North Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1867-current, 1868-07-01

close to you a copy of the opinion Of At
torney General O'Connor, upon the validi-
ty Of the acceptance" and "waiyer'' filed
by the McGregor & Sioux City Railway
Company, in the Office Of the Secretary of
State.
He wishes me to express his regret that
the papers are not in form, and tina. there
must not be any delay in the construction
Of this much needed road. He had hoped
that under the auspices of your company,
with the large means at its disposal, the
work would have been carried forward to
an early completion.
Very Respectfully Yours,
JNo. s. RuNNELLs,
Private Secretary.
REPLY TO GOV. MERRILL, FROM RUSSELL SAGE,
PRESIDENT OF MCGREGoR d SIOUX CITY 3
RAILWAY COMPANY.
New YORK, June 23d, 1868.
To his ErceUency,
SAMUEL MERRILL, Governor Of Iowa.
Sr-Your communication of June 18th,
directed to me individually, is just received,
for which please accept my thanks. In it
you enclosed an opinion of the Attorney
General of the State of Iowa, to the effect
that the acceptance and waiver filed by the
McGregor & Sioux City Railway Company
is not in form, and you express your re-
greet that there must be any delay in the col
struction of this much needed road &c.
We beg to assure your excellency that
you are right in saying that the McGresor
& Sioux City Railway Company lis one of
large means at its disposal y and we fur
ther add, that it is the intention Of that
Company to use those means in building a
railroad from some point near Calmar, in
Winneshiek county, westerly to the Miss
ouri river, provided we receive the local
aid we are partially promised, and are not
prevented by adverse legislation of the
State of Iowa. So strong are cur hopes
and expectations in this respect, that we
invite your excellency, and the executive
officers of your State, including the Attor-
ney General, to go with us by rail from
McGregor to Charles City in September
1869; and we promise to carry you through
at that time, on one of the best built rail
roads in Iowa. If the people upon the
line extending from Calmarto the Missouri
river, give us the aid we have been encour-
aged to expect, and the Legislature adopts
your views relative to railroads, then we
confidently hope to extend to the Governor,
State officers, and the whole Legislature,
an invitation to go with us by rail from
McGregor to the Missouri River, sometime
during the year 1871.
The McGregor & Sioux City Railway
Company accept the grant of lands made
under the law of 1868, only after the full
discussion with, and upon the assurance
of one of your ablest, and most prominent
Legislators, Hon. John. A. Kasson, who
has neglected no opportunity to get east
ern capital invested in your railways
which have SO largely added to your ma
terial prosperity. He assured US that il
his judgment, before we could build to
Charles City, the Legislature would adopt
your excellency's views as to the prope,
Legislation for railroads, contained il
your special message read at the close O.
the last session, in which you recommend
that the railroads may first be allowed tt
earn for their owners ten per cent. pei
annum, and then thereafter the State
should be allowed to make and establish
rates for freight, &c. We thought tn,
views of your excellency, wise and pru
dent, and highly beneficial to the State
and were ourselves entirely satisfied tina
they should be enacted into q law, and
would have cheerfully invested our money
under such enactments. AS it is, upor
the confident expectations formed by vi
and our associate capitalists at the east
from our conferences with, the Hon. Mr.
Kasson, We have been induced to raise the
money conditionally, with which to build
to Charles City, hoping that by the time
we reach that point, your views will bt
adopted by your legislature, in which
event we feel assured the whole line from
McGregor to the Missouri River will be a,
once constructed. f. an
We have carefully read the opinion O.
the Attorney General enclosed by you, and
have given it our full consideration. w
forbcar any criticism upon it, and omi>
the opportunity to have an argument or
the subjects discussed by him, preparing
to go ahead and build the road, as thu
best evidence we can give Of our sincerity
and ability. We do, however, beg to cal
your e~xcelIency's attention to the fact tina
it is a voluntary opinion on a matter in nj
way properly before him, and made at thu
request of a recording officer the Secretar,
Of State) who could have no possible in
terest in the matter and we beg to assure
you, that if it was expected by the opinion
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