Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1868-04-24
Railroads i'm Iowa.

On the 9Th inst. the Attorney Gen.
eral Of the State filed an information
in the District Court of Des Moines
for the purpose of compelling the Di-
rectors Of the Chicago, Rock Island
& Pacific Railroad. to show cause
why the road should not be compile
ted westward from Des Moines to its
terminus. 1t will be recollected
that during the contest before the
Legislature last winter, the stock
gamblers of Wall Street succeeded by
some means or other to obtain an in
junction from the New York Courts,
restraining the officers from using
the money of the company in fin
fishing the road. The old directors
who resided within the Jurisdiction
of the New York Courts resigned,
and as the stock holders had not been
restrained from electing new ones,
men in Chicago and Iowa were selec-
ted. We presume the proceeding in
our Courts, is for the purpose of fore
stalling the gamblers. They were
beaten before the Legislature, and
will no doubt come into our Courts
to seek their aid in retarding the
work of completing that road. Our
State officials, we think, have acted
wisely in acting promptly. The peo-
pie of the State living west of the
Des Moines, have right to railway
communication Their interests in
the various lands held in trust by the
State, as much for their benefit as for
others, demand that this road should
be completed at once. When our
Courts have issued the necessary pro-
cess, the case will then be beyond the
reach of those virtuous gentlemen
who do not want to complete the
road but are anxious to squander the
funds in adventures of their own.
Parties and capitalists acting in good
faith will be generously treated by
the people of Iowa. The old Saxon
principle of fair play predominates
among the people of the west. IL is
their interest to invite and encourage
the building of railways, and there
is not man I'm the State who would
be unwilling to see it gridironed with
these improvements, but when Wall
Street undertakes to make shuttle
cocks of our Legislatures, Courts and
people, 1T is another matter. The
people Of Northern Iowa will be
gratified to know that that line will
be finished. The Dubuque & Sioux
City will come next, and then the
"Great American Central, I" from FIT.
Wayne, Ind, to Omaha, will give us
four through lines, and with the road
westward from McGregor, the fifth,
we will have abundant railway facil-
tiles in this direction. With all
these, Iowa will be greater State
than she Is now. Pennsylvania and
New York are greater and wealthler
by reason of their iron thoroughfares
than all their mines and nIanufacto-
ries, without railways could make
them. These Improvements will no
doubt detract from the Importance of
many Of our fiourishing river towns,
but these can retain large portion
of their influence by judicious
management of their interests. A
jealousy has already sprung up be-
tween these towns and those of the
Interior. But it should be remem-
bered that the railway companies
are, In great measures the arbiter
between these contestants, and
will cast their influence to the side
which treats them literally. The in
terest of the State is not how shall
we get to Chicago? but where is our
best market, and how shall we reach
it? If we can save money by going
to st. Louis or New Orleans, let us
go there. Let us build the Iowa Cen
trail, and then we will have our
choice of river or rail south and east.
We will have q lively and healthy
competition.