The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-05-06

dollars from not having street rail-
way.
Carl Dice was in favor of securing a
| right of way to st. Clair and getting
things started in the right direction
The very men who have been figuring
on building railways running through
Mankato would probably be willing to
buy bonds or stock.
Mr.. Jensen remarked that with good
honest men at the head of the enter.
prise there ought to be no difficulty in
getting the bonds sold.
MIR. Ogle said the proposition must be
plain, straightforward and honest and
There must be no watered stock. A few
men with $4,000 to start with could
float enough bonds to build railway
that would cost $4,000. Any electric
supply house would be willing to assist
in finding the capital, for the sake of
selling the supplies for the construction
of the line. In very few towns of the
size of Mankato have street railways
failed to pay.
George E. Brett thought the question
of getting good roads leading into the
city of Mankato was of even more i'm
portance than that of getting street
railway The business men should make
up their minds to have good roads and
should start at it right away. A fund
should be raised for this purpose. He
offered $50 to start such fund.
Mr.. Ogle spoke of an automobile trip
he recently had down Pigeon hill. 1t
was fright. The road seemed to be
full of 'bottomless pits. What was the
use of the county spending lot of
money for these roads if the improve
ments were not kept up? A committee
should go around to this and that town
board and offer them money if they will
fix up their own roads.
Mr.. Ogle went on to speak of the good
work that had been done by George M.
Palmer on many of the roads around
Mankato by inducing the town boards to
do something. This work should be fol-
lowed up.
S. H. Grannis Endorsed the senti-
ments of the speakers with regard to
good roads and street railway. He
spoke of the miserable condition of the
Pohl road, the Eagle Lake road, the
Agency hill road and others around the
city. He believed that all road taxes
should be paid in money.
On motion of Mr.. Brett, the associa-
ton instructed the chair to appoint two
members of a committee of five, two
more of these members to be chosen by
the board of trade, and the fifth to be
Mr.. Palmer, who will be treasurer of the
good roads fund; and that this commit
tee be instructed to push along the
cause of good roads and solicit money
for the creation and maintenance of a
good roads fund.
The attention of the association now
turned again to the street railway mat
ter. On motion of Mr.. Ogle the chair was
instructed to name committee of five
to look into the feasibility of organizing
a local street railway company and also
to ascertain the cost of getting the right
of way; to find out what subscriptions
could be obtained; and to collect all
possible information bearing on the SUBJ
ject; and it was further stipulated in
the motion that Mr.. Christensen be one
of the members of the committee. Mr..
Christensen would have been made
chairman but declined that honor.
George NJ. Palmer was enrolled as
new member of the association. On mo-
ton of Mr.. Ogle, the association voted
to receive into membership one reporter
from each of the city newspapers.
Mr.. Jensen this morning named the
following committee on the street rail-
way matter: George M. Palmer, Carl
Dice, George Pond, H. P. Christensen and
j. B. Ogle.
This afternoon George E. Brett and j.
B. Ogle were appointed as the two mem
bers of the Business Mems association on
the joint committee on good roads. The
board of trade will probably choose it's
two members next Tuesday morning