Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1889-11-01

OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES opportunity here The
Question Can Not be Voted on Acaia for
Three Years.
Meetings to discuss the advisability of
consolidation were held on Saturday in
Conemaugh borough and Millville, in the
former place at 8 O'clock p. M. and in the
latter at o'clock. At both places Col.
Linton and A. j. Moxham. ESQ.,, spoke.
And as the gentlemen brought forth
mostly the same points at both places,
they will both be reported as one meeting
In Couemaugh borough, acting Bur
CESS Peter s. Freidhoff presided, and Nj.
l. Carroll was made Secretary A list of
Vice Presidents was named, but. upon
calling their names none of them were
found to he present.
In Millyill, Burgess Thos. p Keedy
presided and Justice W. G. Bland acted as
Secretary. The meeting was held in the
Office of the latter.
At both places Col. Linton spoke first.
his remarks being substantially as fol-
lows:
Mr.. President and fellow citizens,
we are not here to day so much to advo-
cate any vlewsNof our own or to Try to
persuade the people Of these different
boroughs 10 vote any certain way as is
often done in a political canvass. But we
meet together to consider the advisablity
and the propricty of having I'll these diff
ferent bOrOughs consolidate into city.
have my views on the subject, some one
else may have altogether different opin.
ions about the matter. We are here Ia
compare views, aud TO arrive at the truth,
which can not be on both sides, but must
be on one side or the other. For my part
| have always been in favor of consolida-
lion, but | may be wong, and am here
open to CONNECTION. If when | have
talked anyone can show any objections
to our becoming city, which we can not
answer, the advocates of consolidation
must be in the wrong and should vote
against it. Every citizen who votes on
this subject should get all the Ii! ht on it
possible. His vote snoud be cast intelli-
gently and not at the dictation of some
one else. 1t is II question for eacu man
himself.
THE first argument in favor of con-
solidatiou that occurs to me Is, that it
would enable US to get industries
here that would not otherwise locate
in our midst. Some ten years ago l was
talking with Mr.. Randolph, chief engineer
of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. and he
told me Of the difficulty Into which he got
by reason of lohnstown's not showing no
in the census to be what it really is. Nj.
Randolph had been sent to Johnstuwu
from Somerset to see what kind of place
it was and to report whether, consider ny
the cost, it would be good business man.
agement to extend the Somerset branch
of that railroad to Johnstown. He came
here, looked around the place, asked
about our population, which he was told
was nearly $4,000 and made so
favorable report to the directors
of the road that they forthwith ordered
the branch 10 be extended to Johnstown,
and the work of construction was soon
in progress. Before the work had gone
ve:y far, however, Mr.. Randolph was
hastily summoned before the Vice Presi-
dent Of the road, MI. King, and charged
with misrepresenting matters to the
Board of Directors, for, upon writing to
Walker, of the Census
Bureau, he had learned that Johnstown
was place of little over 5000 people.
Mr.. Randolph was at first dumbfoundeC,
and it was only after good deal Of trouble
that he was able to fnd out and
report to the Vice President that Johns
town really mealt the ten or more
towns in the Conemaugh Yalley,of which
Johnstown borough was only the central
part. 1t is so with other enterprises seek
ing place TO establish themselves. We
are hheled, as It were, by The census re-
port. Capitalists would pass by a town
of 5000 people, but city of 10000
would attract attention everywhere.
"Another point in favor of consolida-
tion is that we could have better sanitary
We could have better
sewerage and Board of Health.
about outlets for sew
ers, such as we have had, would
be a thing of the past. There
would be economy in this. Suits about
river boundaries between the different
boroughs would be at an end, and much
expense saved.
I'VE could BETTER were we city, re-
3ist the encroachments of corporations.
Some years ago had the honor to be the
Counsel of CoDemaugh borough, when it
to restrain the Pennsylva-
MIA Railroad from narrowing the
bed of the Conemaugh along its
But we soon found
hat, while we could prevent any en-
,roachments on the river on to the Gone.
naugh borough side, we had no power to
prevent the filling in on the opposite side.