Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1859-05-20
lO c AL N EW S &.

~Mr. A. X. Campbell, one of the edi-
tors of the Jasper county Free Press, was stopping
at the Mason House, Sunday. He was on his
way home from Ohio with his new bride.
AsrRoNoMlCAL.-The new comet will be
nearest to the sun on the Goth, when it will be
about one fifth the earths distance from it. 1t
will be barely visible to the naked eye in about
three weeks when it will be above the head of Ori-
ON
CTRev. ". "A. McGinley, formerly,a
school teacher in this city and member of the
Muscatine bar. and lately of Andover Theological
Seminary has been called to the pastoral charge of
the Congregational Church i'll the village of Shrews-
bury, Mass, with salary of 81 900.
EBen. Matthews, one of our oldest and
best known colored residents. severe loser by
the deluge of Thursday, 18th. His dwelling in
the rear of Mr.. Dougherty's drug store was COM
pletely flooded on the first floor. Considerable
furniture was broken and damaged and the building
itself was badly injured.
TIE DELUaE.-We are satisfied that our
estimate of the damage done in this city by the rain
of Thursday, 18th - S25, ,0o0-is not far from
being correct. The loss sustained by Mr.. Dough-
srty alone OH his stock of drugs and building is
fully $S,Ooo Mr. Evans finds that SIS hogsheads of
sugar in his cellar are almost wholly destroyed by
water. His loss will not fall short of 200.
MATCH MANuFAoroRY.-Mr. E. Judson,
late of Michigan has established match manufac-
tory in this city. His machinery is worked by
steam power at Dunsmore 4 Chambers mill, but
his place of business is at the old carding mill on
Sixth street, near Spring. We hope he will receive
liberal patronage. Home manufactures ought
always to receive the preference.
MUsoATrNE I>LANp.-The high stage and
rapid rise of the river, with reports of still great
er rise coming, have caused some alarm in regard
to an overflow of the Island. The water is already
running over it in some places, and workmen arc
engaged in protecting the levee on the upper part
of the Island from breaking away. We hope their
efforts will be successful as the overflow of the
Island at this time would be attended by disaster
to many farmers.
THE CRY CoUNCIL.-Several articles hav-
ing appeared recently in our paper refectng in no
very complimentary terms upon our city authori-
ties on account of their action in the ferry matter
and also in regard to their negligence to provide
against the late public calamity by water, we have
been severely censured by certain persons for ad-
mittng them, and one member of the Council has
gone SO f.y as to withdraw his patronage from u.s.
We have no complaint to make concerning this
Each man has right to hold an opinion differing
from his neghbor, and each may, just so far as
he is able, prescribe and damn temporarily and
eternally his neighbor merely because he holds a
contrary belief. Our object is to do justice to all
parties We have no personal warfare to Make
When we condemn the City Council we refer to
their official acts. In their personal and private
relations, so far as we know, they all exemplary
men. And we must confess that we find much in
their public and official conduct to applaud and
commend. We reserve our right, however, to
speak plainly and fearlessly of all their actions
affecting the public good, and we shall do so with
that candor and charity which fears to look
man in the face. Knowing that all men are fallible,
it is not our design to impugn any ones motives,
but we give each one credit for doing what he
deems to be his duty, and when he errs, we attrib
ute the error to the head and not to the heart.
The present Council is not alone responsible for
the miserable system of street improvements by
which the late heavy damages were occasioned
Gil There is no question but that the city author
tiles never should have attempted to turn water
course from its natural channel without providing
a sufficient outlet to carry it where no damage
could be done to property. The Third street cul-
vert is too small for even ordinary rains. During
the food of Thursday morning it discharged its
full capacity of water, while the volume of water
running over it was five times as great. Then,
again, the grade of the streets is too high. The
water, when turned on the Streets flows at once to
the sidewalks and into the cellars and thus creates
the damage. These things ought to have been
looked to and remedied long ago. If the city is not
responsible for such negligence, we are mistaken.
We are told that the effect of remarks will be
to invite suits for damages against the city, and
thus drive away property holders because of the
prospect of heavy taxation to meet these damages
Is it not heavier tax to property holders to be
subject year after year to loss and interruption of
business by these floods? We think SO, and we
also think it is high time something should be done
to remove this encouragement from the minds Of
our business men.
~In another column will be found the
official account of the proceedings of meeting held
in the Court House, on Saturday evening last. The
meeting was largely attended, and embraced nearly
all the business men of the city. The various res
olutions were discussed with great plainness of
speech, and for once it seemed that the 'voice of
the people' could be heard.
For ourselves we rejoice that at last the ignorance
and recklessness of some of officials have been
SO clearly and fearlessly exposed 1t was time that
our office holders should be reminded that they
servants of the people and not their masters. 1t
was time that those who had so soon violated their
pledges should be publicly charged with the fact,
face 10 face with their constituents. 1t was time
that the biography of John Phillips should be pub
ished, and 'illustrated with cuts' of the most
severe yet truthful kind.
It was time that the defiant spirit of the Common
Council against the taxpayers and their interests
should be rebuked, as it was by the Kisses of the
throng Above all it was time that our citizens
should be assured of the distinguished consdera-
tom of the Common Council in the delicate Ian
guage ofAlderman Freeman, who characterized the
meeting as ga mob.'
1t is worthy OF note that these four members of
the Common Council "a noble band of brothers)
oppose in their actions all the legal counsel bust
ness men and taxpayers Of the town. On this
ibad eminence" they sit and dispense their "cotes
in perfect disregard of the men who placed them
there for better purposes and for the present the
only gods they worship, and whose dominion they
would enlarge, are john Phillips, john Stein and
Demi,john.
Again we say, we rejoice, that so large meeting
50 emphaticaly instructed the Council to render
prompt justice to all parties whose damages in the
M*e food are traceable to the city; and we rejoice
that without dissenting vote they were instructed
to make right their recently enacted wrong con
cerning the ferry charter
We suggest that our citizens preserve copy O
to-day's paper until our next city election, tha
they may then be reminded of how difficult it is tt
cure evils arising out0f ignorant legislation ant
when again We have selfnomiaated candidates fo
huN