Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-07-07

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what an East ern Man Thinks.
We are permitted by our esteemed
fellow citizen, Mr.. J. +. Greenlec,
to copy the following portion of a
letter to him from his father, A.
Greenlee, Esq, Of Fredericktown,
Ohio. Lest any person should think
it all on one subject, let us premise
that the major part Of it Is about
Railroads.. Mr.. G. says: 7g.
Hy Dear Son:--I received your
letter, and also a copy OF the Io,ra
Totes with a paid-up Receipt for that
paper for six months. This was
not expecting, but that makes 1t
none the less welcome. am glad
to know that you can sustain such a
paper in your County. 1t far excels
our more eastern County papers In
every respect. 1t Is much larger,
and more ably edited; and regard
it as a high compliment to the intel
ligence and enterprise of your people,
as we'll as a credit to its editor.
You seem to be more live, wide-
awake people out west there than we,
your more easterly neighbors. 1t
appears to me that there must be
something in the pure prairie air
that yon BREATH that expands not
only the lungs but the mental activi-
tiys Of your people. Compared to us
they appear like malt liquor in a
state Of fermentation, whilst we have
settled back upon our lees.
4 I am pleased to learn that you
have a prospect for Railroad through
your beautiful city and County. This
lis just what you need to make you
what you ought to be, and what you
never can be without it. The old
adage, "Strike while the iron Is hot"
Is peculiarly true in your present
situation. Railroads are sure to be
constructed somewhere, in sufficient
numbers to accommodate the COM
mcrial wants Of the people; and it
is, only a question whether your
people will avail themselves of the
advantages Of one through your
place, or permit these advantages to
be enjoyedby your more fortunate
or more liberal neighbors.
Let a city or community so far for
get their own best interests as to
permit these golden opportunities to
pass by unimproved, thinking that
somehow or in some way, at some
future time, and at less cost and effort
they will finally succeed, and my
word for It they will have time
enough in the future to repent for
the errors of the past-and then 1t
will be too late, as many of our towns
and cities in Ohio can testify. Rail-
roads will not be constructed to
every mans door, nor to every town,
nor through every County probably,
for the reason that the general public
good will not require it. Hence your
people should see to it now that they
are not made tributary to some more
favored place and thus become
s.hewers Of wood and drawers Of
water" to others when they might
have rendered others SO to them.
Better, far better, that every farm
and town lot within six miles Of the
proposed route should be mortgaged
fof q reasonable sum for the next
twenty years, than to fail in this
effort, with no well-grounded hope
Tor the future. a i
,,Rdlrosds cannot be built without
money; and II your people wish toi
enjoy their advantages they must
contnbute at least part Of the money.
II viii not. do to say that Companies
who " ex xpect. to run the Roads should
construct them. 3 This they win not
do, only ~ part, for the reason that
1you willnot help, others will, and
those who do help will secure thel
Road and those who do not Will !
lose It. J