Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1869-04-27
Platteville Oad-Keavy Vote for
Co mpleting 1.-THE Advantages
Land Property to be Benefited-The
Justice of Aiding-Highways.

justice OF Aldlng-Hlghways.
The people Of Plattevile, town
and village, voted on Thursday last,
to tax themselves 5000 to COM
plete their railroads.&c. voting for
and 100 against the tax. This in
sures the entire work and it's COM
pletion at an early day, say the first
of September.
This work will rejoice all right
minded men. Over third Of the
people and territory Of the County
win be accommodated with nearer
railroad market than before. 1t
will be a competing railroad market
too, the road being O competitor
with other railroads and with the
river trade for the carrying business
of near half our county. PLATES
Vile is quite accessible to most parts
by good highways, though the Big
Platte ought to be bridged half
dozen places to facilitate and cheap
en- travel. Bad roads, poor bridges
and indirect or winding routes are
not to be endured much longer
Such are too:expensive.and q heavier
tax upon travel and business than
the expense for making good roads.
When a man leaves home for market
his interest is 10 go and return quick
with heavy load. Time is money,
and if man can save half his time
going and coming with a double load,
he of course can afford to De taxed
for what enables him to do so-good
roads.
The personal conveniences, trade
advantages, actual income profits of
labor, and consequent increase in the
value of landed property within
twenty miles about Platteville, are
now incalculable. Or, if truly calcu-
lated and set down in figures, none
would credit the same We howev-
er hazard this statement, that the
new railroad will add half o million
dollars to the sale and productive
value of the landed estates alone,
saying nothing ofthe increased worth
of village property. This is adding
but two dollars to the acre on the
four hundred sections within a cir
cult of ten miles about Platteville.
We have said that the productive
value of land property will be
increased, by which we mean that
the bushels and pounds produced
will be worth the difference between
hauling ten miles to market and
hauling twenty or thirty miles
Hitherto marketing has been the
great expense of farming. But this
will be lessened halfupon an aver-
age, and the difference will be added
to the value Of land so that when a
man sells farm he adds to its sale
value the near markets and small
expenses for marketing. In few
words, every man near railroad is
q virtual owner Of the road-or what
is the same he transfers some of the
value OF the road to his own prem
Uses and charges for it.
And in this matter of the Platte
Vile road, the people of adjacent
towns, though not sharing the eX-
pense for building, will own an in
tcrest in it and will add such interest
to the value of their own farms.
Strict justice would bind every
man whose property is benefited by
the railroad to pay something to-
ward the building, but men are not
governed by justice when they can
shirk the moral law and make NOM
ey by it. The practice is for all to
take advantage, without inquiring
into the right and wrong OF thing.
And when men are wise enough to
understand the right, they 90 to in
venting sophistries and false lights
TO dazzle their own vision and to
mislead those who would deal Justly
paying for what they own and
not living upon the earnings of their
neighbors.
SHALL THERE BE MORE RAILROADS IN
GRANT COUNTY
In a few years, say four or five,
one or two other railroads will be
built through Grant County, or to
interior parts, but the money for
such works will be raised by the
people-just as the people Of Platte
vile have raised money, by taxing
themselves. And just so soon as it
shall appear as an undeniable fact
that the people of Platteville and
ten miles about have made million
dollars by taxing themselves a quar-
ter 80 much, then will other towns
take pattern by PlatteviIle, tax
themselves for railroads and build
them.
1t takes a long while to educate
and move the people. But when
ripely educated and the facts brought
home to them and all doubts rem0v-
ed, they move forward with no will
but to conquer. This Platteville
railroad is to be our text for educat-
ing the people in their duty and in
terest of building more railroads
through Grant County. The debt
incurred by the people of that town
may appear large, and may even
press some of them for the present,
bu. the road will enable all to pay
their taxes, and the dividends beyond
will make them richer at once than
halt life of toll without home mar
kets.
This Plattevilie enterprise will
very soon show the profits to be
made by taxation for building up
market facilities, and will also show
the losses if any-withal, the profits
above losses.
Some years ago the wilderness of
the north part of Grant County was
opened by railroad, and the results
are known. We need hardly remind
our readers of the millions of proper.
ty made by the market facilities
opened by that road. Another rail,
road through the interior of our
county would accomplish even more
for the people, and in a quarter of
the time, as the population and land
improvements are already present,
with some millions of ready made !