The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-04-29

Judge S. S. King Of Kansas City.
club last night on the question of
transportation.
Rarely have the members OF the club
been more highly entertained than with
this gentleman and the able and con-
vincing manner in which he solved the
freight rate question for them.
The meeting was called for s O'Clock
but owing TO the burning of the wires
that give light to the building IL was
nearly 9 O'Clock before Judge King
began TO speak
The meeting was attended by about
forty Of the leading business men of
the city, all of whom were highly enter
tanned and instructed on a question OF
great importance not only 10 Wichita
but to the people of the west central
states and territories.
When President Charles G. Cohn of
the Commercial club introduced Judge
King that gentleman made some eX-
planatory remarks desiring 10 show
why and how he became interested in
the question of transportation. When
at Chicago during the worlds fair he
happened ITO be made one Of the secre-
taries of It, the other secretary being
Mr.. Montgomery of Galveston. After
the first days meeting which was well
attended from three states and fairly
attended from other states, he and Mr..
Montgomery took a report Of the meet
ing TO the four leading papers. The
city editors were glad to get them but
when the papers came out in the morn
ing they did not contain a line Of the
proceedings of the congress. During
the session of five days the Chicago
papers completely ignored the con-
gress. This fact served TO impress Mr..
King with the importance Of the move
ment for Gulf transportation and he
studied IT very closely.
In speaking last night he introduced
a series of charts through which he
illustrated the points in his address
more forcibly. The first chart was the
United States in outline. The New
England states including New York,
Pennsylvania, and New Jersey were
painted black as were also three Pa
cific states-California, Oregon and
Washington. These states represented
one-sixth of the entire area OF the ma
five-sixths of the exports and imports,
while they produced but small frac-
ton of the goods usually exported. He
then showed how New York and Phil
adelphia were the modern duplicates Of
Genoa and Venice. Four hundred years
ago there could not be a dish OF meat
seasoned or cup of wine spiced in
western Europe without the consumers
paying tribute TO the ports of Genoa
and Venice and he said the same is
true of New York and Philadelphia
with reference TO their business rela-
tions with the west. 1t was the exac-
ton of this tribute from the people of
western Europe that gave the impetus
TO the general desire 20 find a new route
10 India and which eliminated in the
discovery of America by Columbus. Be
fore that time for centuries the new
world of Europe traded with the old
world OF India by two routes-one
through the Caspian sea, overland and
by the Euphrates, the other by the
Mediterranean overland and the Dead
sea Then the Cape Of Good Hope
route was discovered and finally the
Suez canal Mr. King finely applied
these historical facts to the present
question. He said that the long over
land haul TO the east must be discon-
tinued and the shorter haul to tide
water in the Gulf must be adopted.
Then" said he, 'ithe Nicaragua canal
must be cut and 800, 600 worth Of ex-
ports and an equal amount Of imports,
must be carried and brought that way
60 and from the Asiatic continent. He
said that the saving in freight OF one
California product each year would pay
the interest on the bonds of the canal.
Mr. King showed that the central states
had the surpluse that the eastern
states had the deficiencies in export
products and hence insisted that the
export trade must be done by the short
haul through the Gulf ports.
His next chart showed the lines OF
land transportation. All the trunk rail-
roads could be cen going from the east
to the west while in long and numerous
red lines while only small and short
little local roads could be seen going 10
the Gulf ports Mr.. King showed that
while five-sixths OF the products Went
through ports along 300 miles on the
north Atlantic coast, contiguous 10
which there was no territory produc-
ing a surplus for export only one
twenty-siXth part OF the products We're
exported through 5000 miles of south
Atlantic and Gulf coast, all OF which IS