Thursday, January 12, 2012

Iowa Items

Lansing, Alamakee county, was visited by an extensive conflagration on the night of the 28th ult., burning about a dozen buildings, including a number of stores.  An attempt was made on the 21st ult., to burn a warehouse containing 7,000 or 8,000 bushels of wheat; but the attempt was unsuccessful, though the wheat was much damaged.

Cedar River is on a big “high.”  At Cedar Falls, a rail bridge was carried away and it was with difficulty the bridge over the river there was saved; and a number of buildings were in great danger of being washed off.  At last accounts the river was still booming, and threatening serious damage.

In the Legislature, last Saturday, Mr. Shipman asked leave to introduce a resolution replacing the article in the constitution which fixes the capital at Des Moines.  Leave not granted.

The Keokuk Constitution says it would be a perversion of the English language to call kidnapping a free negro and making a slave of him stealing.  Of course, it would be equally a perversion of the language to call killing such a person murder.  Claggett must be getting up a dictionary.

The Keokuk Constitution, in a long leader, admits the soundness of the Republican doctrine that slavery is local, not national, and contends that it has always been a Democratic doctrine!  There’s progress for you.  It won’t be five years before our opponents will be claiming all the rest of the Chicago platform, and swearing they never believed in anything else.  O! most facile party!

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Saturday Morning, April 12, 1862, p. 2

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