The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1859-12-07

The steamship Milwaukee is ashore al
Grand Haven-she will go to piccics pro-
badly.
The Railroad.
An article of ours relative to the impor.
lance to the Interior of a railway from this
point west, and the possibility of this
becoming prosperous city with no railroad
at all, is excepted to by the West Union
Reriep and its bill Of exceptions is copied
by our ncighbors of the Press. We arc
expected to say something back and here it
is: MCGREGoR does not need a Railroad
now: If she could be guaranteed the re-
ccipt of produce, By teams, from section
of country only 30 miles square, equal to
about 100000 acres, she would grow more
rapidly and become more important mart
than if her line of western rail extended to
the Missouri. The completion of road to
Monona, Clcrmont, DEBORAH, West Union,
Bradford and ST. Charles City would carry
the goods we now sell to those points; the
produce would be collected there, paid for
or exchanged for goods there, and all we
would know Of the productions of the west
would be very long and loud daily uhistle
from the lungs of the Iron Horse. An old
Doctor once said that the people sometimes
"pay too dear for the arhistle!" This has
been the ease everywhere east and the inc.
vitable laws of commerce will bring the
same result here No man who reasons or
who has observed, will deny that so far as
McGrcgor is concerned the team deliveries
are worth more to her than ten railway
trains day. At Racine, where six wears
ago there were 80 to 40 large Dry Goods
stores, there are now less than teu! At
Dubuque where the trade of a large interior
was once done, now are tenantlcss Stores
and Warehouses and the grain is bought at
Nottingham, Manchester and other places
1t looks spunky to insist that we must
have railroad because other folks have one
or because they threaten to cut us off by
diverting our trade to other channels: but
it is not true that our interests will be SUBJ
served by the construction of any line that
will carry the transaction of our business to
other points; and if it were possible to veto
all railway construction in the future, Nc
Gregor, if true to her interests would "sus-
tain the Eeto!' Every man here believes
this, because he cant help it.
This is called selfish. We admit il. Int
are not all men and all communities selfish,
and is it not the wise, sensible polite sell
fishness OF our western neighbors to insist
upon the speedy building of the road across
Northern Iowa? We like those chaps in
Fayette, Winnisheik, Howard, Floyd, ALA
makee and other counties west, for the rim
they display Oh this subject and we notice
that when they propose taking stock they
generally stipulate that the road shall
pass through their respectiee tonns or the
stock-:ubscription is cold! Is there any
selfishness about this.
Now the only question to be considered
here is, what probability is there of the con-
struction of lines to cut us off? If road
were probable from Lansing westward, or
if the Dubuque and Turkey river line had
any hope of being built We might get up a
very justifiable, because very selfsh ex-
element in relation to the McGrcgor and
Missouri road; but as neither of those lines,
nor the Paint Creek curiosity, has any show
for life, we have only to fear the influence
of the Cedar Valley route, the completion
Of which would draw off a little trade
which we now get, but which it is
possible We had better part with freely than
to injure ourselves by trying to secure it
That the road will be built in few years
there is no doubt. We think the Press is
mis-informed when it talks of a responsible
company being ready to take hold and con-
struct it for $4,000 mile, but at whatever
cost of construction there is no doubt Of its
being as near paying road as any in the
west, and it is said that the Milwaukee &
Mississippi in conjunction with the Detroit
Milwaukee and the Grand Trunk Colnpa-
mes are contemplating Its completion with
an interest that will soon induce them to
advance very liberal propositions to the
present McGregor & Mo. r. Directory
When the rivalrics of points east and the
necessities of the country west of us com
pei the construction of this road it will be
built; but it is not reasonable that the City
Ct McGregor should be called to take the
initiative in measure that her present, and
for some years, her future interests will not
require. In other words she should not be
scolded for declining to purchase q gun
which would blow her own brains out
The little squib of week before last was
simply to advise our western readers that
they had best depend on themselves in this
work and not upon us.
This is blunt, hurriedly written arti-
Gle; but the efforts to get stock in the road
two years ago, and the general expression
here now, satisfies us that we are tell