Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1866-12-11
County Aid to .oadsa and Bridges Can
Grant Count,help build Two or Three
Railroads.

OidH1 oounl titlp bullu 1W0 VI 1HIoe
Railroads.
There is a pblicimpression abroad,
which for all We know is unanimous,
that ounties ought 70 help build and
keep in repair the roads and bridg-
es or what is he same thing, com.
munity interest lstifies certain out
lays for improvements at home and
abroad. The annual total outlay
in Grant County fornew roads and
bridges is reckoned it about 50 600,
the amount paid by the County at
large is $4,000, no respect being
paid as to whether iieFe BIZ many or
few roads or bridges in any partic-
ular part Of the territory, and in all
cases the richer town paying far the
most and deriving the least benefit
in road and bridge building.
Now to ali this matter Of the
County at large, by watch we mean
the people OF Grant now numbering
about 10000, aiding the one third
amount in all the road and bridge
building, there is not the least grum-
bling. 1t is approved, and many
think the matter of road and bridge
building ought t. be an entire Coun-
ty charge-repdrs only being left
to the towns.
But why not the county also aid
at least third in all the railroad
buildging within the county, or say
So. 900 to each mile of railroad? The
same reasons may be urged for such
aid as for common roads and bridges
and as railroads greatly excel com
mon roads in importance and value
to property, SO far should the appro-
priations exceed for building rail
roads.
The people are done with giving
farm mortgages for railroad building
and must resort to other means, as
joint individual enterprise in part
and community or taxation enter
prise in part And as great wide
breadths OF country are SO greatly
enriched by means Of railroads, VIZ
cannot see why such wide do
mains should not be taxed therefor
There is common justice, not t
say mutual interest, in such reasoning
Some cannot draw these conclusions
because so constituted as 10 be Oh
posed to justice, to mutual or famil,
enterprise and to the common wei
| fare. But the masses must not sutf
OF hinderance for generations merely
because some men are blind or stub
! born.
! PlatteTille wants ten miles Of
railroad that would very great,
accommodate and enrich a fourtl
part of Grant County, for which th
county could we'll afford to contrib
ute $4,000, and insure tho worl
within a year.
Then the proposed railroad enter
ing the county at Wingville an,
running either to Dubuque or Cass
vile say 40 miles, 100000, thi
amount being amply sufficient t
insure such stupendous works an,
nobody feel the bnrthen, whilst ever,
foot Of land would sell for a thir,
more than at present. $250000 on on
county tax basis Of six millions woul
be raised by n tax Of only abou
four per cent. or $500 on the $I.00t
assessed value. We have no doub
an offer on the part of Grant Coun
ty to contribute 100000 for tn
proposed Oshkosh and Mississippi
railroad would insure its completion
through our county on some rout
within two or three years. In thi
way many Of the New Englan'
railroads were built, and more ar
thus built every day where eve
intelligence leads capital
This subject is new and we have
but glanced at it. May we expcc
to here what some of our most intel
ligent land, holding capitalists have t.
say on the subject. The HERALD i
free to any side.