Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1896-04-09


+ are requested to he present.
) J. ID. MARTIN, Il. +.
LcwisOurg, w. Va.
Make Haste Slo.-:J. the railroad
Subscription.
Editor Greenbrier Independent:
For the third or fourth time we ar,
asked to make Il subscription for rail
road from ROnCeverte to Lewisburg
and our Council has ordered a vote OF
the question to be taken on the 18th in
slant.
The amount of this subscription Of
rather donation. for no one can regard
1t as anything but 4 gift or expect any
return in dividends or in a saleabIe
value for the stock, is Sl3 900; and be.
fore such a burthen is assumed and
such gift made it seems to me that
J in order to intelligent action more in
formation is needed than has been fur
nished, and hence | suggest and submit
for the consideration of voters the fol-
lowing inquiries: To whom is this
gift to be made - is it to an Individual
or association Of individuals i and if
so who are they, and what proof have
they given Of good faith, good charac-
ter and financial responsibility So
far as l can learn, no one knows. Is it
to corporation, and if so, who are the
corporators, have they charter, if so
what is its character and how much
stock is subscribed? | am told that
no charter was shown the Council but
that one of the members said he had
seen it, that it showed that $500 had
| been subscribed, of which $50 had been
paid in and that it provided for rail
road to be built from ROnceverte bv
way of Lewisburg to Gauley rivera
| rather indefinite terminus, as that
stream has length of more than one
hundred miles. Have these corpora
tors had any such route surveyed? Do
they know or have they heard of any
practicable route for a railroad from
Ronceverte by Lewisburg to any point
on Gauley or to any coal field? If so.
they know more than the oldest in
habitant,' than the men who are best
| acquainted with the region to be passed
through and with the coal formations.
1t is true that the scheme does not
contemplate the payment of our money
until q railroad is built to our town,
but who is to pass upon and decide as
to it's character, permanence and suni-
cheney? And if anything is built that
can, even by courtesy, he called a rail
rOad-however weak, unstable aud un-
safe it may be in it's construction-will
we not still have to pay? If the rail
road is built but is soon found to be
wholly Improbable and can only be
maintained and operated at heavy
| loss, which is at least conceivable, and
the owners determine to abandon 1T, as
of course they would, how could we
prevent it and what benefit would we
receive for our gift? And have we
any valid contract as to rates for pas
sengers and freight, number of trains,
connections at Ronceverte, etc. ETC., in
fact is there any such contract at all,
and are we not going it blind ?"
From our experience in the manage
ment of the finances of the town have
we any reason to believe if this sub.
scription is made, that the taxes will
be promptly collected and paid so as to
have the money for payment of interest
and for the sinking fund ready on q
certain day, as will be necessary and is
it not fact that the holder Of corpora
tion claims has rarely ever been able to
have them paid upon presentation and
demand and has almost always been
able to use them only by holding and
paying taxes or selling to others who
had taxes to pay?
And can town as small as ours. with
no more capital and doing no more
business, afford to make so large do
natio for no other consideration or re-
turn than the convenience, and the DOS
sible future general benefits, of rail
road |?
am by no means opposed to, but on
the contrary am very much in favor of,
a railroad and of a subscription to Sc
cure one of proper amount, in a safe
and proper way and with sufficient as
surances but as to the subscription
now asked l respectfully submit that
before making it we are entitled to
much more information and to better
guarantees and assurances than we
have; that the amount asked is by fan
too much and more than we are able tC
pay, and that the amounts to be given
by the two towns, Ronceverte and Lew
isburg, should be divided equally be-
tween them instead Of Lewisburg paw
ing l3-1Sths, more than two-thirds, ant
Ronceyerte only 5-1Sths, or less thar
one. third, for the latter town will re
ceive quite as much and probably more
. benefit than the former; and that thu
, amount to be given here should not b,
given by l'ewisburg alone but by
the Lewisburg District, or at al
events by the Independent School Dis
trict, which will be benefited by rail
road quite as much as will our town.
INQUIRER.
: THE receivers of the Baltimore 4
3 Ohio railroad have determined 1,