Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1854-05-05
The Loan Question.

! the old arguments are pressed into service
that have been so continually made use
of by the advocates of the measure in all
their laborious and disinterested efforts
to enlighten the people of the western
part of this County with regard to their
pecuniary interests, | ask the indulgence
of very brief reply to few of the ar
! guments adduced in behalf of the Loan
Scheme, at the risk of being denounced
as untruthful, ungentlemanly, and abusive,
as my friend Mr.. Kellogg has been by one
of your anonymous correspondents in re-
ply to his very able and truthful commu-
nication, in relation to the Loan.
The soundness of all of the arguments
usually depended upon to sustain the jus
tice or expediency of the County Loan
policy is very generally doubted and de-
MED by those for whose special benefit
they are so unremittingly employed. The
first. and the foundation of all the Others.
is, that the benefits to be derived from
the proposed Railroad will be mutual be
tween the City and those in the Country
who are so reluctant to bear any of the
burdens of its construction.
If this position were correct, it would
only prove that the people who oppose
the Loan are very short sighted, and in
capable of seeing in what direction their
true interest lies-and not that the in
habitants of the City of Kenosha and its
vicinity. who are more far-seeing and dis
eliminating, have the right to exercise
guardianship over us, and by their vote
cucumber our homesteadS and other prop
erty for the purchase of an improvement
which we are too stupid to realize what
we need. A similar course pursued by
one neighbor towards another would be
regarded by an uninterested party as
rather doubtful kind of benevolence.
Suppose neighbor A. being a man of
some financial ability, and living in re-
gion not well supplied with stores, pro-
poses to neighbor b. to endorse his note
to the bank for a couple of thousand dol
lars to enable him to engage in the mer-
camille business in their ocality-alleging
as reason why neighbor b. ought to
grant the favor, that the store would be
a great convenience to their respective
families, and also to the neighborhood
generally. b., not having confidence in
the success of the enterprise, and not fully
approaching the convenience and benefit,
declines. Whereupon A. applies to the
Legislature and gets an act passed sub
hitting the question to vote fthe mem
bers of their respective families, and, hav-
ing the largest family carries il, and com
pelS his neighLor Il. to become his en-
dorser against his will
The case iscxactly parallel. We have
not asked for the Road. We do not need
it; and if kenosha does need it, and can
build it, we certainly are not opposed to
it. If any person in the Country thinks
he needs the Road, or that he will be pc
cuniarily benefited by its operation. he is
at liberty to subscribe the amount of stock
he deems equivalent to the benefit he ex-
poets to reap.
But deny that the inhabitants of the
County Towns in this County are to be
a,an,- hanafttnI NTH L., H., ~ L.,
prospective advantages of the Road. Ke-
nosha is not building this Road to secure
our trade, but of those living west of the
limits of our County and who are to prfit
by the use of it, if any body. and who
ought to be forced to loan their credit, if
any body, to aid in building it. It's not
to be expected that farmers residing the
short distance from the Lake that most
of those do in this small County. will haul
heir farm products a number of miles to
Railroad depot, and then pay freight on
it to the Lake, when they have business
there oftener than they have a load ofpro-
duce to take with them.
But it is claimed that it will enhance
the value ofrcal estate. 1fthc Road does
not afford any facilities needed for marx
citing the products of real estate. | cannot
see how it can have that effect If the
country west of us were not already Cor
about to be) abundantly supplied with
Railroads leading to better markets than
Kenosha can ever hope TO be, the compile
ton of the proposed Road would unques-
tionably increase the price of real estate
there. and the owners could afford to aid
the enterprise.
Though doubt even under such cir
cumstances. the legal or moral right OF
ever so large a majority to compel ever
so small minority to invest one dime OF
their property in the Road. No one can
contend that the inhabitants living in the
northern part of the Towns Of Paris and
Brighton will be in any manner benefited
by the kenosha Road. for it is well known
that they are nearer to the Racine and
GAINESVILLE Road road much nearer
completion than the ono they are required
to help build, and leading to larger and
more fourishing town, and therefore to
be presumed better market. Yet the
Loan Bill passed last Winter effects them
equally with the rest of the County. And
while abiding to the Racine Road enter
prise. let me here saw that the course