Nebraska advertiser., 1867-12-26

If this j know bat Inlle and care less. l
do know. however, that if persisted IN.
a general injury 10 the whole county wan
be the final result. We cannot aIioro .
sustain divisions and contentious. Onl1y
al sentiment and action is what we most
need. and must have. So far as any par
ticular benefit any particular point on the
river may derive from the fact that =
may be the starting point, are mol Z
fg. I would give my support Il II was
proposed that the road should start from
either Peru. BrownviIle, Nemaha City,
Aspinwall, OF ST. Deroin. Brownyllle
seems 10 be the only point that has made
any effort in the matter, and has done
what has been done to get the enterprise
in the shape we now find it. She Is the
largest and most wealthy town and IS
better prepared to do more, and more
should really be expected Of hor. am
willing, therefore, that she may ENJOY
any incidental local advantages that may
naturally follow.
Let Us, felow.farmers, discard petty
excuses and look this matter square IN
the face like business men.
VIII il pay US to have this proposed
road pass through our countyz Can we
afford the nxa These are. really the
only two points in the question for as TO
consider. 1t is assumed, and generally
conceded, lha, Railroads double the value
of property IN the section of country
through which they pass. Government
acts upon this understanding. When
ever She donates alternate sections to
railroad companies, she Immediately puts
up the price of retained alternate Sec
tons TO 50 so per acre-double what she
was before selling it for. Now let US
figure this matter q little. According TO
my calculation there are In round nun
bers 250, 900 acres of land in Nemaha
County. This at S1.25 per aCre-6gur.
ing ever on the original cosby doubl-
ing itself will make an increase at once
of 1912, 600. But let US take the actual
taxable value of lands. BY reference
to the County Treasurer's Books l find
the actual amount Of taxable land in Ne
maha County for the year 1867, to say
nothing of town lots, is $786. 900. Now
double that amount and we have 81, 572,-
600. Take from this $7S6,000 Of in
creased value the $350,000 proposed
bonds and we have a net profit Ia this
investment of 1922, 600. This c~alcula'
ton you will observe is made alone upon
the lands of the county, leaving out en-.
tireIy, town lots, merchandise, manufac-
lures, SC.
Take another view in which the Farm
! er alone is interested. All admit that
with railroad facilities which afford a
means of transportation at all times of
the wear, that there is a difference in
the price of produce. There is a differ
ence Of opinion as to just what that dif.
ference is. l have before me a weekly
price current of produce issued by Strick-
Ter & Stephens, of Omaha, of date
Dec. 18th, 1867, / find the price of Corn
new, IN the ear, IS cents, new Cern,
shelled, S1.00, old Corn, $l.25." l need
not tell you what the price Of Corn in
Nemaha County IS. | have not heard of
any sellingf for over so cts. Now, what
makes this diferenee2 Omaha, or ralh-
re Douglas county, has no natural adj
MANAGES over Nemaha. She has a rail-
road which enables her to send away this
and all other articles of produce al all
times. This is The whole secret
Now, let US make another calculation
based upon the land alone IN this county
and the single product, Corn. Taking
the number of acres of land, as before
stated, in this county, and il will befound
that a tax levied upon each acre of about
z cents per annum for 20 years-the
tine it is proposed the bonds shall run
will pay the $3.50, 900 and interest. Thus
a difference of l cent per bushel on 2
bushels per acre of Corn alone would pay
the tax. We see, however, that by ac-
tual comparison of prices the actual diff
ference is over 80 per cent. Say 80 per
cent. and count Corn at 40 bushels per
acre, and the actual benefits the farmer
would derive-or rather what we are
now actually losing-wiA be plainly
seen.
/ could ennumerate many other advant-
ages that inevitably follow railroads, but
have confined myself exclusively TO one
or two important points in which farmers
are alone interested.
/ hope our people will take a candid
view of this question. The question of
a railroad starting west from some point
South of the Platte, TO intersect the
great Pacific Road, at or neal Fit. Kear-
ney, wiu be settled before grass grOOs
again! If by our failure to improve the
opportunity now presented, that point
should be fixed either north or south of
US. and our prospects forever blasted, let
it Dot be said the question was not laid
before US. Let US be wise.
A. FARMER.
We learn from w. B. Phillips, Of