Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1905-11-01
Hazelton, Kansas, Oct. 10, 1905.

1aZelton, Kansas, Oct. 10, 1905
To the Stockholders of The Hazelton Land Com
pany, Pttsburg, Pennsylvania
Gentemen:- | was very much surprised this
morning to find in my mail nicely printed letter
from your firm in which you asking few ques-
tlonS regarding our contemplated Improvements in
Barber county and take great pleasure in trying at
least to you for the following reasons: First,
it has always been of my rules to answer all let
ters received, and secondly because | am satisfied
that you residing at the great distance from Barber
county that you do are not posted in regard to
county and its needs and in order that you may be
a little better informed am going to try to
some, If not all, OF your questions, and will take
them up in the order they appear in your letter.
First: 'Do you figure that you will be benefited
to the extent you will be taXed?"
Answer: Yes, and four times over if live in Bar
Der county 20 years; the longer, the more benefit |
will receive.
Second "Do you think this railway will give
Barber county any benefits it does not receiver?
Answer Yes, it will give shorter route to the
Gulf and that alone ought to pay for all the aid
will have to give the road wiping out every other
reason
Third: "Why does the road want this S 100, ,ooo?"
Answer To assist them in building the road;
anyone ought to be able to answer that question,
but suppose people back east not posted and
don't understand such deep questions as this one.
Fourth: "Will they not go to Denver if we not
give them aid?"
Answer Yes, but not through Barber county, for
other counties anxious for it and would be eat
ed should we vote Gown the t)rOpOSi> :OT they
could get a chance to get the road
Fifth: "Do you know any good reason why Bar
Der county should be asked to vote ,ooo? This
is not the question in full but the substance of it.
Answer Yes, several good reasons appear to us;
one is to keep the road from building through some
other county; another is that may get that much
more taxable property in the county to help pay
debts and help county affairs.
Sixth: "How many of you had your farms go to
the county in 1884 5-6-7 and oS?
a fav Of The 6apff xTare
in this class; it the fellows who went to Oklaho
ma, or mortgage companies who let their taxes run
Seventh do you want a repetition OF that eX-
perence:" No, and that is one of our main reasons
for wanting more taxable property in the county;
they will help us keep up the running expenses.
Eighth: "What markets will the road bring
to you?' Answer 1t will give us shorter route
to the Gulf, and will put closer to the hard lum
Der and soft coal that have to use; besides it will
enable us to get grain and stock to the Gulf
where can get low rates to other parts of the
world as ocean freights are always lower than rail
road freights.
Ninth: "You ship your stock east; you ship your
grain east Answer Yes we do and we will have
to continue to do so if we don't get some outlet to
the Gulf south, to enable US to say to the other
roads, ''treat fair if you want to ship east"
Tenth ''We all know there will not be reduc-
tion in reights either in OUT because of the new
road How do we know it? We got better rates
when the Mo- Pacific was built into Hazeton, and
why not the same results if another road is built
through the county, we nave DetteI reason lC
say we will than you have to say we will not get
better rates.
The next proposition is guess work; it may
be the stock will be of value and it may be other
wise, but that is question which even the stock
holders of The Hazelton Land Company not any
more able to answer than We are willing
to take few things on trust while they are not;
that is about the difference between this point
Some corporations and some individuals don't KEEP
their promises and great many do
uIara have made
rich?" Answer: We know OF good many instanc-
es where the building of railroad to certain local.
ties has greatly enhanced the value OF fams and we
need not go outside of Hazelton township to fine
many of them in fact every farm within FIVE and
ten miles of the railroads has been benefited to {
great extent by reason of being so situated We
only look back to the time when Wichita was ou
nearest railroad point for proof of this, and every
time the railroads came nearer land values advanc
ed Every sane man will have to admit this fact
whether he favors voting bonds not, and am sur
prised that men who have been able to accumulat