Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1861-02-07

neighbor railroads az a. certainty, though
still subject to accidents. Our chief faith
lies in this, that the leading business men
of PIatteyille are, many of them, quite
veaIhty and some of them are known ic
possess large foresight; they are thus
masters the means, the sagacity and we
think the influence 50 to act upon others as
to enlist a genera cooperation OF the
masses in the village, in the vicinity, in the
county, and too, of Galena, in event OF
conjunction of interests which we design to
refer to. Again in the changes brought
about Of late, by near railroad influences
and general drift of material things as
well is of persons and business, the Platte
vile capitalists see that they have got to do
something involving great sacrifice. or else
their very foundations viii shift from under
them. Hitherto they have sought to hold
fast their foundation by means of manu-
LECTURES, mills, schools, and other local at
tqaetions and sources of profit. These,
however important and successful, are yet
failure in accomplishing the substantial
! end they bring tribute but not an amount
adequate to the million in the hands Of the
Platteyille capitalists. There must be a
hundred thousand annual nett income in
stead of a quarter as much, and this can
not be drawn with the present machin-
cry Of PIatteyille.
To sum up in brief manner, the CAPT
tal at Platterille must either provide new
and extended supports or it must wind up
and find new quarters. Which shall it do {?
is the question. Those who control the
capital will find when they come to figure
up what to do that the sacrifice Of leaving
would be at least five times as great as TO
build a railroad from Platteyille to Gala
mine or Galena Property worth but
$4,000 scarcely affords the holder living
income; to sell it and go elsewhere, he
would have to sacrifice half; but to -sell
half thereof and PIT the amount sold into
a railroad would double IN value the re-
tanned half and give him possession Of a
railroad TO boot. This is the logical argu-
ment, and one that must stand the critical
test, even of such men as Dewey, Bailey,
Rountree, Hodges, Virgin and others-the
strong, wealthy and sagacious men Of
Platteville, all of whom will either wind up
and leave the place inside of five years in
case they neglect to provide for themselves
a railroad. Mark our word for it. This
day they are weighing which they had
better do-counting their property, their
income, the loss of winding up and the loss
and gain of building railroad. What
may be said Of these men or what may be
their interest to do is just the interest of all
Others in that vicinity in almost exact pro-
portion to property. Thus, man having
no property has little interest in the rail-
road, except prospective working interest
The one having house and lot or forty
of land has an interest equal to near half
the value of such lot or forty; and one
holding property valued at $4,000 can
better afford to sell half thereof and put
the same into railroad than to sell out for
half the value and leave the place. What
is true of Platteville is just as logically true
of the interests Of people in the vicinity of
Platteyile, and for twenty miles around in
to distance, limited only in ter
ritory b, distance to other railroads.
We do not know but reckon that Platte
vile can secure more aid from abroad to
connect with Galena than with Caamine;
we mean that Platteville would have TO
expend less by connecting with Ga1ena, al
though the distance is greater. Galena
would certainly go TO half the expense,
and then the influence Of Galena men
would be worth consideration when the
tug Of battle comes for means. But will
Galena take hand? We reason thus that
she will: Galena possesses next TO no rail-
road support; the Dunleith cars bring her
no material support; the cars from Chi
cago and Frcepor bring her nothing Of
course-no railroad country market sup
port; nothing but her river trade and her
country trade by wagon roads; true, she
has ever held a tenure upon the southwest
Wisconsin counties and thefew towns Aouth
of her in Illinois. These supports must
ultimately desert her. ir large part, unless
she impaits some of her means for branch
railroads. Her rich men, like those Of
Platteyile, have only to choose between
sacrificing for railroads or winding up and
leaving at heavier sacrifices. She will
choose the wise part ant join PIatteyille