Jasper Republican, Volume 1, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 November 1874 — An Address. [ARTICLE]

An Address.

To the People of Jasper County: As was some time since intimated would be the case, the day has come in which you are called upon to render substantial assistance to the Indianapolis, Delphi & Chicago division of the Chicago & South Atlantio railroad. This Company asks the people of Jasper county to subscribe and donate the sum of $75,000 to further the enterprise. No payment is demanded until the road is completed to Rensselaer, and a train of cars has passed over it. The project is an earnest one, the Company promising to complete their work by the first day of January, 1875, or all subscriptions are void. Parties are actively soliciting for private subscriptions. Many citizens who own bfit little property subscribe liberally, while others who own many broad acres, contiguous to,_and near our town, positively refuse to assist in the work. Unless owners of land lying within a few miles of stations proposed to be locate by the road subscribe largely, it will be impossible to raise the amount of local aid required, without resorting to taxation. The prospect now is, that the voluntary subscriptions offered will not exceed $35,000 or $40,000. This will be taken by a very few of those who will be benefited by the construction of the road. If the amount required cannot be raised by subscription, the voters in the townships through which the line of the road passes will have an opportunity presented them to vote a two per cent tax, which will raise $1,300 in Milroy township, $16,800 in Marion, $5,000 in Newton and SI,OOO in Union, or $24,000 in all, leaving still in addition to the $35,000 or $40,000 made up by private subscriptions, 10,000 or 15,000 dollars to be raised otherwise. Should this proposit ion promise to be unsuccessful, an effort will be made to vote* a county tax of three-fourths of one per cent., which will raise nearly 30,000 dollars, then a tax of one and one-fourth per cefit. additional in the several townships through which the road will pass, will add a little over 10,000 dollars more,s when the remaining 35,000 will be subscribed, without doubt, by the willing friends of public improvement. The law has been materially amended since we voted the two per cent, tax in 1871. December 24th, 1872, a supplemental act was passed by the legislature requiring the levy to be released in case

that the railroad is not completed. Section 3 of said supplemental act is as follows: “In all cases where the levies of taxee have been made in pursuance of said act and remain uncollected, end such railroad company has failed to oommenoe work on, or to complete such railroad as required by said act, the tax-payers or parties against whom said levies stand charged, shell be released and discharged from the payment thereof."

The original act was further modified by a law passed January 30th, 1873, section 2 of which reads as follows: “In nil enses whore stock has been taken or donations made by any county or township for the purpose of aiding in the construction of any railroad pursuant to the above entitled act, and the special tax authorised thereby bat been placed upon the duplicate of the proper county for collection, the auditor and treasurer of such county shall suspend the collection of snob tax, but the .same shall be carried forward on the duplicate without being returned delinquent, until such road is permanently, located in said county or township, and has expended an amount of money in the actual construction of said railroad in said county or township equal to the amount of the money to be donated to or stock to be taken in said railroad company by caid county or township; and if said railroad company shall not, within three years after said tax has been placed upon the duplicate of the proper county for collection, have expended in the actual construction of said railroad in said county or township, an amount of money equal to the amount of money to be donated to or stock to be taken in said railroad company by said county or township, the a board of commissioners may, in their

discretion, make an order annulling and canceling such subscriptions of stock or donations of m 'ney, upon the application of twenty-five free holders of the county through which said railroad shall pass, upon said free holders having given thirty days public notice immediately preceding the term of the commissioners court at which said application is to be made, of their intention to make said application; Pro tided, further, that whenever it is shown to the satisfaction of the board of commissioners that the amount of work done by any railroad company in aDy county or township taking stock in or donating money to such railroad company is equal to the stock taken or donation made, it shall be the duty of the board of commissioners to order said tax to be collectedjat once, as though the same had never been suspended.” The taxable property of Jasper county, as shown by the present tax duplicate, is as follows:

TOWNSHIPS. VALUE OF PROPERTY

RATS

am’m t of TAX.

Hanging Qrove $ 244,553 f $ 1,834.04 Gillam 293,133 f 2,198,60 Walker 147,724 I 1,107.43 Barkley 853,821 f 2,653.74 Marion and twn 1 of Rensselaer / 843,945 2 16,878.90 Jordan .. 272,208 f 2,041.68 Newton 268,662 2 6,073.24 Keener 114,892 f 861.69 Kank.-tkeee 109,181 4 818.85 Wheatfield 129,667 f 972.60 Carpenter and 1 twn Remingt’n j 1,081,087 | 6,308 15 Milroy 66,425 2 1,308.50 Union 140,116 f 1,050.87 Total tax in county $43,098.44 Making allowance for difference in appraisement and loss in collection, should a majority vote for taxation, it would realize, counting two per cent, in townships through which the road will pass, and three-fourths of one per cent, in the balance of the county, 40,000 dollars; leaving 35,000 dollars to be procured by private subscription, which amount will be made up mostly in Marion and Newton townships. Marion township will have to contribute about 30,000 dollars of it, making her proportion at least slg per cent., and in individual cases from ten to thirty per cent, on taxable value of property. Let the citizens of Jasper county act' as becomes them in this emergency, and none will regret having aided an enterprise that will enhance the wealth of the county, and benefit its inhabitants. It will provide home markets for all surplus products. It will add to the value of every acre of land in the county. The road bed, rolling stock, warehouses, depot buildings and telegraph lines will add not less than 350,000 dollars more value on the tax duplicate of our county. While building the road labor will be in demand at good wages, money will be put in circulation in the county, business will revive, and times will be very much bettered. All we have to sell will command larger prices, and what we must buy can be obtained at less cost. We call your attention in this connection especially to lumber, all kinds of buildißg material, and the shipment of grain. The above and foregoing statements are respectfully submitted for the earnest and candid consideration of our fellewcitizens. Alfred McCot, A. Leopold, Thos. Boroughs, D. I. Jackson, Simon P. Thompson, November 16,1874. Committee.