of
Inc last eighteen months ii~ cstimate will
not be too large.
But, Mr.. President, there is u more OK.
tended view d this subject, Which gives tia
still! higher importance, Whatever merits
other routes may possess, af Whatever I'M
petus may be given TO them at tie outset, |
have never doubted that the first finished
Railroad TO the Pacific Ocean would pass
through your statc from Roct island 10
IL uncil Bluffs. The bridge across the sIis.
tsa!Ppi Of Itself giges this route decided
advantage over my ether Rock Island
appears e haze been placed in Tho nyer