The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1868-10-02
ALLISON AGAIN REVIEWED.
An Appeal to Voters by Gen.
VHndCVer.

An Appeal to Voters by Gen.
Vandcver.
To the poters Of the Third Congression-
al District Of Ioaca::
| I think I have conclusively shown
in what has gonc before that the
Blair and Allison cutoff, or as it is
officially known, the Sioux City
Pacific railroad, effects a division
of the Upper Missouri river from
the line Of the Dubuque & Sioux
City, and all other roads of North
ern Iowa and Minnesota, projected
to Sioux City; And in contraven-
tion of the design and intent of the
acts of Congress of 1S62-and ofthe
amendment Of 1864: it deprives
these roads of any direct connection
with the Union Pacific railroad
that the subsidy of U. s., lands,
and bonds generously granted by
act Of congress to aid in the con-
struction of the Sioux City branch,
has been unfairly diverted to the
construction of a road down the est
bank of the Missouri river in Iowa,
''in no sense a branch of the Pacific
road," for the purpose of enricbing
a private enterprise and adding to
the trade Of a rival road south ofus,
thos giving to this favored line a
double connection, where the law
designed but one. This unfair dis
elimination against the railroads of
| Northern Iowa, accomplished by Mr..
Allison and, his associates, greatly
lessen the inducements for the ex-
tension of our roads to tho Missouri
river ; postpones indefinitely their
completion enriches few monopo-
lists at the expense of the United
Ststes treasury. and enables Messrs
Allison, Blair and others to claim
and receive. if they have not already
received, the sum Of one million
two hundred thousand dollars in
United States bonds, leaving the
government without enc dollar of
security for this immense sum. The
road and the grant of land being i'll
numbered by the first mortgage
bonds of the company which cover
the cost of fcoHstruction, Mr. Allison
and his friends can divide the gov
ernment bonds among themselves
as profit. None Of the statements
heretofore made in support of the
above EXPOSE, have been contlo-
verted nor denied, hn! every mate
rial fact is incontestably proved by
the record, and the admissions con-
tanned in the letter of Mr.. Allison
heretofore published.
NO JUSTIFICATION.
Mr. Allison and his friends at
tempt to justify the diversion of the
government subsidy, designed for
the Sioux City branch, by stating
that the natural obstacles to the ex-
tension of road from Sioux City,
west of the Missouri river are in
surmountable and that if the Blair
and Allison company had not built
this road down the Missouri bottom
in Iowa, to connect the Sioux City
with the Cedar Rapids and Omaha
road, that some other company
would have soon supplied the link.
The latter part of the proposition is
very likely true. No one can doubt
but that Blair and others who are
largely interested in the Cedar Rap
ids and Omaha road were bound to
connect their road sooner or later
with Sioux City. It was manifest
ly for their interest to do SO /; but
they have no more right to claim
government subsidy for this connect
ion than has the Dubuque South
western for running its road from
Farley to Cedar Rapids. Ifthe OBJ
stacles to the extension ofthe Sioux
City branch west Of the Missouri
river were insurmountalle, that
should have been an end of the mat
ter. and the subsidy Of land and
bonds should have remained with
the government. and not been d.
yerted or expended in a purely local
or private enterprise, at the expense
Of the treasury and to the profit Of
a purely speculative venture. With
out the employment Of harsh terms,
the character Of the transaction is
sufficiently apparent, and the con-
nection Of Mr.. Allison (who is our
local representative with it,
should cover him with confusion.
Bnt in regard to the other branch
of justification, I deny that the OBJ
stacle to the construction of the
Sioux City branch Of the Pacific
road, on the west side Of the river
are insurmountable, or that a prac-
ticable route cannot there be found,
the report of any engineer to the,
contrary Notwithstanding. Science
that contradicts common sense. or
fact, is not worth the paper it is writ
ten on and no engineer will con-
trovert what now proceed to state.
The formation of the bluffs and
adjacent country on the west side
Of tho Missouri from Sioux City
down to the Omaha reservation. is
not rock it is a sort Of marly sub
stance composed of sand and lime
sort of sillicious mari, three hun
dred feet in depth, that will spade
with far moro ease than our common