Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1875-07-29
True ENrERpRIsE.


out our county prove that We were not
mistaken in our ideas of the results of the
system Of turnpike roads adopted in oul
] county, when we wrote and published the
! following editorial in the HERALD OF ths
: 10th Of December, 1866:
/ "In the enterprise Of making free turn.
/ pike roads under the law of last winter
| Payette county is foremost in this work
! that will add more to her credit, and her
wealth than any other improvement that
our enterprising people can make with the
same expenditure of money. and we are
/ happy to see such unanimity among the
| property owners Of the county, such a viii.
! lingness to join hands in the accomplish
ment of one enterprise that speaks SO we'll
! for the intelligence, and the true spirit OF
progression of our property owners
The result Of the completion Of these
roads, will be to give our farmers the ad-
vantage of marketing their produce over
good roads at any season Of the year, and
of bringing into our county good class oi
citizens, a class that would hardly be
willing to locate in a neighborhoOd where
they were under blockade of mud for six
or eight months out of every twelve, from
their place of market. Our farmers have
felt the inconvenience of this muddy block
ade long enough, and with q spirit that
speaks volumes in their favor, have de-
termined to apply their means to the con-
struction of good gravelsd free turnpike
roads. They have the means and enter
prise to do it, and no croaking old foggy-
ism can convince intelligent men that it is
unnecessary, that the undertaking is too
progressive, that it is injudicioUs, or that
it is not within the power of the people to
make the roads; by their petitions to oul
county Commissioners, they have said that
these roads are necessary, and that they
are willing that their property shall be
taxed to make them; they have taken the
matter into their own hands under the law
and they need no old foggy FOR guardian
to tell them what Is their duty on this
question, or whether they can spare the
means necessary to build the pixies in cOns
temptation in this county. Their meaus
are their own, and they have an undOubte
right to employ them in the building of
free turnpikes if they choose SO to do and
every good citizen should be proud of the
spirit Of enterprise that has prompted our
farmers to this noble work of making good
roads through our county. We feel proud
of our county, proud to say that our citi-
zens are foremost in the State in an enter
prise of this high character"
As the result of the completion Of these
roads, our town, to-day, comprises, We
think we may safely say, treble the pop
ulatiOn it did at the date when the above
article was written. It's wealth and busi.
ness has more than Doubled since that
time, and to-day we see more permanent
improvements springing up in all parts of
town than ever before in one year. A
| great many costly and elegant residences
are looming up in all parts of town. They
are beng built, too, by men who are mo-
dependent upon bank accommodations in
order to prosecute their Improvements.
All the prosperity in our town is the re.
suit of the system adopted by the wisdom
and forethought Of the citizens of oul
county. But the improvements are not
confined to the county town, for the same
spirit and the same energy is visible al
over the county. Our farmers are not in
any respect behind their neighbOrs in en-.
eregy and improvement, as their farms
fully warrant US in saying.
But so far as the improvements in Oul
town are concerned, the question is, can
we continue a great while in our present
condition of rapid growth? That depends
upon circumstances. Without something
more than the agricultural interest to
contribute to our growth, we will come to
a halt before great while. We may
reach population of perhaps five or six
thousand inhabitan IS; that will be our ex-
tent unless we add something more to our
place to induce investments in maAufactur-
| ing institutions. We must, in addition to
our splendid turnpikes build railroads, by
which we may be enabled to bring fuel
and material here. and thus induce capi.
talists to locate here and build manufactor.
les. This will bring an increase of pOpu.
lation and business, but without this, we
shall, before great while, become a fin
iShed town. That is the destiny of al
towns that depend solely upon the agri
cultural interests that Immediately sur
round them for their business and groWt tn
for when they have the mechanics anC
business houses necessary to supply tha
demand, they must come to stand-still
and that will be our fate. unless as W
have said, manufacturing establishment
are erected in our town; and there is n
use of talking about our having a pOpula
ton of 10000 or 10000 in remarkabl
5 short time. 1t is not to be done, or q
least it is not amsng the probabilities
5 Our town, however, is fine, vigorous
growing place, and we hope to see it pro:
S per, and by means of the railroads pre-
posed to be built through it, become
beautiful little manufacturing city.