The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1872-11-22
snopoann RATLRoAp voEn.
something Every voter should Read


livery Voter Should Read
Since the passage of the Boesel
railroad law, April %, 1872, an ag-
gregate of over s2,OOO,O 900 have been
voted by different municipalities in
the State for railroad purposes. The
heaviest issues, as stated by the Co
lumbus special correspondent OF the
Cincinnati Commercial, have been
Scioto county, 100000; city OF
Columbus, 100000; Marietta, $780,
900; city of GAINESVILLE, 100000;
Norwalk, 100000. Besides these a
large number of townships on the
lines of projected roads have voted
to build such roads within their own
boundaries.
Fremont and vicinity is now asked |
to lend its aid to build an east and
west line through Sandusky town
ship. The amounts asked for is not
large, considering the amount OF
benefit to be derived, even if no re-
turn were ever made directly upon
the investment. But experience has
shown that an investment in an east
and west line is a paying one, as in
the c. & T. Road, which, had it
been held, would have been a con-
slant source ofrevenue tothe county;
and the present proposition, we have
no doubt, win prove equally as safe
and profitable as that one, and can
either be made source of revenue
to the township,or realized upon in a
few years, so as to secure the town
ship and repay the interest which in
the meanwhile has been advanced.
The city and township will have Sc
cured a line of immense advantage
and the improvement in property
will be SO to speak a clear gain, as
well as the increase of population.
But there is anothor consideration
which we desire to urge upon the
taxpayers, as one which is impor-
tsnt and directly to their advantage,
and that is the large increase of tax
able property which will be added to
the tax duplicate, by the building of
an additional line of railway. This
is an immense item, and to show how
it has affected other localities we
give the following: Norwalk, in
1851. had a taxable valuation, real
and personal, of $4,000. In 1871,
her taxable property amounted to
$3.017, ,000-an increase of over $1O0-
600 per year, or over 81 times as
much as 1ohen the railroad began to
be built through there This was the
legitimate result of a generous in
vestment, and it does not stand alone.
New London. Haron county, on
the line of the G. C. d. c. R. R., is
another notable example ofthe effect
produced upon towns by the build
ing Of railroads. In 1851, its tax
able property amounted to only $244-
600, in 1871 it amounted to $l,O73,-
00O-4t times more than when the
railroad began to be built, or an in
crease per year, of her taxable pro-
perty, of over $4,000. These are
only several instances given to show
the effect produced by given cause,
but could be multiplied indefinitely,
and in each instance would show an
immense increase in the local wealth
of those places WEIGH have had the
enterprise and spirit to secure rail
road advantages.
If we take our own city and town
ship we find a marked result-onei
that should satisfy every votei with
the Importance of voting RAILROAD,
Yes in the coming election. Look
at it:
In 1850 the taxable valuation of
the city and township together only |
reached $46S,76O What is it TO-
day? This
City taxable valuation, SI,7O6,955 |
Township taxable valuation, 697,8O7 |
Total, s2,4O4762
FiOe times greater than IN 1850. |
Nor is this all. To this is to be ad-
ded the railroad valuation, in order
to get at the correct figures. The
total will then stand thus:
Taxable valuation of city and town
ship, S2,4O4, ,762
Railroad valuation in city, l6l,l77
Railroad valuation in township, l54, SAB
Total, s2,72O6S2
Which increases the sum total to
almost sac times aohdt it aOaS in 1850.
There is no mistaking these figures.
If you doubt, examine the matter
and see. What then has been the
average annual increase. Deducting
the $469, 760 valuation of 1850 and
we have a net increase of So, ESQ.
822, an average yearly increase of
over $l05,000, or nearly 500 per
cent. and % II per cent. yearly aver
age. Figures do not lie, especially
such plain ones; and at least four
ifths of this increase is directly
5raceable to the railroad advantages
We enjoy. The railroads alone hav-