| Show tw A BASIN BOOSTER roosevelt utah march 9 1925 honorable calvin coolidge Cool fdge president U S ot of america washington D C honored sir too much praise cannot b be accorded you for your prompt and timely action in at least temporarily blocking the dotsero dottero cutoff cut off I 1 do not think that many people realize the importance ol of such action for twenty years the denver and rio grando grande railroad company have effectively blocked the construction of a railroad through the uintah basin and by so doing secured the trade of about twenty thousand people it may reasonably be assumed that they will not likely let go of it if by lavish expenditure of 0 money it can be secured to them realizing how difficult it is and how unreasonable it would be to eap exp expect act anyone in your position to know particulars tic ulars about cases of this kind unless it is brought to your noties notice I 1 take the liberty of addressing you on the subject the uintah basin Is an oblong strip of country lying directly west of the rocky mountains and surrounded by high mountains on all sides the union pacific railroad on the north and the denver and rio grande railroad on the south parallels each other with the fertile well sheltered hasia basin lying between in 1905 it was opened tor for settlement by white people and since that time it has been occupied by white and indian settlers at the time of the opening the mot met rat railroad had already commenced construction but from time to time the construction or continuance of the work has been thwarted by whom or for what reason may fairly be assumed the people of denver have had to fight their way in the courts and out of the courts before they finally succeeded in getting the tunnel started now the denver and rio grande wants to make connection with the denver and salt lake western railroad which was formerly called the moffat road and Is now halted at craig colorado from time to time there has been numerous surveys made through the basin and each time any competitor started a survey the D R G also started a survey and as soon as the competitor was bluffed the D R G men were called off the blocking of the dotsero dottero cutoff is only a temporary suspension it if the denver and rio grande railroad can make connection anywhere east of 0 craig colorado it will be in their power to effectively bottle up people indefinitely this will be the reward of people who have spent nearly halt half a lifetime life time developing a wilderness gone through all the hardships and privations to say nothing about financial losses that go with pioneering I 1 know that I 1 will be called an alarmist by propagandists but honored sir air it can work no hardship on anyone tor for you to make yourself fully acquainted with all the circumstances of the case which in itself Is national the tunnel will pierce the backbone of the nation cation it will be the longest tunnel in the united states and it should be the safest soundest and best investment tor for capital in the united states not excepting even muscle shoals it its Is in direct line with all the he main a traffic from cast and west it has become imperative for all through lines to cut down grades 11 and nd shorten distances to enable them to compote compete with the panama canal we have history to guide us the construction of the panama canal was retarded tor for man many years and it took a man mall 0 ot t the calibre of former president roosevelt to put it through I 1 hope honored sir air that you will I 1 investigate the truth of these statements and refuse to allow any cutoff cut off oil to be built until at least one direct road is assured through the uintah basin to ito salt lake city and thereby save people from being bottled up indefinitely and compelled to haul baul their products a miles to a railroad it may be presumptuous for me to address an open letter to you but I 1 have never taken an active part in public affairs and I 1 do not feel competent to explain my ideas at a public meeting I 1 am not a lawyer and I 1 know that my suggestion that the building of 0 a cutoff cut off might be blocked on the grounds that it would be in restraint of trade la is liable to be laughed at and jeered at by propagandists and stickers for orthodox methods and phraseology and perhaps kill the idea in its infancy it certainly appears to me that to allow the denver and salt lake western railroad to make connection with the denver and rio grande railroad before the denver and salt lake wes tern reaches salt lake city would leave it in their power to cut off all rail communication with the uintah basin basia and therefore be in restraint of 0 trade trusting that you will give this matter your careful consideration I 1 am honored sir yours respectfully GEORGE F MADDEN |
