St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1858-09-30
NUMBER 40.
From the Dubuque EXPIRES and H'rald.
DUBUQUE AND PACIFIC RAILROAD.
OBFnE OF THE ID. & p. II. II. Co.
September 10th. 1858.

III your paper OF tue Stn inst, COtl-
planning of the officers of the Babuque
Il Pacific Railroad Company, in re-
fusing to cooperate with the City
Council in taking care of our interests
in the Cedar Valley, and especially OF
the want of cooperation at a certain
meeting which was to bc held at St.
Charles Last Wednesday. The fact
that the officers of this company will
not go $50 miles to attend local
railroad meeting is construed into in
difference on our part.
AS some of your readers may be Gu
rious to know something more about
this matter, | will state the position
of our company, as | understand it,
not only with the Cedar Valley, but
with all roads that propose to connect
with ours.
We are illing to form running ar
rangements on favorable terms with
all connecting lines. We believe that
our road holds ont as great induce
ments as any other in the State but
while we are unwilling TO take up the
cudgel against those who do not pro-
pose to connect with us, or against
parallel lines however dangerous
they appear to be, our motto is,
that we will first help ourselves as
far as we can, and second help an
connecting roads as far as possible by
affording every facility for the trans
portation Of material, forming favor
able connections, &c, and that we
will go to war with no body and no
company, nor will we take part in
warfare between two companies.
The meeting at St Charles was CALI
ed by the Cedar Falls and Minnesota
Rrilroad Company Col. Mason is
the president, Mr.. Lampman the chief
engineer, and Mr.. Sessions, l believe,
the general agent. These gentlemen
are men of great experience in rail-
road matters; they neither require
nor need our advice they will UNDER
stand the feelings of our company to-
wards their project, and are satisfied
with us. Col. Mason desired to have
some person from Dubuque attend the
meeting at ST Charles, but particular
ly requested that it should be some
body disconnected with the Dubuque
Il Pacific Railroad, as there was consid-
cradle prejudice in the Valley, founded
Oh the supposition that the Dubuque
X Pacific Railroad Company was un-
dertaking to dictate course of poll
cy to that company, although he
thought there was nothing in itself inn
proper i'll the members Of our company
taking an interest in it !; but he
thought it better policy that the per-
son from Dubuque should speak for
the city or for the people at large.
rather than the Dubuque 4 Pacific
Railroad.
Several articles have appeared i'm
the papers Of Dubuque, within the
last few months, requesting the Du-
buque Il Pacific to interfere in the
warfare between these two Cedar Vat
ley companies. The People of the &C.
dar Valley have not distinguished be-
tween the sentiments set forth in the
papers and those of our company.
They have got an idea into their heads
that we want to build one road and
kill another. They know that we
have large land grant, that our road
is fifty miles nearer Cedar Falls than
| its rival, and when such u company
threatens to make war upon another,
it is looked upon, very naturally, by
the people as an unnecessary and un-
just interference in the local matters.
This feeling would be still further ex-
cited by our constant interference in
the local meetings of the people on the
line. Stump speeches made at rail-
road conventions, resolutions passed
declaring that railroads shall be inn
mediately put under contract, have
very little to do with ultimate results.
The people of the Cedar Valley will
undoubtedly seek connection with the
first road that reaches them, and that
offers such liberal inducements as will
satisfy reasonable men; and with all
due Difference to the Chicago, Iowa &
Nebraska Railroad Company, our per-
severing rival on the south, l think
that our company will be able to com.
plete a road to Cedar Falls sooner
than that company can. It's so miles
from Cedar Rapids to Cedar Falls,
and believe, though l am not sure,
that the track is not laid on that road
to point within 40 miles of Cedar
Rapids !; hence it will be seen that
the difference in distance is altogether
in our favor. Again, we have already
done large amount Of work between
Manchester and Cedar Falls; while
there has not been spade put in the
ground between Cedar Rapids and
Cedar Falls. We have Il large land
grant which will some day be avail
able capital we have no money, nor
has any other railroad company in the
State, at present the chances of our
obtaining money and local assistance,
we think are just as good as those of
any other company.
The people Of the Cedar Valley are
represented by men of large expert
cnce in railroad matters, who need
none of our advice. AS to our good
will and influence, they know they
have that. If we had any material
aid to tender them, it might be worth
while to make them visit. II the
city could give material assistance
even to the amount of ten dollars, it
might be worth while to attend the
meeting, and let them know We had
ten, a hundred, OF ten thousand dollars
/ to invest in their line that would be
: worth talking about I; but to so up
there merely to instruct them how to
build one railroad and kill another,
would naturally be looked upon as un-
necessary interference with local mat.
tiers, without any disposition to invest
anything. am well aware that Du-
buque has already been made obnox-
ious to the surrounding country by
pursuing a course, no doubt with lau-