Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1857-02-19

~. Lesis ana River Bridges.
For many long years the merchants
Of 81. Louis thrived upon the immense
trade brought to that city from along
the banks Of the Mississippi, even up
sothe Falls fist. Anthony. The steam
boats and fiat boats Of the river poured
'ntoS Louis constant stream of flour.
gram, pork, lumber and all kinds Of ay-
ncultural productions, to be exchanged
for groceries, dry goods, farming u,cn-
s'Is, and almost everything used by the
inhabitants Of that section of country
bordering on the Mississippi. She
respsd a golden harvest Of trade and
wealth from this commercial inter
course. The st. Louis journals we're
then the most interesting and most nu
merons OF newspapers taken by the
people, and st. Louis was the metrop.
ol's' the emporium Of very large por-
ton Of the valley of the Mississippi
but the spade and the pick of the lii
herman were heard along the plains Of
Illinois between Chicago and the Mis-
siss'ppi river, the cmbankmcnts were
cut and level)ed, and long bars Of IRON
were spiked TO their fasteninrs with
huge hammers, whose stroke sent ioy
to the hearts of the citizens of Iowa,
and filled the minds of Missour;ans
with omlnous misgivings. vague and
underlined. Soon over this iron rail
way came the ponderous steam horse
startling wild beasts and tame. with hi,
piercing neigh. Then a revolution
commenced. One by ono the CONNER
c'sl ties that bound the business men
Of this valley with st Louis, were sun
dered, and new commercial .Vecca
claimed the attention of the traders
and merchants of Iowa. Chicago was
then the riva. Of st Louis, and the whole
current Of trade suddenly rushed to the
embrace ofthis new found beauty. st.
Louis grew jealous, and at last furious.
ut beholding this transfer of affection.
No tangible object Of hate presented
itself, for serious demonstration and
exhibition Of her rage, until Tie srid
piers began to rise from the bed nj Tie
river between Davenport and Rock
Island. Then the bottled wrath Of the
Tilted city Of st. Louis exploded with
terrific vehcmence. The Bridge at
davenport was denounced Ms one of
the most serious impediments " nayi-
CATION known to exist in all the waters
Of the world. st. Louis was certain to
be ruined 10y the wreck her vast fleet
Of steamboats,, and raitsmcn would be-
come bankrupts, through losses pro-
duced by the naughty piers Of this
naughty Bridge. The Chamber Of
Commerce ut once resolved, and pub
lished to the world, its determination
to resist the legality of the Bridge at
all hazards and to the last extremity.
The burning OF the Ellie Alton pre-
scented an opportunity, and the farce is
now about to come off, of futile at
tempt to give to one branch of COM
merce an exclusive monopoly of the
nsvigable streams of our country
Railroads are rivals and auxiiaries to
steamboats,, and each must Weld to the
other when their interests seem TO
clash.
But st. Louis is evidently convinced
that all her efforts to check this change
in the current Of Trade is unayailing,
and that instead Of unnecessarily exas-
perating and thus losing all her north
ern trade, she had better by far, look
about her for new fields Of enterprise,
and open new channels that will fully
compensate her for the loss that the
Illinois railroads have occasioned her.
Kansas and Nebraska should be
courted, and bound to st. Louis hy
hands Of iron, and mutual interest
The entire trade Of Kansas can be per
mansntly secured to St Louis by time
~ effort. Instead Of this we are noti-
fled BY the st. Louis Republican that
one Of the widest schemes Of moon
struck insanity is being seriously enter
tanned BY the people of St. Louis, re-
sPecting the building Of Suspension !
Bridge over the Mississippi River at
st. Louis, that shall cost $500, 900.
and b 1900 feet in length. The inyen-
tor Of thu stupendous piece of hum
bug i the same Mr.. Bissell, whose re-
cent whit to Davenport Bridge, and his
rspost thereon, 80 tickled the people OF
Missouri, and amused us. We will
lin % much Of the editorial remarks
{ The R.Pw6ticas upon the cost, al