Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-09-07

i'm 1916. There can be no pretence
that the Republican party had any
control whatever in this State, until
after the year 1856, for that party
was not organized, as all know, until
February of that year, when its first
ticket was nominated. 1t is true
that James w. Grimes was elected
Governor in 1854 on the anti-Ne-
braska ticket, but when he came
into office he found full set of Dem
ocratic State officers in power, and a
! Legislature that was anything but
j Republican. From its organization
as Territory, therefore, until the
close Of the year 1856, embracing q
period of eighteen years, Iowa in all
its departments, financial, political
and otherwise, was managed, con-
trolled and run by the Democratic
party, under theleader>hip of Dodge,
Jones & Company. The power of
that party, during all this period,
was absolute and supreme. They
had everything their own way, and
they ran the machine to suit them
selves. In the pIenitude of their
power it must be admitted they had
the amplest opportunity to accom-
plish something worthy of remem-
brance; and if they did not it was
certainly their fault and not ours.
|, What institutions did this party
! build up in our State? What great
} work of internal Improvement or OF
public utility did they undertake
and complete? What system or plan
of economy did they devise for de-
veIoping the boundless resources of
the State? How many miles Of rail-
way did they construct: In short,
what did the Democratic partyaccom-
plish during all this long period OF
, peace and universal prosperity, that
reflected honor upon our state, or
f gave it any character or position be-
{ fore the world? Nothing at all, as /
shall attempt to show you.
When Gov. Grimes came into
! Office there was not mile Of com
pletel railroad in the State; and
, none was constructed until the Dem
ocratie party went out OF power
i. What railroads we now have are tho
resu1.. OF Republican management
an( onomy, and the fostering care
wfi1cnf that party has given to the
, varied Interests Of the State, and the
!. life, energy and thrift which, during
the fifteen years Of its aScendency, II
!, has infused into every department OF
industrial pursuit and enterprise.
And now, instead of being State
without these Indispensable auXil'
iaries to commerce and progress, we
, I - s.f
) eratinr within our boundaries, ant
: we are the foarth railroad state II
, the Union. And by means OF th'
! four trunk lines which connect Tn
r two great rivers OF our borders, uni
: ting with the grand cOntinenta! roaC
5 constructed by II Republican Con
= gress, our proud State has becom'
2 the pathway of commerce for TIT
: people Of two worlds.
But would be unfair to say thatth'
l Democratic party attempted no pro
} icct of internal improvcnentin Iowa
! You who live here on the banks o
the Des Moines will remember th'
gigantic swindle perpetratcd by tha'
/ party in its pretended scheme lol
: improving the navigation Of this
I, river by q system of dams and locks
l from its mouth up to the RaccooI
fork. For this purpose our Demo
: cratic Senators. Dodge and Jones
: procured the richest donation 0fland
= from Congress that was ever made
F.: for any purpose. 1t consisted Of al
) ternate sections on each side OF tnt
: river, all the way from its mouth Il
: the northern line Of the State. viii
; this immense land grant, embracing
: over one mIiiOn acres of the riches
r lands in the State, they commenced
: their stupendous folly. After work
= ing at il for some years by direc
t State effort, and having a special Sc
: Of state officers elected and paid fol
| this purpose, called "The Board 0
: Public Works" the scheme PROVED
: disrepufable failure. These Dem
: ocratic officials, however, succeeded
I in running the State in debt to th'
/; moderate amount Of 800, ,579.37-al
: of which has been paid since th'
: Republican party came into power
. After this failure the Democratic
a Board Of Public Works let this uto
: plan enterprise out by contract t'
t the Democratic llrfIi ol bdDB5 DRUM
a crs & Co., of New York.
+. have resided in Iowa for seven
[ teen years; have had something Il
: do with public affairs in that time
: and yet / have never been able t'
r ascertain or locate the individual
f composing this firm Of Il. y. d Co.
t The most that | ever could Iearf
{ concerning them was, that thei
: were, at one time, book auctioncrr
s in the city of New York. But il
e their name, az nonresident contract
: Ors, a further effort was made to dan
. this magnificent stream. And, Il
f make a long story short, it will suf
t flee to say. that under the precariou'
guardianship of these Democratic
i, officials, and these New York auc
{ tioneers, all the lands embraced ir
: this river grant below the Raccoor
! Fork, nearly 10000 acres, were
sauandered away, so far as the. state
: was concerned. aud became the indi
| vidual property Of spawn of hun
/ gry land-sharks. The entire grant
, would inevitably have taken the