Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1877-04-19
DlSAGREEABLE FACTS.

ANY man who has the courage to tell ;
the truth, no matter whom it may affect
unplcasantly, nor how generally disagree
able it may be, is likely to have enemies
enough whether he has any friends or
not. but there is 0 siubbornnesS about q |
1xct which reasonable men cannot alway: !
resist, aud il will secure recognition soon |
er or later. /, Is now we'll known, and
to some extent admitted, that Austin has |
made several cSregious blundcrs in her
management Of railroad enterprises. She
treated con,emp,uoasiy tle proposition OF
the Southern Minnesota Railway Com
pauy, and in one sense compelled the
location Of that route outside Of our linn
lis. That act has resulted III sending else
where trade to the amount OF not less
than 100000 every year since the road
vas built, and that is not all. 1t served
to generate business antagonism between
this point and all others along that line
which suffer from the unfortunate Local
,ion. It's effect has been the establish
ment Of an unjust discrimination against
all our interests, SO far as possible, aid
such must continue to be the case as long
A. we hold to The old policy Of the city
mo aid to railyoads.'
There was time when the Is. Z. II. y
N. pcople were anxious to build their line
to our city, but all their approaches ana
attempts at negotiation were met with
GOODNESS, if not with actual indifference
and they drew of their trains and have
recently perfected arrangements whereby
they are to extend their line north, via,
Albert Lea and Wascca. An effort wa:
made not long since to construct road
from ,E2hasha to this place, and thus con
meet US directly by competing route
with the Lake Superior pine region, but
our people gave the project no encourage
nent, and it was abandoned. Now that
Territory il TO be made tributary to an
other line, the effect Of which will be (
isolate us more and more,-to taEc away
our trade and to diminish the value Q
our investments. The Milwaukee & St
Paul Company is our sole dependence
and We are at their mercy. All the whoa
marketed here MCsT 60 cast on their road
and all the freight consigned to this poin
must conc to Us on the Saline line. W.
have no competition in the carrying trade
and hence We are the legitimate prey 0
q monopoly. 1t costs our merchants i
cents more per 100 pounds to bring trc!sla
from Chicago than it does those at s.
Paul 10 get it there, although they arc 10
miles farther than we from the loading
point; bnt this is not all. Other cite
adjacent to US that have choice Of route
and therefore facilities for cheap treigh
ing can pay higher prices for produce
and sell goods at lower prices than W
can, hence we not only lose our prcstig
as marketing point, but we suffer COZ
respondingly in the diminution Of on
trade. There is one more avenue tlroug
which We may go, if we will. The l
linois Central Railroad Comparison
Of the most powerful Of any in the we:
runs its cars within IL miles nf Aus,i,
and there they stop. With proper ercou
agement from us, That road may be G!
tended not only to this city, but to Ran
scy, on the Southern Minnesota, -thu
-afford,ng us practically choice Of thrc
opposing lines. This connection wit
Mona is the "last chance" and if we Il
not take it, we never need hope to adj
anything either to the number Of our POI
ulation or the extent Of orr wealth. Fc
low citizens, what will you do? No
IS the time to decide, and upon the cha
ac.er Of your decision depends the futul
condition Of our city.