The Oskaloosa herald., 1902-02-20
MUST HAVE ROAD.
Father O'Carroll Discusses Oska-
loosa & Tama Line.

EDITORS HERALD: There seems to
be some conflicting opinions in regard
to the franchise privileges which the
trolley lines, desiring to come here,
are now striving to obtain from the
city. 1t is not the intention of the
writer of this to point out TO our citi-
zens which of their divergent views
is or may be the best. But ii will
not be out of place to make a sugges-
ton or two, which perhaps may re-
move some of the difficulties in the
case, and help the opposing interests
to arrive at some satisfactory under
standing.
First of all we must have the Tama
City Electric Railroad at all hazards.
This is the one important fact that
each and every citizen must get firmly
into his mind, and there must not be
any ifs" or lands" about it. This
must be "go."
Then in the next place we must
have a city trolly line. And we must
have it without any ifs or "and"
also.
The progress of the city to an i'm
mense extent depends on those two
roads. Now, with those two facts
staring them in the face-straight in
the face-let all those of conflicting
views come together in some public
hall, and honestly state their opinions
and the reasons for them, and most
certainly a perfect agreement will be
the result.
There is no section or class of our
citizens who can afford to lose the
Buxton railroad. Can the laborers?
Most certainly not. 1t will be more
bread and clothes, and more home
comforts for them and their families.
Is there any of these who will be mad
enough to vote against the interests
of their families? No sane man could
suppose there will be even one.
Next is there storekeeper who can
afford to vote against the Tama rail-
road or refuse to give it all the en-
couragement within his power? We
cannot suppose it for a moment If
he should so he would be acting di-
rectly against his own interests. He
would be diminishing the number of
his customers, and consequently de-
creasing the amount of his yearly pro-
fits. Have we such a storekeeper in
this city? If we had l would be
ashamed of the city.
The same must be said of the me-
chanic and of'those who have retired
from business. The up-building of the
city is the up-building of every citi-
zen in the city, and If there is any
one who is opposed to building up the
city, he had better move down to Mis-
souri,, and there he will find himself
in his true element.
That all improvements introduced
into the city will equally anect each
and every individual is not to be ex-
pected; and for the simple reason
that in this life nothing is perfect
No doubt some of our store keepers
will be dissatisfied if the trolly cars
do not stop just in front of their doors
and dump the passengers right into
their stores. But almost all people
can see that this cannot be done, and
ii it could the other storekeepers
would make big "roar" about it, 1t
is evident the dumping ground for pas-
sengers must be as near the center of
population as possible. No other place
will give general satisfaction.
In order that our citizens would be
practically unanimous on the trolly
roads they all must bear in mind the
ed to be one big city park. with foun.
tains playing all over in the sunshine
and flower bed in every place to
which the eye could turn. The flower
beds which should give most pleasure
to our citizens is to see our streets
crowded with business, filled with all
manner of vehicles, including trolly
cars and all, transporting products
from one part of the city to the other.
1t would be much better for Oskaloosa
to be necessitated to hire special po-
licemen to give turn about on our
streets to our trolly cars and other
modes of transportation, than to be
like a certain large town in Iowa, of
which one of its citizens said, "You
could any day shoot a cannon ball
down it's main street without hurting
anything or anybody"
If some of these suggestions were
born in mind l think our business
men, store keepers and laborers could
very easily agree upon the most prac-
tical and profitable shape winch anv
of our city improvements should take.
NJ. O'CARRoLL.