The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1872-05-23
RAILROAD SUBSCRIPTION.

Company, by subscribing s'5,Oo0 to the
capital stock Of said company, and vote the
bon j. required Of our city. Had the vote
been taken ten days ago, we think it wonlt
not have carried, but the more the
matter is discussed and understood, the
moro our citizens seem inclined to vote the
bonds. There are some, however, who
think that the company would build the
road all the same whether the bonds are
voted or not, and that the bonds voted By the
county are sufficient, and that it Is an evil
dence Of bad faith on the part Of Eastern
men who are furnishing the money to build
the road, &C. Others seem haunted with
the astounding revelation that somebody Is
about to make big thing out Of these bonds.
The amount of local jealousy that that sort
of fear engenders in city of appropriation
j. fearful to contemplate, and in its differ
ent effects on those who have natural
leaning in that direction has its ludicrous
as well as tragic side
1t is true that the first contractors,
Messrs. Easton & Co., deemed the aid voted
by the County sufficient, but they long since
passed away and left the State largely in
debt, without making colossal fortune
money they put in and succumbed because
they could not get money to 60 on. Next
came Mr.. Hiram Barney from New York,
ms agent for Eastern capitalists, at the soil
citations Of Mr. Villas and others, and look
cd the ground over and said to the citizens
of the cities of Milwaukee, Shebovgan,
Manitowoc & Green Bay and intermediate
towns, eff you can pledge additional aid
from your respective localities, think \ cw
York capitalists can be induced to take
bold of your railroad enterprise and carry
it through" Among the amounts NAMED
was $4,000 for Sheboygan, $4,000 fol
Manitowoc, and 525, 600 from Two Rivers
All the business men Of these localities were
knowing to these facts. and either proms-
ed out-and-out at the time, or BIZ silence
which is almost as binding on men who
care for a commercial standing. The time
came to go to work at Sheboygan. The
fraction. rebelled at first but, as the mat
ter was discussed, better counsels prevailed,
and Ct the election there were only eleven
votes cast against the proposition in that
city. The company commenced work i'm
mediately as promised, and worked through
the winter laying fifteen miles of iron and
completing the major part of the grading tc
Milwaukee. This spring they purchased
5000 tons of iron to finish ironing the road
to Milwaukee which is now in transit tc
Sheboygan.
We see by the Two Rivers Chronicle OF
Tuesday, "That they could not he toe
quick in asking, and say they have but
one opinion there and that is ''that they
want the road and are willing to pay forit
This city is now asked to vote her $75,-
600 bonds, with the promise from Presi-
dent Villas to complete the road from Mil
vaukee to Two Rivers by the lst day of
November next. lie also frankly states
that he cannot induce them to furnish q
dollar to commence work this side
of Sheboygan until additional bonds
are voted, and that at each
and every time thus far, when
asking for money to keep its construction
progressing, the doleful sound hrs come ur
from the money vaults; "Will your PEG
PIE vote the bonds ?" and chat each time
he has had to assure them of our pightcC
faith. 1t now remains to be seen whether
all ,cisdom has really been concentrated in
this city for the last sixteen or eighteen
years. If we can point to glorious achieve.
mcnts in that time, then let It be recorded.
Our harbor will suggest itself. We answer.
yes, that is indeed sorious; but the out
side towns helped us generously. Yet we
will remember of hearing the same OBJ
lections raised-Taxes, taxes, taxes,
Well, we have survived that prospering all
the time as all viii admit The farmer
knows full well, that he got $3.50 more
per ton for hay here last season than thew
rsid IN Sheboygan, from the fact, that lar
ger 'sels could put on full load and get
ont at any time, and with any wind. but
this wns the foresight of but comparatively
few men in our midst aided by liberal
Congress. Will they help themselves now
sndkeep the niodges SO made by Mr.. Villas !?
Few men have so successfully stcmmed
astronscr current than he has encountered
In the last two ycars-the united opposition
OF the Northern Railroad Company. the
Milwaukee wheat ring, and other railroad
interests in this State, to say nothing of
slight sklrmishing in the rear from local
Jeaiousies at home, which, although not
heavy, are nevertheless very annoyinr
while working for the general welfare ofall.
Suicidal as It seems, vet it is not the first
time IN the history of Manitowoc that this
state OF things has prevailed. We could
nave had Western road sixteen wears AGO,
had 1t not been for these same causes
which Of itself, IL connection with the
eheooygan Road, would have brought the
northwestern through Sheboygan and our
city TO Green Bay, giving us 10000 or p,
oup inhabitants in place of the six thousand
we now have, had we had the benefit Of
railroad facilities that we should and could
bave had.
We now have another chance TO be nonnx
wise and pound foolish We believe il
If Tor the interest Of every man in our city
% vote the bonds-not only one class.
but all-the rich, the middle man
and, more especially the man w4o lets bis