The Oskaloosa herald., 1902-01-09

A great tide of immigrants soor
poured into the state, enterprising, in
dustrious, thrifty people, whose com
ing effected change in the character
of the population, and the policy and
politics of the state.
In 1854, railroads reached the Dor
ders of the state at Rock Island and
opposite Dubuque. In the same year
the first mile Of railroad was con
structed in Iowa This was at Deven
port. The first locomotive to come
into Iowa, the Antoine Leclaire, was
RATED over the Mississippi, IN the
summer of the next year. and the sec
ond one, the Iowa, came over on the
ice the following winter On the 25th
day of August, 1855, the first train
that ever carried passengers in Iowa
took load of them to a sale OF lots
at Walcott, the first station on the
Mississippi & Missouri railroad, which
was tbe first name for that part of the
c. r. /. & p. in Iowa. January l.
1856, the iron horse entered Iowa City
then the capital of the state, although
the act had been already passed for
the removal to Fort Des Moines." In
the summer of the same year, the gen.
eral assembly was called 10 meet in
special session for the disposition OF
railroad grants. 1t was accordingly
the first time that any of the members
of that body could reach the seat of
government by rail. The regular ses-
sion of the following winter was the
last time for several years that such
facility of getting to the scene of their
labors was available for any of the
members. The lands were given by
the legislature to companies for build
ing lines westward, from Burlington,
Davenport, Lyons, and Dubuque, to
the Missouri river. Wnen eleven
years had passed over the new state,
344 miles of road had been construct
edS and there was not much more for
many years. The telegraph had come
into the state shortly before the rail-
road, but only to the river cities, for
some time. The first steam press came
into Iowa in the year 1855. 1t was
used in the Office of the Davenport Ca
zette, which also published the first
daily paper in Iowa, beginning it in
1854.
In 1856, the state took a census
which was more elaborate than any
that had been taken before, or again
for nearly twenty years, under its au-
thority. 1t showed that In 81 coun-
ties, two of them estimated, there were
SIT, 1875 people in the state. About
one-fourth of the area was now in
farms. and one acre in seventeen had
been brought under the plow. The
Of rrrln h,,e
els, and that Of corn 31,000,000. Rare
ly have crops brought such prices as
then. The Crimean war, shutting off
Europe from Russias immense grain
made demand Tor Amer
lean grain that brought prices up to
the figures not known since for any
length of time. The farmers of Iowa
had their full share Of the profits de.
rived from this state of affairs. The
spirit of speculation was upon them.
To mortgage farm in order to get
more land on which to raise the crops
that paid so well was a common thing
and at wild rates of interest. The
Crimean war suddenly ended, how
ever, and the demand for Iowa's grain
fell off, leaving the venturesome farm
er with his large holding of land in
poor condition to meet his obligations,
which of course did not shrink with
the price of grain. accordingly when
the great financial crash of 1857 came
our people of Iowa were poorly pre-
pared to meet it, and the close of that
year found them in the most distress
ing financial condition. Real estate
was practically unstable, and sher-
ifs and trustees deeds were perhaps
more commonly recorded than any
other in those days.
The revenue for the fiscal year 1856
81 was $255,327.75, and the aggregate
valuation $210,044,533,
The capital was removed to Des
Moines in the autumn of 1857, just
about the time the great financial
storm struck the country. When the
general assembly came together few
months later, that body found it de-
sirable to make a loan of 100000, in
order to tide over the financial affairs
Of the state until the monetary pres
sure should be somewhat relieved.
The 100000 loan was for ten years,
and drew s per cent interest.
In 1857, a new constitution was
adopted. The first constitution was
pretty fair instrument, although tine.
tured with BourbonisIn. 1t prohibit
ed banks of issue, and statutes had
been made to enforce the prohibition
But that did not prevent
the counties on the border especially
from being flooded with all the poor
currency that the entire country sup
piled. 1t was felt that this was
hindrance to the business interests of
the state. Moreover, the change in the
character of the population that has
been referred to demanded a funda-
mental law more in consonance with
the advanced views of the newcomers.
The new constitution, while it did not
differ so much from the former in
strument, yet had enough of the new
ideas of the time to array against it
the retrogressive and extreme conser
vative elements in the electorate. The
spirit of freedom was in the paper,
and that spirit was soon to be on trial
for its life in the department of arms.
Both sides, as If conscious that the
Issues between them were thus mo-
struggled for the mastery,
the victory going to the friends of
and free schools. While the
first constitution had provided for the
latter, the mixed system largely OBJ
tanned until the advent of the Repub-
lican party. and the new constitution.
The next eleven years constituted 4
period in which the attention of the
entire world was riveted on the Amer
lean people, and when hope and fear
actuated the friends of
free government everywhere as the
varying fortunes of the great republic
hung in the balance. In the rightful
and triumphant decision of that con-
flict the people of Iowa took an active
and foremost part. One in ten Of her