The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1910-09-29
FEELS OUT SENTIMENT MONDAY
Will Lay Proposition For the Building
of Line Before the Common Council
Within the Next Few Weeks-F arm
ers are Willing.

Attorney J. K. Orvis Of Waukegan
who is at the head of company which
is planning for the construction Of sew
eral lines of electric railway in Illinois
was in Monday afternoon testing pub
lie sentiment in regard to the construc-
tion of line which will connect Ke-
l3nosha and Wilmot and which will offer
to this city connection with the line
now being built from Paletine, I'll. to
Lake Geneva. 1t is planned to make
Wilmot the connecting point for the
two lines. Orvis is not planning to
build the line west from Kenosha unless
there is reason to believe that the peo-
pie of Kenosha and in the rural dis
tricts are ready for such a line and
he proposed to have it built by the co
operation of the people interested. He
proposes that the stock for the building
of the line shall be sold to the property
owners directly interested and the sale
of the stock in this manner is the basis
for further work on the proposed plan.
The money for the building of the lines
now under construction by the company
headed by Orvis was raised in this man
ner and it is declared that the company
had no trouble getting the funds when
the farmers were fully advised as to
the plan. $4,000 worth Of stock was
sold in single night at a meeting
among the people residing about Wads-
worth, I'll. The company would plan
to build line from the very center of
Kenosha running west over a private
right of way to Paddocks Lake and
thence west to Wilmot to connect with
the line running to Lake Geneva.
In speaking of the proposed line Mr..
Orvis said, eve are not trying to force
the building Of this line but if the peo-
pie of the city of Kenosha and the
various towns in the county want such
line we believe that we will be in
position to build it for them. We had
planned for terminal at Waukegan
but the council of that city made de-
mands that we will not meet and we
may seek terminal facilities at Kenosha
or some other place. We feel certain
that this cooperative plan for the
building of electric railways is the best
| possible plan and for this reason we
are pushing out into new territory. We
believe that line west from Kenosha
would be q line of great value to the
business interests of Kenosha and we
believe that q large number of the bust
ness men of the city will see the value
of such line. 1t would bring hun
drcds of people to Kenosha to trade
and in addition would open the gateway
to the great lake resort regions of
Kenosha county. 1t has been the plan
to build all these lines on private prop
erty and we are not seeking concessions
from towns and cities only where such
concessions are necessary. Of course
we would want to come into Kenosha
and land passengers in the center of the
city and this would demand right Of
way on one of the streets We have
not worked out even a tentative route
! but believe that this could be arranged
| between the company when formed and
the council in manner that would be
entirely satisfactory to the city. I am
just here looking over the proposition
and have no franchise ordinance or any
thing of the kind. If the people of
the city of Kenosha feel kindly toward
such plan and the people of the rural
districts want the road there will be
plenty Of time to take up the matter
during the winter months so that ar
rangements can be made to start the
work on the road next season. I am
going to appear before the common
council at some future meeting and lay
the matter before the aldermen and let
them have a chance to decide whether
or not the city of Kenosha wants this
line of railway
The company with which orvis is
connected seems to be making good in
the various Illinois districts and the
people seem to be intensely loyal to the
lines being built. Some work has al
ready been done in the neighborhood
of Wilmot and Camp Lake and it is
stated that the property owners in that
part Of the county are favorable to the
coming of the railway.
NOTICE.