River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-04-09
A LAST CHANCE TO GET THE
RAILROAD.
The Company Not Yet Tied Up to The
Saltwater Route.
Assurances Received that It VIII be Located
Through River Falls and Alton if
$4,000 of Aid is Raised.
$25 900 or $50. 900 of Which Can Probably
Be Raised in Minnesota Towns.
The Company Hard at Work on the Saltwater
Route But viii Not Bind Itself to That
Line Before May list.

Since our last issue. when the most
sanguine of our citizens had about
abandoned all hope of getting the
Freeport railroad, movement has
been set on foot by some of our enter
prising citizens to get one more chance
to raise the required aid before the
road shoul be irrevocably lost to us.
We are happy to state that in this
they have been entirely successful.
Mr.. F. J. Burhyte has letters from the
company containing most satisfactory
assurances, that it is not yet tied up
to the Saltwater route, and that ii
further effort is to be made to raise
the aid required upon this line no such
obligation will be entered into before
the LIST of May.
Those communications contain the
further assurance, that if the remain
ing $4,000 shall be promptly raised
upon this line so as to complete their
$500, 900 contract, the road shall be
located this way, t.t preference ~ any
other rolste.
Mr.. Burhyte is also il receipt of let
tiers from prominent and influential
parties upon the Minnesota end of our
line, stating that the people are thor
oughly aroused at the prospect of
losing the road, which they have been
heretofore led to believe was a seer
tainty," and that from 800 900 to
100000 of aid can probably be raised
in the towns of Alton, Woodbury. and
Oak Dale, in Minnesota. This leaves
only from $40, 900 to 100000 to be
raised in the towns of Troy, Kinnick-
innic and Clifton, and now that it has
become morally certain that we will
lose the road unless the aid asked for
in those towns is promptly voted, it
does not seem possible That they can
longer hesitate. In fact we have been
reliably informed that quite number
of persons in each of those towns who
have heretofore Oppressed voting aid,
upon the ground that we were sure to
get the road this way whether aid
was voted or not, are now not only
willing but anxious to raise the aid
asked for.
This argument, or assertion" that
s'we were sure to get the road any
way" has been, in our opinion, the
great obstacle to raising aid in those
towns. 1t has been used in good faith
by many who did not wish to be un-
necessarily taxed, and has been art
fully propagated by others, who, from
interested motives, did not want the
road constructed at all, and sought to
prevent it by defeating the voting of
the requisite aid. This idea has had
peculiar force in this locality because
of the fact that the line by River Falls
is shorter than the Saltwater route,
hence, it was argued, the road will
certainly be built upon this line. Two
important factors were entirely lg-
nored by those who, in good faith,
assumed this position.
1st. The connection with the Du-
luth road at Saltwater, which, it is
asserted, will give the Freeport com.
pany not only constructed road from
that point to st. Paul and Minneapolis,
at nearly nominal figure, but also
terminal facilities IN both those cities,
which, if the company are compelled
to purchase outright, as would be the
case if the road is built this way,
would cost in the neighborhood of a
million dollars.
this town aid, are doing so to fill the
condition of their construction con-
tract which requires them to raise
$500, 900 upon the line adopted. Sup
pose that they can raise that amount
upon the Saltwater route, and can not
upon this. Then, whatever their pri-
vaUe opinion may be as to the relative
merits of the two routes, their inter
est will dictate. that all their reports,
statistics, and arguments be directed
to prove, that the route where they
can and have raised the aid called for
in their contract, is more desirable
than the route where they can not.
Thus, by refusing to raise the requisite
amount of aid, we really force those
who would be the friends and advo-
Gates of our line. to go over to the
enemy and advocate the advantages
of the Saltwater route.
The Freeport Company will spend
no more time in the effort to raise the
aid upon this line. They claim that
they have already spent so much time
upon this line as to seriously endanger
the success of their enterprise, and
they will continue their work upon
the Saltwater route, leaving it to the
people interested upon this line to
vote the aid as asked, or to reject the
Propositions if they do not want the
road at the figures named.
All that they promise is, that if the
people interested will raise the aid by
accepting the Propositions, they WitL
locate the road upon this line.
The tiDnp for earnest decided action
has come and it is a square issue of
"RAILRoAD AID OR NO RAILROAD