The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1906-11-22
Bly,.
GEORGE
CARY
EGGLESTON


quence to Cairo and to the region
through which the line must run. The
method by which it was planned to Sc
cure it's construction was the one then
in general use throughout the west. 1t
may be simply explained. Everybody
concerned was asked to subscribe to
what might properly have been called
an inducement fund. The subscrip-
tons were meant to be gifts made to
secure the benefit Of the railroads con-
struction. More important than these
personal subscriptions and vastly
greater in amount were the subscrip-
tons of counties, cities and towns
Under the law as it then existed each
county, city or town, If it's people SC
voted could "1end it's credit" to an en-
terprise of this kind by issuing it's own
bonds. When a sufficient sum was
raised in this way an effort was made,
usually in New York, to secure the
forming Of a construction company.
The whole volume of the subscriptions
was offered as an inducement to such
a construction company to undertake
the building of the road. Usually the
construction company was to have in
addition a considerable share of the
stock Of the road when completed.
The city, county and town subscrip-
| tons of course depended upon the re-
suits Of special elections held for that
sole purpose.
In this case the personal subscrip-
lions had been satisfactory, and there
was no doubt that the two terminal
cities and the counties in which they
| lay would vote the bonds asked of
them, but there was grave doubt as to
| the results in the rural counties. in
each OF which special election was to
be held a month or two later. 1t was
Guilford Duncan's task to remove that
doubt, to persuade the voters to favor
the proposed subscriptions and Incl
dentally to secure rights of way, sta
ton sites, etc., by gift from the land
| owners.
During the next two months he toll
ed ceaselessly at this task, going to
Cairo only once a week to keep in
touch with his bank and to pass the
Sundays with Barbara
Tandy also worked in the county
towns, where he had a good deal Of in
| t1uence. He had been made president
of the proposed railroad and was sup
posed to be very earnestly interested
| in it. He was so-in his own way and
with purposes Of his own.
Duncan's campaign was a tireless
one, and it proved successful. When
the elections occurred every county
| and every town voted in favor of the
proposed subscription, but some of
them did so by majorities so narrow
as to show clearly how great the need
Of Duncan's work had been
'Worse STILL" he said to Hallam
few weeks later, 1.-THE smallness of the
! majOrities in two or three counties is
threat to us and a warning. The
county authorities are putting all sorts
of absurd provisions into their sub
scriptions, and they will give us trou-
BILE if our construction company fails
in the smallest particular to meet these
requirements
| "Just what are the conditions"'
''Oh, every sort of thing. In every
county it is provided that we shall
somewhere break ground for construc-
ton before the last of January, less
than two months hence, or forfeit the
subscription. That gives us too little
time for organization, but we can meet
that requirement by sending a gang
of men at our own expense to do a
days work somewhere on the line. In
two of the counties there is pecul-
iar]y absurd provision. There are RI
val villages there, one in each county,
and the authorities have stipulated
that "a track shall be laid across the
county line and car shall pass over
said track from one county to the
other" before the 18th of March. Curl
ously enough, learn that Tandy him.
self suggested that stipulation to the
county authorities. I hear he is giving
it out that he had to do so to save the
election, but that's nonsense, just as
the provision itself is. Such require
ment will greatly embarrass US in our
negotiations with capitalists, for the
line will not be fully surveyed by that
time, and nobody can tell till that is
done precisely where the road ought
to cross that county line or at what
grade. I can't imagine what Tandy
meant by getting such provision in
serted.''
Neither can IT, answered Hallam,
"but We'll find out some fine morning,
and we must be prepared to meet
whatever comes He's up to some trick,
of course
| CHAPTER XIV.
Y WHEN Duncan assumed control
vA/ of the bank as it's president
| WV his first care was to acuuaint