The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-08-03
To the Voters Of VanderburgG County

You are asked by your votes, on
next Thursday, to fasten upon your
property a mortgage for two hundred
and forty two thousand dollars. AS
prudent men, you win wantto under
stand the consideration foE this, and
its conditions. All that you have yet
been able to understand Is. that rail-
road CORPORATION, under the Presi-,
dency of Robert A. Hill, Esq, of this
city. PROPOSE 20 take this sum as
bonus, to induce the company to I'M
dertake the building of railroad into
Illinois, by way of Carmi, near the
Wabash River. How is this to be
accomplished, and what the chances
for success are, you do not yet know.
Before you vote-before you ratify
and affirm this mortgage, Will you not
want to know whether this route IS
practicable and will result benetcially
to the people of the city and county,
If your are told that the line of
this proposed road is not yet
designated, will this not be sufficient
ground, of itself, to cause you to
hesitate before binding yourselves
to the payment, by taxation, of SO
large a sum of money? An amount
80 large, that, if granted, it Will so
far cover your resources for purposes
Of this kind as to prevent you, for at
least two years, from aiding IN the
construction or completion of any
other road, however desirable or
easily obtained such other road may
become. In addition to this, you
have no reliable estimate of the cost
Of this proposed road; you can have
no survey and estimate by a compe-
tent engineer until the road is
located, with at least some degree of
certainty. You are simply asked,
without conditions, to trust your
money and take your chances. I'm.
der the law, when the money is voted
one half can be demanded by the
Company when work equal to the
t donation has been done; and for
anything you can know, this may be
done on the faith CT your donation
on credit. When the road is so far
completed as to reach the line Of the
| county, and to allow train of cars to
pass over it (which would be a dis
| lance Of from seven to nine miles,
| the whole amount can be demanded.
These are matters which you are in
| vited to look into and consider for
! yourselves. You need not be told
| that your present taxes and burdens
are too great to admit Of your further
burdening yourselves on doubtful and
crude schemes. You VIII want to
know, before you invest, that you will
| have at least a moral certainty of get
| ting value received. Let this COM
pany be asked to postpone the cleo
tion-survey and locate their route
estimate the cost, and tell you with
what amount, all told, they can insure
you with a road, and let it be condi-
| toned that not one dollar of your
money shall be touched until the road
to some fixed and suitable place on
/ the Wabash River is q certainty.
This IS the way you would deal in
your private affairs. Apply the same
rule to public matters, and if this
cannot be done, then vote against
! giving away your money, when such
grave reasons for doubt and uncer-
taiuty exist. You should, for your
4 selves, consider candidly this whole
subject with reference to its effect
/ upon other enterprises which may
now, and within the next two years
present themselves for your consider
alton.
1t is now proposed by Francis Eel
loves, John J. Merritt and other
capitalists, acting in concert with Gen.
] Burnside, at once to complete and