The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-07-25

Kansas City, Clinton and
Springfield. ............ 1862
and Northwestern ........ 1855
missouri, Kansas & Texas .............
Junction City and Fort
ACCOMPLISHMENTS O7, 1928
Kansas Central. ........... 153, 1856
W. ................:.............. 1o7, 2o4
Omaha and Republican VAL
ley. .......................... 315,O51
Salina and S. W............. 45,6O3
Solomon R. R.............. 1882
sSt. Joseph and Grand
Island. .......... .................. 21,O73
Central Branch, U. P......... 1853, 766
**Whichita and Western. SO, O47
*Operated by receiver and no fixed
charges paid
SNet income.
**Deficit below operating expenses
alone. No fixed charges paid.
This is pleasant list. Here are
mot one creamery but) nineteen
creameries every one of which was to
all intents and purposes a bankrupt
institutions everyone of which failed
in sums from one thousand to seven
hundred thousand dollars to pay it's
way. 1t is true that five Railroads
in the State paid s., 100000 in divi-
dends; but they were all large cor
porations (the A. T. & S. F., &. R. l.
4 ?. K. c., F. S. & NJ, P, and St. L.
& S. F.) operating lines in other
states and which were enabled on
other parts of their lines to make up
the deficit in Kansas.
Let us take the example which our
critic has chosen. Here are %
creameries in the state. One of these
just manages to get out of the years
operations with a small balance.
Five others, being large institutions
and having connections all over the
country, make good income. The
other nineteen all run behind hope
lessly behind to an extent which they
cannot catch up. The money with
which those creameries was built was
raised by the farmers by subscrip-
ton, getting a little here and little
there from men and widows and
orphans who had a small sum laid
away and to whom it was repJ esent-
ed that they could make a good in
come by lending that sum to the
builders of the creamery and taking
interest on it. The people who sub
scribed are all depending on that in
terest for their incomes-for their
living. The creameries, one and all,
fail to make expenses and every man
and widow and orphan is income
less.
This is what has happened to the
Railroads of Kansas and many an
other Western State. And it has
happened solely because the farmers
in their legislature say that it shall
happen. 1t is true that the men and
women and children who are robbed
of their income do not live in Kan.
sas. They live in rural New England
and New York and other Eastern
States. They do not vote in Kansas
They have no voice in framing her
laws. But does this fact make it
honest in the farmers and legislators
of Kansas to rob them.-to take
from them the interest on the moneys
which they have invested in Kansas
in good faith and without which the
State of Kansas could never have
been built up? And for the name
kansas" you can substitute the
name OF almost any other Western
State and the tale is the same,-a
tale of spoliation and reputation
and shame.
One would think that it would
take another column to reply to the
above-but it won't.
1st.-It is lie.
2d.-The money never was put into
railroad stock by orphans and
widows"
3d.-Nobody's money was put into
railroad stock.
4th.-The bonds were taken by
bankers who, knew what they were
doing getting full interest on every
dollar, on which from ten to 75c.
was really invested.
5th.-Every railroad in the State,
including all the above list, paid the
interest on the bonds.
6th.-Besides this they built IL
million dollars OF new road, ETC., out
Of their years income.
7th.-On an expense of SO million
they made clean profit OF 43 mil
lion dollars.
7th.AHarry Robinson is the chief
among ten thousand-liars.