The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1848-03-17
AN ADDRESS,
To the Voters Of Fairfield County
ON the subject OF County sub
ScriptiOn 10 a Railroad COmp'y.


some means Of procuring for Fairfield coun-
" the benefit OF the Railroad improvements
going on in our Ssate, we we're appointed a
committee to forward, in the best way we
could, the objects and inlealions OF that
meeting, We have accordingly procured
an act of Incorporation for the Lancaster
Railroad Company" which is authorized to
construct Railroad from Lancaster 10 Co.
lumbus; and also an act requiring the COM
mlssloners of the county TO subscribe, on be-
half of the county, one hundred thousand
dollars 10 the stock of that company, as soon
as majority of the voters of the county, at
spring or fall election, shall signify their
assent to such subscription.
The question whether the county shall be-
come subscriber to the stock OF this com
pauy or not, Will be submitted to the voters
at titus spring election, April 3D. and we deem
1t our duty TO present 10 the voters some Of
the reasons which induce us to believe that
it is the interest Of every citizen Of the
county to assent TO this subscription, and
to do whatever he can to insure the early
completion of this undertaking. We must
necessarily be brief in our remarks, and can
not hope 10 embody one-tenth Of our argn-
ments leading 10 that CONCLUSION; but enough,
we think, can be comprised within the COM
pass of this address 10 convince every re-
iecting mind ot' the Importance Of Rail
road to The prosperity Of our county, and Of
the necessity and propr!cIy Of the county
becoming a stockholder TO the amount pro-
posed Every one knows the increased
price Of the productions ofour farms, wheat,
corn, rye, oats, &C., and the increased value
OF our lands, which have resulted from the
public works already completed III our State.
In this county We have experienced these
results, and have had 10 difficulty in seeing
that they were produced by the Ohio Canal
and the Hooking Valley Canal, which bro't
into our nelghborhood facilities for convey
ing our produce to market, and in return re-
ceving foreign articles for consumption,
coffee, sugar, musllns, &c, at much less eX-
pense than when we had to rely OH the slow
and expensive mode of conveyance furnished
by pack-horses and road-wOgous. Notwth-
Standing, however, the benefits we have eyI-
dcntly received from these improvements,
we all see and feel that even these improve
monts are behind the spirit and requirements
Of the age, and thai to keep pace with the
nelghborng communities; to dcvclopc the
resources Of our county; to secure TO our
selves fair remuneration for our labor, md
full price for our produce, ,and 10 lnyhe cap
isal and population among US and thereby Sc
cure our own welfare, we must avail our
selves Of the advantages of railroad communl-
cation with the eastern aud southern markets,
and with the market which will be afforded
by the interior Of our own State, for the I'M
mense mineral wealth Of the locking Val
ley. We must have mode Of conveyance
that vii! be open not only six or eight months
in the year, as the canals are, but the whole
year. We must have mode Of COMMUNE
cation that will give us the full benefit Of
the highest market throughout the year, and
mode that will allow us TO reach that mar
ket in the least possible time, that we mny
compete on equal terms with those whose
enterprise has procured these facilities. We
must, in word, have Railroad.
Fortunately for US, we are SO situated
with regard 10 Railroad improvements, as to
require but comparatively little 10 be done
by US to secure all these advantages. AL
ready railroad is completed and ~ opera
ton from Cincinnati 10 XenIa, and will soon
be finished to Columbus; this opcus up to all
places connected with II, an uninterrupted
communication through the whole yelr, not
only with Cincinnati, itself now no mean
market, but also with New Orleans, and
thence with the eastern cities and Europe,
and the rest OF the world. From Columbus
to the Lake, several lines of Railroad have
been projected and some one Of them will
he made within few years The Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad Company have fixed their
western terminus at Wheeling, and this ren,
ders certain that the western projection oi
that road will make Columbus point. 9th
CT roads leading from the east also point d.
rcctly 10 Columbus. Besides, the Mansfield
and Slndusky City Railroad will within -
or Is months, be extended aud IN operation
TO Newark, aud should not Columbus, by
that time, be otherwise connected wnh the
Lake, connection wlll doubtless be olmcd
by this road BY the time these roads arc
completed, If not before, the business Of the
west will force the construction of Rail
road along the shore Of Lake Eric to Dun
kirk, the western terminus Of the New York
and Erie Railroad, thus giving complete
Railroad communication between Columbus
aad New York CITY
BY connecting ourselves, then, with CO.
lumbus, we are at once put into Possession
OF these iaclltles;--a constant, rapid, and
cheap communication with the South, and
with the Lake, Baltimore and New York.
To effect this, we have twenly-siX or lwen-
et,e l.. u.
cd to cost $lj0,00O or S20O,0OO.
Shall the county subscribe for 100000
Of this amount!
II the question were, whether there should
be $lOO,OOO raised by taxation within one,
two, three, or four years, or raised at all IN
that way, there might be some ground for
hesltaton; though even then, If caIcula-
tIon ot loss ana profit would determine the
question, 1t would, as we shall presently
show, be decided IN the Affirmative. But
this IL not the question, By looking at the
subscription bill, as published, it viii be seen
that there Is provision made for the colnmls-
soners to sell the stock, # deemed cXpedi-
ent. Now, If this be done--and we sunnose
il itwill-and the stock bring It's par value, or
ii this should not be done, but the stock rc-
tained und ihe dividends applied to the pay.
ment of the interest on the loan, and the
gradual liquidation Of the principal the cr-
feet Of the subscription wlll be merely loan
Of the credit of the county until the compile.
tion of the road, which will not likely rc.
quire more than two years, and the payment
OF the interest on the loan, say - 900 per
annum, for those Two years. TINS is at the
rate Of 2 per cent, the highest rate allowed
by the bill. How much would this increase