The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-01-05

Railroad Tax. @ +
On the seventeenth Of January
our voters and taxpayers will b
called upon 10 decide whether. they
win cid tho Cedar Rapids y st. Loai1
Railroad 70 the extent Of . tax 81
two and enshaf per .oent. ON tho
sssssssd.valas o. tAs pespssi1' = ~
city ef Ossanwa. - ss r. 5T' r
The payment Of taxes oGn' II no
time bs rsckoned. among tho plsss-
Iures Of lifs, and when times Are Il
hard and business dull ws do not
regard the tax gathsrsr q : itisnd.
Just now seems TO be.a unfavorable
time for the considsrasicn of tAi6
tax, bscease ali the sprodacts Of axri.
culture bear : low price, and ~ oon,
ssquenca the business of the city
darizg the fall and wiatss, has mot
reached the expectations of the
merchants and tradesmen. Goods.
remain unsold ON the .ahelyea, and,
manufactured articles in the ware
houses, and in the tacs Of al this We
arc asked 70 vote . tai.
Shall No do it.?
In deciding let MS weigh both sidos
of the question
If We refuse to vote it, the man
who owns slO, 900 worth Of property
will. in March, 1871, be $3.50 ahead
90 far as the payment Of tax IL con-
cerned, and in that view Of the case
ough. to vote against Il. Many of
us gave our notes to bs paid when
tho Chicago 4 sosthwsstern Rail-
road should be completed to Ottum-
Va. We have not had the notes TO,
meet and sare consequently ahead
the amount that each Of us individ-
uaily agreed to pay-that 10 plain 20
far but on the other hand suppos-
ing that the man with $4,000 had
given his note for $3.50, which he has
not had TO pay, while Le saved the
$3.50 he finds that, If his $4,000 be
in real estate, his reasonable expec-
tations AZ TO the rise in value have
not been met. Theproper.y may be
worth $4,000 to-day-certainIy not
moro; but had he been called upon
to pay his note-in which event the
road would.have been secured ,-ro
ono doubts that the value of his prop
erty would have been enhanced ten
per cent, equal in the case supposed
to 81, 900. 80 that, in the saving of
$3.50 loss Of $3.50 has been sustained.
This argument u not 30 pertinent
when personal property 10 taken into
consideration, but it is undeniable
that the greatest successes achieved
BY dealers in personal property, is
always made when real estate is
highest,-in fact the value of real
estate is determined solely by its
eligibility as q point for trsAic in
nersonal propertv We can only a.
cure this high price for real estate
and eligibility for trade, BY extending
enlarging and Improving our CON-
munications with the surrounding
country. To-day RAILROADS almost
monopolixe the locomotisn and trans
portation Of tie couftry. Every
village, town and city in the land
realizes the f.ct. and.now that tho
great svstem Of communication !.
ha;no formad ali alta ara .t;r;n. ~
secure favorable noa;t;ons an the
prominent thorouohfares and IN thia
spirited comperition those who hesi.
tate find indeed that nroorastinat;on
is the thief Of time, for they lose op-
portunities that never return.
We have pitched our tents in o.
tumwa: we are monarchs Of the do.
m.;n-tb.n ~h;oh thara =. mt !.
more favored one in the Des Moines
yalley.-and Il rests nrettv much
.;.h o,...,n.. w...h.. .h.n
m.L.. h,;.L .h.;,;,.,a a,.,.;.I
;rl.rd c;tr Or .;mn,v n -oh.cur.
oon,.... 49, w. a.. .,,,,.,r ,d..;
- .n ..-;o,,.r-., COUNTRY n,.ur
: ....c. ~. 49,.
valuable OAK t;mber ara within easv
reach. and the bowels Of the earth
are rich with inexhaustible beds of
the best coal found in the State
Thosa ara tia natural resourcea from
vh;ch largo towns and cities are
built. but thew must be developed
~, ...;so;., mo.n. 6r.t of vh;ch
are railroads. In this direction we
II -. ~ >.