The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-06-22
Action Taken at the CONNER
cial Club Last Night.
"ALPHABEI" ROAD WANTED.
Claimed Bonds Were Voted With
standing That Line Would
Be Built to Mankat0.
From Tuesdays Daily.

FROM TUESDAY 5 Ddliy.
The Commercial club took up the
matter of securing the alphabet" road
at the instance of Rev. E. L.. Heermance,
who said that he had seen Contractor f.
l.. Tobie. The latter had made the
same statements to him as to The Free
Press, particularly that the road was
not going through Mankato. Mr.. Heer-
nance had suggested that the road come
into the city via the Thompson ravine,
where a two per cent grade could be Sc
cured, but he had replied that railroads
are not now looking for two per cent
grades, rs they are too expensive to
operate. He seemed to have in view a
place to come down intoN the valley at
Bradley's crossing. 1t seems that the
line is to be constructed primarily as a
freight carrying line, with apparent in
difference to the passenger end of the
business. Mr. IIeermancc had asked Mr..
Tobie how the road could pass so neal
Mankato and not 90 through it, and he
had replied that Mankato was not a very
big town to pass by. He had not figured
on the new business that could be devel
oped by the road. but only on the share
of the present business that it might get.
Mr.. Heermance had looked up figures on
shipping. and had found that in 1900 or
1901 the total amount of freight shipped
iifeo and out of Mankato was 2S2,320
tons, or 1881 carloads, and the number
of passenger tickets sold was $1,000, for
which $l53,00O had been paid. Doubtless
the business of the roads is much great
er now. One fifth of the freight business
would be 1000 carloads, which it would
seem to be worth any roads while to
at least build a stub into Mankato for.
Mr. Tobie said that he wouldn't even
care to put in a stub. The worst
thing that the club can do is to do moth
inc. He suggested that the statistics
of shipments be sent to Mr.. Tobie, to-
gether with the signed statement of a
number of shippers showing the probable
business that they would turn to the
new road if it was to come through Man
kato. All of the people in Blue Earth
county where the road is to run want it
to come to Mankato, so they can come
here to trade instead of having to 90 to
st. Peter. If nothing else can be done
a trolley line would have to be built to
the nearest station on the road to pro-
tect the trade of the city.
President Hixon said that the towns
voting bonds had had distinct under
standing, verbally at least, and had vot-
ed bonds on the assurance that the road
was to be built into Mankato. He had
this from one of the most prominent
men along the line of the road. They
had not thought it necessary to stipulate
that this should be DONE This man was
surprised when told of the possibility
that the road might not come to Man
kato, and had soon afterwards met Mr..
Tobie and had asked him what he meant
by giving out the impression that the
road was not coming to Mankato. Mr..
Tobic had replied that so far as he was
personally concerned he was in favor of
coming to Mankato, but certain eastern
hackers of the road were opposed to it.
"This being the case, what are we to be.
leve?" asked Mr.. Hixon. ''Mr. Tobie
wrote us a long time before it appeared
in the paper that the road was not com
ing to Mankato, and subsequently gave
out the impression at st. Clair that it
was coming here, and the bonds were
voted there. 1.-The people there all want
the road to come to Mankato.
Il don't think that there would have
been vote cast in favor of the bonds if
the voters had thought that the road
was going to cut out Mankato,' con-
tinued Mr.. Hixon. IF those connected
with the road have given the people
there to understand that it was com
ing mere ana uOnC deliver the SoouS, are
the people bound to turn over the bonds
to the road? We have done all that we
could to bring the road here, offering
all possible assistance except cash
bonus. Our secretary went out under the
instructions of this club and gained what
information he could. and i'm return Mr.
Tobie has made an uncalled for attack
on the club generally. There was no in
tention to cast any reflection upon him