The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1881-01-14
nAIIRnAn sPEcnLATInNs.


of the new railroad between I
his city and Ottawa, the people who are
asked to tax themselves to the amount Of
three thousand dollars q mile should
have fair and truthful representation Of
the benefit they are 10 derive from their
outlay. The city Of Emporia and en-
vironment also being directly interested,
her citizens should inform themselves as
to the prospective advantages such q
road will give them, and the interests of
the people all along the line should be
nsde 10 harmonic. 1t therefore remains
for us to simply satisfy ourselves
whether the proposed railroad furnishes
the requisite advantages to all sections
to give 1t a hearty support. Let us then
for q moment consider the desires of
jackson Township and Emporia- Jack
son, or rather portion of it. wants an
outlet TO the east, the northern and south
western portions of the township want
competition also, as their people can use
the Santa Fe at Reading or Barclay, or
the Kansas s. Texas at Neosho Rapids
station or Hartford. EmpOria and con-
tributing territory wants competition for
her carrying trade, or what will answer
the same purpose. home market. A
competing road will furnish the frat,
and manufactures or railroad machine
shops will supply the equivalent
Are these conditions or any of them |
met by the proposition submitted by the |
new company 10 the people of Jackson |
township, and If 30, is the cost reason
able! The first part Of this proposition
is partially admitted a. railroad, and
a. an outlet to the east is contemplated
and . depot is to be established at or near
Neosho Rapids that factor of the
scheme may be conceded as far as .
portion of the township Is concerned.
When we consider, however, that the
i present company does not propose to
operate the road, but simply build it as
q speculation, intending to sell the road
bed and franchise to the highest bidder,
to act in degree simply as the middle
man or broker, expecting a profit on
both transactions, is not three thousand
dollars a mile quite large commission
to pay, especially as the operating CON-
pany will also have TO pay for the road
bed and are expected to pay a profit also.
This corporation is, as understand it,
simply q company of constructiOn-the
wheel within the wheel. Some years
ago they called a similar company,
the Credit Mobilier, and 1 believe its
! / IL
Personally, am very little interested
in the matter and write this article sim
ply to furnish the presumptive status of
the case as near as lam able, merely ask
| ing the question, If this is the best the
people of that part of jackson township
: which has no convenient outlet can do
for themselves?
Now, as to the interests of those por-
: tions of Jackson township which can
e use the A. T. s. 8. F. at Reading or the
Kansas s. Texas at Neosho Rapids sta
ton, together with Emporia which
wants competition, we must look at the
s scheme from another point of view to
n satisfy ourselves as to its worth or worth
o. lessnesS.
Cunceding the fact as business pro-
position that this franchise and construc
:, gram merely as a matter of finance fol
themselves, and will sell the new road
a or the franchise of such road TO the high
s est responsible bidder, as they have an
q undeniable right to do, it remains for us
merely to find out, in our judgment, the
railroad company most interested in this
It matter to find the probable purchaser OF
the concern.
Such q corporation claim the SAINTS
| N l.. 10 onlr
= Emporia to Kansas City, as has been
- conceded for some time, and CONTROL
q ing the road from Ottawa to that city
about half the distance, il is reasonable
2 to infer that il is to the interest OF tina
n company to own and operate the new
road. Especially is this the case when WI
'c consider that by so doing the company
q not only shortens its through line by TWEEN
lie ty-five miles, and saves the building o
q about seventy-tive miles of road, but tina
it practically prevents any competing
ID line from reaching here. Time AMI
space prevent me from more than mere
n ly outlining this idea, and you must FOL
low up the threads of the argument 70
yourselves.
Of So much, then, for the argument, tina
Of the proposed road will be competing
. line. Now, for the back ground o
!. this picture which infers the ide
IL of home market. 1t is assert
h ed in answer to the position take
that the Santa Fe will operate the roat
-, under contemplation, that even admit
= ting for the sake of argument, that on
u theory should prove true (Which is dt
It uied), the friends of this plan affirm tina
te the Santa Fe will be compelled, by tn
y, necessities of the situation, TO locate tn
" general repair shops of the road at thi
Is place, Emporia being lwhen the neN
IN road is completely, at the end of fou
in divisions, the shops will have to com
h here. / am willing to admit that woul
be an object well worth striving for, as
would add largely to our population
and if it should be true, would be il
b. clined to favor the Santa Fe operatin
IN the proposed line. But when we refeC
,s- that the Santa Fe and the Leavenwortl
N Lawrence and Southwestern are praC
No tically under the same management, 20
of will see the necessity of locating th
ar. general repair shops at some point a.
d cessible to both lines, and l understan
ed that the Santa Fe are already preparin
Nv to remove them, having this end /
n. view from Topeka to Kansas Cit!
NO and l see by q recent number of tn
nj Kansas CITY journal, that the Santa
have Just purchased nearly quartz
nh section of land in one of the suburbs
dc Kansas City for that purpose. 1t
"a therefore for the people to say whetht
Id in view of all the facts and probable col
nr tingencies, it would not be wise mea
Ise ure to vote down the proposed propos
of ton which learn has been withdraw
ed for amendment, but which will be SOC
m. re-submitted for the reason that it
ne not likely to result in a competin
'es line being built, engineered (
ct it is by Santa Fe men an
al that we get neither competitic
nor machine shops and that we praci
er. cally bar the way for any competir
IA line in the future. It is further reportt
az that there is a contract in existence an
IL in force between the Santa Fe and Il
iii Gould interest which prevents eth
ne road from building the proposed roi
ed themselves, but does not prevent sal
of roads or either of them from buying
NO leasing roads already constructed,
nd that all this people have to do is to de
of with line like the e. q A. or the G.
l. s. P. to get what we want.
,Iv CITIZEN.
NC Bernhard attended select minstr