Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-02-18
PERSUASIVE ELoouENcE RE.
Suits IN SUBSTANTIAL MANI
HESITATION OF INTEREST AT
MEETING LAST NIGHT.
ONE FOURTH STOCK
QUICKLY SUBSCRIBED
$3.50 RAISED IN HALF HOUR At
GATHERING IN COMMERCIAL.
CLUB RooMs-AGENcY MAKES
PROPOSITION.

That extraordinary things can be
done when the right effort is made,
was fully demonstrated at the meet-
| ing held last evening in the rooms OF
the Ottumwa Commercial club. In-f
terurbans was the topic Of every talk
made and there were several livery
one seemed enthused about the
building of a system Of railways to
reach the towns and cities surround
ing Ottumwa and thereby make this
city the. hub for the business transact
ed within a radius Of fifty miles. More
than talking made up the meeting
and something more substantial was
done than extolling the features OF
interurban railroads, for money was
raised and a nice subscription OF t
stock was the result Of half an hours /
persuasive oratory to that end. Near I
! ly $4,000 out Of the $4,000 needed for !,
the Interurban Construction company
was raised
Roberts Injects Vim.
The meeting proper started Of
with an enthusiasm that continued
throughout, and those coming in after
a 1t. began were imnledi iAteiy possessed-
of the internrban boost spirit with
( which all present seemed inoculated.
& Judge M. A. Roberts was introduced
as a speaker at the beginning of the
meeting, and treated the subject Of
interurbans as an Ottumwan who Is q
frequent visitor of the neighbors Of
Ottumwa, where there are live and
prosperous interurban lines plying
through the adjacent country and
tapping a country that brings rich re-
turns both to the promoters of the
road and the merchants and other
business interests Of these cities.
"One really feels ashamed for OF
tumwa," said the speaker, when go
ing to Abba and other sister cities
that have the interurban roads, to
have to admit that with all the talk OF
building such enterprises and having
all the facilities to do SO, as well as a
crying need for such, Ottumwa is still
, found trailing behind the procession,
when she should be in the vanguard,
as in many other things"
Urges Boosting.
An active spirit In the citizens of
.. Ottumwa, with will to go ahead and
build the road with the, least possible
delay and with the determination that
the road be made all that other sue
: cessful interurban cities have made
, their lines, was urged. A disposition to
! take hold right away and subscribe
; for the stock that will be offered for
sale boosting spirit that will make
5 the new project one that will be talk
ed of for the advancement Of Ottunr
y wa throughout the state, and other
l. suggestions for the successful building
g IonI pP ir,fa a ii N
8 the address Of Judge Roberts.
r. D. Foster Talks.
J, Following Judge Roberts remarks,
It T. D. Foster Of the interurban commit
l. tee Of the Commercial club, and one
l. of the workers in the movement from
the start spoke on the subject OF in.
It terurban railways In a general way,
T. telling of It's value to city and Its
e possibilities as an investment, aside
g from the vast good accruing to a city
q possessing one. from the business
D brought to the merchants and other
r business men.
" The speaker reviewed the work ol
the interurban committee from the
beginning Of the agitation, skimmine
over the minor details and giving 8
"
ia ment as far as it has gone In the Com
+ mercial association The present
N franchise that was presented to the
70 city council Monday evening was al
4. luded to and the hope and assurance
is of its early adoption by the city was
v. voiced by the speaker. The accom-
IN plishments of other lines in cities thai
have had interurbans for some time
past, was referred to, and figures quot
ed showing their business in freight
: as we'll as passenger traffic, brough
y out the fact that the freight haul o
st some lines amounts to 80 per cent o
ID the passenger business.
-. Outlay of Money.
The question of the disposal of tn,
$4,000 to be raised by the Interurbal
Construction company which ha
NC haen asked of the stock selling com