The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1856-12-30
For the Gate City.
An Address - the vetcrs - Lee
County.

County.
At meeting of the citizens OF Montrsse
holden at Mon.rose In said county, on tbs
10th day Of December, 1856, i, was voted
that the following address should be pub
| lished ard circulated among the citizens d
said cousey; -
| FKLLoW -CIrIxESs: We address you upon .
subject Of great interest to every citizen OF
Lee county. Ii is well known that the ques-
ton Of the removal of the county sea. to
some more convenient and accessible point,
has long been agitated throughout grea,
portion Of the county. l. is upon this SUBJ
ject thai we invite your attention to the fol-
lowing considerations.
The county seat ought, in Justice, to be SO
located rs to afford the greatest facilities
and greatest good to the majority OF tho CIT
liens and business OF the county. That its
present location at Fort Madison does not
afford such fac litics, but on the contrary is
most inconvenient to a great majority Of the
citizens of the county, is too obvious for ar
gument. More than three fourths of the
business Of the entire county 10 transacted
at other points, upon the other side Of a
central line drawn through the county
Why, VIC ask, should the citizens from the
whole central, southern, aud western
portions Of the county be compelled to
leave their business, aud travel so many
miles out of their way, whenever they have
occasion TO attend upon the courts as parties
in litigation, as jurors, or as witnesses, or
Whenever they may have occasion TO examine
the records for their titles TO their lands, or
to procure the recording of their deeds, or
other legal instruments, when there is a
NATURAL SITE for she county seat in the very
heart of the business Of the county, upon
the greatest avenue of commerce, and close
by the great overland thoroughfare of the
county, where they can unite, without any
Inconvenience, their ordinary business with
any business they may have at the county
seat?
During the last fifteen years q majority Of
the county have been opposed to the present
location, and frequent efforts have been made
to effect change, which have failed by
reason Of the conflicting claims Of different
locations. Meantime, new thoroughfares
and avenues Of trade have been projected
and opened, and the trade and commercial
business Of the county have been gradually
changing and converging to their appropriate
center. Moatrose has now assumed a position
not only the most eligible, accessible and
venient for the county seat, bat such rs
to supersede the just pretensions Of all
others. for there is no other point in the
county which can unite 80 many advantages,
taking ali things into consideration.
Mou;rose is situated eleven miles above
! kcoknk and ten miles below Fort Madison,
at the head Of the rapids, and mt the foot
of the upper river navigation. The site Of
the town is high, dry bottom healthy, ca
pacious and beautiful. Its present popula-
ton is about five hundred, and has q latter
ing prospect Of large and rapid increase.
The validity OF titles to the town property
is now perfectly ed;--heretofore u sup
posed uncertainty in this respect has i'm
peded its prosperity;-the surrounding coun-
try is unsurpassed for agricultural and hor-
ticultural purposes. Il has the safest and
most eommodious harbor for steamboats, in
Lee county. A railroad is now in process
Of construction which will soon connect it
with keokuk below, and West Point and the
northern par. Of the county above, thus
bringing more than three-fourths of the
business population Of the county within 70
minutes time of this common center. A
large proportion OF the citizens from the in
Montrose, attend TO the business which calls
them to the county seat, do their marketing,
and return home the same day; and those
who reside north and west Of Montrose and
have occasion to 60 to keokuk, (the princi.
pal city, will find il most convenient to pass
/ through this town on their way, as the ave-
MUGS Of travel naturally concentrate at this
point, aud The new thoroughfarcs now laid
out TO be constructed during the presen
year will make this the shortest and essies
route.
II any should doubt the accuracy .
our position, LEI Them examine the map o
the county, the different thoroughfares, tn,
census OF population, and the locality of tn
different business towns Of the county, an.
they viii see that the area Of circle who's
centre il at Montrose, with radius OF eleyel
miles include the city of Keokuk, tn
towns of Camargo and Boston, and pas
four miles outside Of Charleston, includ
Franklin, passing within two miles Of Wes
Point, ana terminate about two miles beyon
1T. Madison on the north, thus embracin
within this small compass more than three
fourths Of the population, and more tina
nine-tenths Of the capital Of the entire coun
". A like circle around Charleston, wi
not include one fourth of the same amour
of the population, wealth or business Of til
county; and We affirm tina. there is no othe
point within the county TO which the sam
test can be applied and anything like so f.
yorahle q result be obtained. Again, "
say the county seat should be located nes