Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-06-25
Sale of the Des Moines & South
ern to the Rock Island Sys-
TEN Announced
THE SPECIAL TAX ANNuLLED
Provisions Made by Which Sale of the
Right of Way to Another cbmpany
Made Special Tax Voted by the
People Void-Stckney's Transactions
Sale Surprise to Many.

| Des Moines. June 25.-F'. w. Cherry
! yesterday confirmed the published
| statement that the Rock Island had Sc
cured the Des Moines & Southern rail-
road property, for which it paid SOL
600.
| He further stated that the acquire
ment of the property voids the taxes
which We're voted between Win;erset
and Greenfield. These amounted TO be-
tween $4,000 and 5000. Half of them
have already been collected. Under the
| law. the taxes voted for the construc-
| ton of a railroad, cannot be turned
over TO the promoters, after they have
been collected by the county treasurer
until after the road has been built.
Il expect to get some of the Rock
Island officials here in few days
said Mr.. Cherry, yesterday, ''and to-
gether we will go TO Winterset and
Greenfield. and formally release the
| taxes which have already been collected
so that they may be turned back TO the
| property owners. The Rock Island has
given assurances that it will make nc
effort whatever to retain or collect the
additional taxes.
The fact of the matter is that when
the property passed into the hands OF
the Rock Island, that very transaction
voided the taxes. The law provides
that when the promoter or an officer
Of nav railroad rpakac any
to induce voters at the polls to vote a
tax. and that statement proves false,
the tax is voided and cannot be col
lected. Personally, l went to the polls
on the new route and told the people
far and near that the property would
never pass into the hands of the Rock
Island"
The Rock Island Will make a new
survey. 1t will not follow the route
laid out by Mr.. Cherry and his engine
ers 1t will build much farther south.
This is for the purpose of getting the
road as far from its main line as pos
sible.
An ars4~-e9T,----t AS I,ee- entered
into by the itoel. Island and the Buri
ington by which the latter will operats
its trains over its line from Cumber-
|land TO Greenfield on east over the new
Rock Island between Greenfield and
Winterset junction. running them into
Des Moines. The Burlington will, by
this arrangement. run thru trains from
Creston to this city, materially reduc-
ing the time between Council Bluffs
and this city.
Mr. Cherry said yesterday that he
never ina pipe6 that the Rock Island
was interested In the purchase of the
Des Moines & Southern, till it was all
over The road was sold to Mr.. A. B.
Stickney. Mr.. Stickney sold it to the
Burlington and the Burlington sold IL
to the Rock Island. This was stated
by the newspapers when the
deal was first announced. MI Cherry,
at that time, however, was backward
about admitting that this was the tor
tuous course of the transaction.
Yesterday Mr.. Cherry said that he
was told by Mr.. Stickney in Chicago,
after the deal was made. that the Burl-
ington had bought the road. Then he
went TO dinner with Mr. Harris, of the
Burlington, and Mr. Harris told him
that the property had been bought with
Rock Island money. He was thunder
struck and dumbfounded. He supposed
that the people along the route would
feel much put out with him, and this
is reported to be the fact.
However. the announcement that not
only will the Rock Island operate di-
rect trains from Greenfield into Des
Moines, but that the Burlington will
operate thru trains from the main line
at Creston by Cumberland. Greenfield
and Winterset into Des Moines it is
thought will take the edge off the dis
appointment of the Madison and Adair
county people, who have watched the
nroyress of the new line for two wears.