The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1877-05-24
Home Correspondence.
coLumbus & MaYsYiIIe z. r.
HILLsBoRo, May 81, 1871.

Mr.. EDITOR Since my last communication,
much has transpired to encourage the proposed
effort for the construction of the above Railroad,
and in fact to assure its immediate completion, on
the assumption that the people along the line Of
the route will render that assistance, which their
best interests demand they should do.
1st. The corporators are assured to their entire
satisfaction that Maysville will and can complete,
beyond any dispute, the link in the line from that
city to Ripley, as soon as any solid assurance is
given from the Ohio corpOratOrs that the work
shall be commenced at Ripley, on fixed line to
HillsbOro.
3D. The books have been ordered to be opened,
as published in your journal, but the cOrporators
do not think it expedient to urge subscriptions
until after the 10Th inst, when the line through
Brown county will be determined and dxed, and
the only difficulty that has to be met istO reconcile
Ripley and Georgetown, and induce them TO unite
all their interests and to be placed c0 q common
trunk line, which would accommodate and link
together Ripley. Georgetown, HillsbOrO, Leesburgs
Greenfield, Washington c. II. & Columbus.
Sd. regard this uniOn as a fOregOne conclu-
sion for, acquainted with, the whole Of Brown
county and known to all the people as well as
am, and incapable, as hope they will believe me
to be, Of making any suggestion that is not well
considered and believed TO be for the best inter-
ests of oil concerned, I venture to say, first, that
there are no local advantages Of trade, travel or
facility of construction, which can COunterbalance
the consideration Of being united with the county
scat by a direct line; secondly, that there are
no conjectura local subscriptions which can posi-
bly, give the whole enterprise the same fixed, firm
credit as the union of Ripley an Georgetown;
thirdly, there is no preference in any one route
over another spoken of as passing through Brown
county, wIich can be demonstrated by any COM
prehensive common sense to be just, right or ex-
pedient, in comparison with the loss Of George
town from the main line; and fourthly, the route
through Georgetown will command more capital,
and is more certain Of completion than any other.
only ask that these suggestions be considered
in the same spirit in which they are made.
4th. The cOrpnratOrs, in a free conference, have
upproximnted to a conjectural division of the CAPT
tai stock s35O,OOO) among the counties follows
Highland, 100000; Brown, $4,000; Fayette,
$4,000.
There are in Highland about thirty-twO t32)
miles of road, and within two miles In depth on
each side Of this line Of road there are 92O acres
land could be levied, as for the construction Of
Free Turnpikes, the bed of the Railroad ready for
the iron, would not cost as much az the Turnpikes
did; but as this cannot be done, viii the people,
when the completion of the road is assured to
them, come forward and subscribe the money? l
hope they viii, and some suitable opportunity
will, by public notice. be given for meeting of all
the citizens interested before the day appointed
for the opening Of the books, In order that some
decision may be finally had and forthwith executed,
as to the completion of the fixed line of Railway,
that will be recommended by the cOrporatOrs, and
which win be made known before the day of the
meeting.
Ihave no new arguments-nO appeals to address
to the people, to encourage them to undertake the
completion of the project. The whole interests at
stake are fully appreciated and understood by our
intelligent population, and all will say is this -
that, forgetting all the past, and comprehending,
as any intelligent mind will at once comprehend,
that we have lost nothing by delay, let us now
embrace the opportunity and accomplish that
which would heretofore have cost US twice as
much, and not half so valuable.
9th. Some complaint has been made that our
cOrpOrators do nOtact with -su5eis isdisPatch. In
answer to this, I will say that our charter
Is not month old, and that already there is bona
file stock enough subscribed at Ripley to authorize
US to elect Board of Directors as soon as the law
will permit, and that besides this the Cincinnati
Eastern r. R. Co. have guaranteed to Ripley the
completion Of the road to HillsbOro, as soon as
north and south of the line of said road,
enough stock is subscribed to prepare the road bed
tor the iron. In word, the Ripley stock is not to
be used unless there is positive assurance Of the
completion of said road to IIillsboro VIII Highland
county throw away this guaranteed assurance by
nOn-actiOn and indifference, or will she stand still
and let the other counties fashion and shape the
policy of enterprise in which she has more in
terests at stake than any one of them? II unity
prevails, then there is no doubt of our ability to
finish the road through this county in less than q
year. But if the memories and prejudices Of the
past are to be aroused and nurtured by avarice,
stinginess and failures, or if there be any weak
ness or impracticability in the simple plan pro-
posed, propose that we quit at once and not sub
stitutc quarrel for a Railroad. Could have fixed
the amount OF stock in the charter I would not
have put it at s3sO,OOO hut others more expert
enced, think that amount is necessary, and there
fore by law the stock can not Ge collected, until
the whole amount is subscribed, we must frankly
aim for the obtention of our part or step out OF
the way of any other line, which may be proposed
from Maysville TO Columbus. 4 NGrrO,g Gauge
RaiilrGy 5 be constructed bssecH these two cities
under the influence of the present "tidal wave,
(as runs the popular expressiOn) and on the wave
can swim or under it sink, as our tastes may in
fiuence us Words are idle, and at the meeting tc
be called as previously mentioned, the fate Of the
enterprise can be fo-cshadOwed in a day.
JAS. II. THOMPSON.