Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1882-08-26
THE FORT SCOTT, ST. LOUIS &, CHI
OAGO RAILROAD.

LII lOh1 MI 0VOA1
> OAGO RAILROAD.
Elsewhere 10 this issue We print thu
account oil a meeting held at the court
house. last Monday. to consider .
proposition made by Col. B.. j. Water:
to build his projected railway, the For
Scott, st. Louis s Chicago railroad
from Odessa to this city. Col. Water!
offers to extend his road to this place ,
the citizens Interested will give him thu
right-ot-way over the old L., l.. & G,
railroad, and subscribe $35, 900 in money
to the capital stock of the road. This
will give Lexington. Odessa and Laiay.
cite county the long.wished tor south.
western connection, by way of Fort
Scott, with the entire Texas and south.
ern trans continental railway systems.
The importance of such q connection
cannot be over-estimated. Texas is in
itself an empire, and the railroads
clustering about Dennison. radiating in
every direction. north, south, east and
west, render it the most desirable one to
be attained anywhere. IN the west,
consequently once placed in direct con-
tact with 1t, and Lexington will be GER
tam to secure at no very distant day a
bridge and a road IRON the northeast.
I'VE want this road for many reasons,
not the least OF which is to further
4 extend and develop our. coal interests,
which are now practically under the
control Of me man. H.
Lexington wal not SLOW to see the
advantage which would ensue from
having the Missouri Pacific . continu.
Gus vide gauge, from sedalIa 70 Kansas
City, and she promptly aud literally did
what was asked of her to secure the
change. Now a very much more
advantageous project is offered to her,
and on reasonable and attainable
terms. The question is, will she avail
herself OF the opportunity? Who can
doubt i! With the two millions OF
dollars worth of ps operty which is inter-
ested in securing,thi his road, it would be
Jolly amounting to madness, were its
owners sc blind to their own int erests
as to fail to. do what is required OF
them. -.
There is no doubt that Col. Waters can
build the road five do what he asks.
1t he did not have . cent or q single
hacker he could do 1t; because from
here to Odessa there is work enough
now upon which to raise SUD Gent
funds to do what remains TO be done.
For this work the people OF Lexington
and Washingtoa.tOvnships voted. only
last Saturday, 10 pay some $40 900,
and It may safely be said that the road
bed is worth Go 2-3 per, cent. Of what
it would take to- build it to-day. So
that there is no sort ot danger that it
will not be completed If Col. Waters
terms are met. ~
: 1t may be said that in view OF these
facts hesasks too much. but 1t must be
borne In mind that he had nothing to do
with the first construction, and only now
asks the very least sum that his associ.
ates are willing to take to enter upon
the enterprise. - It is the best that we
dan do, and as his road will certainly
occupy the'field from Odessa south we
must accept the terms, or forego the
road Ter some time, if not for good.
This we cannot afford to do. D 1t does
not matter that other persons might
have built 1.-The road as we'll as Col.
Waters. They did not. They are like
the philosophers who learned from
Columbus how to make an egg stand on
END.
Col. Waters offers us something
tangible; certain, and that within a
specified time. The rigbts-of-way will
revert to the grantors il o used within
two years. The notes will be void
unless the cars are running over the
road before that time. and will not be
due until the road is completed.
Lexington is especially interested in
securing it. but every farmer on the
line is also interested. Let us all,
therefore, determine to do our iull duty
IN his matter, and lie as liberal as pos
sible in giving rights of-way,i and IN
subscribing money. Let us &c. the
Whatever I'll feeling may have been
engendered in the past should be buried. |
We do not believe than any citizen of
Lexington will lay q straw in. the way !
OF the success of the enterprise; we
should be very 10th to think SO, and
shall not do so. until we are forced to
that conclusion; On the. contrary we
hope to see everybody joining In the
effort to encourage an enterprise which
cannot cost US . cent unless it succeeds, |
and which will be worth ten times its
cost ii il dies succeed.
Every citizen interested should be at
the courthouse. at 4 O'Clock, next Mon
day afternoon, and be prepared to say
to the committee what he can do to |
help. iAi ft &c.. t-a