The morning call., 1892-08-14

Diagrams showing the number OF railroad SYSTEM.
and the relative sizes Of seven American cities.
cifc and the North Pacific Coast. They are
each short local lines. and cut no figure
whatever In through traffic.
Still, for the sake of argument, they will
all be counted in. and we have for our Great
sum total of railroad systems the magnii-
cent number Of three.
Three railroad systems.
Cincinnati, with 1000 less population than
San Francisco, has l5
Kansas City. with 10000 less than one
half our population, has To-
Minneapolis, with little over one-han our
population, has II.
New Orleans, with $1,000 less than our
population. has Q.
St. Louis. with 10000 more people than
we have, has 49,
Chicago with 1000, 900 population, or say
three times ours, has % separate and dis
tinct railway systems. some OF the compa-
MES controlling them having on their list
as many as two-scOre lines Of single and
double-traek railways.
II we had railroads In the proper ratio
with Chicago, we would have seven distinct
and separate systems, each of value In con-
nection with other lines, instead of having
one system. and two other lines that Chicago
would hardly think worth while utting in
her category.
But we have the one system, which, in our
provincial way. we call ''the railroad"
Just one system.
We need 10 more to be on decent basis
to be up with the average-and there is no
reason in the world why we should not have
| more than the average.
What Is railroad or two. more or less.
! anyway?
Is railroad such wonderful thingp
In 1892 1t Is really anything but wonder
| full. 1t is common.
II would have been something to have gone
| miles to see forty years ago.
| But this Is 1892.
A railroad is only a couple Of strips of
steel with some steam things and other
| things running over IL.
There is nothing wonderful about 10 10
| the man of average intellect
| To the man who has never been anywhere
| and never seen anything IL may be great
| There are many who would stand and cape
at the running of a sewing-machine or an
! eggbeater
Such men gaze at locomotive with equal
wonder.
To them the building OF railroad is a
| stupendOus task.
But the fact Of the matter Is, railroads
| almost build themselves
III they did not how did Stanford, Hunt
| ington and Croker, with nothing to speak
| of in their pockets, have constructed for
them railroad system of over 5000 miles?
Railroads are built now just rs they were
J then-not with the actual cash OF the con-
| structing company, but by trading ON the
roads future prospects.
AS fast rs road is bulut.is mortgaged
| The mortgage is one of the first of the
fixed charges" OF nearly every line In the
| country.
| paiiroad oomn,nias conrt on nroe,. -,
so many thousands Of dollars over and
| above the fixed charges and operating ex-
| penses.
All that is necessary for any section of
| country to get railroad Is for trust
| worthy company 10 make the proper repre-
| sentati0ns to capitalists at home or abroad
| and secure their confidence in the profit in
| hand.
III the company cannot command conf.
dence the building of the railroad, which is,
gravel and laying ties and iron will not be
| undertaken.
Ii 1t command confidence, there is no
trouble about securing capital.
The difficulty lying in the way Of most OF
the competing-line projects in this State is
that they have not commanded confidence.
They have not been able. by superior
worth and reliability, to overcome even the
petty obstacles thrown In their way by such
men as c. z. Huntington.
| III may De tnEt some OF those new CON-
panies now In the feld will develop strength
enough 10 command capital, but the English
German or French capitalists look az the
matter In this way: "If the scheme you
propose Is such good thing, why dom
some of your own California capitalists taks
1t up and put little money in 1t? WheT
we see them advancing money we will al
vance money ourselves"
| III California wants competing oyerlerf
line-and the man is blind who Garnet sc,
that she wants half a doZen-she raust pa
her hand in her pocket and draw out enough
to give the road good start. Then EasteTr
or foreign capital will help her out
"The railroad"
1t is simply absurd that 1t should bs aim
ply ''the railroad"
What would a Chicago man think II sons
one In the Lake City should ask, WHERE u
the railroad time-tablep"
(which one do you wsnt?" would be th'
reply. "The Baltimore and Ohio, the Chieag
and Alton. the Atchison, Topeka aud Sant'
4 T. 90 he