Rensselaer Republican, Volume 15, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 August 1883 — The Fort Wayne,“Peoria & Galesburg Railway. [ARTICLE]

The Fort Wayne,“Peoria & Galesburg Railway.

That great monopoly, the Western Union Telegraph Company, has busted the strike, and now we propose that the American people bust the Western Union, by insisting that Congress, at its next session, shall establish the postal telegraph system. The government controls the telegraph business in England, and it works well, and there is no reason why the same plan should not be successful in this country.

Some of the agents of the Ft. Wayne, Peoria & Galesburg Railway have been in Rensselaer within the last few days, and it is stated that the engineer corps is now making the preliminary survey of the line, somewhere near North Manchester. Now we should be very glad, indeed, to know that there was a reasonable prospect that this line would be built, and regret exceedingly were we to say anything to discourage a deserving enterprise which to be a benefit to this community. There are, however, if the truth has been told, some facts in regard to the above mentioned company, which make ns feel it our duty to warn our people not to be in too much haste to put their faith in the glib promises of its promoters, and above all, to wait for positive assurances before they invest any wealth in the Scheme. In the Republican of July 6th, was given a full account of the then, just originated ‘‘People’s Railway Company of America”. In that account, compiled and extracted mainly from the Indianapolis papers of a few days previous, it was stated that the Ft. Wayne, Peoria & Galesburg Railway had been incorporated on June 28th, as a branch line of the People’s Railway Company, above mentioned. That statement was made as an item of news, simply, in the Indianapolis papers, and we had no reason to doubt its truthfulness. As to what sort of a scheme the Peoples Railway company is the readers of this paper have already had pretty ample information. The press of the country has been pretty nearly unanimous in pronouncing it a wild scheme, if not a premeditated swindle of mastodonic dimensions. The Indianapolis Journal is now making open war upon it, as may toe seen from the following extract, one of many of the same character which might be given, from a late number of that paper; Tub People’s railway scheme, organizing to build a double-track narrowgauge railway from New York to Hong Kong and from Baffin’s Bay to Cape Horn, is said to be mildly booming in the rural districts, whore its peculiar merits are presented by slick talkers in a*very seductive manner. Unlike most schemes for raising money, the managers of this enterprise have begun at the other end, and are first beating the brush to secure what game, tpey can theie before flushing tne quarty that usually promises best returns. Unfortunately for all who may be induced to subscribe, this building of the pyramid upside down is for a purpose, or rather arises from necessity. Capitalists and business men are two wise to be taken in by an undertaking that is as visionary as the worst of Jules Verne’s phantasms. There ought to. be enough warning in this to men unversed in railway building to make them lot this thing severely alone. Later:—lt is tout justice to add that since the aboVe article was put into type we have learned from reliable sources that the agents of The it. W., P. & G. railway, who are now in this vicinity, deny most emphatically that their road has any connection with! the Peoples’s Railway company) and that their road is to be a sm- (

gle track, standard gauge road a continuation of the New York, Chicago k St. Louis railway, usually known as “The Nickel Plate” road. Should this statement fcrove correct it would certainly furnish ample grounds for a reasonable hope that the road would be built. “A consummation devoutly to be wished.”