The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1859-03-24
Commune
TOLEDO. March. %. 1S5

| nN EDITOR.-I u"SlrC 10 make some
| suggestions in relation to Railroad mat
tiers, and to what | consider to lie the
true interests Of Tams County. Since
the fall Of 1857 our Country has been SO
Frustrated by the financial revolution
from which we arc just emerging, that
men have had to devote their entire en-
crgies to private alf,irs, letting works Of
public utility stand still or take care Of
themselves. AS the monetary horizon
begins to clear up aud confidence gains
ground, capital slowly flows into its ac
customcd channels, aud those command
(, ing it, seek Tor investments that sill
prove remunerativc. | believe that this
is now substantially the condition Of our
County.
| wish briefly to 60 over the ground
and enIeavor to show that Tama aud the,
Counties in the same tier west Of her TO
| the Missouri river, have interests. the
developing Of which vii! not only prove
of immense advantage TO us, but rcmu.
nerative to the capitalists who shall Dc
vote their time and money to such an
enterprise.
We have the soil, the water, the tim
Der and the climate to support an i'm
mense agricultural population, all that
is necessary to bring that result about,
is to secure and establish commercial ia
cilsies, whereby our surplus produce can
be carried to market at a remunerative
price, and the staple articles Of coosump
ton brought into the country at reasona-
bic rates, all Of which railroad will
accom- plish.
1t now behooves US % enquire what our
\ prospects for railroad are Fer som !.
years past We have looked to the Iowa
Central Air Line, as the Company that
would he ths means Of opening up our
fertile prairies to the rest Of the world
j More especially were We sanguinc Of
the result when Congress made such a
munifcent grant of land to aid the en-
tcrr,isc But time HIS proved that our
h pes were not we'll founded, the staff
upon which we lea ned has broken The
history Of that Company has been imhe
cili,y. dishonesty and failure. Any Que
who has watched the public press for the
past few months NUT be atundantiy
satisfied that that concern is dead and
buried beyond tire hope Ct resurrection
nothing to hope from that quarter. The
question arises, where shall we look for
aid, % whom shall We apply in ,I.is
emergency? 10 any mind th- answer
to these ques tons seems apparel. The
mos, Of your readers know. and if they
do not, they on.ht to that the Chicago
j Iowa and Nebraska, |, r viii lie com
rlctcl to Cedar Rapids within the next
sixty days. Wash finished to that polat
it. will be the longest continuous line Of
road in the State, and points directly
towards our County. 1t has been built
mainly during the sevcre>t period Of the
panic, and what is remarkable in its
history, the work has not ceased for a
single day. 1t has been built without
the aid Of a land grant or Of legislation
in any shape. Tie moving spirits in
, the enterprise have been eastern capital
lists, Who have mainly furnished the
means Tor the work, with such assistance
as Cedar Rapids, and the people along
| the line cou give Long ago the peo-
, Fple Of Cedar Rapids lost confidence in
the "Air Line" and cut loose from i. d
/ joined in this new Company time has
: fully proved the wisdom Of their course
Il At the time Of the organization oil
q the Chicago, Iowa & Nebraska II Il
a it was contemplated, to extend il
i to the Missouri river, but after time
!. when the "Air Line" obtained the land
i grant, and the panic overwhelmed the
r country, the Company became conscrva
v tive, they thought it best to terminate
e their work at Cedar Rapids or to devote
II their energies to the Cedar Valley
branch.
e 1t now seeIs plain TO me that circum
e stances indicate that they should recur