The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1859-02-01

The osAnleesa naalssaa Cenvslslsn.
4 dsleeasioa conpessd n tvsaty-six mesa-
bsrs. len Burlington On Taesday mornisg Last
BY the cara On the Darlington and Missouri Riv-
er Railroad Tor Oskaioosa. We lad pleasant
journey u some s. miles lover road, which.
though quite new. viii compare favorably with |
6rst class Eastern, tosds. The track Was smooth,
cars and Locomotives No. I. Al Batavia, after
passakine u good dinner, we were packed In
TO three fine coaches and sent forward by the
Stage Company, making excelIen. time 70 Oska-
loosa, passing through Agency City, Ottumwa
and Eddyville, and over a country which will
bear favorable comparison in natural advan-
tages with any part Of Iowa or any other coun-
try that We have seen. The country is thickly
settled, and well.improvcd farms in a good state
Of cultivation with good houses and good barns,
orchards, etc., present themselves on every
hand. The disasters Of the last year were, how
ever, plainly visible in the diminished number
Of cattle and hogs seen and the almost entire
absence Of corn either in crib or shock. Far
mers have not one-half, hardly one.quarter the
grain on hand which they usually have at this
season of the year.
We we're highly pleased with the appearance
Of the town OF Oskaloosa, now within one days
| travel of Burlington. 1t is much larger town
than We had expected to see, covering large
aud level plain some six miles from the Des
| Noines and three miles from Skunk river, and
has population, we should think, of four or
| Eve thousand. They have superior gray lime
stone for building purposes adjoining town, and
excellent coal at their very doors. Oskaloosa con.
tains the almost entire town population Of Ma
haska county, one OF the richest and most thickiy
settled counties in the State, and as matter of
course nearly the entire business of the county
is transacted there. Abundant signs Of improve
ment were visible. A new College is in the
course Of completion west of town. 1t is four
stories high, one hundred and twenty feet front
aud eighty feet deep, and presents an imposing
| appearance. fine three story block was erect
| ed last season and is now in course Of compile
ton ON the Public Square. We saw some very
good private residences.
During the morning Of Wednesday, after
s.rolling over town, talking with citizens with
whom they happened to be acquainted, the Bur-
lngton delegation held meeting and sent for
the Keokuk delegation to meet them, believing
that our interests we're for once the same. In
this meeting it was agreed that We should urge
upon the people Immediately adjoining the pro.
posed road the importance Of constructing q
road from some point where both the Keokuk
and Burlington roads could connect with it at
or near Ottumws to the Capital. After first
asking that the road should be built by their
company under their organization, we insisting
that we did not come there to endorse their
road, but were willing to leave all that to the
people concerned, they yielded the point, agree
ing to 60 into the meeting with US and make
common cause, the object being A road to the
| Ca pital
The meeting assembled at o'clock at tie
Court room, and was organized by the election
Of Judge lIendershott, Of 0ttumwa, to the chair,
| and Will Tomnson of Des Moines, ard George
| Sny der of Burlington, secretaries Delegates
| were found to be in attendance from Lee, Van
Buren,, Wapello, Des Moines, Jefferson, Musca-
tine, johnson, Powesbiek, Black Hawk, Tama,
Polk aud Marion counties, and as will be read
| lily conceived there were many conflicting inter-
ests represented. The first thing TO be deter
| mined was the character Of the Convention
| The call was fer mass meeting to represent
all the interests, near and remote, OF the pes
Moines Valley. But the large number of per-
sons in attendance, every seat and available
| standing place in the court room being crowd
ed by people Immediately interested and lieiP
| in the Des Mones Valley, determined theale- |
mics Of The proposed road TO turn it int taken |
| gate Convention SO that votes woYeeeedsd -
| oy counties if possible, and tbfberous Tbev
Our keokuk friends prove,uilt they would rot |
reared that if the roadfe of its business from
oe aoie 10 get tiisfe at stand forty-two miles
'"e TACT 'has and unable to 80 forward. The |
"eio" Ofoad would therefore connect with our |
- oo'and could not connect with theirs until |
they reached the junction. Therefore they ex- |
erted themselves to prevent any effective action |
likely to produce results. Three or four sets |
Of delegates were in attendance Gom Wapel!o |
county. most OF them, no viewer, from O,tumwa. |
Those coming from the several towns we're in |
favor of the road provided they could get pledge
that it should 60 through their towns from a |
meeting that had no right to make such pledges. |
II they could not, they were opposed to the |
whole project. Failing to get any such pledge, |
the county delegation, with Gillespie at their
head, joined the combination to defeat all &C /
ton and turn the whole meeting into farce
After ridiculous squabble in which Mr.. Gilias-
pie made a pathetic and moving speech such as
no other mar but himself could make, the other
delegations were turned out and he permitted
10 act as Generaiissimo of the Ot.umwa forces,
speaking and voting for Wapello county.
jefferson county was represented by Mr. Ne
gus who had plan of his own to send the Keo-
kuk Valley road west on the southern tier Of
counties and extend the Ramshorn via Salem,
West Point and Fairfield to Oskaoosa, upon
which he proposed to harmonze and unite ev.
erybody. From Fairfield the Burlington road
was to unite with the Muscatine and Washing
ton roads and use a common track for thirty
Hiles AS al Involvement 10 OBTAIN Tue support
of this very taking scheme Mr.. n. proposed that
{ We would enter into it Jefferson county would
issue her bonds and pay her interest. His prop
osition was recc ivcd with smile Being disap,
pointed in this very pretty scheme Mr.. Negus
was opposed to doing anything
In short, by concealing their object from the
mass of the people really interested, the meet.
ng was turned into delegate Convention, in
spite OF the earnest rsmonstrance of the Bar
ington delegation. Judge Hall, Mr. Starr and
others made speeches, showing from the call
md from the very nature of things that the
Convention was really Intended to be mass
meeting Of the people, that it could do nothing
that the people Of St. Louis, Burlington,
Muscatne and keokuk, embraced in the call.
could do nothing to bind the people between
)ttumwa and Des Moines, and therefore il was
Ioly for them to attempt any thing save con-
,ultAtion. But all would not do A committees