Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1874-03-26
81. Louis and the Iowa
Central.

Central.
1 The commercial relation which
ought to be established between ST.
Louis and the people Of Iowa are SO
manifest to every business man IN
| this city that any argument to prove
their value, in the way of reciprocal
trade between the two sections, seems
beyond need or use. The readers of
the Times can attest that we have
labored earnestly to press upon the
attention of our business men and
mercantile interest the importance of
! forming a closer union with the state
and people Of Iowa--a commercial
alliance by means of direc. railroad
i communication with the heart OF
that State, which will open to us a
section ofcountry unsurpassed byany
in the West for its rich agricultural
resources. To accomplish this graIud
result SO little remains 10 be done
| that the apathy OF our people In this
respect is something to excite utter
astonishment, and leads to the belief
| that certain officials connected with
some OF our railroads are inimicai to
the best interests Of st. Louis. That
| the people Of Iowa are anxious for a
| direct railroad connection with our
city, solicitous for closer and firm
| trade relations with our merchants
and business naen, has been attcsted
! by the press or that State and repeat
ed a thousand times in the private
business correspondence between city
1 izpns OF the two sections. Every day
We are shown letters received from
fowa iy SOME of orr proniineSft sner.
chants referring to the efforts now be.
ing made to close up the uncomple-
ted gap of twenty-seven miles be-
tween Alba and Moulton, which
would place our city by means of the
st. Louis, Kansas City and Northern
railway in fall and direct communi.
cation with them. A prominent cit
izen OF Abba writing TO we'll
know commission house here, states
that he is glad 10 see from the pa.
pers that the good friends Of Iowa IN
in this city are still urging the com
| pletion Of the road between that
place and Moulton.
The ST, Louis, Kansas City d
Northern railroad has twenty-five o
miles OF road between Ottumwa and
Bloomfield that cannot be operated
with any profit on account Of the
great number Of very heavy grades
and numerous sharp curves. lt il
4 suggested as last resort that If they
} could be induced to take up their
material on that part OF the road and
place il on the gap between Abba
ansl Mou,ton, il wa,ld almost finish
! their road to Abba. In the event
that they abandon that part Of their
line, they would yet as much local
business from Alba as they would
lose at Ottumwa, besides gain the
business Of twenty-seven miles, be-
tween Abba and aouiton OF as good
an agricultural district as there is In
j the State. We understand that the
Il st. Louis, Kansas City d Northern
. railroad company own ID property
at Ottumwa To hold them there, and
, we have every reason to believe that
/ the ,itizens Of Alba would aid ii
, they were TO push their road to that
place.
We are further informed that
; should they do this, the company
can get the Abba, Knoxville and
: Des Moines grade, right of way
sand ties, for little or nothing, by
giving the people Of Knoxville as
surances that they would complete
the road from Abba to that point
within reasonable time. The coun-
try from Abba to Dies Moines is
withou. doubt one Of the best agri-
suItural sections to be found In the
: Western States, beside being under
laid with the heaviest coal deposits,
and Of the best quaulity to be found
Ia Iowa.
We have positive assurance that
] the Grade sf tile Alhia. Knoxville
! and Des Moines ruad between AihA
II and Knoxville can be- turned over q
the st. Louis, Kansas City d Nori!i,
ern railroad company, and that ~
n addition more local aid would DC
! obtained than on any other In ms