The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1853-05-14
The Illinois River Bridge Co.

This company i1 now fully organized and pre-
pared to receive proposals for building the bridge
across the Illinois river at this place.
The company consists OF the following persons
John V A. Hoes, Lorenzo leland, David
strawn, Milton Il. Swift, Alison Woodruff, Henry
F. Eames, Norris & Fisher, Walker Il H.ekHng
Richard Thorn. and John G. Na;tingsr.
The Company organized by electing the ri
loving officers:
DAVID STRAWN, President,
Lorenzo LE-ANp Secreiory end ZTeaa'"~,
GEO E, WALKER, Ex. com. to whom any
IVA Hos communication may Be
Atsos WooDRufT, addressed.
We have heretofore published various plans
for the erection Of this bridge, but up the present
time, the plan prOposcdby the above company ia
the only one which has yet attained an organized
form, and which at all promises success
Whenever any great public improvement ia tc
be made there are always plenty Of people ready
to suggest plans for is accomplishment by which
the interests Of the dear people" can be best
served, but when you 60 to ths ~ for ih-iF cocri.
buttons or subscriptions towards carry ing out their
darling scheme, they invariably give you the cold
shoulder or plead an empty pocket
Among all tbs plans yet suggested We regard
the enc proposed by the above company as iui,
nitey the best, for the reason that it promises
success We know that there are 4 good many
Of our citizens who are hostile to It, yet, we think
when it comes TO the test-when it Is to be Iet..
ded whether this work, which VIII be O! infinite
value to our city when completed, and Which will
furnish nearly years profitable cn1rloguen. TO
large partion Of our mechanics aad la5or.og
men, shall 90 on or uo;--;he city viii freely vote
its credit. We propose now 20 glance ata few
of the leading objections to this plan:
Among the principal objections We hear 'ich
as these Tia, 8; would be a mouopoly-that the
tolls are too Lish-,h-; the towns ougt. to own
the bridge. OF a. least should have the ri ht to
purchase it to make it free, &c, h. Thee Oh
lection, have mostly sprung into existence very
lately and sssu, at least, to owe their origin or
PRONUNCIATION, at tbs time to tie probable ere.
ton ofthc br lsc upon the plan proposed, III! Is
permitted to 20 carried into fall AID fair effect
These same objections, now urged iyr tie Esst
time, could 30 against every charter granted
wi,L.n the last ten years i,r bridging the Illinois
river here or elsewhere, and there have been q
great number passed in tia; period, and it's lit
tie strange that they should no. have been disco
ycred before Now, the company here is less otlec-
tionaL!e than rearlj all the others on account q
its monopoly charter and rake Of tolls, as most Il
not all of the others are granted ioose individual
and the rates ol toll are generally higher anl %
some instances nearly double. Scarcely a.!
work Of considerable inporiaute aud INVOLVE.
the expenditure Of large sum Of money, is Ike
ly 10 be bull, except by mon poly, ard whe.hc!
/: is 4 monopoly Of me tcn or fifty Is, it seems
TO Us, quite immatergl to the public Tie result
is substantially Ia, same. Tie stock Of these
companies, however distributed a, frst general.
ly finds is way in the end in.o the hands # a
few moneyci men, AMI whoever owns it viii be
influenced by the motive that Influences and 90.
vefus all stochhollers--,hcy all seek to make
money yet few, if any, are 50 fool hardy as to
incur the di-pleasare Of the pablc from whom
they derive their support. The price charged
must b. propouiJnate 10 the services reulere!
Or opposition Of some kind is sure 10 be Tie re.
suit and where lie Pubic are generally ia's,-
estod, as is the case Of bridge or ferry TIE or-
position is usually OF very serious natare.
The towns can undoubtedly be secured 10 the
the right TO buy the bridge to make i free; We
have heard TO objection to THIS, f.om aoy one Of
the company, and We have eonyer,od WITH mo,t
Of them about it.
There Is another point upon which there seems
to be a grea. deal Of Misunderstanding. mi tha,
is the security the city viii have. WeuEder,tanI
that it is not proposed to AZ lOf dollar Of the
bonds Of the city until an equal Or grsa,er amount
OF moaey OF The company ,.al, have hesa actual
y invested in the structure and a. the mssoa
ing will bs the Grst work, and must be oi sub
,.au,ial and p,rmaneu, character, and will pro.
badly cost from ten 10 fifteen iLoasaad do.lars il
seems to US that the town mus, il almost any
contingency be secure.
Some think that it would be preferable fJr
the town TO subscribe the ten thousand dollars
and those who urge this also insist that the
bridge will pay the interest and eventually re.
p.y The principal. This might be SO perhaps
with good management; but is a city corporation
likely 10 afford that management is it not usu
ally the case that municipal corporations are
managed each year by different pohtitious who
have their friends and supporters to see to, aud
are they likely to have much regard for sinking
fund, except such as would DO likely to sink Their
adversares. The strong probability to our mind,
Is that il the town should become stakeholder
that the ten Thousand dollars would some la;
have to be raised by taxation, and that the ia,
payers would be very apt to gruUble at the ta'
il they did not do something worse.
But suppose you subscribe ten thousand
where is the other fifteen to como from Sever
al efforts have been made to raise the requisit,
amount by general subscription and have fail
cd; and il Is exceedingly doubtful in our mind,
whether, If the subscription were filed rs sucl
subscriptions usually are, it would accomplish
the otjest, "a they are not generally reliable. y,
contractor would take it, nor would any indiyidu
al or individuals be willing to give persona
guaranty to tho contractor that the money wou,,
be forthcoming az needed, and without that ne
responsible person you'd undertake the work
The experience in building bridges and plank