The Leavenworth weekly times., 1878-02-21
dderklp Gimes
THE L.. L.. 81 G.. AND TEXAS.


Lawrence washed out last spring, and TO OPP
.rate; the road as previously, as continuous
line from Leayenworth to the south line of
The state. Tie Topeka Commonwealth. in
late issue, contains an exhaustive resume Of
the case the chartered rights and obligations
Of the road, ETC., TO show that IL is in default
and ought TO be compelled TO do what is de- /
from which II appea that the state
has a good case, regarded only from legal
point of view, against this road.
This may ali be true for augh: We know, 1
hut we suspect that the managers of the LII /
& c. railroad are afflicted with the average |
amount ofhuman selhshness in the matter OF
rnoney getting and that they would not have
abandoned that part of their line between
Leayenworth and Lawrence had they not
found ii very Improbable TO Operate IT. III
IL had been found profitable or even seif-sus-
tanning we suspect the cause of the present
action would never have existed. Indeed the
road would hardly have adoptet is p7eseht
course and subjected itself to the liability OF
long tedious and expensive litigation had IL
not deened that it found that part 10 De so
improbable that il deemed the costs OF pos
sible escape from IL at much cost ana NeAa
tlop the lesser of the two evils.
Now If the charter Goes provide for its con-
tinuous operation from Leavenworth 10 the
south line of the state, ii seems hardly iair 10
compel IL to live up 10 that obligation when
the other party, the State OF Kansas, through
the city of Leayenworth, has failed TO fuihii
its Implied part of the obligation and furnish
the business 10 pay expenses. 1t Is true thaI
I,eayeaworth and the state Of Kansas are mol
under charter obligations to do 50. but that
was an implied part of The contract, and il
IL we're fulfilled no cause of complaint wouid1
exist. Having failed to perform It's part oil
the obligation the State of Kansas has poor
case in ali moral aspects, however II may oe
in law. They want simply TO enjoy the
benefits at somebody else's expense. The
road is already in the hands OF a receiver De-
cause of trying to fulfill obligations with
peopie who did not fulfill theirs 10 it, And
IL ispossible that the co4rts may hesitate
under such circumstances TO add additional
burdens.
The Commonwealth while trying TO inform
the public and create proper public senti-
ment in the matter ought to present. the
moral as well as legal aspect of the case.
The least that can be said Of the foregoing
article from the Kansas City journal OF
yesterday morning is, that it is written in
very mean spirit. 1t does not contain an
iota Of truth except in the admission that
the road referred TO has failed TO live up to
the terms of its charter The attempt to
Justify this by the dirty filings which the
Journal makes at Leavenworth and her
business, is not only beneath respectable
journal, but proves palmer than any other
evidence that could be introduced the utter
groundlessness of the defense which is at
tempted to be made of the course which the
road is pursuing.
The L., L. & G.. is run in the interest OF
Kansas City, and the interests of the road
1e made secondary to the interests OF that
town, hence the statement that the portion
of the line from Lawrence TO Leavenworth
does not pay. 1t is run, and We believe
purposely, so as to make this section OF the
line improbable, and so as TO make it In
convenient and unreliable, in order to drive
the business of Leayenworth with Southern
Kansas around by way OF Kansas City, or
to destroy that trade altogether. 1t has
not been profitable because the road has
never, as a matter OF fact, been run to Leav-
euworth; il did, for time, run through
passenger coach TO this city, but 1t
has never, at any time, car
ried freight through from Leav-
enworth 10 the southern terminus o
the road, except by the car load-all
smaller lots being obliged to changc at
Lawrence, and sometimes at Ottawa, and
being subject to delays OF from one TO thirty
days Such conditions as these are not
calculated to foster and build up the busi-
ness of road, or bring to 1t paying traffic.
Yet notwithstanding all the disadvantages
to which the business men OF Leayenworth
have been subjected, they hold large and
valuable trade with Southern Kansas
trade that would be sufficient to afford any
road paying business, if run in business
like way, for the purpose OF accommodating
its patrons, and not for the purpose OF in
juring the trade of one town to build up
that OF another.
1t is conceded on all hands, even BY rival |
towns, that Leavenworth is now the manu-
featuring center of the Missouri Valley.
Taking the result of last years work by the
Kansas Manufacturing Company, reckoning
three hundred working days in the year,
and ten hours to the day, and We find that
one Of the matchless kansas Wagons"
such as took the first premium at the Cen
tennial, is turned out, complete, from the
company's shops, every thirty minutes. The
Great Western Company turns out stove,
ready for the market, every fUs minutes OF
the working year. The United States
Shoe Mandatory turns out pair
OF shoes every five minutes, while such
articles as furniture, sash and blinds, iron
bridges, soaps, patent medicines, brooms,
-four, matches, bags and steam engines, are
loads every day, to say nothing of the vast
quantities of coal which are shipped every
day from our mines to consumers in other
parts of the country. Leaving dealers in
out of the question altogether,
it will be apparent to everybody that the
work of carrying to market the articles
in this city would call for no
small amount of transportation; but as a
matter OF fact our wholesale merchants
10 as much business in the line
1f shipping as our manufacturing
and it must therefore be ap- {
parent that if road leading from this city
into one Of the richest, most populous and
most rapidly developing sections of the
tate, does not pay, the fault must be with
he road, and not with the town or coun-
~. The statement that the trade of Leav-
worth, with that portion of Kansas into
which the l., L. & G. road runs, will not
'ay that company for operating its road to
is simply false. The road
las never, in fact, been operated to Leayen- l
vorth, and the company doesn't know 1
'hether it would pay or not, but the
business men of Leavenworth know that If c
he l., l. & G. road were operated accord
ng to the terms of its charter, and the con-
itions upon which it accepted its land
rant from the state OF Kansas, that portion n
4 the road from Leayenworth to Lawrence n
Tould pay as well as any other part of the y
inc. 9
MIR. PLUMB,S LETTER.