The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1866-01-04
st. Louis and Cedar Rapids r. r.

For many YEARS past the citizens of this
county have been looking upon the pros
pect ofextending the North Missouri r.
r. through Iowa rs altogether likely to
make ottutnwa point. II has been and
is the favorite enterprise Of all others I'm
the minds of nearly all our people. Upon
'ts attainment is based (more than upon
any other or all other things com bined) the
Idea we have. the future growth, wealth
and prosperity of our county-town and
our county. What we have now most to
fear is that we are too sanguine in or be-
liefthat we shall get the Road. That too
much talk of the certainty of its coming
here and that our wishes have been so long
the father to our thoughts. upon this sub
iect that we have become too confident OF
success. In this seems to be our greatest
that the business, the prominence and i'm
pnrtance OF Ottumwa, as well as the Real
Estate i'm the city and the farms and farm
ing interests Of our county are mt this time
largely enhanced by reason of the prospect
We have in obtaining this road, and should
We loose it. there must necessarily be
great falling off i'm all these things. mother
words with the road, weare in the sure path
to greatness, without il great stagnation
would follow Dy the Ger rrurr
what we now enjoy, and our bright future
shorn of it's splendor. As has been re-
marked. it is to be feared We are too GER
tain Of success.
Some say and pretend to believe that
500, 900 ola sub scription to the road in
this county will make no difference with
the Co. in selecting the route. This idea
is too falacous upon the face OF it, as to
be hardly worthy ofnotice. Thilroad finds
its great monied projectors in st. Louis,
Mo. That city must secure her part of
the trade of Iowa and she is bound to do it..
Her citizens are awake to their interests in
this matter. They say to the rival routes
through Iowa, go to work. survey your
route, give us the report Of your engineer;
let us have this satisfactory evidence ofthe
feasibility Of your route; just how heavy a
grade you have to make, how many
streams to cross; how direct and short a
route you have &C., and also to go to work
and get your subscriptions; from the cti-
zens along the route. They are all deeply
interested in the construction of the road.
as well as st. Louis people. and they must
assist us in the work. The st. Louis folks
expect, and must have a million of dollars
from the people Of Iowa in running this
road through the State. We are willing to
be the back bone of this enterprise and see
| it through, cost what it will, but it is, not
alone our enterprise. 1--WE are not alone
| interested in this matter. But it is both
our road and your road. We are all inter-
ested. We kpo,o that we are, and will do
our part; what will yotl do? st. Louis
people say if the people along the route
through Fairfield, Washington and Iowa
| City, or upon the route through Abba and
Oskaloosa, shall act liberally and be pecuni-
| arily alive to their interests in this matter
and you upon the Ottumwa route shall
not! why, a million Of dollars OF subscrip-
ton is an important matter, and IA money
alone will build the road, and is the thing
above all o hers which we must have, the
route of the road will be largely influenced
by the subscription of the people along
that route
Some people say. too, that they are too
poor, too hard run to invest ANYTHING.
though they acknowledge tire Importance
afsettjag the r9ad----T That is, men of this
invest all their spare money in extending
their business, which really seems to be
the fact. is the real truth in the matter with
then,., ....,...
They forget one very important thing
and that is that there is not man in this
county who is to any degree permanently
located in it, (save it may be in single
locality) who has not to agreater or less ex-
tent, invested in this read. Is he the owner
of a lot in the city. or farm in the coun-
try, or ia he in business of any kind. the
value of that lot, or that farm, or the pros
perity Of that business is largely dependent
upon whether we get or loose this road. and
there is no way of avoiding it, save that the
party disposes of bis property and leaves
the country.
These men have already invested in this
enterprise. and it only remains to be dem
onstrated whether they will cherish and
foster that interest.
Let the good citizens Of this county. be
careful that in their greedness to reap a
rich harvest from the present business ac-
tivity which prevails among us, we do not
become so indifferent to other matters as
to permit the hen that lays the golden egg
tn be killed by our neighbors upon the
East or the West!