Jasper County Democrat, Volume 18, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 June 1915 — A Few Important Things for Rensselaer People to Consider. [ARTICLE]

A Few Important Things for Rensselaer People to Consider.

Now that another railroad subsidy election has been called for Rensselaer and Marion township, The Democrat, which is opposed and always has been opposed to the voting of subsidies to private corporations, and on behalf of many people here who are also opposed to the voting of such subsidies as a matter of principle and who have just as much right to oppose the compulsory taking of their own money by taxation and giving it to a private corporation—in fact, The Democrat, believes more so—than those favoring such proposition have a right to vote in favor thereof, desires to point out a few matters in connection with the present proposed subsidy for the consideration of the voters and tarpayers of thjs city and township. A profile and blueprint of the proposed Lafayette & Northwestern Railroad was filed with the county clerk Saturday. The name, “O. L. Brown, general manager,’’ appears on the profile. The Democrat does not know nor does anyone else, so far as it has been able to learn, who is now the president of this company. Dr. Pettigrew of Logansport, who was president of the company at the time it was first organized, has resigned and pulled out of the company, it is told, as also have directors A. P. Rainier, W. T. Elmore and Bert Sheets of Remington. O. L. Brown, like Eugene Purtelle of the now defunct Indiana & Northwestern Tractioh Co., seems to be the whole thing in the company now asking for this $61,000. The following certificate was filed with the profile and blueprint with County Clerk J. 11. Perkins: We, the undersigned, being a majority of the directors of rhe Lafayette & Northwestern Railroad Company, hereby certify that the attached maps and profiles are the original maps and profiles of the route adopted by the above named railroad corhpany as Its permanent and final route. That the line designated by white line in said maps is the median line of a strip of right-of-way 50 feet in width. That the maximum grade is 1.02 per cent and the maximum curve is 6 per cent. That the termi of said road are Lafayette, Indiana, and Kankakee, Illinois. EZRA G. COLLINS, E. G. PERRIGO, R. H. BRAINARD, O. A. ROGERS. This line MUST be followed as shown thereon should the road be built. Now, as stated in Wednesday’s Democrat, the proposed line of road runs from Wolcott, a town in White county, with which we have nothing in common. If it run through Remington it would be of much convenience to many people of both Remington and Rensselaer and would be patronized by 100 per cent more local people if connecting Rensselaer and Remington than as proposed. The road runs diagonally across from Wolcott ahd along west the Indian school buildings, as shown in the blueprint, perhaps a quarter of a mile east of the St. Joseph college. It would be of no benefit whatever to the college, as patrons there would have to walk one-fourth mile at least to take a car on the road, assuming that the railroad would be built. Neither, would it benefit the college one iota as a freight carrying line, it crosses the Range Line road near the bend in the said Range Line road at the southern city limits of Rensselaer, then runs north and slightly westerly and west a considerable distance of the Monnett school, crossing McCoy avenue just cast of the old A. McCoy residence, which is at leatet four blocks and perhaps one-fourth of. a mile west of the Rensselaer postoffice and of the court house square. This is its nearest point to the business district of Rensselaer, so that St. Joseph college patrons of the line would necessarily have to walk a quarter of a mile to the road, to take a car, and a quarter of a mile more after reaching McCoy avenue to reach the business district of Rensselaer. The proposed road then crosses the river and runs north along just, east of Weston cemetery, and its nearest point to the Monon depot is

west of the former D. A. Stoner property, or perhaps three blocks west of the Monon station. Patrons of the line _de.3iring._to take a Monon train would therefore have to walk this distance to the station, and vice versa v The St. Joseph college people and students-—and they would be no in significant number should a road be built that would pass near the : ' liege and also near the Monon station —could not check their luggage on this line because of its great distance from the college and the Station. 1 _.e proposed road on. the line surveyed— r and it must be built on this line or it could not collect the sub-, sidy should, it be voted—cuts up the farms between here and Wolcott iu a diagonal way that the owners would never stand for without heavy damages; its cuts diagonally across the fine farm at the Indian school. It can never get across there without paying heavily for the damage don.-; it gives no accomodation whatever to either the Indian school or the college and both will oppose it in all probability. • - - Xow, considering all of this, what i- itensselair and Marion township getting for the $61,000 that is asked for? : >. . Some of these days some company with something more tangible than hot air behind it—which has been about all the backing that previous companies have had—will come along and build a road connecting Rensselaer with Remington and connecting St. Joseph college with the Monon station. Such a road, would of convenience in many ways, and until such time 'comes, until we can get something that will be a convenience to us, if a subsidy is to be voted, why not sit down on all such propositions as that now presented? Should this subsidy be voted it will tie the matter up and prevent out getting a road that would be of convenience to us, just as Purtelle and his crowd have tied up certain fights of way heretofore. ..

This is a question in wtiich we should consider, whether or not we are getting anything for our money, assuming that the road might be built, in any way commensurate with the huge sum of money—enough to build about 20 miles of good sfone road—that we are asked for. ' . '' . . As The Democrat has heretofore stated, there has been quite a change in sentiment in Rensselaer over the frequent elections iu rote subsidies to railroad promoters, and many people here who have always voted for them in the past are now openly saying that they are done with the proposition and will hereafter vote against it. They certainly should vote against THIS proposition, for it is not what Rensselaer wants by any means. In fact, we fail to see how the most pronounced subsidy fiend can stand for such -a deal as this, as it is taking $61,000 in cold cash and giving practically nothing in return therefor from any angle one may view it. .