The Springfield herald., 1919-01-17
TheRailroad Again
Take a Whole Loaf if You Can
Get 1t. but If You Can't Get
a Whole Loaf. Take Half a
Loaf. l[

OF 'Cne POSSIBILITY OF tile peopie III
terested building the road we
have had under consideration, of
,eqnipping the same and keeping
and operating it; but for those
wAo tiink that railroad building
Is possible only with great rail
: road companies-after the people
put up the dough. we will give
another phase of the PROPOSE
|tion.
As stated in our first article,
The war being over, we believe
that now is the time to make the
one grand strike for railroad;
and if it takes a long pull, let's
get into the collar and make the
pull altogether.
Th re might be such a thing as
a railroad just happening to come
alpng-some morning for an i'll
stance belore breakfast; but If
we were to sit down. fold our
arms, and just wait for IL to hap
pen to come, the chances are
that when St. Gabriel toots that
double-barrel tin horn of his
we would still be waiting for
the railroad-"just to happen to
come along"
The chances are that the man
who stakes his fortunes in life on
the chances of finding a pot of
gold in the bottom of a post hole.
will not have the flags lowered at
half mast-nor even many mourn
ers, when he finally turns up his
timber toes.
And the man who is waiting
for opportunity to kick his door
lin, wouldn't know Mr.. Oppprtun-
lity he were to-eome-i~end stay
with him for a whole moon.
AS matter of course it il with
communities as it is with indi-
viduals. Opportunity may
knock and knock and knock, and
he may even kick The door down.
I but the community that's asleep
lust sleeps on. maybe giving 8
grunt and rolling over whe4 the
door is finally kicked ia,
AS a matter Of fact, Mr.. Oppor-
tunity is here right n ow-ambIed
up TO the door the very day that
Germany signed the armistlce,
and the war was thus ended.
The opportunity that is here
now is the opportunity of fore
ing things. That kind of an
opportunity is just as good as
any other if it is made use of,
and no opportunity is worth a
cent if the person or community
pays no attention 10 it.
And this brings US to that con-
slderation of the question that
we contemplated for this time -
that of forcing a railroad.
Organize. incorporate, survey
the route, proceed to gather up
the collateral securities we have
Indicated, then get into cores
pondence with the Santa Fe and
the Rock Island, and also with
the line heading this way from
Forgon, and almost as certain
w one of thes.. lines will take up
the proposition of putting down
the road, or some other road,
using the securities we have gath
lered as a bonus for building the
road, Or going it on their own
hook, to get in and thus bluff out
some other line.
While making this effort for
some big company to accept our
securities and with them build
the road, we shouldn't be sitting
around counting our fingers.
The big companies will appre-
ciate our efforts and offers more
by our keeping right on saving
! wood.
| In case they can't be induced
to take hold alter the securities
had been sec, red, go on with the
grading, and when this is tinish-
ed go after them again-and So
on and so on.
It's up to US. Shall we do it,
or shall we simply lean back in
our moss. covered chairs and wait
for q railroad Just to happen tc
come along"
! Again next week.
! ...-......-.--.--.
j. W. Thompson of Sulphur,
| AL - ~,.,, ,.0oln,- Nf tha