Rensselaer Union, Volume 2, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 April 1870 — Mr. Abbott’s Speech. [ARTICLE]

Mr. Abbott’s Speech.

At th* public meeting in the Court House Saturday evening Mr. James E. Abbott, of Rock Island, Illinois, President of the construction company that proposes to build the Ft Wayne & Pacific Railroad, addressed the people of Rensselaer and vicinity upon the prospects of this project, in substance as follows: He was here to see about building this road. It is a mighty project being nothing less than a grand trunk railway from tbe Missouri river to New York City, a bigger project than the Union Pacific Railroad. Their company have had an eye on this undertaking for the last two years. Intercepting as it will a large freight traffic and passenger travel, they most expect opposition from Chicago and can hope for no sympathy irOm the parallel lines of railroads north and south. The time has now come to build a line of road from Muscatine to New York. This road can be built and that too in a very short space of time. There is no use of laying out a programme to extend through four or five years of time. Let the people come up and grade, tie and bridge the route and give the right of way and he will find them the iron, fencing, surfacing, engines, cars, station houses, freight houses, repair shops, water tanks, turn tables, coal or wood houses, sidetracks (turn-outs or switches), warning boards, road crossings, telegraph line and each and every other thing necessary to furnish and equip the road in first class order, ready for operation. He did not knowjust what it will cost to prepare the road-bed for the iron, but the peoliving along the line can raise the sum.

Nothing short of a through line was contemplated by their company. They would not build a s*umptidied road. If Indiana would not raise the local aid they should not build any of the line. They will not build the Illinois division without they build the Indiana division and it now depends upon the people along the Hue in Indiana to say whether the road shall be built or not. The cost to prepare the road bed from Fort Wayne to the Illinois State line will probably not exceed |O,OOO a mile. V They will commence work on the Indiana division first and build west. Tins is necessary as through Illinois there is no timber for ties and bridges. It will require over a million of ties- for these two divisions and they must be procured in Indiana. Another reason why they would build the ludiana division first is that they may ship the iron over their own road and save the cost of freightage. If the people along the line in Indiana will raise the local aid necessary to grade, tie and bridge their division, we

will build the road from Fort Wayne to the Illinois Mate line within TW EL VE MON" 1 US from the time the aid is assured. If you want this railroad—if you would have this magnificent project succeed—if you would have the Indiana division built, you must take bold and work. You must all work. This is a great enterprise and one, two, three, or a dozen meu can not make it succeed, but they must have the assistance of all its friends. Mr. Dwiggins is a little giant of energy and enterprise, Mr. Stackhouse works with zeil and intelligence,‘but they must have the assistance of the people who are to be benefited. It would be requiring too much to ask them to do all the work at their own expenqp. it would be shameful to Igt them bear all the burden while men equally interested and equally benfited sit Supinely by. Perhaps you nSy never have soph another op-

■ portunity if you should live a ttyonrjaud years. Then hrt all take hold as one ijpan and labor perseveringly to accomplish tills great woictf