Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1869-11-05
CORRESPONDENCE.


The following communication comes to us
without signature or note of any kind to indi
cate the writer, but because of its advocacy
Of so important a natter as the railroad, We
insert it. contrary to our usual rules:
THE Rail RoAD.-We have long enough
put our trust in outsiders We have pray ed
long enough to Jupi,er-It Is time now to ut
our shoulder 10 the wheel-for Jupiter will
not help those who do not help themselves.
The whole west is retieulated met workeo)
with railways, and although there has been
assistance from abroad very much has been
done 10 build them by the farmers them
selves, aud truly they have found their sc-
count in it,. Capitalists from abroad are rot
so ready az formerly to rut their money in
distant railways, for hey have found in many
cases that the chief profits Of these enter.
prizes have been received by the localities in
which they are built. Bot when they find
that the people Of The localities evince laud-
able desire to improve their transportation
by subscribing Of their own funds toward that
object then the capitalists come forward with
a viii. Our people and workmen to sub
scribe at the rate of about $4,000 per mile for
railway from MI. Dallas to Bridgeport-say
about 100000 for the whole distance, which
amount If they succeed in raising outside cap
italists will make up the balance There is
no doubt if this work was done that the land
adjacent to the railway would increase in
value at The least calculation $50 per acre.
Take all the railways in the United States,
and the increase in value made by them to the
adjacent land viii acreage that. Now meas
uring one mile on each side Of The road from
Mt. Dallas to Bridgeport calling the distance
. miles makes 80 square miles OF adjacent
land to be benefited. this reduced gives 32,
600 acres winch at $50 per acre makes
lSG40,000l six hundred and forty thousand
dollars ad3itiJna! value conferred on the land
in a distaace Of p miles. Or by subscribing
$1,000 a mile you make belt of land miles
wide more valuable by S264.O00 per mile than
il is at present, thus more than quintupling
the investment making it worth FIVE times as
much again. There is no humbug in this it
is the sober truth it is universal experience
Look what the rail road has done for Bloody
Ran just below us, at least doubled it in pop
ulatioH and business 10 FIVE or six years. But
build these 25 miles of road and it connects
MS with the whole world east and west, with
New York and San Francisco, with Bslti
more. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. This lit
tie link is only wanting to give Us the same
advantage that is possessed by the towns
along the Juniata. all of them more than
doubled in value in the last four years
Every cent that our farmers can rake and
scrape should be appropriated at once to this
enterprise which can instantly be put in oper-
atiau and managed by directors Of their own
choosing, at home here, uniuaaeneed by for
eigu capitalists. Why for such an object
collections ought to be made at all public
meetings children should save their pennies
to bring is about. Daughters should appro-
pirate portion Of their pin money to effect
This grand object. Now we are out Of the
world uuuo,iced and unknogn. Now ''we
see through glass darkly' but once com
pete the railway and We should be face to
face with the whole world Let not a week
elapse until this pittance is made up. 1t is
the surest investment to pay that our people
can possibly make