The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1903-11-12
What is the matter with Brandon {:

This same old question propounds it.
self as soon as we alight from the
hack. Why not awaken from that
dreamless slumber that has entranced
us for the past decade and let the rays
of enterprise, push and progression
shed their stimulating influences upon
the horizon. 1t would doubtless be
difficult for some of US to realize that
as a reward for our efforts new era
was gradually dawning, but ere long
it would getlcontagious and every one
who st1olled under our canopy would
contract the disease and speak kind
and encouraging word to and for US.
One of the greatest disadvantages we
labor under is our location to the Ala
bama and Vicksburg railroad, COM
pared to our sister villages. The mer-
chants of our competitive towns have
an apparent advantage sand while to
every conservative business man this
advantage is only myth, as every
merchant adds the same per cent to
the cost of his goods to cover freight
and drayage. regardless of whether it
is one yard or a one mile haul, still
it is a strong lever to allure the un-
suspecting In reality there is abso-
lutely nothing of an advantage to the
customer in this arrangement, as COM
petition forces Brandon merchants to
sell goods as cheap as her more for
tunate sister villages whose merchants
have the railroad at their door, re-
gardless of the increase in cost of
hauling their goods, so the merchant
of Brandon is directly the sole sufferer
and not the customer, unquestionably
Jones pays the freight. - To a casu-
al observer there is but one way to
remedy this defect and that is to bring
sufficient influence to bear by saearly
presenting in a petition to the rail
road officials the dual advantages of
changing the roadbed to the original
survey which with the exception of
a slight curve about where r. S. Nc
Laurin's residence is located, is an
air line from Spears Cut, above Bran
don to Miller's Switch, below Bran
don, this original road bed with it's
grades is still in tact, and | am in
formed is one mile nearer. The cost
to the company would be nominal
compared to the saving of taxes, time
of schedules, mileage on foreign and
home cars, and maintenance of way,
and many little expenses as well as adj
vantages that we cannot here enum-
crate by virtue of this saving in dis
lance, as we'll as a saving to the mer-
chants of the town of about $12, 600 per
annum without considering the cost
of our passenger traffic from the depot
or the additional haul for our country
friends on account of the inconveni-
ence of its present location.
The most productive imagination
could not conceive anything more en-
couraging, inspiring, convenient or
profitable than to be able to stand in
the back door of our only business
block and hear the blast of the whis-
tie, the ring of the bell, the throb of
the great locomotive. the rafting of
the train, the release of the airbrakes
and the powerful exhaust as they pro-
coed onward carrying gladness and sor-
row as we'll as freights to all ports of
the country.
Let Us call meeting of our citi-
zens, appoint the necessary committees
and draft petition to Mr. Ford, the
progressive superintendent of the Ala
bama and Vicksburg railroad, setting
forth the dual advantages of this
change and soliciting his good offices
in the premises, assuring him that we
will render him any reasonable assist
ancs in futhering mutual interest,
for none not even the LORD, will help
Us unless we first demonstrate that we
are struggling to help ourselves.