The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-07-29
VILLAGERS WANT IT
Continued From First Page

continued From F1rSC Fage.1
ing investment, that will yield dividends
from the start. The outlying districts
must be built up. He used to live in La
Crosse, when it was about the size of
Mankato of today. A street railway
was built and after few years the
road sold for double its actual cost. Now
it extends over a distance of sixteen
miles.
Mankato itself is ideally laid out as a
street car town. 1t would be La Crosse
over again, where across the river and
out on the prairie houses sprang up like
magic. The owners of worthless real es-
tate became wealthy by reason of their
holdings. If the road should turn out
to be a failure in the line of investment
and the bond holders should lose half
what they had put in, he thought never
theless that the increased value of the
real estate would more than compensate
for any such loss. Yet he did not an
ticipate any such failure of the railway.
With an electric railway running along
Belgrade avenue, North Mankato would
be among the very first to receive the
benefits of this road. In the course of
a few years it would become thriving
city.
Some real estate owners had said that
they could not invest because they did
not have the money. Mr.. Hixon gave
it as his opinion that any real estate
owner could afford to 60 out and borrow
the money, even at the risk of losing the
whole thing.
He had yet to see the town that had
not profted by its street railway, wheth-
er that railway had proved a paying ven
ture or not
An electric railway on the city side of
the river alone would be the worst pos
sible blow to North Mankato. If, on
the other hand, it extended through the
village, that village would be one of the
very first to feel the benefcent effects.
This road is to be built without any
water or imitation of any kind. Now is
a good time to get it started. If the
crops are good this fall, and it seems
that they will be, there will be great
revival of prosperity. If improvements
of that kind are once started, the COM
munity will go ahead.
There seems to be something internal
ly wrong with Mankato, when it stands
almost still, in spite of the excellent ad-
vantages that it has. Other cities have
done far better with far less opportuni-
ty.
Nels Andersen said he was glad that
the movement had got started. He would
do what he could in regard to taking
bonds.
Thomas Taylor thought the PROPOSE
ton was a very good one. If road
should run ON the other side of the river
and not in North Mankato, the village
real estate would be underbid by that on
the other SIDE The outskirts of the
other side would be developing and
North Mankato would be working in the
old rut. He thanked the city gentle
men for coming over and giving the mat
ter their encouragement.
Rudolph Wachtler said North Mankato
needed the line if the other side got it.
j. I. Bennett said he thought there
was plenty of money down east to build
the line. What the eastern people want
ed was to see local interest taken in
the line, in order to show that it was a
safe proposition. He said ]. B. Nielsen
and A. L. Wheeler were enthusiastic
for the proposition and he thought they
would be ready to invest.
Ole o. Grue thought well of the pro-
osition and said he would invest as far
as he was able to afford.
Mr.. Bennett thought the $4,000 in bond
subscriptions, which would probably be
enough to bring the road over to North
Mankato, could be raised in three days.
F. A. Tanner said the village people
should make a united effort to get this
road.
Henry E. Hance gave lengthy and
very entertaining address on the subject
of pushing forward such enterprises as
street railways, and was heartily ap-
plauded.
The matter was left in the hands of
the committee of five, who were instruct
ed to prepare a subscription paper and
circulate the same, and the meeting ad-