Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-06-27
LOCAL COMMENT.
S,y,,,.,..,-..v.......,.,

The result of interviewing represent
alive business men regarding the vot-
ing of a franchise to the interurban
company has shown strong public
sentiment in favor of an interurban and
the election next Monday will undoubt-
eddy be decided in favor of the proposed
ordi lance. There is. however. an I'M
mistakable attitude Of cantiousness as
sumed, even by the friends of the ordi-
nance, due to the fact that the plans OF
the new company are not well enough
known by the average citizen to make
him sure of his ground or proof against
suspicion. He is going &c vote for the
ordinance and trust 10 luck because he
wants an interurban railroad.
The T.-R. has given the venture
helpful publicity for the same reason;
we want an interurban and we want 1t
controlled by MarshalltoWn men. We
don't know what the new company In
tends to do and we suspect that the
company itself does not know. except in
SO far as it is going to try to build a
railroad. We do know that there are
rot ten men in the city whose respect
i've business enterprises are more vital
lily interested in the general benefits of
an interurban than are those of the
business men composing this company
We realize. too, that if they should sell
their franchise no one would buy I'M
less he built railroad which would
give us the road anyway. The new
company says that it mas assurances
that its venture will be financed If It
;,,tN III
form. This will mean that the local
company will keep control of the prop
erty while it uses a great deal of Dor
rowed capital to build The road. If it
gets franchise to enter this city Its
rext step will be to sell stock to every
body in Marshalltown who will sub
scribe, employ constructing engineer
to assist in selecting the most advan-
tageous route and Their proceed to Sc
cure a right of-way. Whsn this is done
bonds can be issued, but before that
point is reached a great deal of money
must be spent for surveys. etc. which
will all be lost If the venture falls thru
for the lack of sufficient funds. The
promoters stand to win or lose as their
succeeds or fails and. for
one. the T.-R. has been willing to let
them take the risk so long as they are
asking nothing of the city except the
privilege to bring their road into town
over the city streets. This newspaper
IS not going to advise any one to vote
for the franchise If he thinks that the
LEGAL company is not to be trusted.
AS we have looked at t, the only way
under the sun that this city can have
4 system of interurban railway con-
trolled by its own business men is to
give some local company chance to
try. Marshailtown has no multi
resident. like Polk, to come
forward and say. "Ill build the road"
She must depend upon her leading
business men to combine their strength
iii getting outside help and this. we
is the purpose and plan of
the company now asking entrance to
our city. The citizens take risk to
he sure, but if they can't trust these
men to act fairly with the city we don't |
know where ten better ones could be |
found Practically every man in the |
has lived here a long time
and we do not know one of them who
has ever been connected with game of |
sraft of any kind All are heavily in
vested in this city. which would locate
their interests here. When the question |
# streets came up before the judiciary |
committee of the council it was eX-
claimed that the company had hopes of /
operating a street railway service in
Carts of the city not now occupied. 1t
Iras seen. by the forfeiture clause. that |
r the company did not operate its rail-
road on all those streets within three
years the council could take back its
franchise as to those streets then unoc-
,upfea. If the company builds only an
nterurban it will occupy only one or
,wo of the streets named. and even
While this company holds all of them
,ther roads seeking entrance to the city
IRE not barred, for glance at the map
viii show that electric roads from the
North, south east or ives; can enter this
,itv over streets not included in the or
finance. But, as we have said before,