The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1886-01-28
THE NEW ROAD.
Competition Not AntagOnism.
The Chicago, EmpOrla and South
western Enthusiastically
President Jones Makes a Fair and
Clear Statement.
Prominent Business Men Speak.
The People Evidently Disposed to
Think FavOrably Of the
Enterprise.
Full Report of the Railroad Meet
ing.

Full Report Of the Railroad Meet
ing.
Pursuant TO general notice. large
number Of The citizens Of Emporia and
Lyon county met at the Whitley opera
house Saturday, January %, to listen TO
the remarks Of the Vsrleus persons in
terested In the building Of the CHICAGO,
Emporia 81 Southwestern railroad. The
meeting was called TO order about $50
D. m, and Hon. g. v. Eskridge Was
unanimously elected chairman OF the
meeting and j. ID. Holden secretary.
Mr.. Jones, president of the Chicago,
Emporia & Southwestern railway COM
pany, was called upon and responded.
He clearly explained the aims, objects
and designs Of the G., Z & S. w. r. X.
In substance &c follows:
Merchants, business men. aud gentle |
men Of EmpOrIA and Lyon county:
come before you to explain In as few
words IS possible the ends and aims Of
the corporation represent. Ny throat
IL In bad condition, Sn6 / am suffering
with . severe cold, therefore may be
difficult to BE heard. You hAv come
out here TO hear something regarding
the G. z. & 5.W. r. r. Four or five
roads own and operate over $4,000 miles
of railroad west and northwest from
Chicago. OF this large mileage, the
Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Paul owns
and operates about 5000 miles, and the
Chicago, Burlington 81 Quincy probably
as much moro. Certain of these roads
hGvs for . number of years occupied the
territory known as the northwest. They
have run out their branches and CON-
pIetely covered It, realizing and believ.
ing that settlement followed the rail-
roads, and that the thing to do was TO
construct the roads and thus
invite settlement along their lines
These roads formed pool, making as
part Of their bargain that they we're each
TO keep out of certain territory. This
pool was formed OF the Chicago, Mil
waukee & St. Paul and Chicago s. Moth
western, occupying the territory west
and northwest, snd the Chicago, Burling-
& Quincy occupying the southwest.
The O., b. & Q is q great corporation,
occupying an extensive territory south
and extends west TO Denver. The Bur.
lington & Quincy concluded last spring
that It would extend It's lines TO st. Paul
and Minneapolis, and are constructing
line 265 miles long. AS soon as that step
was taken, the Milwaukee s. st. Paul
said they would push TO the southwest
as fast as possible, and located their line
to Kansas City and stretched their arms
out to the southwest. The Chicago b
Northwestern will be obliged to do like
wise. Knowing these things, it was con-
cluded thai line constructed in your
state would be advisable.
Surveys were made and the country
looked over. visited Topeka and Kan
sas City. did not think of Emporia
being q stranger IN your state, but, ow.
ing TO the fact that IL was necessary to
secure q certain number of the residents
OF Kansas, and having letters Of intro.
duction to some of your leading men, an
organization was formed, called the
Emporia s. Southwestern railroad com,
pany. This was so called, not because
Of the opposition of the Atchison, Tope.
ka & Santa Fe. but in order to obtain q
certain amount Of franchises, that could
not be had without difficulty did the ex-
listing lines OF your state realize that
there was anything that meant business
in the scheme. The matter was talked
over and the charter of the Chicago, EN-
peria s. Southwestern was filed. 1t was
not the intention 20 sntagonize the At
Gibson, Topska Sc Santa Fe. Certain
matters must be kept confidential and
for the purpose of obtaining q foothold
this was one. In the transaction OF
business some one must be trusted
and certain things retained as con-
fidential. AS an illustrative example
VIC will take the Fort Scott s. Wichita
railroad. This was believed to
be nothing but a scheme TO make money.
started Oy spectators, nor was any state.
ment made to the contrary. Finally the
line was continued and when the people
found It was continuation OF the Gould
system they were delighted. knowing
that II meant active competition, and
with compton comes an increase OF
business both TO the railroad and the
people. Some people say that the Chi
cago, Emporia s. Southwestern may be
In the interest of the Santa Fe. answer
on my word as q gentleman that It is not.
though We desire TO make no war upon
upon the Santa Fe; it Ia an ably and eff
nciently managed road. The territory
through which 1t runs and that tributary
70 IL is jealously watched by the corpo-
ration To that we make no obi ec;Ion-
II is business, and it is the duty of the
road to look after the interests of the
stockholders and retain as much power
for the corporation ss possible. But this
is not what the people OF EmplrIe,
Lyon county and Kansas want. They
want cemps'i ion. Why? Not because it
operates against the A, T. 81 s
z. railroad. The people could better
afford 70 lose half they have rather than
TO do without that road, but they want
competition to build up the town, the
county aud the state. Competition OF
railroads will enhance the value of your
property aud create lower price for the |
goods you have to use. For instance,
the rate on lumber from Chicago to |
Atchison or Kansas City, q distance OF |
about 500 miles, is 1873 cents per hun
dred pounds; to your city or vicinity,
IS cents per hundred pounds Why is |
this! Because of competition To the |
Missouri river. Chicago and the north.
west are the natural lumber markets. |
At present take q consignment oil certain
freight from DIS MOines, Iowa, to /
point IN this state. Tnc distance 70 the /
Missouri river is 22l miles; the rate Of
freight from Des Moines to Atchlson l.
10 cents per hundred weight; the point
10 be reached in Kansas Is $50 miles /
from the Missouri river; the rate from /
the river TO that point Is 40 cents per
hundred weight. These great
trunk lines are now Knocking
ct the door of Kansas fIr ad
mittance. DO you suppose they merely
want In cross the Missouri river TO stop
No, ana tell you. gentlemen, that the
amount OF announcement given tO the
prospective railroads in Kansas during
the next few months will determine raul
road building IN the slate for the nexl
seven to ten years There will be more
mileage Of railroads built in the state 81
Kansas, pEOvIdIng the citizens are alive