The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1871-06-09
THE RAILROAD MEETING:-The

held last wednesday lllSht ut NlCh-
obs Hall. The Cornet Band began
to play at Z! o'clock and a very
large number of our citizens assem-
blcd. Hon. W. D. Anderson was
called to the Chair and explained the
object of the meeting to be to take
into consideration the righteousness
of the city subscribing, by issuing
bonds, a large amount, to the two
Roads projected from this point, the
Marietta & North Georgia Railroad
and the Marietta & Western Rail
road. 1t was to get the sense of the
citizens as to whether they were
willing to authorize the City to call
an election to vote on this matter,
taxation or no taxation.
Mr.. James r. Brown, Vice Presi-
dent of the Marietta & N. G. Rail
foad, was called upon and addressed
the meeting in an able, intelligent and
practical manner, urging upon the
citizens their duty in this all impor-
tant matter, and depicting very SEN
sibly and truthfully the damaging
consequences, failure to secure the
Marietta & North Georgia Railroad,
Fundamentally be precipitated up
on.fIfis community. He said the
people over in his section were de-
termined to have Road, that they
had been cut off from mankind and
the commercial world long enough,
and that if Marietta would not co
operate with them, other places and
men would. He further said there
was a movement ON foot to run a
Road from Gainesville up the Eto-
wah to Canton and further on, and
with another road from the same
place via Roswell to Atlanta, with a
chance of the Western Railroad run
ming from Atlanta via Powder
Springs and Smyrna, on by Dallas
to the Alabama line he would like to
know what kind of a place Marietta
would be under those disadvantage
eous circumstances
Why, we will tell you. Marietta
would soon be little way station,
without Importance or thrift, like an
island cut off from communication
with the commercial world, like a
parched and dried up piece of land
that had been ditched and drained
of its vitalizing substance, and thus
with its trade cut off and diverted,
its very life blood sucked out, it
would dwindle down into an insig-
nifcant. nothing. Then what will
your property be worth ? Who will
care to live here then? If these
railroads are not obtained, there
will be more closed doors, deserted
houses, than will ever will find bust
men to open and occupy.]
DIR. George Cleland introduced a
resolution, that the sum Of $4,000
be subscribed by the city to these
two Roads-$25, 900 to each-and
that the city council call an election
and submit the question to the voters
of the city.
Tho motion was seconded, when
Mr.. Mansfield broke silence and
made a lengthy speech opposing
the construction of the roads by tax
alton, stating that he was not willing
to have his property voted away to
any enterprise by irresponsible par
ties who own no property, in other
words, mechanics, laboring men, and
poor men, you who earn your bread
by the sweat of your brows, he was
in favor of disf1a'acAiS5ng you be-
cause your Creator has seen proper
in the "etemal fitness of things" in
the dispensation of human affairs, to
divide the things of this world un-
equal, because you were not bonn q
prince instead of a peasant, rich in
stead of poor, he would deprive you
of voice, a vote, in matters that you
are interested in, matters that con-
Germ you, as much as any one; when
in fact you pay as much tax as the
rich man-you pay tax upon every
pound of flour, meal, sugar, coffee,
meat salt, iron, hoe, plow, leather,
and every other article you buy, yet
they say you pay no taxes and
should not vote on this question:
When a political Office is wanted, the
oppositionists will not deny your right
to vote then, they want you to vote
them into power then and increase
their wealth. Mechanics and labor
ing men, when this question is sub
mitted to a city vote, rise in the Dig
nifty Of your strength and assert your
manhood, by voting for a city subs
scription to build this railroad, that
you may find profitable employment.
Mr.. Henry G. Cole conceded with
the oppositionists, the man who asked
you to help elect him to Congress
not long since. He said he was
willing to give ten thousand dollars
to the enterprise but he was not will
ing to give one dollar by taxation
which all sounded very nice in {
crowded room, but let Mr.. Cole car