The Topeka state journal., 1897-10-06
DEBS' new Move
Proposes to Build a Railroad
Into Nashville
And Turn it Over to the City
for a Consideration.
TO BEGIN NEXTMONTH
If the Proposition is Accepted
by the City.
viii Take Pay in Bonds of
Small Denominations.

Chicago, Oct. 6.-Railroad building
has been selected by Eugene V. Debs
as the first great Industrial project to
be undertaken by the Social Democra-
cy of America.
He has sought for the privilege of
constructing a railroad in Tennessee,
and if his preliminary plans meet with
favor, the work viii be launched next
month.
The city council of Nashville at it's
meeting tonight viii receive a formal
proposition from the Social Democracy
to build a IS mile road from Nashville
to Lebanon, which will be turned over
to the city of Nashville for a nominal
consideration. Labor for the building
and operating of the railroad will be
furnished by the Social Democracy, and
it IS intended that the road be main
tained under the methods set forth by
the advocates of public ownership of
railroads
Cyrus Field Willard and Col. Richard
Hinton, members of the colonization
commission of the Social Democracy,
spent last week in Nashville and vi
cinity looking over ground for the lOca-
tiOn of a cooperative community and
examining the territory over which a
railroad can be built to compete with
the Louisville and Nashville road, which
has monopoly of the interior traffic of
Tennessee adjacent to the city.
Two offers had previously been made
by capitalists to construct the needed
line and the proposal submitted by the
representatives of the Social DemOc-
racy was much more favorable to the
city.
The building Of the line, with another
small line at Monterey to connect with
the Cincinnati Southern road, owned by
the city of Cincinnati. will give a di-
rect road to Cincinnati. parallelng the
Louisville and Nashville and giving
rate competition.
The Social Democracy wishes to make
the new road a public benefit.
Mr.. Willard returned to Chicago last
night and reported to the national ex-
ecutive council the terms he had Of
fered to Nashville. His communication
to the city council makes the following
proposal:
We propose to build the road and
turn il over to the city in fee simple
so that the city shall own the road for
its own use and behOof forever. and
shall thus have something to show for
it's money
We propose the city shall issue $500, :
600 in bonds in two series, one for $780,
600 to run for 20 years at per cent in
terest, the other 5000 600 to be issued in
small denominations of. say So and SO
each. TO run ten years at per cent
interest. AS there are 80 miles to build.
We propose that as fast as tenth
the road is completed that one-tenth of
the bonds be turned over to the Social
Democracy or some trustee designat ted
by it.
We also ask that for turning the road
over to the city the Social Democracy
shall receive from the city for the term
of 20 years 10 per cent of the gross earn
ings of the road We Will guarantee the
construction and completion of the
road in such manner as may be agreed
on by a joint committee representing
the city of Nashville and the Social De-
mOcracy with power to add an arbitrat-
or We shall deposit a guarantee with
suitable trust company as soon as the
city shall have deposited the total
amount of said bonds with the same
trust company