The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1865-01-26
From the Missouri Republican.
An lOwa Man iss BOstOn-A talk
About Our Railroads.
Boston, January IL, 1865

About Our Railroads.
Bosros, January Is, 1865.
EprroRs REPUBLICAN Looking over your
file at the Merchants Exchange to-day, I
noticed your comments on the st. Louis
Pacific, and the Northern Pacific Railroad
lines. If the Northern line has been cffici-
Gus, why not give it a tap and compel it to
'ay tribute.
AT one time you monopolized the trade of
Iowas It was drop IN the bucket com
pared with what it has become since you
abandoned it to the enterprise Of Chicago.
True, the war has forced transportation on,
the direct lines east, but from the way the
Iowa boys have fought for the free course of
the Mississippi, it appears that they are de-
termined not to bA LIMITED In their privileges
They~were mad as men could be when their
nationality was assailed-mad as hornets
when their water privileges were curtailed.
As "Uncle Sans" nephews and the embod-
iment of Republican ideas, they cpnscien-
ciously look upon their big "Uncle," not as
Autocrat, but for each and several, trustee
for all national privileges. whether TO dig
gold in California, or grow cotton and speak
the truth in Carolina. They shake their
heads ifhehesitates in being their exponent
Of ali liberal principles and there will be
fuss in the family If their commerce does not
float every sea, under the ensign blessed by
God and humanity.
But Georgia, no longer Prodigous Fool but
Prodigal Son. throws me out of the range Of
st. Louis. Railways will never dry up the
Mississippi as the channel for ready and
cheap transportation for all within its range
to all the world Meat is now shipped d.
rect to Liverpool by way Of Chicago Tom
Iowa packing houses. With cheap freight
the Mississippi is its rout: But your city
has been unfortunate in depending on natu
raj tendencies. Men and communities who
help themselves have the biggest kind of
backing over the toughest kind of roads,
Chicagoa few years ago, laying around loose,
stuck in fhe prairie mud, shivering under
the lake blast-dividing it's attention be.
tween the asue and importation Of Indian
trinkets and Sappington's pills. Now its
steam horses range over all of Uncle Sans
farms and are snorting about 10 Iowa az if
st. Louis had no natural rights there. What
are you about?
True, war times are not favorable to rail.
road extensions But are you leading men.
solid men; go ahead, wide awake, with
tools altogether hammered and ready for
work. Is everything cut and dried so that
you-can spring, to your tasks the moment
the war is closed-capital engaged, lines
surveyed, iron and timber estimates made ?
And do you give moments thought as to
wha. districts, not already Of your exclusive
trade, with the quickest and cheapest re.
suits Of the enterprise. can be made to pay
their millions Of tribute? Are you not
aware that while you have been mapping
the star of empire on it's westward :ourse
has got up some pretty tell shines at Ottum-
wa. the terminus Of your North Mo. road,
and that the millions of agricultural, me
charical and commercial wealth distributed
there, and which should be familiar with
your packets, IS grasped by those insatiate
pilferers, and with the, help of the eyerlast-
ing Yankees and hungry Canucks, they
scatter it over the world after peeing off the
loose green backs.
That is the sort of thing that makes Chi
cago put on airs, and blushinglv swear it
never shook in it's shoes or envied st. Louis.
When you tap. the. Keokuk and Burlington
roads at their junction, you will virtually
strike al the railroad communications of
Iowa, and attract the enterprise Of MINES
ia. for your railroad is indispensable when
Boreas dams the Mississippi, and RACES gen.
orally. The cars will soon be running from
our rock -bottomed city to Des MONIES, an
other of our centers of trade-beauty of To-
cation. enterprise of citizens. making it on 9
Of the gems Of iowa. When your road is
completed to Ottumwa. you will reach all
the rail road communications ofIowa, soon
to be netted over the State, aad threaded
with the rail road system of Minnesota. =
You will not merely mnnopolize your Pa.
ciflc line. but bring freight and passen gers
from off our northern lines.
We last week organized to start second
woclen factory A fist class packing estab-
lishment has been Furnishing for several
years, but can use up but little Of the stock
that is Aocking through. Droves Of fat cat.
tie hurrying to secure their places at the de-
pot. Hogs in one protracted squeal-one
drove not waddling cut ofsound uutil an
other takes up the refrain.
Pardon. If presume too much on old &C.
quaintancc. The Republican was house
hold journal twenty years ago, and I hope it
will soon greet US with each morning train.
Honest Ingin'-sober earnest-wont you
call and dine with US? Dur town is not pref
"; only plain and practical as would neces-
sarily be the case, when two-thirds
of its improvements have been made in the
last three years. As commercial center it
might pass more millions your way than
hundred thousands when your merchants
used to greet US. Promise to come up, and
we will get up an illumination. Not one of
these gas arrangements, but regular moder.
nicer. organize company, engage Lowell
company to get up wick, bore and strike
| lie, put the wick IN and illuminate for mile,
around. We are modest, but it is not right
to keep our light under bushel. II it will