Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1860-03-13
From tho State Register. ]
n. K N. Railroad.

The Mississippi! AMI Missouri Railroad
Company" Tor which thank you. IL
seems 10 be an article prompted by 4
bitter spirit towards Mr.. Henry Farnam,
aud Astounding in destinations rather
than explicit charges. Yonr avowed
purpose is to influence the Legislature
now in session, and am moved to ad-
dress yon few words through the press
of Des Moncs, which may early be
seen by those who am sure ought not
to legislatc on any seperate statement.
Your preface l think is peculiarly IN
fortunate in achieving your end, when
'lorced to the conclusion that as State
and people, we would be much better
Oft to-day without mile of Railroad,
than we are at present" Does the
budget Of griefs aud complaints justify
such reasoning! You are on the Mis-
sissippi river, in the city of Muscat'ne,
now visited by two railroads, north aud
west, constructed bv this company OF
sharks" "havipg control )" whose
company You kept for six years. giving
no warning to the world until you were
djspleased by the election OF Hon. ).
SIT. Hickman rs Director. 1t is unde-
niabIc that the railroad has added large
" to the value Of your property, ana
that your position can give you no con-
ception of the disabilities Of our citizens
who live in the Interior, distant from
railroad. Nothing tut the prospect OF
an early communication with eastern
markets by rail, holds our population IN
Central Iowa. Let your words iihd
credcnce and your policy Of GRIPPING
railroads be adopted, and the best por-
ton of our citizens would flock across
the Mississippi in troops. 1t is perfect
" natural for those in the "royal' line
to check the aspirations of the unroyal !;
honors and power losing their value IN
proportion as they pass out OF the
dine" Yours may be policy Of I'M
conscious selfshncss, but to us long
waiting for railroad, it is transparent.
Yes, none but home directory should
control tho foreign capital in railroads.
Has not that been asked in every W est
ern State and the farcial notion played
ont that men should throw up the con-
troll of their monied enterprises =
Would or could Iowa capital build a
railroad of any length You have ad-
mit,ed that Mr.. Farnam was rich when
he began building railroad in Iowa,
and must remember that at the last
meeting of the Board in Davenport, he
offered to let any party have his contract
for building the road westward, and
would give that party 100000 OF his
investment here. The failure of crops
and the financial troubles of the coun-
try have greatly deprecated the value
of his investments in the State, and
now YOU ask the fuse of the pruning
knife freely" when holder counsel
would be, thrust the dagger of assassi-
nation at all non-residents who have
dared use their capital in building our
railroads.
Is lust to depress our great interest
by unfriendly legislation, and cause tho
most enterprising to suffer more than
they have alreadys Such apolicy may
ensue to the interest of those who would
drive our people back eastward, but 1t
is not easy to avoid the impression that
the basis of this appeal and policy is sor-
did rather than profound. 1t is the con-
viction of large portion OF the farmers
Of &c. trail Iowa, that one half OF their
lands with railroad, will be worth more
to them than the whole without one, and
these lines are not only projected but pro-
crossing.
The NJ. & NJ. railroad even, which IS
the subject of such unmeasured detrHt-
ion, has 20 miles Of grading ives OF
Iowa City, ready for the ties and rail and
| iron delivered in Chicago sufficient lay
30 miles, and has during the entire enter
employed from 700 to 1000 men Work
preparing the road bed. Does ais look
like "sharking."
But the management. WILTON name
the accidents on the road Can you
point out derelictions in no furnishing
trains and cars for the bushes. AS IN the
fables, the wolf must hav his victim,
whether up or down the sMeam.
Would it not have been sgracetul and
fair statement of an ex-ditctor that the
loss by high water had ben great; that
the failures of crops and he cessation OF
emigration affected the csculat'ons OF
railroad men as we'll as othrs, and that
it was not easy to enlist cpital in great
enterprises at such timcsand that the
greatest lenity should beshownto those
who were the great ages in developing
theresources of our coutry as they have
been in facilitating It's stiement!
No, no. cit is our dtyto rld ourselves
of this foreign infyoce, 1.-The remedy
must be thorough : orescribes a most
doubtful friend, cnviou of those who are
working road whichby no fault OF the
management, pays noning to the stock
holders, while the PRODUCERS OF the
: country are reaping te advantages.
Without consultaon with any rail-
7 road man, and haviE no official relation
: to the NJ. &. NJ. rafoad, and as a per
# sonal friend to Hery Farnam, l shall
r make few denial to the positions in
Il your pamphlet.
u LIST, YOU charge hose having control
Of the NJ. Il Nj. R.-including Mr.
Farnam-with ga effort to inaugurate
= a system of Stat, aid" / have good
e, reason to think til the statement is no,
It true.
Cd. In the clifton Of the Directory
YOU charge thatarnam is on hand with
ct : .nocket full proxies, and that but ,
j. small nortio, Of the stock held in low,