The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1857-03-16
[For the Journal.
The Straight Line Railroad.
To mn lEello,c- Citizens:

.
a half months, at the East, engaged in an ar
duous struggle for what l deem a vital in
terest to you as well as mysef-while was
contending with oil the energy and perseve-
rance possess against the active opposition
| of the rival interests Of other towns and try
ing to overcome the prejudces and doubts OF
strangers in regard to the future prospects of
our city, [ find | was being asSalled in my
rear in a most reckless and malignant man
ner by treacherous frienl to me, and pre-
tended one to you.
Although it would have been far better for
all concerned. that different tribunal should |
have been selected, to try the question, shall
not shrink, since he has made the selection
of his forum, to meet Mr.. Ingle at the bar of
public opinion, and to leave the decision to
you, who have known me, in all the relations
Of life for twenty years.
Mr.. Ingle, though pretended warm ad-
yocate of the Straight Line Railroad, has new
err been sincere friend of it, since his small
cock boat became a tender to the larger craft
navigaed by Mr.. Rose, with his Terre Haute,
ri officers and crew. Since he was taken in tow
the interests of Evansville in her canals and
her railroads have been made subservient to
! that city: and by intrigue and management,
|controed by the clique who rule at Terre
Haute, and who use Mr.. Ingle for their own
purposes. Mr.. Ingle took an interest in our
) road at the start, of $1,000, in compliance with
public opinion. because to stand entirely aloof
5 from so popular measure, at the time, would
have impaired the prospects of some of his
own personal projects with the public. But
in obedience to his Terre Haute Mentors, he
early sold his stock and pocketed the cash:
D he has now no direct pecuniary interest in
the stock and bonds of the road, that am
aware Of; he has been very careful to haz
ard none Of his own money on the issue Of
great popular and public enterprise, in
S which every citizen of the place, whether de-
n pendent on his labor or property for support
r has deep stake; and when he talks of hav-
j ing paid "our money to the road" it is gam
1 mon to impose on you and conceal his mean
: and cunning escape from any direct loss in
o the stock of the road in which every good
e citizen has been ready to hazard some of his
q hard earnings.
c After having by three years of most devo-
n ted and assduous labors. of which, my fellow
J. citizens, you have been witnesses we had so
far finished the entire grading and other work
i of the road from here to the Crossing, that
!, an expenditure Of only about $4,000 will
r. entirely complete 1.-THE whole cost of which
has been paid by Us from our own and the
e | was about to make arrangements fer the
l. iron-whef the contracts were suspended on
i Ily that the parties might be satifed of our re-
- sponsibilty-a most unwarrantable assault IS
y made upon the road, its management, and my
C self, to destroy the credit of the road and
J. mpeach Mr.. Smiths and my own integrity,
v on which alone the further progress of the
:. road entirely depended. With what motives
y this has been done, leave to you, my fellow
y lcitizens-whose interests as we'll as my own.
d are deeply involved in the question-to i'm
l. agine.
"a That our road will be q rival Of the Terre
Haute and indianapolis road, IN which Mr..
Rose has deep interest, and Of the f. & G..
IS road. in which Mr.. Roses friend, Mr.. Inge is
l. interested, for the long travel East and the
through freight, no one can doubt, but have
supposed that the growth of the country,
, would soon give both roads as much business
as they could perform. That our road goes
4 through coal beds of the richest quality in
r. Indiana. Of five and ten feet veins, that can be
lput in operation almost without capital, and
be worked at half tie cost of ordinary mining,
IN is also most true; and that the supply from
4. these mines over our road will impair the rev.
" enues from mine in the suburbs of this city
4 is also probible. But presume the city is
$. not to be commando to stand still, or revove
N around Mr.. lngle the center of its orbit, and
all your and my interests to be sacrfici-
J. ed to subserve his personal views. If that
3 I've its destiny, it will soon be smaller in d.
l. mensions, and in soul and spirit than the
man of whom it will be the Representatives
Mr.. Ingle, conceives in his own vain glorious
ie Importance, that he has built the city; but il
in this be true, his religion should have taught
a him, that he ought not have built it entirely
&c for himself; other peoples interests are enti-
. titled to some consideration.
, II is to the Vaccinations Of the Terre Haute
le cliques, rs prompters, and Mr. Ingle as abet-
Of tor, that all the embarrasSments and delay oi
,c the Straight Line Railroad are to be attribu-
. ted; and the delay and difficulties which they
'e themselves have caused, are now brought up
Is as an accusation against us, and are set forth
as fulfillment of their sagacious predictions
The midnight incendiary, who contemplates
firing house may gain the reputation OF a
r seer by foretelling its destruction.
r The first attack made upon Us by them was
through Mr.. Poor, Of the New York Railroad
Journal, which wanton act, at the moment
n we were going into the New York market
r with our securities. was n most malicious and
!. fatal stab; it deprecated our bonds at once
II or 10 per cent. and rendered them almost
J. unsaleable | have such moral and circum-
III stantial evidence OF the fact, that feel GER
le tain in my own mind, and think | am war
ranted in asserting that it was inStigated by
the Tcrre Haute junto, and was made up
. from statements furnished by them. Mr. In
% gle, it appears now. connived at it or has sane
Is toned it since it was done. And this warfare
n upon our credit and interests has been per-
sistently pursued to the present hour, and has
:, e in Mr. Ingle's long and pointless Expose,
IL been openly declared by manifesto.
have been repeatedly solicited to abandon
the Straight Line Railroad. and concentrate
my interests in the +. & C. road, and most
o. tempting schemes for operating on the stock OF
g the Il. & G. road by the secret sacrifice of the
= other, have been presented to me, as believe,