The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-09-15
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PEOPLES FORUM.
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For a Greater Ardmore.

|
| The Ardmoreite:
The effort being made by the Com
mercial Club to secure more farmers
! in our county is commendable ana
should be encouraged but our efforts
for a greater Ardmore must not be
confined to that or any other one
proposition. All the north Texas
counties possess good lands and are
thickly populated but which of them
have towns larger than Ardmore?
The truth is agriculture alone never
built a city anywhere, but a great
many cities exist and prosper Where
there are no agricultural lands. El
Paso, Texas, for instance. But El
| Paso has nine railroads diyerSing in
all directions, and by reason of that
fact is made the home of travelling
men (the greatest boosters on earth),
and of manufactures, and distribut-
ing houses, all with their large and
regular payrolls, with or without rain.
We have every environment to
make a city except transportation to
the west. As our laws exist it has
been demonstrated that the old line
railroads will not or cannot build new
| lines. We have tried to amend these
| g., Mn
are confronted with a condition tha5
mast be overcome in some way or re-
main practically at standstlll. Does
anybody in Ardmore desire this con-
dition?
1t is known that Independent short
line railways are losing propositions
because the local traffic is inusf1i-
cient and the connecting lines AXE
all the profit from outside shipments.
Net one of them has escaped rece!V-
ership and later sale where allow
ed hy o iawtoo eld nslppba ..T~-..
ed by law to some old line. Here
his cannot be done The Oklahcrna
Central is IL that predicament n3w,
and is being operated under the d.
rectiOn of the court, at a loss. 1t may
be asked, then, what We are to do.
| frankly state that | do not know.
BIT | have an idea thar if an induce
ment large enough was neld out some
set of men would take hold of it and
take chances on the future amend
ment OF our laws enabling them to
sell it to some sy stem of railways as
feeder. Men with money are al
ways gambling on the future. Not all
of them, but many. Barnum said Il
sucker was born every minute, ana
this birth rate is not confined to poor
men.
Acting upon this idea, it being the
only feasible one | can conceive OF,
| why cant we hang up a prize like
this: Let every man execute note
| payable to some trustee for the
amount he is able and willing to pay
due January 1st, 1914, to be turned
over to any person or corporation
who vii! produce a railroad between
| A"dmort and the Rock IsllI! lail-
way, and have it in operation by thar
| time. Then get Cornish and other
towns to do likewise, and then pub
lish that fact to the world. If we
failed to get the railroad we would
| only be where we are now. | for one
| will give the amount | agreed to pay
to the Ardmore & Lawton railway, as
| now consider that obligation aban-
doned. The point of destination on
the Rock Island is immaterial to us.
In fact, the smaller the place the bet
ter for us, but no matter where, so
that it goes west and connects with
north and south line
| will not undertake to mention the
advantages we will get, because every
| intelligent man can figure it out, eX-
cept to say that experience has shown
that lands on either side of a rail.
road for five miles double in value.
! Think of the tremendous amount
of taxable property this would pro-
duce running thirty miles through
this county. ! need hardly say that
| at this time we are more in need
of taxable values than at any time in
our history.
| would be pleased to know the
sentiment of this people on this PROV
osition and to have suggestions i'm
proving the idea, for while am we'd
ded to the conviction that we must
have more railway outlets, am not
! fixed TO any method of cacurinp +hor,