The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1856-01-21

sand eight hundred and fiftv-fve, at the City
of Fort Des MoInes.
"(Signed) W. G. JOHNSON, Pres.
"WA. MCKAY, Com. ID. r. |.
s'URIAH BIGGs.o
Can any one for moment (after careful
~ reading this "modi6cationo) doubt the
wisdom Of Commissioners Mckay in desiring
the appointment of ''a Chief Engineer who
has the professional ability and experience
and who will carefully and earnestly enter
into the spirit Of the modification" which
has for its object substantially as he afirms
in his communication to VIM. G. johnson,
Pres, "the completion of the longest line Of
the said improvement at the shortest period
practicable ?"
If we examine the contract made on the
9th day Of June, 1854, we will find in the
first clause that "The said party of the first
part doth hereby covenant and agree to and
with the party of the second part, for CON
| siderations hereinafter named, to make and
! finish the Des Moines River Improvement
/ tAOih tHC AllbSlsSIpifl NV u w huCoOA VI
on said Des Moines river" Let rs examine
the modification and see the length of the
Improvement that is thus agreed to be con-
structed. We find it to be from "the Misss-
sippi river to Fort Des Mones.''
Now presume that all who are conversant
with the geography Of this State will agree
with me that the length of the line of the
Improvement of the Des Moines River has
not been much increased By substituting in
the modified contract thu. words Sort Des
! Moines" for the words tRacoon Forks as it
stood in the original contract, and | am very
much Of opinion that it Will not require or
/ call forth the exercise Of more professional
ability and experience TO construct nfe-
rior class Of work from the Mississippi river
to Fort Des Moines than ii would have done
I TO have constructed n first class work from
the Mississippi river TO the Racoon Forks
/ So much as to the modification ofthe plans
I having rendered il necessary to change the
/ Chief Engineer of the u. NJ. Il. |. Let US
now see how much the completion Of the
work has been FASTENED BY Commissioner
Mckay's modification" La the second
clause Of the contract of the 9th day Of
I June, 1854, | find that the ID. y. 4 X. X. Co.
agree ''to complete al said work from the
River Mississippi, to said Racoon Forks, on
or before the lst day Of July, lS5o, and in
like manner undertakes and covenants TO
complete at least one-fourth part Of said
work each and every year, commencing on
the Isl day of July, 1854 J" and in the ''mod-
agree ''to complete" the whole work "as
rapidly rs the same can be constructed, So
that the whole work shall be brought into
use for its entire length AT the earliest day
practicable and BY the lst day of July, 1861
The dates for the completion Of the work
are identical. The first contract requires the
completion of at least one-fourth part of
said work every year, and Mr.. Mckay's
"modfcation" requires nothing but that
the whole shall be completed at given time.
might comment further, but for the present
think have already shown if not the object
at least the falacy Of Commissioner Mckay
in causing ny removal, and how much rea-
son the people Of the State Of Iowa have to
be proud of their officer, when they reject
on the remarkable degree of shrewdness he
has exhibited in his dealings with the p. n
r. r. Co., when acting on behalf Of the
State Err BLACKWELL.
Keokuk, Jan. 10, 1856.