The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1903-02-21
THE WEATHER.
Fair tonight and Sunday.
A STEP BACKWARD.

~ 10 70 Dt feBretttu tnut tue mt
ohanicsburR spur track ordinance was
defeated in the board of ooupcilrnen
last night, but perhaps not tote WON
dered at in view of the many foolish
things the council has doAs4at hS
past. It meant great deal TO that
section of town, and q great deal to
the manufacturers there. and indirect.
ly perhaps q great deal more than
might be imagined to the city al large.
A railroad switch in q street is in It.
self no particular advantage 70 the
railroad company, nor to anyone else.
The advantage lies in what suoh p
track enables the railroad to do in the
way of facilitating aha fncteising It's
business, and what it enables manu-.
faoturers to do in the way Of getting
their product on the market IN large
quantities and in the least possible
time. This means money to both,
and the more money they, mAhs,and
pay out the more there will bate disH
tribute through the various business
channels by those who make liveli-
hood in producing whatever is mana
featured. Every dollar that is spent
in Paducah benefits someone, and TITS
this principle that prompts cities
everywhere to seek factories and other
concerns that turn out products from
the raw material that lies idle and
benefits no one, and thus help Qseate'
wealth which is spent Ina city and
aids in upbuilding it. When . nPni-
cipal board in city takes a positious
tending to keep out this sort OF con-
oern it leaves the city in bad predi-
cament
As to the spur track case in ques.
ton. however, it is PROBABLE that II
every person in paducah had signed a
petition to allow the switch built the
members Of the council who voted
against it last night would have voted
against 1t just the same. We are in
formed that every factory in the local
ity affected signed the petition asking
that the right Of way be given except
two. One Of these did not sign either
petition, leaving only one of the fac
tories expressly opposed to it. There
was another petition from wood haul
ers asking that it be granted and still
another from property owners and cit
liens, With about seventy five sigma
lures. There were thus three peti.
tions, embracing all the factories ex-
cept two, q number OF the wood hauli
ers, and most of the residents of that
locality favoripg the switch. .. s,-.
The opposition employed an attor-
ney, who admitted that he had spent
a part of the day on the scene get.
ting opposers, and the result was one
petition with fourteen signatures, in
oluding the one factory that objected
This was the opposition on when the
measure was defeated by our able, pro-
gressivo councilmen. When the Com
mercisl club of Paducah, and others
who have the interests Of the city aud
her industries at heart. are confronted
with such rank spirit of unprogres-
sivenses in our legislative boards we
might as well retire and let the clod-
hoppers and COWS take the town and
keep it until they have run it as long
as they want to.
There was in our opinion absolute
ly no ground for defeating the propo-
sition voted down last night. 1t was
apparently done from prejudice, pure
and simple, or lack of common