Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1866-12-25


a want Of stock. And so Of all 9th
ers who fallaciously anticipate a
loss OF business through competition
aroused by the railroad.
1t is true the farmers are mainly
protited by railroads, inasmuch as
their lands are so greatly enhanced
In value. But this in no way binders
an uprising of all other classes, but
rather promotes the like.
The well known fact that the clas-
cs named oppose railroad building
by taxation, unless they be land own
ers, justifies my reference to their
bad reasoning, because the farmers
ought to be put on their guard
against the clamors raised bv them
against offering lid to the building Of
railroads.
But | have dwelt longer than was
intended in the preliminaries of my
main subiect-We Interest, Duty and
action to be taken By Farmers wifi
not railroads through the central
and southern parts of our county,
now containing about 10000 inhabi-
Lants, with their immense annual
surplus, greatly improve the numer-
GUS resources and beget many new
ones now unth ought of? The tim
Der forests covering near half the
county would be turned to immense
account and the lands changed into
farms. This is q resource that has
scarcely been thought Of Again, the
mill sites undeveloped, scarcely
known about and uneXpIored, along
our chief streams, perhaps $50 miles
OF these continuous mill site and
dam privileges, very speedily pass
into usefulness as the timber forests
under the quickening influences of
two or three railroads. Here is an
other resource hardly dreamed of.
The development of manufacturing
is still another. The introduction Of
machinery for working our mines of
minerals, our rock quarrjes, and the
cheapening of lumber by bringing
| the pine forests of the north to our
doors, and putting the same in CONS
petition with the upper river country
forests, are further undeveloped re.
sources. | say nothing more of the
improved value of every acre OF our
farm lands and the profits Of farming
such acres and Of opening thousands
of new farms, where the present val
ne of farms is less than q dollar per
acre.
The time has come when Grant
! Cnnntv must have moro and better
transportation facilities. Wagon and
bob sled transportation % or 80
miles to market is behind the age
too much like old Virginia with a
stone and grist balancing weight in
pack saddles.
And cannot Grant County stand
tax of one or two per cent, annually
for one two or three years, to rid
herself of these Inconvenience
rather to pay for such helpers as
will double the value of every acre
and Of every stroke Of labor done at
farm improving and crop making.
SO much tax would grade and tie a
railroad from Wingville to any point
on the Mississippi, and another from
Calamine to Platteville, and insure
the completion o. both roads within
two years, or three at furthest, al
lowing for all slips.
That the sudden rise of land prop
erty as one of the first benefits,
would vastly more than make up for
the tax, | have not a doubt.
But me thinks some friend at Bos-
cobel or elsewhere on the line Of the
Pr du Chen road, says while read
ing this paper, why, Field, are you
in favor of compelling the people of
the whole county to help build q
railroad through the central and
southern portions. "
Certainly not. | only said |
thought they could afford to do it,
but should not favor it. The taxa
BILE property Of the county is about
six millions. Four millions, possibly
more of that property, is directly in
terested in having these contempla-
ted railroads, and can afford the OK
pense. Upon the first levy, say of
one per CGuG., am SdlfoliCN ChdO
such would be the good effects that
people would insist upon two per
cent. for the next levy in view Of
hurrying on the roads. And such
levys would scarcely be felt-for ties
? timony recur to the four tosevcn per
cent levied Il couple of years ago for
bounty money to relieve the home
guards from draft liabilities
Other great public improvements
are required near the line Of the Mil.
and Pr. du Chen Z. r. The river
should be bridged at several places be-
tween Grant, Richland and Crawford,
and this must be done by taxation, es-
pecially if such works are not to be
used up by burthensome tolls. | do
not expect exact equitablepess in the
taxation for this or any other object.
We can approximate justice as near
as we can, yet so as that none shall be
the losers, all benefitel-some more
benefited than others because more
fortunate in location, some hardly well
paid because the luck Of location Is
; against them.
These things must be looked at in s
manly way and with greatness o.
Ioort Obinc4;onc may he pilod uD