The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1879-08-22
Shall Our Railroad be Completed in
1SSOy

SHali Vuf railroad De completed III
1850!
From the very inception of our railroad en-
terprise its managers seem to have been i'm
pressed with the idea that its success depend
ed upon thorough development ofour local
resources and the judcious application of
these resources when rendered available.
Hence nothing was left undone to insure
thorough canvass Of the entire county likely
to be favorably affected by the road. An
equal degree ofcarc and perseverance has been
manifested in securing without cost the right
of way for the road from its initial point
at Baltimore city to its terminus at Delta.
In both these particulars we think the board
has been successful beyond the expectation
of our people. generally.
These elements of success having been Sc
cured, the board next addressed itself to the
letting of the grading and masonry on the
most advantageous terms. Possibly, not to
the btoest bidders, but at living rates to the
most reliable, the most trustworthy bidders.
As to their success in this particular, we have
yet to hear any one say they are paying too
much for the work As to the contractors
though it may yet I've too soon to lavish praise
upon them,we will say that thus far they have
proven themselves to be reliable mcn-men
who know their duty andarc willing to do it :;
who seem disposed to act honestly and fairly
with our people and who seem to have little
desire to resort to the tricks of the trade.
While the policy of the board has been to
gather up our local strength to the utmost
fraction, and give to this concentrated power
the right direction, no attempt has been made
to give to the enterprise undue degree of i'm
portancc in the eyes of the capitalists. Nor
has there yet been any effort made, SO far as
we are aware of, TO draw their special attcn-
ton to it, The policy of the board rather
seems to have been to mass our local strength
and place it where it could be rendered avail
able in drawing to itself capital and the atten-
ton of capitalists In all this there has been
no flourish of trumpets, no fictitious state
mcnts ofstrcngth, no forming of questionable
combinations with other roads, no grasping
at straws Nothing of this kind has been re-
sorted to. There has been only patient
plodding, pcrscvcring efforts to develop and
rightly direct our own resources
In all this the board has been well sustain.
ed by the people; and THUS far they have shown
II degree of enterprise and sclf-rcliancc of
which possibly they did not deem themselves
possessed. But no one has supposed from the
inception of the affair to the present time,
that the road could be completed without the
aid of outside parties; and the time will soon
come when their aid must be solicited. Ifthc
the road is to be completed next year. track
laying must commence at one or both ends of
the line not later than the middle of April
next. To have iron, crOss-tics, trcstlc and
bridge timber and rolling stock secured in
ample time, the board should have the guaran-
tee of tho necessary funds to purchase those
articles not later than the first of February
next.
If we mistake not il will be utterly impos-
siblc for the board to negotiate either tenn
porary or Il permanent loan till the greater
part of the grading of the road is completed
and paid for out Of the stock subscriptions.
The fact is, the board will have no security to
offer to money lenders for money to complete
and equip the road, except the graded road
itself with no contractors liens upon it.
This being the case, it is of the utmost i'm
portancc to the speedy success of the enter
prise that the outstanding subscriptions bo
paid up during The coming fall and carly Win
ter, in order that the contractors may be fur
nishcd the means to push forward their work
at more rapid rate. 1t is to the interest of
all concerned that the work be pushed ener-
gctically forward The shorter the time occu-
pied i'll building the road the less will be the
cost of engineering and superintcndcnce.--
The sooner, also, that the board is enabled to
purchase iron and other supplies, the lower
the price they WI have to pay for them.
1t cannot make much difference to the
subscriber whether he pays his subscription
this fall or next fall The chances of having
a completed road during the coming year is
worth making sacrifices, even to the borrow
ing of money to complete the payment ofsub-
scriptions, since by so doing the subscriber
merely shifts his obligation to the company to
some one else. One thing is positively Ger
tain, however, the board is powerlcss to Sc
cure financial aid from capitalists until they
virtually have graded road, clear of cncum-