Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1869-07-20

cheaper ones by opening a direct
with Chicago To
oppose the like openly would be too
glaring, so he resorts to advocacy of
anti.improvemens ideas, and pan
dering to that element everywhere
existing which opposes taxation for
everything, does nothing, discourag
es everything useful, votes against
school houses and lightning rods,
opposes dog taxes, suspects every
body for rascal. distrusts the world,
thinks all are hypocrites and the
like.
1t is clear that, were Mr.. Dean a
Supreme Judge, he would decide the
Iowa County Bond debt unconstitu-
tionaI, and all sorts of railroad tax
voting aid unconstitutional. 1t is
true, in his article above he affirms
the validity and duty of paying that
debt, though in his first article he
regrets the court did not go quite
far enough, and completely divorce
State, counties and towns from the
right to aid any internal improve.
ments. Thinks it was pity the de~
cision did not come long ago, and
why? Answer-prevent the build
ing of railroads to other towns than
Boscobel.
1t is also clear that Mr.. Dean
would go little further and vote
mo" upon a proposition to pledge
the stock aid Of Platteville for rail-
road. lie knows too that very soon
the Platteville road may be extend.
ed to Lancaster and Fennimore or
Cassville, and that a road is already
being arranged from Dunleith ola
Potosi to Cassville, with branch
connection doubtless from PotOsi to
Lancaster and Fennimore. And for
which roads Of course the towns
named would be expected to vote
reasonable aid. But all this would
be fatal to Boscobel, in Mr.. Deans
very narrow views of the case, for
narrow minded men always think
they must grow lean and lank when
somebody else thrives. He thinks
his town must have a monopoly or
die, though others may live without
the like. We think better to stop
such monopolies by encouraging 9TH
er towns to vote reasonable aid for
railroads and at the same time we
deny that Boscobel would die if some
neighboring town were to live and
grow fat. Mineral Poizt will not die
when Dodgeville or Miffiin or Mont
fort fattens upon an extension from
the Point north or northwest.
Mr.. Dean breads "the tyrannical
domination of majorities." We affirm
there is far more danger from minor
tiles and such Supreme courts as he
would run. We believe in majority
government-he breads malorities.
Minorities do not build railroads.
Radical men of capital, large minded
men, and men of liberal heart and
strong faith, in company with The
voting majorities, build railroads.
Too often small minded men gobble
up the town lots and profits made by
railroads, and then ask the aid OF
monopoly to support them.
Very true, Mr.. Dean mortgaged
his farm once, out intimates that be
frightened the r. r. officers into can :
ceiling his mortgage-we presume
upon condition that Dean was 10
hold his tongue and lay aside his pen.
We might call in question the hon
esty of such couduct-acceptin
clearance without paying the debt,
leaving others N the lurch, and being
a party to swindling the r. r. Com
pany. There may be degrees In rob-
berry and stealing, but precious small
difference in the guilt when a corpo-
ration buys a mans silence. The
man who sells himself thus and SO
virtually agrees to betray his neigh
Dor. But Mr.. Dean felt compliments
ed by the transaction. SO did Judas.
We never paid nor agreed to pay
a dollar for building railroads, be-
cause we never had an opportunity
to help build a railroad near by.
Had we agreed to pay we never
should have accepted release OF
mortgage without paying; and we
have never yet for money agreed to
be silent, nor have we ever abused
anybody to induce cancellation OF
any debt.
The Oshkosh and Mississippi road
was a failure, though the men known
as directors did nothing wrong
They surveyed a route or routes,
raised the money therefor in towns
and paid for it. 1t had not the fa>
vors.of Mr.. Dean-not going through
Boscobel. Mr.. Dean makes a grand
big showing of the money required
to build a railroad through Grant
CONTRIBUTIONS! All to be raised
by taxation, he intimates. This
would be awful on Boscobell
1t is cammonly understood that
the citizens, through whose territory
railroad may pass, of right ought
to grade and tie the road and give
the right of way-to cost in all say
$1,000 per mile. Now we have held
that, upon pretty fair and practical
routes, such &s from Platteville to
Potosi, from Dunleith to Cassville,
from Potosi to Fennimore, and from
Belmont or Mineral Point north or
northwest toward Fennimore and
McGregor, the people could raise by
subscription and taxation from time
time so much as $1,000 per mile, the
railroad company to iron and stock
the roads. And we have gone so far
as to say that for such roads through
the interior of the county, the eoun-
ty even could afford to contribute
something.
The Grant County farm mortga
gers residing in Patch Grove, Bloom
ington, Millville, Fennimore, Wing
vile and other towns, generally
mortgaged their farms to help build
Mr.. Dean a railroad to Boscobel
lie lodged payment Of his farm
mortgage but gobbled the town lots
made valuable by the railroad.-
Hadn't he better now act a little
neighborly by encouraging his old