Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 68, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 May 1901 — All Want the Railroad [ARTICLE]

All Want the Railroad

Meeting Enthusiastically in Favor of the East and West Hoad. The railroad meeting Friday night was a hearty endorsement of the proposition to establish through Marion township and HsflJSolaefi The Toledo and Chioago Transfer railroad, and if the vote of those assembled last evening can be taken as a criterion, the proposition will be heartily supported when it comes to a vote at the polls. The two propositions made by Mr. Hamilton, viz. Ist, the voting of a tax of \ per cent, and the clearing up of a right-of-way through the city and township, and 2nd, the voting of a tax of $ per cent, and the donation of an equal sum. It bad been stated by Mr. Hamilton and so printed in The Republican that there existed a statutory limit of two per cent, of tax subsidies that oould be voted iu favor of a railroad, and as 1| per cent had already been voted in favor of the Gifford road, only £ per cent oould be voted in favor of the new road. Attorney Frank Foltz explained to the meeting that the limit of two per cent, was not on the amount that oould be voted but on the amount that oonld be paid. Inasmuoh as no part of the per cent voted for the Gifford road had been paid, it would now be perfectly legal to vote for the entire one'per cent, for the new road. The following motion was then adopted. “That it is the sense of this meeting that a tax of 1 per cent can be voted in Marion township,” and the railroad committee was instructed to petition the commissioners for an eleotion, in case the railroad company will accept the 1 per oent tax subsidy. Sinoe the meeting Mr. Robinson, ohairman of the railroad committee has communicated with Mr. Hamilton by telephone, and he stated that he would be entirely satisfied with a subsidy of 1 per cent, and get his own right of way.