St. Charles Republican intelligencer. (St. Charles [Charles City], Iowa) 1856-1857, 1857-05-07
PRICE, $500 Per Annum, in Advance.

will be demonstrated in the coming
season, and place it among the first
class railroads of the west. This is
indicated by the rapid settlement of
the Upper Mississippi Valley, of North
ern Iowa opposite the terminus Of the
road, and the great innrnasn of busi-
ness from year to year. Between
Lake Michigan and the mississippi
river there will be no competition fol
the transportation Of freight, as there
will be enough for all the roads now
in progress.
For the transportation of freight
from the sea-board TO the Western
shore of Lake Michigan, Chicago,
Milwaukee, &C., there are great fa-
cilities by Railroad and by water COM
munication, but from Lake Michigan
,oest there is no communication yet
opened, and freight accumulates here
faster than the Railroads can trans
port it. The number Of roads to dc
this immense business now construct
ed and in progress are only five, stu
ated so far apart as not to interfere
with each other in the local traffic be-
longing to each, to wit : The Chicago
and Rock Island, Galena and Chicago,
Racine and Mississippi, Milwaukee
and Mississippi, and the La Crosse
and Milwaukee.
To very small extent these roads
will compete with each other for
through passengers, but not for freight
Railroads have only limited capaci
ty for transportation of freight, and
the roads above mentioned have only
single tracks.
When we look at the rapid increase
of population in Wisconsin, lowe and
Minnesota, and calculate the increase
of business which this population
gives, it will be seen that there is
business enough for ALL The popula-
tion Of Wisconsin, at this time, can
not be less than 100000, which is suf:
ficiently indicated by the number of
votes polled at the late Presidential
election, being l22, 500 The popula-
tion of Iowa cannot be less than 650.-
900, and Minnesota may be safely es-
timated at 100000. During the past
season there were seventy-nine differ
ent steamers that visited ST. Paul,
making s57 arrivals, 575 of which
were from points without the Terrific
ry Of Minnesota, in which St. Paul is
situated. The increase in arrivals
over 1855 is thirty-five per cent, and
in amount of business much greater
increase, as many of the boats were
of larger class than those of 1855.
1t may be safe to say that the increase
of business over 1855 has been at least
fifty per cent
Will not the same increase contin-
ne for many years to come, and until
this vast country possessing all the
advantages of the most favored for
agricultural and manufacturing pur-
poses, is all occupied and brought un-
der cultivation To deny it, will be
to deny the past history of the settle
ment Of the western country The
through business on these roads must
be immense, but they do not depend
on this alone for support. The reports
Of nearly all of them show large To-
cal business pertaining to each, of
which they are not likely to be de-
prived, but which, on the contrary, is
rapidly increasing. The Directors are
confident that between Lake Michigan
and the Mississippi river there will
not be for many years any serious
competition.
More merchandise IS now received
and delivered at McGregor, opposite
Prairie du Chen, than at any point on
the Mississippi above Dubuque. This
fact shows the business of the country
tributary to your road in Iowa, oppo-
site to Prairie du Chen. Your road
cannot have any competition west of
Madison, and all the competition it
will be likely to have will hA for the
local busince, Of Madison alone.
The following is taken from the &c
Gregor Times
"There were 70 steamboats, en-
gagged in the Upper Mississippi trade
during 1856. The arrivals at St. Paul
during the season were S37, being an
increase of 267 over the year 1866
By these arrivals, the freight deliver
ed at the various points above Du-
buque, (there being fifty-four land
ings, was not less than 10000 tons.
The passengers numbered each way
not less than 100000. At a fair cal
culation at least $3,5OO,OO0 was paid
to the steamboat interest during last
year for the transportation of freight
and passengers and that, too, by a
country that has been only few years
known to the inhabitants of the At
lantic States. This section has been
occupied by frontier men ten or twelve
years, but settlements in earnest are
of very recent date, most Of the ac
tive towns dating no farther back than
1852"
We have no disposition to take from
any road what justly belongs to it
and proceed upon the principle that all
well-locatcd railroads between Lake
Michigan and the Mississippi will have
as much business as they can do; still
we think the position of our road gives
it, with it's connections, advantages
that no other road constructed betwee,
these points has.
If we start at Milwaukee, we shal
find our road has connection with Chi