Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1913-08-15
OPERA HOUSE SCENE OF ZEN.
THUsIAsTIC TALK FEST.
UP TO GRANTS PASS NOW
Promise Made That When Commune
ity Does Its Part, Road to Coast
VIII Be Built.

The keen interest that the people
OF Grants Pass take in all matters per-
tanning to the railroad situation was
again made evident when the opera
house was filled to its doors with
men, women and children Monday
evening, and when close and intelli-
gent attention was given to every
word that was said by the speakers
of the evening. President Kroh of
the Commercial club presided at the
mass meeting, and seated upon the
stage with him were members of the
public utilities commission, city
council, mayor, business men and
railroad builders, the meeting being
called to explain the conditions sur
rounding the request for bonus of
100000, and to give to the people
first hand the progress of railroad
affairs, though no new details that
have not already been given the read
ers Of the Courier on numerous occa-
sions were brought out.
Up to Grants Pass.
Franklin Helm, through whom the
people from Los Angeles who are
now organizing for the construction
of the coast road were interested in
the project, was the first speaker in
troduced by Chairman Kroh. Mr..
Helm detailed the progress of events
to date, telling how the men of
money and of ability had been inter-
ested to the extent of giving their
time and their capital thus far to the
project, and made the definite state
ment that II the citizens OF Grants
Pass now do what they have agreed,
the road to the coast will be built"
He said the road construction was
going to involve much heavier ex-
penditures that had first been ex-
pected, but that the time of compile
tion of the road to the coast would
be controlled by the length of time
necessary to build the longest tunnel
on the route, and that this one, $500
feet in length, could be finished in
less than year from the time 1t was
first commenced, one contractor hav-
ing given ten months as the time
necessary. Mr.. Helm expressed no
doubt as to what Grants Pass would
do, but said that the builders we're
asking only one-half as much of a
bonus as they had been told would
be raised in the first. The 100000,
he said, was but a small fraction Of
the increased property values that
would come to the district with the
building Of the road, and would only
in a small way compensate the build
ers for the loss of earnings on their
capital during the period when the
road would be non-productive.
"The Man Who Sailed the Ocean"
Judge John l.. Childs, Of the su-
perior court of Del Norte county, was
introduced to the Grants Pass public
as the Man who put the salt in the
ocean at Crescent City" The genial
Judge disclaimed responsibility for
this deed, but before he was through
he had proven to his auditors that
he was a man who could surely put
the ginger into any proposition that
was presented to him. Judge Childs
introduced through word picture the
men who are backing the Grants
Pass-Crescent City railroad, with all
of whom he became intimately ac-
quainted while holding court at Los
Angeles during the past winter. He
was assured of their business acu-
men. of their financial ability and OF
their honest intention in backing the
road and declared that Grants Pass
could afford to raise many times
100000 rather than lose the inhu-
ence of this galaxy Of constructive
talent 10 the community He said
ii was not so much the value of the
honus that was asked as Il was that
tie builders wanted assurance OF CO.