The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-06-26
THE l., L. & c. RAILWAY.
A Writer Who Thinks the Enterprise
Should Be Encouraged by the City.

To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal:
1 notice an article in your paper of this
date headed 1.-The New Railway; Reasons
Why the Right OF Way Asked Should Not
Be Granted" Near the close Of the article
the writer says: 1.-The citizens of this city
gladly welcome this road, and have no de-
sire to put anything in the way of its COM
ing" Now 1 would ask w. H. H. if this
is true. if there are not distractions being
put in the way of this road coming into the
city. have taken the trouble to make an
examination of the route selected by this
company for coming in. and it seems TO
me that if the combined wisdom of the city
had been called into requistion. l do not
believe a better one could have been selected
lone that will do as little damage to the
individual or to the public. 1 notice that
w. II. H. says Some reasons exist why
the petition which this railway company
has filed with the Board of Public Works.
asking permission to come into the city.
should not be granted" The first one men,
toned is that it cuts Capitol Park in two
in the middle An examination Of the line
will show that this is not true. If / I'M
derstand where Capitol Park is, Ii is the
ground formerly plated and called Stanley
Park; if this be true, the old mill race
along which this railway is to run, is
tireiy on the east side of Capitol Park,
and it would seem TO me would be largely
beneficial to that part of the country, as il
is more suitable for manufacturing pur-
poses than for city residences. Another OBJ
lection is said to be that it destroys the
usefulness of the ground between Maus's
brewery and the river This can be an
swered by asking the question as to how
useful that ground has ever been. Next, 1t
is said il crosses Blackford street and
West street, and that it makes two tracks
across Washington street. OF course, this
is all true. but West street is already
crossed by a switch track which is almost
constantly in use. also is Blackboard
street, and one track more, properly guard
ed, ought not to be looked upon as ex-
ceedingly Objectionable. AS to Washington
street. it is said that another track cross
ing there would necessitate the building of
viaduct, and that the damages to prop
erty would be very large. The two cross
necessitated the making of viaduct and
they do not cross 1t at right angles, but
on diagonal line of nearly IS degrees,
and they do not seem to interfere with
business in that part of the town, and IL
certainly seems reasonable to suppose that
another track crossing Washington street,
at Missouri street, would not DESTROY all
the business in that part of the city. 1t
seems to me that an additional railroad
track on Missouri street would be fully. as
ornamental and more useful than the line
OF transfer hacks standing in the street.
w II. Fl. says: II do not see why the
White river and enter near the old paper
MILL . Suppose it did that. What would Mr..
Merritt say when it crossed Washington
street east of the bridge. and what would
become of the road after IL arrived at the
old paper mill? Would you bring 1t up one
of the thickly-populated streets in the vi
cinity of the Kingan pork house, right
through the gangs of little children that
seem to grow in that neghborhood? So
much for the objections offered by your
correspondent and the encouraging sugges-
tons which l fail to see in his letter.
1t seems to me that should encourage
new enterprises that propose a large ex-
penditure of money in our midst or vi
cinity at such times as these, instead of
suggesting impossible ways of getting into
the city, which is discouraging such enter
prises. OF course, we have a great city,
and we should be proud of it; but we
should not forget what made her great If
1t had not been for our great railway sys-
tenn, all centerfng here, imagine that we
could. not boast of any particular great
ness, and. after we have become great, as
we suppose, we should not throw obstacles
in the way of additional roads entering our
city. / do not believe that we have one
too many, and even IL we had twice the
number we already have, we would still
be better off than if we had put a fence
up and hedged ourselves in to block out en-
terprises. CITIZEN.
INDIANAPOLIS June o.