Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 May 1914 — TRACTION LINE INCORPORATES [ARTICLE]

TRACTION LINE INCORPORATES

Lafayette & N. W. Ry. Co. File Articles With Sec’y of State REMINGTON-RENSSELAER LINE Is the Proposed Road to Run From St. Anne, 111., to Lafayette —Dr. A. 'P. Rainier, of Remington, One of the Directors. The Lafayette & Northwestern Railroad Co., Lafayette; capital stock, $100,000; to operate an electric railroad between Lafayette, Wolcott, Remington, Goodland, Rensselaer, Morocco and the Illinois state line; directors, G. J. Thompson, O. A. Cummins, A. P. Rainier, E. B. Simons and O. L. Brown, filed articles of incorporation with the secretary of state a few days ago.

Our understanding is that the principal parties back of this project are those who are promoting an electric line from Kankakee to Lafayette, and were in Rensselaer about three months ago, looking over the situation here. It was their intention at that time to run from Kankakee to Logansport, via St. Anne, 111., Morocco, Mt. Ayr, Rensselaer, Monon and Royal Center, in Indiana. Since then, however, they have investigated the field more thoroughly and seem to think that the better proposition will be to run from Rensselaer south to Remington and thence. to Lafayette, perhaps via Wolcott, as a very rich section of country in south of Remington and Wolcott is untouched by railroad facilities. The proposition, as explained in meetings held' at Remington and in Gilboa tp., Benton county, is to ask for no subsidies, but to dispose of first mortgage bonds of the company to people along the line, to the amount of $5,000 per mile, or cne-fourth of the total bond issue. The . project is a very feasible | one and The Democrat hopes to see | it go through. We have had a great many “paper” railroads built through this section of Indiana in the past dozen or fifteen years and numerous subsidy elections have been held, but yet we have no road and there is really no more prospect, apparently, of getting one now than we had at the start. The Democrat believes that if our people would spend the same amount of money in bettering the condition of our country roads that they are so anxious to spend in voting subsidies to paper railroad promoters and building match factories, and would take an interest and push the advantages which we now have, that it would mean more real prosperity to Rensselaer and ether towns in this section and the adjacent country surrounding them, than the construction of an electric railroad or buying a factory. In these days of improved modes of travel, if we have a country honey-combed with good roads ana the merchants will put forward the proper inducements, people will come to Rensselaer and other towns la this vicinity to trade, and more trade in the mercantile line means more business and general prosperity to all. Some people will tell you that the construction of another railroad through this section would advance the price of land $35 to SSO per acre at once. In contravention of this statement The Democrat wants to call your attention to the well known fact that over in the eastern part of the state, w'hich is full of electric lines, farm lands can be bought at from $35 to SSO per acre less than they can here, and many of our people, who have located in that section, about Bluffton, Columbia City, and other sections thereabouts, will tell you that they can 'raise more on the land there than here, and, they think it better land. So this theory is entirely exploded. It takes something more than railroads to make a town or a good farming country. While The Democrat would like to cee an electric railroad through Rensselaer and Jasper county, connecting up the -county seat with both the north and south ends of the county, it is unalterably opposed to the granting of any subsidies,

and does not look for the unreasonable benefits which the more ardent advocates of another railroad prophesy. It believes such a road would benefit Rensselaer to considerable extert, and in some ways it would be a detriment from a business standpoint. However, we would like to see such a road built here, but are opposed to building it at the expense of the taxpayers and turning it over to a private corporation to operate.