The Miners' Express

Rail Roads! Rail Roads!

The whole country—North, South, East and West; cities, towns, hamlets, and villages, are crying out Rail Roads! let us have Rail Roads!! This cry is approaching us from all directions while here we are in Dubuque, as unconcerned as if "Whiskey-Hill" and "Dirty-Hollow" were ever to be the only thoroughfares from and to Dubuque. Our neighbors of Galena are making arrangements to go and meet the Chicago road. Milwaukee and her sister towns are engaged in a vigorous effort to connect themselves to the Mississippi, a few miles above us; while here we are asleep, in a kind of dreamy-drowsy-stupid lethargy. Now, can we so far forget the motive which impels our neighbors of Galena to connect themselves with the Chicago road, as to suppose, that once the Rail Road reaches Galena, it will necessarily extend itself hither?—What will win it? The animal of Illinois? Absurd to dream of such a thing. The interest of our neighbors lies in another channel: and if they be wise, as they are, they will seek their own interest. If we were wise, as we ought to be, we would endeavor to do our part—our rightful part—we would make immediate provision for uniting ourselves to the Chicago and Galena road, at the latter place.

Many persons here are under the impression that the company is under a sort of obligation to run the road to Dubuque; but there is no obligation whatever; nor does that company, or any other company, know of anything more binding than self-interest. That may, after a time—several years, perhaps—induce them to extend their work to some point on the Mississippi; but where is the guaranty that Dubuque will be that point: The way to be sure that this shall be one of the points, is, to make it so; and if the people of town and of the country around, who would be immediately benefitted by the success of this project, would join hands and means, the construction of the road between here and Galena would be one of the existing realities which we could speak of in one year hence. and by which the community would benefited, while commerce and labor shall be necessary to the existence of man.