Grayville Weekly Herald

The following is from the Evansville Journal, and certainly about as sensible as any article we have seen, and we commend it to our readers. If the business is started up right it will surely meet with a hearty response here, or we are much mistaken.

MR. EDITOR:—Your paper lately has been the medium of several Railroad articles, and at the risk of "boring" your readers, I will give you another short one. Your editorial, introducing your correspondent Wednesday morning, meets my views, and the zeal for good of your valuable correspondent I duly appreciate, but I think he "branched off" a good deal. As a general rule, railroads ought not to be undertaken unless they are locally needed, and the best test for their need is the spirit with which the local subscription list is met. Again, railroads ought to be under local management. Persons resident can generally raise more money on subscription lists; make better arrangements for right of way, can better attend to all the details of collection and disbursement, and get more work done for less money, especially if the managers have subscribed liberally and paid up for their stocks. Another principle I will lay down about railroads, as well as blacksmiths: If it is better not to have too many irons in the fire at once, it is also better not to have too many projects on our hands at the same time. If the Attica extension is of the greatest importance, let us put our energies to that project and carry it through to completion; then lend a helping hand to our Mt. Carmel friends or our Grayville or our Mt. Vernon neighbors. In all of these projects of inter-communication we have a deep interest, and ought to aid all we can, but always do up work snug and clean—complete one job, then go at another. A few words on your correspondent's mode of "raising the wind," or in more Parliamentary language, providing the "ways and means." He tells us "to see to the men we elect next May to the City Council. Don't vote for any man who will not assist in the development of railroads and internal improvements." My experience convinces me that few men are opposed to improvements, when made without cost to themselves, and still fewer men willing to put their hands in their pockets and aid improvements, to the utmost of their ability, unless they conceive it to be to their interest. Interest and public spirit are the motive power of action, as it regards subscription of stock "to railroads" or "other improvements" by the city. The Council has very little to do with it. That matter is left by the charter, with the residents real estate owners, and real estate is taxable with taxes for that purpose.

Evansville, Feb. 5th, 1857.