The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1867-11-23
Railroad Meeting.

The adjourned railroad meeting at the court
house last Saturday evening resulted as we had
anticipated The committee charged with the
duty of waiting upon our wealthy citizens and
sOlicitinga subscription OF $50, 900, the amount
needed, in addition to the $1,000 subscribed
by the city, to put the Ottawa, Oswego & F.
r. V. r. r. under contract from Streator to
this place, reported that they had been unable
to get private subscriptions beyond 100000; ;
that some of the heaviest capitalists refused to
subscribe a cent; and that in Justice to those
that showed willingness to subscribe and
invest their money for the general advantage,
they begged leave to report in favor of drop
ping the plan of raising the needed amount
by private subscriptions, and recommended,
in lieu of it. an additional town subscription
Of $4,000.
The adoption of the report of the committee
was ably advocated in speech by Hon. A.
W. Cavalry, who, after giving history of OF
tawa from its first inception as Il town, thirty
seven years ago, and awakening many pleas
ing "reminiscences, proceeded to show, by the
example of the counties, towns and villages on
the line of the Tonica and Petersburg railroad,
that it was not only "A safe and practicable, but
wise and judiciOus plan to aid the construc-
ton of the proposed road by town and city
subscriptions. The so-callcd Tonica and Pc
t.rsburg railroad, which branches off from the
Illinois Cantral NJ JVonnno ,y,c j., roo);fv Lut
a continuation of the Fox River Valley rail
road, and the two together would not only
give us a railroad, by the shortest and most
practicable route, to st. Louis, but also by
connection with roads north Of Us IA short and
direct route to the pineries OF Wisconslon. If
the Tonica and Petersburg railroad, which
now depended solely on a local way trade, was
paying more than the interest on its construc.
ton, what must the road not pay when it be-
comes, by its continuance to the north a
grand trunk road IRON st. Louis to the pine
ries of Wisconsin
Hon. VIM. Reddick addressed the meeting
in the same vein. He complimentcd Judge
Cavalry, as one of our oldest and most sub
stantial citizens, to whom Ottawa owed more
than most of our citizens knew of for support
-four interests in the Legislature in our earlier
darker days. Mr.. R. said he was constitution
ally opposed to debt-had generally voted
against our city mourning debt of any sort,
but in the present case he saw so clearly that
twas for our interest to vote the proposed
sum for this railroad, that he had no l.csitancy
in giving his voice in its favor
The meeting was also ably addressed by
Col. A. b. Moore and Hon W. Bushnell. the
latter of whom proposed resolution declar-
ing the sense of the meeting in favor of an adj
ditional town subscription of $4,000 and also
presented the form of petition to the town
clerk, requesting him Gas the statute provides)
TO call special town meeting for the purpose
OF voting for or against the proposed $4,000
loan. The resolution proposed by Mr. b. as
we'll as the form Of petition, were unanimously
adopted; and thereupon more than the need
ed number Of signatures were appended to the
petition Immediately The meeting then ad.
journed.