Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1870-12-15
Communicated.
sIlallrOad Projects.
interests Of Northern Tama in Them.

ETTIE, CLARK r., Dec. 6, 1870.
Nr. Editor: Within the year 1870
much ado has been made, in the
northern Part Of this county, about
railroad projects, but it will join "the
dead past" without any visible result.
Yet it is now very certain, that next
season will see something dore to-
ward the occupation Of the best field
for the construction Of railroad in
this State. Three companies are
apparently competitors for it. The
Sabula & Ackley, backed 5y Mr..
Mitchell, on which several miles of
track are laid west of the Mississip-
pi, and good deal Of grading done
on towards Marion the Midland,
now controlled by the Northwestern,
and being rapidly constructed to An
amosa, in Jones county ; and, lastly,
the Burlington, Cedar Rapids 4 Min
ncsota Railroad, are figuring to Sc
cure the zone OF territory between
the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad
and the Northwestern Road across
Iowa. The rivalry began last April.
Judge Porter, of Eldora, Hardin
county, III the interest Of the Mid
land, started at that point with a
corps Of engineers, and ran line
down through Grundy Centre, by
Buckingham, Vinton, Cedar Point,
in Linn county, to Anamosa, prom
Using depots just where the leading
men, as they supposed, desired, along
the route. The object Of this move
mcnt, subsequent events showed, was
for the purpose of distracting pablo
sentiment. and thus defeating the de-
sign Of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids
ard Minnesota Company, which, for
more than year, has entertained a
plan of branching off at Vinton, and
running one line west to the Mis-
snuri river, and the other to Manka-
to, in Minnesota. Porter's rise sue
cceded admirably. The people Of
Vinton are averse to the scheme Of
the Burlington. Cedar Rapids & Min
nesota Company; because, if the
roads leading west and northwest
from their town are owned by the
same company, there would be no
competition IN freights, but the Mid
land project would give them the
benefit Of another road east. Hence.
they sided with Porter, and sent men
to Northern lama to prejudice the
people against the Burlington, Cedar
Rapids & Minnesota Company, charg-
ing them with disposition to swim
die the people along the line, and to
extort from them double the amount
Of donation solicited, before they
would complete them road. In
june, the voters of Clark, Perry,
Crystal, Spring Creek, and Lincoln
townships, with the exception of
Crystal, decided against a five per
cent tax to the Burlington. Cedar
Rapids & Minnesota Company, whose
agents promised to grade and lay
iron from point four miles north
west Of Vinton, on the road, to the
lama county line, by the 1st day of
January 1871. The citizens of these
townships were made to believe that
said company was not in earnest;
that it merely wanted to secure the
line, and then, when it suited, in the
future, lilch or extort from the prop
erty holders sufficient to build a
road. The fact WAS, their intentions
were bona fde to construct rapidly
twelve miles Of the road, and thus
place all Northern Tama within easy
access Of a railroad station. The di
rectors and agents Of the company
all SAID that, in case the people Of
Northern Tama refused the Eve per
cent. tax, they would extend their
line from Waterloo to Cedar Falls,
but If the proper encouragement YVES
accorded, they preferred to pre-empt
4 directly western route. They were
driven off, and have since completed
what they proposed. The cars ran to
Cedar Falls on Dec. LIST, in accord.
ance with the agreement Of the com
pany to run there on that day, thus
proving conclus;vcly that the master
spirits Of that corporation are men Of
their word, and not the faith,.ess
trickstcrs represented by t'...cir Sian.
iercrs of Vinton, whose town they
have saved from Gw'ndling to ins,g-
nificancc.
Again. the Burliagton, Cedar Rap
ids 4 Minnesota Company propose
10 start or from vinton or Laportc,