Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1869-06-03
Shall The Difficulty be Remedied f.?

BY the recent decision Of the Supreme Court
it ppears that the State Constitution stands
in the way OF railroad construction in Iowa.
Other commonwealth, Illinois aud Indiana,
for instance, are forming networks of rail-
ways for their accommodation, the reticula-
tions OF which are almost like the warp and
wool in a wcayers loom, and are thus devel>
oping and making more valuable every acre
of land within their borders.
We are of the opinion that the people are
willing to be taxed within reasonable limits
for the building of railroads, the same as they
are taxed for schools, OR for any othel pur
pose resulting in general benefit. This we
think is shown ty the prompt, cheerful, and
almost unanimous voting of townships and
cities under what was esteemed rs the law,
as passed by the Legislature, and Subsequent
" pronounced unconstitutional by the Court.
Ii IS also made manifest by the feelings in
the States we mentioned, as we have never
heard OF single instance, where, after bein 2
once decided, there was any going back on the
judgment of the majority voting. The infer
enee is fair one from what is transporting
around us and from our own immediate
movements, that the people are perfectly wills
ling, ii not anxious, to ssist in building rail-
reads provided tic taxable property of the
country, without distinction, shall be made TO
bear the burden, and not a chosen few seect>
ed on account of their abundance of means,
be made to shoulder the responsibility, while
all are equally benefited.
III this is thc state of the public mind the
sooner we begin to agitate the question Of hay
ing revision of the Constitution for the REM
dying of this, as well as some other matters,
the better it will be for the material interes Is
OF Iowa. The census of 1870 will show a pops
ulation closely approximating one million two
hundred thousand souls, about the same Mas.
sachuset,s had in 1860 and yet Iowa has sev>
en- times the area of the Old Bay State Our
! reasonable capacity in Iowa, is fully nine mil.
lions of people, and We shall grow towards
tins constantly, though we may be some time
in reaching il.
Nothing is more plain than that, if we wish
| to develop our full extent as State, we must
not be laggalds in railroad bulding-we must
not conilne ourselves to three or four east and
west routes, built By foreign capital, and then
stop. The interlacing process must be set in
motion, and this by the means at home Or,
at least, SO much thereof as will be evidence
Of our earnest intention to bind all parts of
the State together by iron bands SO as to make
US prosperous community. The system of
railroading is in its infancy, and it is no
business Of ours, surely, to be in the rear, be-
cause Of an uufriendly fundamental law.
NC are inclined, therefore, 10 put ourselves
in the position Of working. to the end that our
Constitution may be changed as quickly as
possible, 50 as to render to the people the priv
ilege Of saying by their ballots whether or
not, under proper restrictions and safeguards,
they shall engage in the prosecution of rails
road enterprises. If non-rcsidents will not
render Of their means cheerfully, and if close
listed land holders will hold back where their
interests are SO vastly concerned, then, under
the new order Of things, their property can be
taxed, and in this way. willing or unwilling,
they can be made to do their whole duty in
promoting the welfare of the public polite.