The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1859-09-07
(CoMMuNIcArED.l

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The ssFree Ferry'' gu estion.
Editor Of the North Io,ca Times
Fortunately, having large extent of coun.
try teeming With the elements Of wealth and
comfort, which by tho inevitable laws OF nature
and trade are tributary to our point, situated as
we are at the confluence OF two great lines of
traffic to the East and to the South We have,
with an expenditure, an energy and a persc-
ys.sss ~.iss sss Sa: h sssssa Ct al
track through the gorge of mountains, to the
broad and fertile savannahs OF the west and
having done all this, we find our energies some
what crippled by the policy of the M. & M. r.
K. Co., which ii continued and submitted to.
must have the inevitable effect of transferring
to the east side OF the river a large portion Of
the legitimate business due US, aud that without
directly or indirectly beneftting themselves.
unless it is incidentally by enhancing the value
of their property on the east side of the river.
They answer our complaints so far as .,rain is
concerned, by sayins, "We carry your grain
across the river free of expense ON our barge.
and we only do the same to those who deliver
on this side" There is this broad difference
you take our wheat to be shipped in bulk, and
after We have collected car load of it in our
warehouse. men have put it in bags and carried
it on your barge, you transfer it to the other
side and put it in your cars without charge, ut
an expense to you, as you estimate, of one cent
per bushel. For those who deliver on the other
side in wagons you weigh it, secure it by the
wagon load, find warehouse room, or car room,
which amounts to the same thing, to store it in,
until car load is procured, passing the wagons
loaded and back without charge, and for
which you charge every other person eighty
cents or more than three cents per bushel, sup
posing the loads to average twenty five bushels
each. This surely is not impartial, even hand.
cd Justice-that you have the right to do this
We admit, but the justice Or exDediency of this
course, particularly when it does not subserye
your own interests, is u matter for the direct
ors Of the road to ponder on. Supposinp own.
ed block of stores in McGregor with capacity
and appliances sufficient for doing nine .tenths
of the whole town. and should say to few IA.
verites, take these stores, occupy them free of
rent, sell your goods at such figure "a your
competitors in the trade, who have erected their
own stores at large expense, or are paying O
large rent therefor, cannot afford to do, and
hereby. would not only sacrifice my own in. |
terests but would receive, as l deserved the
maledictiOns Of those who have invested their
money in the same kind of property, and have
come here to erect their hearth stones and make
a decent and honorable living for the mselyes
and their families. Suppose further, that the
X. X. Co. (Which with the same consistency
unu pTOpTlety theS may uOJ snOuIu say 10 some
favorite, ego East, huy 1000 bushels of salt,
500 barrels sugar, loo tons of iron, all heavy
and Indispensable articles, and bring them over
the road, and we will find you the facilities for
storing and weighing them, and announce to
the consumers in Iowa that they may cross on
ferry boats with their teams, and return free of
cost, to buy those articles, would it not be n
manifest injustice not only to dealers on the east
side of the river, but particularly so to those on
this side, who have paid your ferry charges for
bringing their goods over to them. course of
policy so preposterous and absurd must be ap- |
parent in the minds Of business thinking men |
as it would by no means increase the business |
of the road, but merely divert the trade from
its legitimate channels, and evince On aggres.
sive power for evil which, if persisted in, must
ultimately sap the foundations OF our prospect.
~. BY no parity of reasoning then, can we
fathom the motives Of the Company in thus |
throwing in the way obstacles to free, fair and |
legitimate trade so important to us as a COM
munity, unless it be the paltry consideration Of
building up a locality never intended by nature |
or the laws Of trade for anything more than |
mere stopping point for great and important
public work, that must draw it's sustenance and |
support from the vast and fertile regions west |
Of the Mississippi G.
McGREcoR, Sept. 6, 1859.