The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1880-12-23
OUR RAILROAD INTERESTS.
The Topeka, SaIins & Western.

No locality has been more affected
by the Entertainments of what il
known as the "GOuld Railroad sys
tenn" than Salina and Saline county
The trade and prospects of the tow
and the interests of the farming com
munity have been SO disturbed as tc
unite all in the cry for relief Just
how to gain that relief is something Of
a problem, but We believe that all will
take hold of any railroad project
which will give US the competition de-
sired. The only thing remaining is
TO look into the responsibility and
consider the backing" of those who
desire our bonds and in return propose
tn come like the Greeks bearing gifts.
We believe that every part Of Saline
county is sufficiently interested i'm pro-
curing a competing line of railroad as
to be willing to come forward and
help vote aid, provided the response
bility of the parties asking it is estab-
lished. A competing line of railroad
reaching Salina would cast its benifi-
cent rays alike upon every section of
Saline cOunty's land. 1t would make
a market for the farmers grain and
produce at the prices he is justly en-
titled to whether he lived in the ex-
IRENE northern, southern, eastern or
western part OF the county. If he
lived near Brookville, Bavaria, ASA
ria, New Cambria, Solomon City, or
near any other place within our cOun-
ty limits where there are buyers of
these articles, and where his natural
market is. he too would he benefited;
for Salinas prices given by Compel
ing line would compel the Kansas
Pacific to give as good prices, i'm order
to hold its trade at these various points.
Hence there can be no division of the
people i'm railroad matters on account
of locality. With such a spirit upper
most i'm all our thoughts and control
ling our acts we may be able to get
the relief so much need by all, wheth-
er tOwnsman or farmer.
At thepresent time there is project
on foot to construct railroad from
Leavenworth by way Of Topeka and
Council Grove TO Salina. 1t is pro-
posed as an independent line-one
which shall be i'm the hands of those
who are emphatically opposed to the
Gould system and determined that
that Railroad magnate shall never
have an interest i'm it. IL is seemingly
backed by prominent capitalists of
Leavenworth and Topeka. and in the
counties east of here is receiving the
encouragement and enthusiastic sup
port of all At Topeka last Saturday
evening, a railroad meeting was held
and participated in by leading capital
lists and influential business men of
the city, and il was agreed by those |
present that three proposed routes |
centering there should havealI the pub
lie and private aid that they could
command. They all joined i'm the con-
demnation of the Gould system and
the pooling business. The routes
named were those from Leavenworth, |
Ottawa and Salina. 1t is proposed
that the bonds voted shall be in the |
nature of stock taken i'm the route, and /
thus the counties may become inter-
ested as large stock holders. 1t is the
purpose, we believe, to have the road
operated by the Chicago & Rock
Island until it is definitely determined
into whose hands it is best for all
concerned that the operation of the
road should be thrown. The initiatOry
steps for its construction are well
along. Two surveying parties, one
from Salina and the other from TOpe-
ka, are approaching each other. The
Salina party will reach Council Grove
by Christmas, reporting the route thus
far as very feasible. The Topeka party
are several miles out, under the direc-
ton of an old and experienced engineer.
Petitions are i'm readiness for sigma
lures in Lincoln county and an cleo
ton is 10 he held in February to deter
mine whether or no aid shall be voted |
to extend the road from Salina to Lin
coin Center. Thus We have given 10
the readers all we know about the |
matter and the responsibility of the
"backers."
That there is strong belief in the |
backing" of this project is proven by |
the fact that the Kansas City business
people are much exercised over it.
They evidently want to control the
same territory. We publish the fol-
lowing extract from the Kansas City
Journal of the 18th inst:
The announcement i'm the Journal
yesterday morning of the proposition \
of the Rock Island road To cross the
Missouri river at Leavenworth, and |
build line to Salina, by way of Tope-
ka and Council Grove, caused consid-
cradle talk on the streets. If the prop |
osition has really been made, and |
there seems no reason To dispute that it |
has. ii looks like a tangible matter Of |
business, and another of Mr.. Jay |
W
tition of other roads at Kansas City. |
1t doubtless proceeds from him |
as the moving spirit of all the propo-
sitions that effect the Gould roads in |
the West. He is known TO be a large |
stock holder i'm the Rock Island, and
To have sufficient influence in the
board of directors TO dictate its general
policy. He and two of his friends and |
coa,ijuators, David BOWS and Sidney |
Dillon, are directors of the company,
having been elected TO those positions
on the second of June last.
The friends OF the Lcavenworth
route claim that the Kansas City peo-
pie are doing all in their power TO kill
their project and substitute another in
its place, and that the information
published TO the world i'm the above
extract is but one of the "bugbears"
used by which they hope TO destroy
confidence in the Leavenworth line.
They go SO far as To claim that the
Kansas City men will spend money
without limit 10 defeat this line. 1t
is barely possible that the Kansas
City folks may como along with a sim
liar proposition to the one spoken OF,
with Kansas City instead of a Leav-
enworth terminus Meanwhile it
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