The Somerset reporter., 1891-06-25

mere LOT business purposes ana VIII come
here If we give. them opportunity to come
in the modern method of travelling by
rail They will not come In the numbers
we want them to come and for the pur-
poses we want them to come II we do
not, or some one else does not provide
the modern methods OF travelling. 1t is
simply matter of business ssgacity for
rs to do this and it would be very short
sighted policy for the town not to do
it.
We believe it is critical period in the
history of Skowhegan-a time when its
citizens must determine whether it will
20 ahead, stand still or settle lack. In
fact it is narrowed down to two PROPOSE
lions viz to advance or to retrograde,
standing still, II IL were possible, AS we
are situated in line with progressive to WINS
would be actual retrogression.
No live man, woman or child In the
live town Of Skowhegan should for a
moment consent to any course but pro-
grtssive one. We do not believe they
will. We do not believe any consider
able number of men will interpose No
vote against the proposition for the town
to aid in the construction of the line
that will give us 30 miles of continuous
railroad directly into the heart of the
best part of the county of Somerset, and
will provide the avenue for dozen
ilOurishing Somerset towns and nearly as
many Somerset plantations to reach the
Shire town of Somerset G unity.
This short piece of rail, = miles long,
which We are asked to + Il will render
available to the business OF this town,
and to the travel into aud out of this
town, this 80 miles of road and, were the
town Obliged to pay every dollar, this
piece of road will cost In order to secure
1t we could not afford to 90 without it.
The road would be cheap to Skowhegan
at Sl0O0 900 IL it could not be had for less
Instead of this the town In its corporate
capacity is only asked to contribute aid
to the extent of SIS 900, sum upon
which the annual interest at per cent is
but $500. lu other words the town is Of
fered road piercing 80 miles of rich
territory, and TO secure this 1t is only re-
qulred to aid to the extent of building
less than one mile OF 1t. Thirty miles
for one Is very favorable offer. No
other town in Maine one half as large as
would for moment hesitate
to accept so favorable proposition.
1t is not at all improbable that the peo-
pie of the town will get more, out of
he building of this road in dollars and
cents before it Is completed even, than
the town pays out. This amount will
not come back into the same pockets that
the assessments of taxes take it from,
but it will come into the pockets of our
laborers, our farmers, our traders, our
bankers, our mechanics, our manufact-
urers and will go into circulation, and
probably much more with 1t. 1t will be
strange indeed If the people of Skowhe-
han are not enterprising enough to Sc
cure $1,000 from the expenditure OF
500 900 or 100000 right here at our
doors. II they do not secure $50, 900 in.
stead Of $4,000 we shall be mistaken
But If they only get the 900 assessed
upon the property of the town there is on
the whole no loss to the Inhabitants of
the town. 1t is simply transfer of
small sums from the pockets of real and
personal estate owners to the pockets of
certain Of our citizens and thence into
the channels of trade, and we get the
road for the transaction. II they get the
$50 600 As they are likely to, they make
magnificent bargain.
Let us look for moment at the size of
this burden. Fifteen thousand dollars if
all raised at one assessment would be less
than one-half Of one per cent. III diyid-
ed into assessments covering years
al In IL
year. Thus a man who is taxed for ST.
300 worth of property would be obliged
to pay nearly 81 GO, If all assessed In one
year and II divided into 5 years would
have to pay less than s. 90 per year, and
A trilie In the way of interest. OF course
hose who are unfortunate enough to
nave more taxable property would have
o pay more money Therefore we say,
the road was no benefit to the
own the burden would be by no means
,nerous. 1t would not be felt progressively
)y snyone.
But the road will be a benefit. 1t will
give things start, 1t will put our town in
.he place 1t belongs among the towns that
AXE hold of public enterprise and that
push things along, place 1t beyond ques.
lion among the town that are moving
forward to success check the downward
of real estate here, make the
town more desirable a. a place of bust
ness and as a place OF residence, broaden
he htld Of operation of our business
men, facilitate business along the river,
give people OF Bingham, Scion. Embden
and other railroad towns opportunity to
come here In the morning, attend to
business or shopping and return to their
homes In the evening, give our people OPP
portunity to leave their homes and reach
all these Somerset towns and return the
same day If they wish to, give the people
Of those 20 towns and plantations the OPP
portunity to come here by rail instead Of
going to Watervillc, Oakland, Lewiston
Or Augusta, draw the attention of peo-
ole to our town as an enterprsing business
center, and to our opportunities for man.
lfacturing enterprises, make markets in
another direction for the product of our
brick yards, lumber mills, wood working
establishments, -four mills, machine shops,
ste etc, and in many other ways contri-
1ute to the business prosperity Of Show
legan as nothing else will or can.
We have heard that many Of our farm
RS are opposed to the town aiding the
Link or are Indifferent in regard to it,
claiming that 1t will increase their tax
,urden and that they will get no benefit
rom 1t. This is Misrepresentation. The
armers Of Skowhegan are interested in
he material welfare Of the village and all
ts industries. Let calamity strike the
fillage and the property and prosperity |
VI farmers of Skowhegan will suffer in |
to the extent of that calamity. |
Let the "dry rot" strike the village and |
he property Of the farmer decreases in |
value. 1t may not be so apparent at first |
,ut the "dry rot" is the very worst cal |
,mity that can strike any pls ce. A town
will recover from the effect of fire, food, |
pestilence or the sword but chronic cast.
Of "dry rot" Is well nigh hopeless. The |
remedy Is prevention. A town must keep |
moving. Good circulation must be |
maintained or paralysis Is inevitable. 1t
will not take long for the real estate Of
this town to depreciate 10 per cent if we
do nothing and It is vastly better to In
vest one.half of one per cent than to run
the risk Of losing ten per cent. We are
aware that farmers have had hard work
to make both ends meet for several years
past; crops have been cut of or damaged
in various ways and prices have been low.
The farmers are not the only class that
have felt this, although they perhaps
have felt It most keenly. But future
prospects arc brighter, We hope and be-
lieve. Agricultural lstaples are about the
only articles In which there have been On
advance In price. Farmers of 6kowhe.
gan must admit that what helps the VII
lage helps them end II u . narrow view
70 take that thsy have interests that are
not the ilterssts Of the whole. Take