The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1917-03-02

A'AoANh ", AVL hOAt oOouoss 10 thS
date for the special election to be
held for the purpose of deciding
whether or not the county and the
municipalities mentioned in the proc
lamations give aid to the proposed
north and south railroad.
The total amount of bonds, asked
for is 100000 and is apportioned
as follows: The county, $4,000 for
each mile traversed. Liberal town
ship, total of $4,000; Seward
township, a total of $40, 900, and the
City of Liberal, $4,000 bonds and
whatever the right-of-way cost may
be.
The bonds will not be issued or de-
livered to the railroad until the road
shall have buiided thru and be in ,op.
Grafton in the county, and not then
liz the road is not completed by the
first day of January, 1919.
The bonds will not begin drawing
interest until after the railroad is as.
sessed in the county, and the rail.
road by taxation simply pays its own
way. A part of the principal and the
interest is paid each year and long
before the time limit expires on the
3O-year bonds, the entire amount
$780, 900 and interest, will have been
paid.
There is no risk in giving this
temporary aid to the new project. If
the road fails to come, the expense in
Cured in this election is not charged
to the county. All the election ex-
penses are paid by the railroad in any
event. And the moment the bond
money is paid to the railroad the
county begins to receive the taxes,
which will in time pay into the treas
ury all that has been given to the
road to help it become established.
The most needful enterprise for the
betterment of the western part of the
state for many years. has been north
and south railroad such as the Colo
RADIO, Kansas and Oklahoma road will
furnish, and now that this county has
the opportunity TO secure it, why
should not every citizen make a spe-
cial effort to attain that which is
good, helpful and substantial.
A railroad has always been a de-
veloper of country. This truth was
discovered when the Pacific road was
builded thru the west, connecting the
Pacific and Atlantic cities and vicini-
ties and bringing immigration to con-
vert the Great Plains into rich farm
districts and thriving cites. There
would have been no substantial immi-
grafton to Seward county If the Rock
Island had not Gomez and If one road
has caused so much development is 1t
not reasonable to expect that two rail-
roads will greatly enhance the growth
and valuation of community?
The advent of the north and south
railroad will open a new and more ex-
tended market for the farmers and
business men of the county. For in
stance, the freight rate on lumber,
according to the clerk of the Board
of Public Utilities, will be much re-
duced. On lumber. the rough materi-
al, the rate now is So cents per hun
dred. The new road will bring the
same material from the Pacific coast
for so cents. The rate on Greeley po-
tatoes is 35 cents to Liberal The
new railroad can easily bring the
same potatoes to the county, for 20
cents. The coal rate from Trinidad
district is SO, but the new road will
cause change in the rate to $3.50.
The board was not able to estimate
on the wheat rate, but the
most conservative estimates say that
there will be saving of at least 8
cents per hundred by. shipping over
the Q. K. & o. to the Gulf. At this
time wheat is almost wholly routed
from here TO Hutehinsen or Kansas
City, then largely diverted to Gulf