The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-10-06
The good people of Iowa who live a


the Des Moines Valley have new scheme
for transportation They are going TO
build a railroad from some indefinite point
M in Minnesota down through the corn
fields of Iowa to Keokuk, there 20 meet
the barge transportation OF the MS
sissippi. Keoiuk thinks it sees in it a
chance to become the metropolis OF the
state, while st. Louis is patting the pro
iect ON the back as means OF handing
some more of Chicago's grain. The idea
is that grain can be carried thus 10 the
rf7er, from thence by barges to New Or
leans and then to Liverpool. and cost OF
transportation win be lightened. The
scheme is q good oneon paper, but there
are few trifing Objections. The one
which first suggests itself is; there is con-
siderable doubt as to whether it would pay
This is doubtless a small matter but should
vet be taken into consideration. This
proposed line would run from some point,
exactly where know one knows to another
point ON the river nearly as indefinite; it
would have no large city for northern
terminus and no northern feeder hence
it would have to depend entirely on local
business, as no through bushes would go
that way. Again it would haul from the
north TO the south. but cars would have to
return empty; making the cost OF the
hauling nearly double with the profit only
on the down trip. Also whenever the
ice filled the river IN the winter the road
would have to stop business for the season.
and the same difficulty would occur when
ever there was low water. Now as good
part of the grain of the country is hauled
during the winter months this objection
would be serious, as the interest on capital
necessary to hold it over would
easily eat up the d'nerehce,
in cost of transportation whatever that
may be: and last of all it would have to be
a competing line. The minute it lost Its
individuality and got merged into any
pool or controlled by another road, that
minute would cheap transportation cease
to become feature of the enterprise. AS
a competing line it would have to submit
to ruinons competition, competition win
roads which are well established and Tlch'
and who have for so long looked upon
Iowa as their private property that they
would not give it up without struggle.
These roads now haul the grain which tals
Barge Line" intends to handle, ana they
all cross the river at points nearer to the
country which this projected line Will GOV
Line" completes and cuts rates, it cannot
hope for the business. Such competition
can have but one result. The rich roads
with millions in their treasures VIII soon
bankrupt the poor one with nothing, and
when it is sold under bondholders mort
gage, will buy it in and divide it among
themselves as feeders. II not this, they
will compel it to enter pool in order 10
exist, and then the cheap transportation
will become fitting shadow OF the past.
There is plenty of money now ready 1of
almost any project, and the last few pros
porous ears has again given our people
the speculation fever, but without wishing
to be in any sense an alaImist, 1t IS but r1ghl
to say that it has been the experience OF
every country that financial colapses occur
at regular intervals, and all business enter
prises should be prepared to meet them
Iowa has had large experience in north
and south lines of railroad, and that expe-
rience has been the same throughout; they
have always been failures. The trade OF
the country is, and viii be, east and west
and attempts to direct it out of its nasura
q channel will always prove abortive. The
liver is the only exception; that is nature
highway and its value cannot be to highly
estimated; eny thing which goes to It's i'm
provement is benefit to the country. bu
no attempt to make grain seek tae river a
abnormal points can ever be successful d
nancially, and that is the sole criterion II
in business projects. Again the Hennepfl
canal canal will sooner or later be built
and an all water route from Rock Island Il
New York viii dwarf any one from keo
kuk to New Orleans.
- II r~lf 10y