Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1853-08-17
A Talk to the Citizens of Grans
County about Railroads.

We believe that road would be built. Wher
the Potosi and Dodgevile company failed tc
organize under their charter two years ago,wt
promised ourself to never advocate warmly a.
gain what we consider doubtful enterprise.
We have all along doubted about the one now
under consideration but from an investigation
of certain facts, we yield all doubts, if one
thing can be accomplished we mean fair
support of the work by the people of Lafay-
be had
We have Just returned from ride along the
proposed Southern Railroad line, to the east
and west limits of Grant County; have learn
ed the opinions and feelings of people along
the route, and the extent of favor and opposi-
ton of people in Lafayette County, in Hazel
Green, and Galeaa. We find a prevalent er-
ror in the minds of people most everywhere
they say the Road is under contract and will
be built anyhow. We are not fully acquaint-
ed with the condition Of the company, nor with
the nature of the contract for completing the
road at a future time. This much we know,
however, that the contractors will cease work
whenever the company fail to pay promptly !;
that the company have not near funds enough
to meet payments that the people of Grant
and Lafayette Counties have not yet taken any
stock worth naming, and that the people of
those counties will have to take large amounts
of stock, else the road never will be built.
There is no use in folding your hands in
peace "lay not this fatterng JUNCTION TO your
lips" that ''the harvest is finished, and we are
to have Railroad free gratis to make us rich
at other peoples expense" If you want to
reap the fruits of earth, you must plant, and
then to recover an hundred fo.d for The seed
Fosf, you must pant again. You stock your
farms for the increase; very well, you must
stock the Railroad company if you want them
to make road for you. The purpose of
farm is to produce marketable commodities
the purpose Of a Railroad is to send them to
market. The proposed Railroad will bring
never-ending market near your doors. Chica-
so will be in five hours ride from your doors
You can so and return in day. You can 60
to New York and return in three or four days.
You can send fat OK through to New York
for about six dollars, and he will sell for enough
TO buy two like him, allowing the present des-
parity of prices to continue. Your grain and
meat will command a 'most eastern prices. for
the transportation price by cars is a matter of
trifljng moment.
OUR Duty TO OURSELVES AND THE STATE.
Perhaps you are satisfied with the adyanta-
ges that the Illinois Central Road will bring.
You may trust in it to fl your hopes, and you
will not be wholly Disappointed for in mea-
sure, ii will bring some relief We don't be-
!ieve you will be pleased with the Central
Road, for you will always feel conscious sa-
crihce OF patriotism and the interests of your
own State whenever you patronize it. When
the great banker, STEPHEN GIRARD, favored a
public enterprise or loaned money, he always
inquired where and how the money and profits
were to be invested for said he 81 work for
Philadelphia and Philadelphians must work
for me; build up my own city, and enrich
my customers-then they build me up in turn
GIRARD never let his money be used, nor pat
ronised an enterprise for the benefit of Jew
York or Boston. His political econo my was
of another school. The Central is not our
Road, built of our own money on our own soil;
but is in another state, built with foreign CAPT.
tai, and controlled by men having no sympahies
for us nor interests IN our welfare. They will
endeavor to make all out of us they can, and
carry the proceeds away from the West, or 10
Europe TO pay their five million debt The
purpose is TO build the Southern Wisconsin
Road with Wisconsin capital, or nearly so :;
and to have it under the control of men resi-
ding in our own State. Then the profits of
transportation on our goods will be the proper
ty of our own State.
EFFECTS OF THE SOUTHERN r. r. ON W.
LACE AND FARM PRopERTy.-The proprietors
of village property at Hazel Green AMI other
places, oppose or neglect to support this enter
prise, because the road passes few miles north
of them, where they fear the erection of de-
pot, and as matter of course village, they
are alarmed. Their premises are false and
their reasoning unjust. Village property new
er can be a leading measure of value, for it has
30 standing value, only as an article of conve-
nience. Take the best village property in
Grant County, and it won't sell for much more
than half cost. The more you have of it the
poorer you are, and the less you have the few
er are your cares. The true basis for substan-
tial value is farm property. The more impro-
we'd farms there are in your section, The more
will your village property be worth, for the oc-
cupants of both such property will increase
with the demand and if Railroad don't Gre
ate demand, no other means on earth can
The fact is, there is too much village property
in Grant County already in proportion TO farms
and our object is 10 raise the demand and value
OF village property, by increasing the number
and value of farms. Mining viii increase
Gpace with farming. So that there is mo con-
iict of interests. The great design TO accom-
phsh the great end, is to provide the farmer a
market-his interest being the handspring mo,
tor of every other. 1t matters little with III,
farmer whether he is in one mile or ten mile,
of Railroad, so it be not over days driv,
10 and from.
How SOME Towns ARE TO BE AFFECTED
We have so much to say about the Southern
Wisconsin Railroad, and the effects it viii hav