Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1885-11-28
A BRIDGE AT LEXINGTON.

tween our committee and Mr.. Thos. D..
Potter, first vice-prcsident of the g.,
b. & q. railroad, Mr.. Potter stated that
the greatest deterrent to the extension
of the road southwest, is the bui ding
of the bridge across the Missouri river.
The sounding of local tom-toms
will avail but little in the contest tor
the securing of this valuable railroad,
Business considerations alone will de-
eide when and where the road will be
built. Lexington has to offer the
largest and most important town; the
most valuable coal fields; and a road
bed already graded. These induce
ments alone will be apt to secure the
road; but we are not satisfied to rest
our claims here; and in what we have
to suggest we desire to ask the atten-
ton and the cooperation OF the CITY
Of St. Joseph.
The st. Joseph & st. Louis railroad
for a long time was very successfully
operated. OF late it has appeared that
the Wabash railroad company has
sought to wreck it. Its road-bed, ties,
rails, ETC., have been suffered to run
down to a degree. 1t will be remem-
bered that when Mr.. Talmage, in an
swer to a letter written to him by our
citizens some weeks ago, said that he
thought it would not be the policy OF
the Wabash company, after the road
was sold, to retain control of this
branch, the Intelligencer said that this
determination was not all unmixed
evil, and intimated that it might be of
benefit to Lexington. Since that time
we have been endeavorIng to develop
that idea. AS a result we have some
facts to lay before our readers.
The St. Joseph s. St. Louis railroad,
extending from St. Joseph to Lexlng-
ton, is now leased to the Wabash, The
owners Of the road are dissatisfied with
the lease. The Wabash processes also
to be dissatisfied. The terms of the
lease have been so far forfeited that the
owners may without difficulty resume
control of their property. That prop
erly and fairly managed the road can
be made to pay we'll, no n who
knows where it lies and what it is cap
able of doing, doubts.
Cut off from all communication in
this direction, St. Joseph was, only a
short time ago contemplating the build
ing of a narrow gauge railroad into
the coal fields of Lafayette county.
What we have to offer is this: that il
the merchants and other business men
OF that place will extend to the owners
of the St. Joseph s. st. Louis railroad
the proper encouragement Ono money
is asked; only a promise of co.opera-
ton and patronage) they can, we be-
lieve, be induced to operate their rail-
way in first-class style from st. Joseph
into Lexington, and also assist largely
in the building of a bridge at this
place.
The railroad in question is out of
debt, and able to build the bridge by
itself if its owners thought it would be
profitable to do so, the latter being
capitalists of very large means.
This they might not at this
time undertake, but from all
investigation of the subject very thor
ough and very close to the source of
power in the matter, we are convinced
that the gentlemen could be induced to
undertake one half of the bridge, the
c., B. g. Q. to furnish the other half of
the necessary sum. The two roads
would not conflict in The least-indeed
they would be mutually helpful.
What is St. Joseph's interest in this
matter? First, it would aid in rehabil-
ltating one of its railways which has
for some years past been Systematically
prevented from being a feeder to its
business; second, it would be enabled,
for its large and growing mercantile
and manu- featuring interests, to pene-
trate a country now entirely tributary
to St. Louis and Kansas City; third,
it would gain access to a coal field near
to its doors, which produces a better
article of coal, at less cost, than any
fuel which is nov produced for the St.
Joseph market; and, lastly, it would,
with the connections proposed in this
article, give to st. Joseph connections
at Lexington with the southwest with
out passing through Kansas City, some
thing which it has not now. The coal
and passenger business alone which
would pass over this road would make
it profitable; and the intimate associa-
lions which would spring up between
the two places would develop many
business interests between them which
do not now exist.
Steps are now being taken to secure,
at Lexington, some time in January, a
meeting of the capitalists who are in.
terested in the two roads. We write
this article to call the attention of the
business men of St. Joseph to the sub.
ject, and to ask their corporation il
it. May we not hope that they will be
well represented at the meeting?
1t will soon be ten years since the
tax payers of Lafayette county met III
conference and agreed with a large
majority of the county creditors or
terms of compromise of an enormous
bonded debt. In this ten years all Of
the debt, except S67 900, has been fund.
ed. A few creditors are still holding on
no doubt expecting to get the last pound
This county has been liberal in its set
Elements, to a fault, and now, attel