The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-09-22
I: q :: :: :: :: :; 8; :: . :: = :; :: ::
:: PEOPLES FORUM. 8;
{. :: /: ;: ;: 3; :: ;: :: :: :. :: :: ;: 3: y
For Greater Ardmore.

! am glad to note the interest taken
/ in the railroad proposition submitted
by me last Sunday. 1t shows that pub
lie interest needs only to be awakened
to something of general importance to
secure action and cooperation. How
ever, one article in your paper left
the impression that my suggestion
would probably injure the proposed
interurban. | am sure nothing was
further from my thoughts. l want tc
see that road and as many like 1t
built as we can get. There is no
conflict of interest or Of territory be-
tween the two classes of roads.
An interurban furnishes quick
transportation to people and products
adjacent to the town and takes the
place of good roads. 1t has many ad-
vantages standard road does not pos
sess. 1t enhances land values and
can be built and operated for about
one-half what steam railroad can be
The two different systems aid each
other, Just like the telephone ard tel
egraph lines. esides, my proposition
a. not limited to any railroad, bnt
applied to all. The only condition was
that the first railroad connecting rs
with the Rock Island OH the west
should get the prize. The nternrban
has asked nothing fltm us, Out If It
does. will be one to help 1t, because
| | am of the opinion that one donation
does not cancel all our obligations of
that character in the future if we ever
expect to grow. I read in the paper
a short time ago where Mrs. Daniel
Of Dallas thirty years ago bought
lot there, 15Ox15O, for $4,000. which
she recently sold for s152 800 At that
time knew Dallas and IL wasn't much
larger than Ardmore AMI had fewer
railroads than Fort Worth. Today 1t
has 100000 population, many rail-
roads, interurbans, manufactures, dis
tributing houses, etc, and there was
never a time when the property own
ers of Dallas didn't get busy and con-
tribute for every legitimate enter
prise. When you arrange for transpor-
! tatiOn, inducements for other pur-
poses are nominal. 1t is said there
are six hundred travelling men, most
of them, with families, who make Ok
lahoma City their headquarters. Ev-
erybody knows their living expenses
there, house, rent etc, is much
greater than it would be here, and we
have every convenience had there,
with healthy physical moral and ed
ucational advantages. Everything be-
| ing equal except outlets to reach
their trade, are we not bound 20 con-
clude that We have but one thing to
do and that is to build this road to
the west, and they will come. This
APPLIES with more force to manufac-
tories and distributing houses. for
freight rates now determine more
| sales than the original cost of the ar
ticle. For instance, we have var
nish factory now under construction.
| Varnish can be made about as cheap
one place as another. 1t can be
shipped to western Oklahoma now
from st. Louis cheaper than our plant
can get it there because to leach
those points freight must go over
more than one road, first go north.
then west and then south to reach
its destination, making the mileage
three times whereas direct line
would make but one mileage with no
change Of roads The National Bis
cult Co. rented a building here, but
abandoned the contract after it con-
cluded the Lawton road would not be
built This is large concern, oper-
ating houses at all good distributing
centers, and it will return when we
get tHe IOdu. "A large Sdol anu uooi
factory from Texas did the same. and
how many others are waiting time
alond will tell. Reason, however,
coupled with some business judgment
would impel us to believe that with
two direct lines to the east with no
competing city nearer than Little
Rock. with one north and south, and
no city nearer than 100 miles, that
line to the west with no city nearer
than Denver, would offer untold ad-
vantages to any trade or business
over any city in oklahoma
With this undisputed condition,
omitting all reference to our own
selfish desire to become rich. how
long are We to remain content with
what we have? would rather be one