The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1919-06-12
LIBERAL-FoRGAN RAILROAD
PROPOSITION is SLIPPING
Mr.. Byers Has Made Proposition to
Build Northwest.-The Com
mittees at Work.

gan railroad, mas caused conulClOn
which may lead to the proposition
dying a quick death.
Liberal wanted that Forgan con-
nection, and the people of Liberal
township wanted it, while lot of
Oklahoma farmers, realizing the
benefits that would accrue, were for
it, but not in sufficient number to Sc
cure the road.
When the proposition was started
Mr.. Byers hoped the road would be
built in time to haul this seasons
wheat crop, but the slow response Of
the farmers upon whom the building
of the line depended has dampened
the ardor of Mr.. Byers, and he has
now set a date when he will quit
work on the line and take up other
propositions. This rate is June 20.
After that time Mr.. Byers will devote
his time to building line northwest
A bunch of business men came
over from Hugoton the other day and
took up with Mr.. Byers the matter
of building northwest from Liberal
thru Hugoton. Mr.. Byers made
them an offer which they practically
accepted and already committees are
out working, and are meeting with
great success. The offer was prac-
tically the same as was made on the
Liberal-Forgan line, but is going a
great deal faster.
This line will be wonderful thing
for Liberal as we'll as the tributary
country. 1t is expected to tap the
Colorado coal fields and it is said
that if interest along the line is as in
tense as it is between here and
Hugoton we may use coal this win
ter hauled over the new line. Mr..
Byers has already made arrange
ments for the grading and building
OF the Liberal-F -Forgan road and this
will be used to good advantage on
theh northwest road.
n Somehow the Democrat cannot be-
lieve that the Oklahoma farmers will
pass up this opportunity. The build
ing of the road means so much to
them that surely when they come
face to face with the proposition of
losing it they will stop and think
again.
Some of the arguments against
helping finance the road are so for
,eign to the question that one can see
at a glance that some people down
there have not studied over the mat
ter a great deal.
For instance one man made the
statement that if the Liberal business
men wanted the road they should
build it, and not expect the farmers
to do it. The fallacy of this argu-
ment is apparent. The Liberal busi-
ness men do want the road. The
reason they want the road is because
they know that Liberal must be made
a wholesale town, and it takes rail-
roads to do it, The Liberal business
men and their employees, the people
who make up the town, have voted
the bonds of the city $4,000 and
and the road will have less than a
quarter of a mile of track in the
city. They have given their time
and the use Of their machines to take
the message to the farmers along the
line.
The farmers of Liberal township,
whose and will not be increased in
value half as much as will that of
those in Oklahoma, a much greater
distance from Liberal, have voted
the bonds of the township to aid the
road. The city and the township
in Kansas have gone the limit. Why,
then should not the people of Okla
homa whose state laws prevents them
from voting bonds for railroad aid,
give the road the assistance it asks.
And now will not the farmers of
Oklahoma benefit more than the
business men of Liberal? It is a
settled fact that there will be two
good towns between Liberal and
Forgan. What is this going to mean
to the people of that territory? 1t
will split the distance to market by
three, meaning that the farmers will
have to haul their grain two-thirds
less distance than at present, and
this likewise applies to other farm
produce as well as the things the
farmer uses.
The building of the road means
shat the Liberal business men will
Lave two towns in the best trade ter
ritory we have with which to COM
pete, and it means that the town
will lose lot of good farmer trade
Liberal can only hope to gain by an