Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-04-24
THE SANTA FE AND THE RAILROAD
COMMISSIONERS.
unwarranted Determinations Should New
er be Permitted, But Healthy Com
petition Ever Encouraued.

| in the brief space of n few wears advanced
our Young. and formerly novertv-stricken
commonwealth. from one of the most insip.
njficant of the States 10 the elev.ntb in tho
Union in power. wealth and populatien.
Our rapid DEVELOPMENT and growth has
been a matter of comment and astonish.
ment. The "Great American Desert, was
directly. through this agency. transformed
into the grapary of the world in the brie,.
| est space of time From 1s-o IN 1850 there
was no halt mr. b,Ik made b,t about tho
latter date a dealer. n simmer. and a nro.
Queer here and there who had gained their
all throuub this very nrosnerity im,c,ned
that they had been rohhed Inv excessive
| rreipht charges anil determinations Tho
complaints of these sbort.sIphted and nm.
reasonable grumblers were only too soon
made the hobby of the average dnnagogue
until MANY began to really believe that rail.
way enterprise. instead of being the con-
seryator of the States prosperity. was in
reality an incubus that weighed down and
DESTROYED. A publie sentiment seldom fails |
| IN become the insn;ration of n leoisIa-
| tive body. and when n Is. IL is then
generally crystalized into law, So il was
in Kansas. and bu, for the GOODNESS of
| the conservative majority. but for the earn. |
| est work and words of men who had lived
| and struggled for an existence in Kansas |
for years before she had railroads. an act
would have been promulgated which would |
have brought TO a dead stand-still the |
growth of the State and the further deyel- |
| oament Of It's broad wes,ern Mains.
| However. a law was passed which raised |
a commission. which commission was ex- |
nresslv empowered To do only certain things. |
This commission. presuminy upon the sent |
iment which animated the body that had
created il. set about not only To obey the |
mandate but also TO regulate TO manage and
control the entire railway system of the |
Stale Such proceeding was checked. in |
DECREE. by the earnest protests of boards of |
| trade and CITY councils of several towns. and |
nv warnings from the press. Only one rail. |
road man raised his voice and he was de- |
rided slurred and abused Mr.. A r. Tom |
zalin. as manager ne the Santa Fe. and as
the commemorative of the men who in re-. |
snonse 70 the HEADINGS of Kansa. and the |
nledges made nv ber neon,e had noured
milIions unon millions of New Enqland,s
~, al, ,.;,h
r.. ~ .-,o, =. .,.;
- |
Z, -,
80. .:. -, -, ,o,,o
,,--, - - -. =. -,
49,, -, -. .o,,,d |
a.. -, - a. 49,,
r ,-,- 49,, -, !,
- ;. -, -, - -, ,..,.a.a
-, - ~,
- r. .,,-e,a,
cous'an' s'iean ioi 'en !e"is. 4" '"ese
ieis-anu IL was 'h't WHICH "oo'e al No''-
'ienueo 'nehi W 'ne Peofte-'' i'"N'''n
ueeiareu 'ha' III iuii anu cie"f uhuei s''pu-
ipS Vi al Tue quesi'ons iu'o"eu' .! 'ne
puoie' Jay 'pe ON! WARRANT Tue 'ai''o'us
nau ior iaif uea'n'en'' anu 'u"' rs soon Hs
sucn Nho"ieoee Va .ne 'i"nspo' '"''o"
ques'ioh was nAu ny que ous'ness 'neh' pro-
uueefs' shippeis. ""u o'hei Pa'iohe vi 'ne
roaos' no iesisia'Ne vi otnei power "ouiu
oe pei W eh''aniiiei anu 'ippie 'iiese
enterprises III 'ne inanuei a''e"p'eu W '"e
oo,niniss ,'
.,,,,,,,;ss;o,or' 80 s,,s,,anaoa ana Tho roii-
-. ;,,,,;,o5 ., o,ho, hoor;, II
:, ..,,,.;,..
;,. o., g., 40, ;nsoxihlo 80 would in
-. 81, e., d,,,;,;s,, ,ho .rorhIa.
..,.Ia;o1 :, ,r;,,,aro,v ,i,.;r oh,roos.
r., 80, ,,o;r avs o,,o, 20 ,ho f.ot that
,uu,.,;o - orla,a oor,d M ,oro
~ h.,,oa H., ;,eox;h,o rrlas ,h.p .ouId
,he hr,noh.s os ..wboIesa,e., and ..re,.iIr
:, o,,,r,or,o .,,a ,rado 10 alin;,o,ad from,
Dr. Ia, ,r ,,onos, o,a uhoIoso,,o .o,,no,i.
10,
These reflections occur 10 us on reading a
psmphIet on ssthe relations of Kansas rail-
roads TO the State of Kansas by Norris L.
Gage. one of the committee of Topekn's
board of trade who made a report against
the action of the railroad commissioners.
Being a capitalist. but not a railroad man.
Mr.. Gage resolved 10 20 to the bottom of
this whole question. To facilitate his re.
searches. the Santa Fe gave him access TO
their books. Most carefully has he done
the work. Among other things that par-
tic,1larIy impresses Ms is the fact that not
one dollar of the entire reeeipts of the San
ia Fe,s land grant has in any way. shape or
form yone into tho nockets of the stock {
holders or the men who furnished the money
IN bpila tho road lint has been emnloved 10 !
nay ,axes tn the state and counties for fur.
tbering and carving forward emigration
schemes and for imnroyinp buildinp. etc.
e,c Tn taxas alone on these lands the
S,.,a and eo,.p,.es have receiyed 81 ia. {
900 % and for emigration purposes. assist 8
inc colonies etc 81 OBS .g76. 10.
We viii close tbis article with the obsory- ,
alton tina, any attempt to control the rates ,
that NAV he CHARGED unon n railroad or 9TH ,
or line of commerce. by statute. is but an ,
o,,em,, IN reyu,ate nr;ces Inv law. which 4,
must sooner mr. later strike the bakers war. :
n, and tho wages of the laborer ITnwar.
r.,toa DETERMINATIONS sbould mt no ,llow. /.
ad I'm, healthy comne,itiop eyer encour. !
.oaJ So,rc;tv has ensued from evarv at :
,a,nn, IN ,o,,uia.a n,iees Inv Law in al Lands
At all times An such lepislation of ne.
osss,tv ,npst nroxe niscbiavous
There Is another fact that il seems all
mipht eomnrehend. Every cent earned by
i"'"". "Ano anu a'ueu " NC, iA' q
people, by the reduction OF charges that :,
steadily accompany the increase Of traffic
aud it matters little whether the
Santa Fe came with its money to Kansas
through pure selfshness or enlightened self
interest, the result is the same, for all COM g
merce is an exchange of services. 1t is al o
most sure 10 happen that be who makes the ,