Jasper County Democrat, Volume 18, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 July 1915 — JUST CAN’T GIVE IT UP. [ARTICLE]

JUST CAN’T GIVE IT UP.

Railroad l*romoter s Want .Another Try for That $61,000 From Rensselaer and Marion tp.

Chief Engineer Shelihous of the so-called Lafayette & Northwestern paper railroad, with several other “disinterested'’ parties, including Perry O’Connor of Round Grove tp., White county, Mr. Lux of Wolcott, an'd a few others from other sections of the country, were in Rensselaer Thursday endeavoring to interest our people in calling another subsidy election to try again for that $61,000 which the promoters of this proposed road seem very loath to give up. A meeting of business men was called in the circuit court room, piesumably by Mayor Spitler, who acted as chairman of the meeting, and the matter discussed pro and con for two hours or more without reaching any conclusion, and another meeting was called at the same place, for last evening.

The general sentiment of the people present seemed to be that a subsidy would not carry here; that the people had become thoroughly disgusted with the subsidy scheme and scores of those who had heretofore voted favorable thereto had expressed themselves lately as now being opposed to the proposition and would never vote another one.

Talks were-made by the “disinterested’’ parties who had left their work and came here at their own expense to help Rensselaer and to tell us what we- would miss if we didn’t vote this s6l,ooo—because we would be left out in the ly and the road would built on another line, through Goodland and Kentland, etc., if we didn’t come across. While this matter was not explained, we presume that they will hoist the road up in the air to get across Carpenter township and. over Remington, for by no hook nor crook can they get the subsidies voted in White county—and subsidies seem to be what they are after—unless the road passes through the townships voting the aid. In fact, it is just the same old dodge of railroad promoters.

If the road is at all, as The Democrat has frequently stated, it must be built through the townships that have voted the subsidies and on indentically the same line as that shown in the blue print filed by the promoters in White, Jasper and Newton counties in order to collect the subsidies previously voted. Of course a new line might be selected and new elections held, but the chances of the proposition carrying again in the townships having voted favorably, are very remote. Mayor Spitler stated that the parties were not interested in any way except in desiring to secure the road for their locality and to help Rensselaer. Yet a few questions that were asked by some of the perhaps 25 people who were present at the meeting brought an admission from Perry O’Connor that he "had some stock” in the proposition, and it is probable that all or nearly all of the “disinterested ones,” if questioned, would have had to reply in the same way. Another question which seemed to cause sbme consternation and the disinterested parties hardly knew how to answer it, was that of who was at the head or president of the company. It was finally stated that Charles Stockton, a farmer of Round Grove tp., White county, was the president. This will probably be news to the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, as a committee of that body in making its report to the Chamber of Commerce a few days ago, in fact Only Tuesday of last week, referred to O. L. Brown as president of the company a number of times in said report. Mr. Brown, for some reason, was not here with the other disinterested boosters of the road, and there was no denial on the part of anyone that Mr. Stockton was the president. In fact, it was the first time that the people here have had any assurances from anyone in a position to know just who was at the head of the company at the present time or who has been since the resignation of Dr. Pettigrew of Logansport, nearly a year ago. It is certainly useless to call another subsidy election here to vote again on this proposition in September, as these people would like to have us do, and The Democrat advises all its readers to refuse to sign any petition for such an election. We have been hounded enough along this line.