Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1870-05-26
FROM ILLINOIS.
PEkIN, ILLINOIS. Nav IA. 1870.

EDIToR JouRsiL-DEAR SIR:-
No doubt you think by this
time, the occasional letters promised you
are long time coming. Excuses could be
multiplied to justify my long silence, but
think they are useless. as l know YOU will
forgive the past if do better in the future.
Business in every branch of trade is bet
ter this spring than for several seasons past
owing NO doubt to the fair prospect Of erops.
and especially the fruit crop. which gives ey.
cry indication Of a very large WELD. Since
the lst of the month the weather here has
been extremely warm, and all are complain
ing of spring fever.
Railroads are the topic of conversation,
and all seem TO be interested. Pekin is de-
stined to be one of the best Railroad Towns
in the State. The lines meeting here will not
be few or unimportant. First there is the
Indianapolis, Bloomington and Western Rail-
road, now completed to Bloomington, and
lacking but a few miles between Bloomington
and Leroy, to be completed TO Danville. and
from Danville TO Indianapolis. There is the
Peoria, Pekin and Jacksonville Railroad, for
some time completed 10 jacksonville and pro
lected from Jacksonville to St. Louis and the
Pekin, Lincoln d Decatur Railroad, now
nearly half built and the work upon which
Is driven along with great energy. at
Decatur, this road will connect not only with
the Illinois Central, but with the Toledo. Wa
bash and Western, and the Indiana & Illinois
Central, two great East aud West lines
We have also, the Chicago, Pekin L South
western Railroad, building, the grading, tie
ing and bridging of which is rapidly sp
preaching completion, and the iron is now
being contracted for in New York, by Mr..
Pierce, one Of its contractors, and which,
when completed, will furnish by way of
Washington. in this county, MinOne, in
Woodford, and Marsailles. in La Sale county,
q route to Chicago, forty miles nearer than by
way of Peoria or Bloomington. We shall be
in direct communication, not only with the
great cities of the East and the Pacific, but
with all other enterprising and growing towns
and cities of our own State A meeting will
be held at Prairie City. McDonough county,
on the 18th Of May. for the purpose of organ
izing the Pekin d Mississippi Railroad un-
der the charter granted at the last session of
the Legislature An initiatory meeting was
held in this place April l4th. The advan-
tages of this road to Pekin will be many and
great. We hope the organization will be a
success and that speedily. The wiseaeres of
the Constitutional Convention, now in ses-
sion, acting under the selfish dictation of
Chicago. which bears the loss of some portion
OF her great monopoly of the carrying busi
ness by the building of new East and West
roads, have. under the false pretense of econ
omy, and fear that the people in the towns,
cities and counties of this State, are not to
be trusted in the management of their own
business, inserted in the new constitution to |
be submitted tothe people, clause or article |
which will most effectually stop the building |
of new roads, and make the counties just |
waking up to the necessities of Railroad |
communication, dependent upon and tributa-
ry to their older and more astute neighbors |
for all time to come. There is n chance, a |
very remote one, however, that the new con-
stitution may be adopted even without the pro
hibition and tyranieal clause. IT, then. the
people of the cities and towns west of the
Illinois river desire the Railroad. 1t hehooves
tn. m to be up and doing, and take a decisive
action which shall make the road success,
before the Chicago rulers of the State, in the |
Convention, shall have bound them hand and |
foot by means of constitutional inhibition
We promise the meeting delegation from |
Pekin, which shall fairly represent our views |
and act in accordance with the friends of the |
road. Yours, Truly, J. G. B.