Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 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 ithe Indianapolis, Delphi & Chicago division of the Chicago & South Atlantic 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, ot all subscriptions are void. Parties are actively soliciting for private subscriptions. Many citizens who own but 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 net exceed $35,063 or $40,000. This will be taken by a very few es those Who Will be benefited by the conetcuction 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, $3,000 Newton and SI,OOO in Uniort', or $24,000 in all, leaving still in addition to the $35,000 or $40,000 mhde up by private subscriptions, 10,000 or 15.000 dollars to be raised otherwise. Should this proposition 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 cent, additional in the several townships through which the road will pass, will add a little over 10,000 dollars more, when the remain--35,000 dollars will besubscribed, 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 3of said supplemental act is as follows: In all cases where the levies of taxes have been made in pursuance of b aid act and remain such railroad company has failed to commence work on, or to complete such railroad as required bv said act, the taxpayers or parties against whom said levies stand charged, shall be released ana discharged from the payment thereof. The original act was further modified by & law’ passed January 30th, 1873, section 2 of which reads as follows: In all cases where 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 authorized thereby has been placed upon the duplicate es the proper county for collection, the auditor and treasurer of such county shall suspend the collection of such 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 said county or township ; and if said railroad company shall nor, 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 board ci commissioners may, in their discretion, make an order annulling and cancelling such su bscriptious of stock or d Dilations of money, upon the application of twenty-five freeholders of the county throug hwhich said railroad shall pars, upon*said freeholders having given thirty days public notice immediately pre* i ceeding the term ol the commissioners court at which said application is to be made, of their intention to make said application ; j Provided, further, that whenever it is shown to the satisfaction of the board of commissioners that the of work done by any railroad company in any county or township taking stock in 6r donating money to such railroad company is squad) to ths stock taken or donation made, it shall be the dpty of the board oi commissioners to order said tax to be collected at buce, as though the same had never been suspended.

The taxable property of Jasper county, as shown by the present tax duplicate, is as follows:

towiwhips. val.uk of ■ amount or Hanging Grove $ 244,553 i $ 1,834.04 Giliam 293.133 £1 2,198.50 Walker Barkley 353,821 X 2,653.74 Marion and twn) of Rensselaer} 843,945! 2 I 16,878.90 Jordan 272,203, % . 2,041.53 Nowton 251,662! 5! 5,073.24 Keener 114,892 % 851.69 Kankakee 109,181 V 818.85 Wheatfield.... Carpenter and? I ( twn Reiniugt’n} 1,081,087 % 6,308.15 Milroy 65,425 2 1,308.50 Union 140.116 % 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 tEe" county, 40,000 dollars; leaving 35,000 dollars to be procured hy 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 six 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 Jabor 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 lessceost. We Call your attention in thiseonnexion especially to lumber, all kinds of building material, and the Shipment of grain. The above and foregoing statements are respectfully submitted for the earnest and candid consideration of our fellow-citizens. Alfred McCoy, I A. Leopold, Thos. Boroughs, D. I. Jackson, Simon P. November 16, 1874. Committee.