Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1886-04-29

were wei attcnUcu. nc congregation "C
this place was organized nine months ago
with a membership of thirty-fve, two We're
added at the first communion and fifteen at
this, making the present membership fifty
two. Benevolent offerings, $14 SO.
ALL MADE PLAIN.-Our wondcrmcnt at
the silence of Bro Rhodcrick in the matter
of railroad through Mid,lctown Valley is
at an end Despite the fact that oar broth
er publishes newspaper, more widely read
than any other paper in the county, he new
crthtless admits, pointblank, that he is i'll
entire ignorance, cmphaticaly ignorant of
the facts that "many leading citizens Of the
Valley are interested in the matter of a rail
road or that preliminary yet decidedly
practical steps have been takcn;' he says ::
The editor of Tie C2arion may know these
things, hut we do not We have no qurs
ton that he states the truth, but we are
amazed at the result Of our inquiry; that in
the face of facts such as are developed daily,
an instance OF which we quote below, the
valley Register is neither kept informed, nor
has taken any steps to inform itself, is an
acknowledgement by our worthy brother,
that we should hesitate to make in Il paral-
lei case, believing, as we do, that it Is not
only the privilege but the boundcn duty OF
the local newspaper to lead, educate and di-
rect the sentiment Of lis people. The in
stance to which we refer above is the follow
ing ma'tcrot. fact statement published i'll the
Baltimore Sun of Monday last, which in it
self proves the wisdom OF all that we have
written and the error in the Valley Register
position.
1t is rs follows:
Special Dispatch to the Baltimore Sun
FREDERICK, April 25.--Thc work of con.
structing the Monocacy Valley Railroad
from the Western Maryland Railroad at Me
chMncstown to CAtoctin Furnaces, is now
being rapidly pushed, and it is expected
that Il month or six weeks Will probably wit
ness its completion The further extension
of tn road to Mid,llctown and Harper's
Ferry, to connect with the Baltimore and
Ohio, or to WoodSboro', on the Pcnnsy Ivan
ia Railroad, is thought to be only question
of time Both routes have already been
surveyed and the distances foUnd to be as
follows: From the terminus Of the Monoca-
cy Valley Road to Ellerton, six and quar-
ter miles: from Ellcrton to Mildctowu, six
,,,l VA from, n ln'tar ,1orn IN
Harpcr's Ferry, 1G miles, making Il total Of
2St miles In order to connect with the
Pennsylvania Road the distance would be,
to Ladiesburg 81 miles, thence to Wood
boro' y, or total of 1Gf miles. The lrs'
named route, however is the one m'St ike
ly to be adopted if the eXtcnsior Is oe'cr-
mined upon This route would take the
road through the famous HddlcioWn valley,
one of the richest and most productive agi.
cultural sections ofthc State
And now, if pore be needed to satisfy our
brother that he has failed to grasp the situa-
ton, we need only to assure Inn that this
week it is proposed to begin an invcstiga-
ton of the Fishing Creek Gap route, with a
view of making comparative estimates of
cost, this, with q former route surveyed
through and from Middlctown Valley. This
will be accomplished by parties, in whose
interest i: matters not, SO long as it may be
accepted as a bona .fde and business transac-
ton and we are in u position to affirm the
certainty thereof.
We fear that Bro Rhoderick is too easily
cast down; his words imply discourage
mcnt that we do not believe to be warrant.
ed by the existing condition of things He
says
and remembering the recent miserable
failure of the projected railroad from Mid
detown to Frederick, when it was clearly
to us that many of our citizens
(probably majority were unwilling either
to subscribe for the stock of the road or to
be taxed for the same, we have not felt en-
couragcd to engage with much enthusiasm
in the railroad project under discussion"
In connection with the above sentiment,
it is haltcring to have the columns of the
Tuley Register offered us, with view to $50
cnthuse our Uhe Valley people as to result
in the building Of this road through the Val
ley, we would be most happy" We decline
however to invade the Valley Register priv
ileges, but having been the recipient Of so
fattcring an offer, we may in declining it,
be permitted to point out its duty to its peo.
pie, duty now palpable and no longer hid
den or questioned, viz: a vigorous and eX-
haustve discussion of the railroad question.
We do not presume too much in so doing,
first, because we do know that information
is desired by the people Of the Valley; AGAIN,
because our Bro. did not know it until in
formed by us and lastly, to quote his own
words because, "Middletown Valley is with
out doubt in great need off railroad"