The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1858-07-31
County Bridges.

We have been informed that JOHN IL.
SHERMAN, acting County Judge, has made .
contract with w. G. JAMES, for the building
Of four bridges in this county, on the road
from Council Bluffs to Lewis. That said
bridges are to be built across four small
streams between Keg Creek and Silver
Greek, and between Silver and the Nishna-
botany, and that the price to be paid for the
same is 81, 900. That the erection OF these
bridges was essential and absolutely neces-
sary, no one will for moment deny-but
we wish to make few inquiries, for the
s'beneft of whom it my conccrn:"
First-We would like to know how it
happened that w. c. JAMES got the contract
for building these bridges without giving
mechanics and others chance 10 make at
least one bid for the work.
Second-Was $4,000, the price agreed
upon for building these bridges ?-and could
they not be built for less than one-half that
sum. Unless we have been wofully misin-
formed, there are men in this county, equally
as responsible as W. c. JAMES, and much
better judges-of such work, who would
gladly have taken the contract $4,000, and
built just such, or even better bridges, than
those agreed to be built by JAMES.
Third-It would afford US much satisfac-
ton, to know how much Longer the people
of Pottawattamie county are to be swindled
and robbed by the duplicity Of County
Judges. Twenty thousand dollars would
not more than balance the losses which this
county has sustained within the last two
years, by the populations of County Judges,
and the Lord only knows how much more
we shall suffer before we can aifix to the
present acting County Judges term, the
significant word-Finis.
If the people of this county do not rise up
in their might, at the October election, and
assert their rights, they should not grumble
if the most bare-faced swindling was car
ried on, by those in power, ever afterwards.
In common, with the great mass of the peo-
pie of this county, we acknowledge to having
been deceived in the man we supported for
Judge last August-for subsequent trans
actions convinced us, long since, that he
was neither sshonest" nor Capable" From
past experience, we have learned lesson,
and we are now determined to support no
man for the Office of Judge, at the October
election, who has not been resident among
US long enough to have proven himself both
s'honest' and "capable." Even then, he
must be "known of all menu to be such,
before we will help to "paddle his canoe"
If such man cannot be found, who is will
ing to take the Office, then we shall have
no alternative but to stay at home and not
vote. If it is the desire Of the people Of
Pottawattamie county, to pcrpetuate the
misrule inaugurated by W. c. JAMES, and
improved upon by d. S. NYE, they cannot do
better than to cast their suffrages for the
present acting County Judge, J. II. SHEK-
MAN. The matter rests with people-they
can perpetuate the existing dynasty, or
inaugurate a new era in our county affairs,
if they will it. Choose ye.
Burlington and Missouri River Railroad.
| J. r. FAYERwEATHER, General Agent Of
this road dropped into our sanctum yestcr-
day. He informs US that the B. & NJ. K. R..
will be finished and the ears running to
Fairfield by the 18th Of August-only four
miles of the track to be laid before that end
can be attained. Men are at work all long
the line as far West as Ottumwa, and the
Company intend to complete the road to
building Of the Road West Of Ot;umwa are
to be let in a few weeks. Mr.. F. further
informed US, that the Directors of this Road
have resolved upon building a branch of the
same to Council Bluffs. This We certainly
shall not object to, rs it matters little to us
from whence the "Iron Horse halls, if he
is only allowed to "sport' within our pre-
cincts.
When this Road is completcdto Fairfield,
unless we are greatly mistaken, it will re-
quire less staging by this route to reach the
Mississippi River, than by any other. Two
daily lines of Stages now connect the Mis-
souri, River with the Railroad at Fairfield
one by way Of Lewis, Wnterset and Oska-
loosa, and the other by the way Of Glenwood,
Charlton and Ottumwa. Staging is a sorry
mode of locomotion at best, AMI passengers
will always avail themselves Of that route
which promises the least of this sometimes
Unnecessary evil" Upon the completion of
the Hannibal and St. Joseph Read, the good
people in the valley Of the Missouri will
have three modes of egress, BY Stage, with
prospect of sooner or later, "riding on
rail'' eastward. BY way of Des Moines to
Iowa City, and from thence orer the NJ. &
NJ. r. r.; by the two before mentioned routes
to Fairfield, and from thenceby the B. &
NJ. r. Railroad; or by the Hannibal road
Now, it requires but little sasacity to dis
Germ which of these routes will take the
preferencc-thc travel will 60 by St. Joseph,
from the fact, that there will b. at least 100
miles less staging. If either Of the Roads,
seeking to connect the Missouri with the
Mississippi, wish to avail themselves of the
benefits of the trade and travel from this
section, they will have to put their should
ers to the cars, and roll them westward
at least one hundred miles. When shall
we hear of move in that direction? A
Railroad We must and will have in less
than five years, and the ssGrst como the
first served" We no longer depend
entirely upon foreign capitalists, to
connect us with the East BY Railroad-on
the contrary, all our latent energy has be-
come thoroughly aroused, and we have Ia