The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1872-12-20
The committee ON railroad. made

The committee on railroads made
the following report:
Your committee, to whom was
referred the duty of determining .
system of additional lines and
branches of railroads for Western
Kansas, would respectfully offer the
following:
WHEREAS, The western half of
Kansas, embracing q territory larger
than many Eastern States, intersect-
ed BIZ fertile valleys, and possessing
a soil capable of profitable cultiva-
ton, is far removed from naVigable
streams, with no natural outlet for
its products, and must therefore re-
main practically q desert unless
facilities for its transportation be
provided for Its people, and
WHEREAs, The settlers who are
braVeIy pushing westward are poor,
and must so remain while struggling
to make for themselves homes on
the frontier, and are utterly unable
to assist in the construction of lines
Of railway; therefore
ResOlred, That this convention
would respectfully recommend that
the Congress of the United States
set apart the odd numbered sections
tons of the public land not yet sold
or otherwise disposed of, within
the State of Kansas, to be entered
under the existing presumption
laws at not more than Sl.25 pei
acre, and that one-half of the reYe-
nue. derived from the various
sources arising from the disposal Of
all public lands within said State
shall be appropriated pro rata a
Congress may direct to aid in the
construction of the following line
of railroads:
Fret. The MarysyilIe, Washing.
ton and Denver railroad, from
Marysvilie, In Marshall county
through the northern tier Of coun.
ties, 10 the western line of Kansas
IN the direction of Denver, Colo.
RADIO.
Second. A railroad commencins
at the point where the southern line
of the State crosses the Arkansai
river, thence up the valley of the
Arkansas to Wichita, thence by the
most practicable route to the moRtt
of the Solomon river, thence up thu
Solomon valley to the west limo o
Kansas, in the direction of Denver
Colorado; said railroad to be par
of = continuous line extending
southwark along the Arkansas rive
to a connection with the HI. K. & T
railroad. 1d.a
| Third. The Leavenworth, Man
haitian and Western railroad, from
the east line of Pottawattomit
county through Pottawattomie, Ri
: ley, Clay, Ottawa, Lincoln, Mitch
ell, Osborne, Rocks and Graham
counties, to the western line O
Kansas.
Fourth. A railroad commencin:
at Independence Montgomery coun
ty, and running westward througl
the center of Howard and Cowle,
counties to Oxford, in Sumne
county, and thence to the poin
where the A. T. j. s. +. railroa,
strikes the western line of tn
State.
; Fifth. For an extension of tn
NJ. i. s. T. railroad, commencing a
Council Grove and running throug
Morris county to Abilene, in Dick
inson county, thence to Solomo
City and up the Solomon valley t
the west line of the state.
, Sixth. A railroad commencing a
Washington, in Washington county
and running through Cloud, Otta
wa, Lincoln, Ellsworth aud Bsrto
counties to the "great bend" in tn
Arkansas river.
Seventh. For the extension of
F branch of the NJ. Il. s T. rallroa
from Parsons, by the most practice
BILE route, through the southern paE
of Wilson county, via New Albany
the northern part of Howard coun
ty, via Howard City, through Sede
wick county, via Wichita, thence u
the Arkansas valley to Hutchinson
Atlanta and Ellsworth.
ReSOLred, That we recommend i
each case where two or more of tn
above projected lines of railwa
pass in part over tho same route
that the company reaching said poiu
} of their projected line first, be er
titled 10 all government aid apprC
priated for the building of said pal
of their general line.