Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1886-01-02
SAINT JOSEPH AND LEXINGTON
JOIN HANDS IN A RAILROAD
ENTERPRISE OF MUTUAL
IMPORTANCE.

From the st. Joseph Gazette. Dec. 23.l
The Board OF Trade room was filled
with members of the board and prOmi.
nept citizens and business men yester-
day afternoon at 8 O'Clock, the hour
appointed for the conference with the
committee of citizens from Lexington
in reference to railroad matters OF in
terest to both cities. 1t was a repre-
sentative gathering, and the conference
can but be productive OF great good,
the visitors being more than well
pleased with the encouragement they
received at the hands OF st. Joseph
people. ,
The visiting committee consisted OF
L. K. Smith. of Odessa, Mo-; Capt. A
A. Lesueur, of the Intelligencer samuel
Keller, of the Register; WIN. b. Ham
lett, mayor; Joseph B. Silver, BENJAMIN
Russell, George Farrar and James
Wentworth, of Lexington.
The meeting was called to order at
the hour appointed, with Mayor Hart
wig. first vice. president of the board
of trade, in the chair. He stated that
the meeting had been called for the
purpose of hearing the committee OF
citizens from Lexington in reference to
q railroad proposition. 81 hope" said
he, that you will give them respectful
attention. l can say for st. Joseph
that she has always been awake to her
best interests, and l do not think she
will be recreant at this time. 1t would
be out of place to say more now, and l
will simply introduce & you Capt. A.
A. Lesueur.
Capt. Lesueur addressed the meet
ing at some length, and for fully a half
hour or more spoke Oh the merits OF
the situation 1--WE are here" said he,
con u matter of business OF much con-
Germ to ST. Joseph aud to Lexington.
NV time is limited and 1 will have to
contine myself briefly to matters i'll
hand. In 1869 or 1870, there was pro-
jected u line from Burlington to Lex
ington and from Lexington to a point
in Bates county. That portion north
of the river, from Burlington to Lex
ington, was known as the Burlington
& Juthwestern, and that from Lex
iIyton south was known as the Lex
ington. Lake s. Gulf. The two lines
were started under different charters
and the south line was graded but
never ironed, while that north was
more or less weak. The company never
got on a sound financial footing and the
road passed into the hands of a receiver
who ran it with little or no success and
the G B. & @. finally purchased it.
This corporation as You all know is
amply able to put it on a paying basis,
and made extensions to BOgard and
Carroliton, and now intend to run
fromCarrollton southwest through Lex
inglon. If no bridge were to be built
over the river at Lexington there would
be no question about the road being
pushed through. The bridge, however,
is somewhat of a stumbling block in
the way, and it is IN we would like
to get over. Lexington is very much
interested, as a matter OF course. We
have very naturally watched the mat
ter very closely, and at an interview
with the G., B. s. Q. folks. held on the
10 of November. Mr.. Potter assured
u that the greatest obstacle was the
bridge. We told them that the owners
of the ST. Louis u st. Joseph road de-
sired to take their line out OF the hands
of the Wabash. A meeting of the di-
rectOrs Of the St. l.. q st. j. r K.
took place December l, at New York.
l was present, at the request of the
citizens of Lexington. l was inform
ed at that meeting of their intention
to cut loose from the Wabash and run
the line indie pendently. Since then
81, ps have been taken to have the lease
Cancelled | know full we'll that St.
j I-epi has no hostile feeling to the
Wabash. have we; but we think
We 81" AN "pp. rrnnity Of getting two
oh.mI ads, and it we nave the help
- j'-cJL at, prospects are most
ttr., f:n: Inprrs-iuu that the St.
!..u,- s. ). } .scpn is a weak corpora
ton is "a mistike. 1t is d very strong
company, aud anxious to operate the
road. They are prefectlv able to do it
and build The bridge themselves, but
look at it in about the same light as do
the g., b. u O., that the larger the in
vestment the less the net earnings. The
directors of that company are Au-
guStus Knumiz, of kOuntz Bros bank
ers, New York. Charles White, E.
Eight, first street, N. Y Francis
Gnuld,, Nowberg, N Y John Il.
Lionberger, St. Louis. G. j. Holmes,
Fall River, Mass. WIN. F. Nisbet,
president, &c New street, New York.
Gerard B Allen stakeholder st. Louis.
We don't come here to ask II
money. Give US your moral aid and
support. 1t doesn't lie with us to say
that the road shall not be taken out Of
the hands of the Wabash, for that is al
most an accomplished fact. We have
an opportunity of getting benefit ont
of the situation. The officers of the
G., B. s. Q. and the St. l.. 81 St. j.
will meet us some time next month,
when we want TO see your people rep
resented and express yourselves as to
the chance of making it a paving road.
There are none more competent to tell
those gentlemen what the chances oil
that point are than the people OF St.
Joseph. 1t will be of great benefit to
your city, aud you are in a position to
know what you a contribute in the
wav of making the line a paying y
Capt. Lesueur spoke at some length on