Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1859-02-04

"A D1reet E0oterMs kkAllrQ80y sffOlAA
III MlascNtdnc. "a
8 We &c informed on good authority that .
bill WI introduced MO the Illinois Legisla-
ture, The Gath qlt., to amend the charter of
Che waync u Platte Valley Air Line
Rail so that name may - chspsed to
the American Central Railway, and that it
may bc permitted to reach the Mississippi:
river at Muscatins instead of New Boston.
We do not know from what quarter this
movement has. originated. Anscntine has
had nothing to Do with it, though our city, Of
course, gives it a hearty welcome. Wcundcr-
stand that it is proposed to divert the route
of the road from Aletlo to this city. Aledo is
the county seat of Merccr county, and is Is
miles distant from Muscatine. 1t is under
stood that influential men have gone from
New Boston to Springfield for the purpose Of
defeating the amendment to the charter. We
doubt, however, whether they will be success
full All the friends of this gigantic railroad
scheme sec that Muscatinc is the most favor
NUlc pUIuI luu iOuo W h"AS - SVHAOSStOu
with the railroad system Of Iowa, and the
puny influence of New Boston will avail but
little towards changing their present purpose.
But whether the amendment is defeated or
not, railroad can be built from Alcdo to
Muscatine with the charter of the Galesburgh
Company. So sure as this Air Line road is
built, Muscatinc will have favorable eastern
outlet over it, ....
We learn that the Air Line is beginning to
show signs Of life and energy again. Its
indefatigablc President, Mr.. Schenck, is
actively at work, and has enlisted the New
York and Eric R. r. Co. in its behalf 1t is
designed that tho Air Line or American Cen
tral shall be continuation Of the N. Y. & E.
road, and therefore it will be constructed with
broad guage. 1t will be the first and per-
haps the only broad guagc railroad in the
West Work has been progressing on the
line of this road in illinois, east of Lacon, all
winter. The grading from Lacon to Galva is
about half completed, and from Galva to the
Mississippi at New Boston about two-thirds
| of it is finished.
With this important trunk railroad coming
to the Mississippi river opposite Muscatine,
our city will be railroad center indeed, and
will experience a prosperity and increase Of
business beyond our most sanguine hopes of
the past
INTERNAL DIssENsIoNs OF TIE DEMOCRACY.
A special Washington dispatch to the Gin
cinnati Commercial, under date of the Goth,
says: "The Douglas organ in this city, the
States, whose editor, Pryor, was Douglas
confidential adviser in the recent difficulty
with Fitch, declares, this evening, that there
is no longer Democratic party, and cites in
proof of its assertion the dissension between
Buchanan and Cass on Squatter Sovereignty,
Buchanan and Floyd on the Pacific Railroad,
and Buchanan and Cobb on the Tariff 1t
says that, on no single issue, is there concord
in the party, and asserts that the confusion
of Babel was not equal to the present discords
of Democracy. The States being understood
to express the views of Douglas, the article
attracts great attention. The internal strife
of Democracy burst forth with fury in
debate to-day, which sprung up in the House
on the slave trade. TWAS the hottest debate
of the session, being a READ debate not mere
essay reading-and ragged almost entirely in
the ranks of the Administration, the Repub-
licans looking on and laughing. A leading
Democrat -Branch-tried to stop it, saying,
if it went on, it would lead to something
worse than the slave trade. He meant that
it would smash up the party"