Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1905-10-18
BE NOT DECEIVED.
The Opposition TO the D. X. & G. Rail-
road Present Untenable Argument

recent numbers of the Isabel Her
aid, of his thoughts on the county's
subscribing and taking stock in the
Denver, Kansas and Gulf Railway
Company and paying for the stock
| by bonds. Brother r. failed to say
anything about the county becom-
ing part owner of the road to the
extent of the stock it subscribes for
He also attempted to confuse the
people on this question with ref
erence to the old fraudulent bonds
issued by the rump county organi
zation really before there was any
Barber county. Doesn't he know
that under the present law the rail
road cannot get pay for its stock the
county takes until the road is built
and operated through the entire
county,? Certainly he knows it,
for the petition says SO, and if he
has not read it, we refer him to the
notice and proclamation of the
election now appearing in the coun-
ty papers.
There is no question about the
proposed railroad being financial
success, as it must be, by its con
Meeting the Union Pacific on the
north with the southern Pacific on
the south-Puget Sound and the
Gulf of Mexico connected by the
shortest possible line. But the
question is shall it come through
Barber county,. This isnot a mere
promoter scheme but a live rail-
road proposition, and it will be ex-
tended north as sure as the sun rose
this morning, but it is not sure to go
through Barber county, unless the
county takes the 100000 stock
therein. The country on the south,
west and east are trying to divert
it from Barber county and as good
a line can be run there as here, and
from the press of the surrounding
counties the sentiment seems to be
that if the road will come there
they will take the necessary stock.
Bro. r. shows he has not informed
himself on the debt and tax ques-
ton and looking at the figures on
debts and taxes, if they are to con-
troll, we think this road will be a
| public benefactor, for Barber coun-
| ty is already in debt (but not for
railroads. about $4,000; of this
| $4,000 is for courthouse and Jail,
and about $I24,ooo for refunding
the county's debts for bridges run
ming expenses and the old fraudu-
| lent debt and not one penny for
either railroad stock or a mile of
railroad; the various cities and
townships and school districts on
I the Denver, Kansas q Gulf line
have debts aggregating about an
| additional $4,000, or total debt
of about s 100000 that this railroad
| will have to help pay. Add to this
| the 100000, we are to to pay it
! for its stock and we have $4,000
that the r. r. company's property
will have to help extinguish. The
present total taxable property in
the county is S2,o6I, ,I46; add to
this the usual average valuation on
the IS miles of D. K. & G. at trunk
line valuation as used by the state
| board of railroad assessors of Kan.
sas on the Union Pacific system in
1904 which is S 1000 per mile, and
we have $3S5,ooo, and then add
| $4,000 per mile for the ten miles of
| siding and terminal tracks and we
have $4o5.ooo, upon which the D.
! K. g q. will pay taxes. Now take
this $4o5,ooo railroad valuation
and the new property brought in
with the railroad along its line
throughout the county, which
would be assessed at about $500
900 and add to the $a,o6I, ,I46 as
sessed valuation of taxable proper
| ty now in the county and you have
J IN round numbers, about $1,000