Democratic Sentinel, Volume 7, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 June 1883 — Rochester, Rensselaer & St. Louis Railway. [ARTICLE]

Rochester, Rensselaer & St. Louis Railway.

The Vhichgo & Atlantic Railway will purchase or build a St. Louis connection during the year 1883, and our people ought not to let this important route pass by without an effort to secure onr town as a point. The R. R- & St.-L. Railway is organized to invite the construction ot a road along its surveyed Hue from Rochester viaWinamac, Francesville, Rensselaer and Morocco. The terms of loeal aid are easy and liberal and amount to about 2 per cent, ot taxables m the townshins. The road will be probably built if JSeSton, Marion and Haftging Grove Townships vote the necessary ihe fairest way to grant aid is by taxation. In the first place the people of Jasper county ought to understand *&**■ are not iu the belt of nearest distances be tween trade centers, and the roidjill not be built without local aid. If!''*! 1 ; 1 a \ d is attempted by subsciiptmn the ibera., public spirited citizens will grow impoverished, while the unenterprising and selfish will fatten upon the generosity of the cheerful givers. Taxation for schools, highways and 'or all public purposes is the best known plan of contribution. A railway will increase prices of farm commodities, reiluce the prices of merchandise, cheapen transportation, and advance the value ol land throughout the townships. The taxes vo.ed will soon be returned as the Auditor of out county can explain to you. An election will be ordered in Marion township, and ’ii not carried our people will have made a mistake. Mr, 1 kompson, the director for this county, claims that in case aid is voted the prospect tor building the road is excellent and almost a certainty. Tne election wil be ordered and all who believe iu public improvement will vote and work for suocess-*-Let the matter be fully discussed. N.

The Winamac Journal presents the advantages of the road as follow#: On the question of voting aid to the new railroad on the part of the towuships through which the propos ed line will ruri The Journal does not at piesent.in the absence of its editor, care to take sides. But the question is one of unusual importance to this co unty, and it occurs to the writer that some discussion of it 7m the part of {The Journvl is due to its reader# and patrons, as well .as to the com* munity in which it finds sapport. Railroads, as an enterprise, have few tivals in the healthy and substantial settling up of countries, from the fact that they enrich the country, permanently center imprevement, and, by furnishing easy accessto and from points on their lines, increase materially their business connections. They re duoed taxation by aduing largely to the tnxables of the county; they lessen the expense of transportation of passengers as well as freight; by establishing new postoffices bring the mails nearer to the farmer in many portions of each county, and material y increase the market value of all products: Poor’s Railway Manual, in preparing statistics on this proposition of increased market value, states wheat will bear transporation over ordinary earth roads (by team) for a dis ance of only 250 miles, when wheat is $l5O per bushel at the market. Indian oorn will bear transportation only 125 miles, when worth 75 cents per bushel. Whfan grown at greater distinct, these products, without railroad transportation, have no summercial or export vain©. But wheat grown on the line o! railroad, 5,000 miles distant has a commercial and export value, Corn at 6,500 miles has also. Hence.it may be argued with good reason that railroads in a proportionate degree enhance values by placing us within reach of the highest market. The full measure oi benefit derivable from railroad# is nev l so well enjoyed until we have advantage of competing lines. As soon as the road open 3 up for business, rates to and from the prinoipai markets will be reduced, as either road, by its connection can carry from and to the market. The proposed line would then reduc# freight rates from and to Chicago, St. Louis, Cin* cinnatl and all the principal eastern cities It is seldom that railroads are built in advance of the demand east of the Mississippi. And in this case, scores of good reasons could be oflered, but we do not care to extend this article There can be nothing argued against voting the tax, on the ground of failure of the line, as ther# can pe nothing paid until the completion of the road is a fact, and more money exnended right in our county by the builders than the aid a°ked by taxation. The townships aloqg the line of the survey need the road, and will consult their best interests by voting the tax. in the opinion of the writer.