The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1895-02-23
An Address to the reOpIe.

An address to the citizens of Lexington and
Lexington township. aud Lafayette county
ana all others interested in bridging thu
Missonri river at Lie. ington, Mo.
FELLOW CTTIZENS-We come to vol
as a committee of thirty, appointed by
q mass meeting held IN our cOurt house
where, by the enthusiasm shown, ON
people are in earnest when they say
by their resolutions, we want, and
must have IA bridge at Lexington acros:
the Missouri river, SO as To bring the
railroads. from north of us, to lis. and
open a gateway by which they can 20
on to The south and east of us. As
such committee we come to Won with a
pressing desire TO not only do onr duty,
but to urge You to do yours.
We are promised definitely the build.
ing of this bridge for the crossing OF
wagons and trains if We raise u solvent
subscription of $3.50, 900, PAYABLE
on liberal terms and non-payable unless
the whole amount is subscribed (refer-
ence Is here made TO the printed form
Of the subscription which can be seen
by applying to any member of this
committee who have the subscription
books and who will take pleasure in
showing them to you.)
Our plan is, the bridge and ITS
terminals will cost about $3.50, 900.
We ask you for only $3.50, 900,
OF 1t. We propose to give 4 first mort
gage for the balance Of the cost over
and above the $4,000, and a
second mortgage for the subscription of
800, OO0. We are asking YOU for
this, which we think will be in the
shape of bonds to the amount OF eacl,
sne's subscription, all bearing interest
at about live or six per cent, to be
payable semi-annually.
We think we are safe in orr esti-
mates when we say TO you the earnings
from this bridge will be from $lO,0 00
to $4,000 per year from agons and
foOtmen, and from the railroads using
it, twenty-five per cent of their gross
earnings We think their gross earn
iRgs will b. 100000, per year as
the lowest estimate we can put on il.
We get at this from carefully made up
figures from the total amount of bust.
ness TO and from our city. Twenty-Five
per cent of this 1920, 900 will be $780,
700, this added to the wagon receipts
will be a total income of $40, 900 Ia
$1,000 per year, deducting therefrom
interest on the bonds of $3.50, OOO
which at five per cent will be ST., 800,
leaves us &22, 500 to s27 800 per year
10 pay o s of maintenance and ex-
penses of keeping up or running the
bridge. From this you will readily see
we not only hope to make the invest.
ment a paying one, but in addition to
paying interest on the bonds in a few
years, ten at most, pay off every dollar
We subscribe.
You may ask how we get at these
iguresp We say by actual business
relations had with the railroads and
conversations had as we'll Us CORE
~spendence, fully Justify us in these
assertions; hence we confidently
present them to you. Now you ask
who are the stockholders or who is the
bridge company Our reply is the
capital stock of the bridge company is
only 1900, One-half of which is paid
up. The stock is subscribed and held by
forty of the citizens of Lexington anu
its near by citizens in Lexington town.
ship, each one of whom only hold one
share each. Our object in making so
small a capital was to obviate paying
into the state treasury the percentage
required by law to pay when getting n
charter. We have, however, passed a
resolution, which is that any citizen or
number of citizens who may subscribe
to the $l5O,00 q at any time within
three months get one share of stock if
he desires it; or IN other words, when
a number subscribe, if they want to,
We will increase the capital stock at
any time. However the stock cuts but
little or nc figure as the subscribers
to the $500 0 fund come in ahead of
the stockholders.
We confidently believe the building
of this bridge will enhance the value Of
every piece of property in our town
fully twenty-five per cent, as well as
that Of every acre of land in Lexington
township fully fifteen per cent, and add
largely to every acre IN rhe county.
We, therefore, appeal to every citi-
zen in the county rs well as the town
or township to come forward with the
most liberal subscription You can. DO
o wait to be hunted up by the COM
mittee, but hunt up the committee or
write them ysu will place your name on
the roll of honor with your name and
subscription.
We confidently believe the building
Of this bridge will mean the continuing
Of the line of road now owned AVID
operated by the Santa Fe company
from st. Joseph, Mo-, to North Lex
ington, on acre IS Lexington with one
line going east to Sedalia; thence to
Versailles and thence to Union, Mo-,
which Is a point (Union) about sixty
miles west. of St. Louis, where the
Santa Fee now has sixty miles of rail
road built and cars running on it.
Besides they will no doubt build on
south . line towards Fort Scott, by
way Of Odessa or MAYHEM. by Holden
or warrensburg, thence south. Thus we
will be placed In close communication
with st. Joe, Mo-, thus giving them the
and best route to and from st.
Louis. They can thus have the benefit
of our cheap coal which we can put at
their doors, and thereby enabling us to
employ an army of miners IN the open
ing and development of our mines and
up markets for our farm
products, giving US and every acre of
farm land the full benefit of the COM
petition of more railroads.
The competition thus secured from
one moro railroad will be from two to
three cents per bushel on every bushel
of gram raised by those in close prOx-
unity to the roads. The same will
apply on all stock shipped as well as
on all shipments.
Suppose we fail to raise this money,
and we fail to build the bridge, the
consequence is our property depreciates
in Lexington and Lexington township.
WhyP Simply because there is n certain
amount OF money to be raised Il pay
the obligations of Lexington township.
Ii Lexington by reason of the building
of the bridge, can increase her popula-
ton one Two or five thousand it will
reduce the lakes in this town
Ii OF the other hand We do not
build the bridge our valuation Of prop
erty decreases; hence our taxes will
increase.
We therefore appeal 10 every citizen
TO come up and make your subscription.
Guild the bridge and go on 10
prosperity let's not 20 backward but