Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va) 1886-1890, 1890-01-17
THAT RAILROAD.
REPLY TO THE QUESTION OF
I'M. H. c."
THE ROANOKE AND SOUTHERN
A Subscription for stock.-Not Do.
nation-The Good Faith OF the Com
pany TO be Rolled Upon to Fulfii
Their Part OF the Contract.
Editor of Roanoke TIMES:


paper OF the 10th, headed Roanoke
and Southern" and signed IN. H.
c." The first query propounded by
NJ. H. c. was:
Ibid not the Roanoke and South
ern railroad company promise to
build road from this city to Win
ston, N. c., provided the city would
subscribe to 100000 of the stock OF
said company"
l reply, no! Emphatically, no
It. would be presumed that q man of
ordinary intelligence, if he had no in
formation on this particular subject,
could answer that question in the
negative. A promise by any com
pany to build road 1875 miles long,
provided Roanoke city would sub
scribe $4,000 to its stock, would be
an absurdity. How much NJ the l25
miles of said road would that amount
build and equip? Certainly not cx-
ceeding five miles.
When Roanoke made its first sub
srription to to this road, the company
had no stock whatever taken, except
small amount OF private subscrip-
tion-not exceeding probably SO,0O0.
In view OF these facts, which were
known to NJ. G. H., or ought to have
been known before he undertakes to
enlighten the voters OF this city upon
the questions, it would seem that he
was more anxious to raise an issue o.
bad faith on the part of the railroad
company than to give information to
the people.
Second: Does not subscription
to the stock of the Southern railroad
mean donation to the Roanoke and
Southern Construction company"
This question parrakes of the charac-
ter OF the last. answer with candor
TO this people, but with like empha-
sis 1t does not.
The Roanoke and Southern con-
struction company was organized by
business men of character and reputa-
ton to aid in the construction of their
road. Its stockholders have not
only paid their subscriptions to the
company, but have from their in
divluual means advanced more than
100000 which have been expended
in the work so far done upon the
road. II the road should be complet
ed, the subscriptions by counties and
cities will to some extent 90 towards
REIN bursing the construction COLI
pany for OUTLAWS which could not be
obtained from any other source, but
to speak OF these subscriptions as
dunations is just as absurd as the hrst
proposition OF III. II. q.
If the construction company could
build railroads and make money by
the operation without any subscrip
ton to the stock of the railroad COM
pany, ii could get any number OF
charters under which it could spend
it's money solely for the public good
AS business proposition. it Is 20 be
presumed the construction company
expects to make some money from
the building of the Roanoke and
Southern railroad, but whether it will
really make any, or ifany, how much,
is one of those questions which de-
ponds upon so many contingencies
that no one can estimate with any
degree OF certainty.
The obstruction company has
paid up capital stock OF one hundred
thousand dollars OF which stock there
is only held by citizens OF Roanoke,
thirty-nine hundred dollars, and not
more than one thousand dollars Is
held by any one party Ii NJ. Il. G.
or his friends think that there is
money in the stock Of the Construc-
ton company, they can have all they
want at prime cost. The Construc
ton company WAS not organized as
money making scheme but to build
the road when all other efforts to do
30 had failed.
hope may be permitted to say in
this connection that / own only
small amount OF stock in the Con
sruction company and n. h. G. or
ally OF his friends can have the same
by paying its actual cost. But for the
liberaIity, enterprise and public spirit
manifested by the members OF the
Construction company at the other
end OF the line, the Roanoke and
Southern would today be but dream
of the past.
Are not the Southern Railroad
company. the Southern construction
company and the South Roanoke
Land company three birds IN one
nest2n
This is the third query of II. H. G.
and is the most nonsensical OF the
entire batch.
Not exceeding six thousand dollars
of the stock of the Construction com
pany is held in Roanoke, and no par
ties owning more than BIZ thousand
dollars in the aggregate of Construc
ton company stock, owns dollar IN
the South Roanoke Land company,
and not more than that amount in
the aggregate is owned by all
the stockholders OF the latter COM
pany in the stock Of the former.
This disposes of two" of your
birds" AS to the identity of the
railroad company with the land COM
pany, there Is no more identity be-
tween the railroad company and this
land company than there is between
the railroad company and other land
companies in the city.
Mr. n. H. G. thinks he has dis
covered "bug under chip" and
gravely informs the voters that there
is some scheme deeply and darkly
planned to have the terminus OF the
said road in the middle OF the
McClanahan farm one mile from the
city li,nits. II such should be the
purpose of the railroad company
under the ordinance subscribing the
first 100000 and under that submis-
sion to a vote Of the people the
amount now asked for, not one OF the
| bonf1s Of the CITY could be delivered