The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1875-01-28

mitted to the people along the lii
of the road. The meeting then a
: iourned till the afternoon.
On reassembling, the Committe
presented the following
, WRITTEN PROPOSITION FROM MR. GIBBS,
To the COMMITTEE appointed By I'll
Board Of Trade, Of Columbus, O
9 January 14th, 1875, to confer aoit
The officers t'the Michigan d OH
RGiIaoag Company, and receive
proposition from them for buiId
ing their raiI,cGy doao'a the Sciot
Valley, from Columbus to Ports
mouth.
The Michigan & Ohio Railway Co
have the means already provided fol
building and equipping that division
If its line between Columbus anC
Portsmouth, and will commence anc
carry to completion that portion o.
it's line named, upon the following
conditions being complied with by
the citizens of the Scioto Valley:
They (the citizens) to secure to
said company the sum of five thou
sand dollars per mile, payable when
the steel rails are laid on said road
between the points named, and the
road is open for business; the right
of way to be secured free of expense
to said company; the road to be
built and in operation within two
years from date of securing to said
company the above named donation
and right of way, said donation be-
ing payable. upon completion of one
track of steel rails.
JAMES S. GIBBS,
President of the Michigan & Ohio
Railway Company.
Mr.. James Emmitt, from Pike
county, said he was in favor of the
road, and realized its advantages to
the Scioto Valley; but himself and
others in Pike had pledged them
selves for subscription to the narrow
gauge road to cross the county east
and west, and the $4,000 per mile
asked for the Nj. & o. Railroad Com
pany could not be raised in his coun-
ty. He believed the right of way
could be given, and intimated his
willingness to pledge it.
Mr.. John Gross, of Pickaway, fol-
lowed in about the same strain. Re
marks were made by other gentle
men to the effect that in considera-
ton of the cost of the right of way
in the Scioto Valley as compared
with Michigan, where lands were
much cheaper, the amount of cash
donations per mile was too much.
Mr.. Emmitt then asked Mr.. Gibbs
to reconsider his proposition and if
possible, make more favorable offer.
Mr.. Gibbs replied that he was not
then to make another offer,
and would have to consult with his
company before doing so.
On motion of Mr.. Hutchins, the
matter was referred to the Columbus
Board of Trade, with authority to
confer with Mr.. Gibbs and the sever
al counties, by correspondence or
other means, as to what future action
should be taken, when the meeting
A large and spirited meeting was
held in Portsmouth on the 18th, at
which President Gibbs was present,
and addressed the people, and also
read the proposition submitted by
him at the Columbus meeting. After
a full and free discussion, on motion
of Col. Warner, it was unanimously
resolved that the proposition be ac-
cepted by the people of Scioto coun-
ty, and committees were appointed
to solicit subscriptions and right of
way.
From Portsmouth Mr.. Gibbs went
to Waverly and Chillicothe, and we
give below special dispatch to the
Cincinnati Commercial:
CH1LL1coTHE, January 21.-Presi-
dent Gibbs, of the Michigan & Ohio
Railroad, arrived in this city to-day,
and a meeting of prominent business
men was called to meet at the EN-
mitt House at 2 o'clock P. NJ. The
meeting was well attended by the
leading business and moneyed men
from both town and country. The
following resolution, which was
passed unanimously, will show the
sense of the meeting:
'Resolved, as expressive of the
views of the meeting, That we pro
nounce ourselves in favor of accept
ing the proposition of the Michigan
& Ohio Road, as expressed in the
letter of President Gibbs to the
meeting at Columbus and repeated
here, and we will endeavor to raise
the quota under said proposition
which will be assessed to Ross
county"
The meeting also appointed a
committee of five, who are given
power to call a meeting at which
soliciting commissioners are to be
appointed and arrangements made
for securing the right of way.
The Committee appointed as above,
have called upon the people of the
county, to meet in Chillicothe on
next Monday, Feb. I'd, to take such
further action as may be deemed