The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-11-05
RAILROAD MEN ELATED
HI FIRST DAY AFTER ELECTION
BUSINESS SHOWS IMPROVEMENT.
Freight Official Comes to Defense of
the observation-disclosures in Corn
Rates VIII Not Check Shipments.

In TO line OF business were the results of
Tuesdays election more appreciated than
in railroad circles, officials and employees
sharing in the ~elation. feeling that they had
an honorable part in bringing about the
result. At the city ticket Offices more tick
cts were sold than in any day for some
months. This is in part due 10 the whole
sale men purchasing mileage TO send their
travelling statesmen out, and persons who
have delayed trips that they might vote
we're Of the number who purchased tickets.
The freight officials report numerous calls
for cars. In each case some remark is
quoted showing that the shippers now
mean business, and TO say that the outlook
is brighter than for many months for the
railroads is no exaggeration. Large guam
titles of grain are stored in the center of
the country. and therefore every Indiana,
Illinois and Ohio road can but derive ben
eft from carrying it to the market In
fact. all the roads of the West must be
benefited in moving the grain crop from the
farms to the distributing centers and the
seaboard, and the shipments have got such
a start, and so great is the demand for
cereals for export, that 1t is believed the
advance in the corn rate on Nov. l will not
check shipments, and the calls for cars yes
terday did much TO confirm that belief. with
the scent better rate the roads handling
the business will at once show handsomer
earnings. There is q little congestion Of
grain at the Eastern and Southern ex-
port points, but it is thought that with
the regular steamers and the large num-
Der OF tramp steamers which Will soon be
at the ports to load, the congestion will be
largely relieved in the next ten days. Not
nnlX n the = nrnn nnxu nNfnO hut the
pine of cotton are daily increasing,
and 1t is evident from the reports from day
to day that there will be a continual de-
mand for food stuffs. The cotton, as well
as the grain crop, Is Il failure in India. AT
home a heavy movement CT merchandise is
looked for, so low are stocks of all kinds.
A railroad official yesterday remarked that
the statistical position of railroad stocks
should now be particularly strong and un-
assailable, and a pronounced advance in
the best stocks will not be a surprise.
a Freight Man Has Something to Say.
To me Edit1r of the indianapolis Journal:
Referring to the interview with a general
manager published recently 1 cannot agree
for a moment with some assertions made
therein. For example. the first one, that
passenger men are obscure and isolated
martyrs. working and wearing out their
lives for the company's interest and receiv-
ing no public thanks. no public commenda-
oOAAt az R0OiO " llCA AdIO dilu
arduous toll. while the freight fraternity
is extolled to the skies by the newspapers
and their many virtues and achievements
paraded before the public like those of a
Democratic candidate. Let me ask what
part of a railroad is best known to the
public. Is it the freight department? Out
side Of shippers not one man in ten could
tell what a freight bill or bill Of lading
is, and there are very very few people, in
deed, even among shippers. who understand
the meaning of a fast freight line. But
ask anyone who has any sense what the
Knickerbocker special or the Empire State
express. or the Pennsylvania No. ) is, and
they will tell you all about them. When
the Lake Shore broke the worlds record
last spring every paper in the land was
full of it, but when the New York Central,
Lake Shore & Michigan Southern and Big
-Four put on their sixty-hour fast freight
train recently New York TO ST. Louis, out
side of the railroad columns of a few papers
absolutely no notice was taken of IT. Now
as to the men. Ask most anyone who Col.
yertisement OF the O., Oh, yes, ! know
him. And who is Wright Jordan" every
body knows him unless they have indiges-
ton and are soured on the world. He is
that singing clown of the Big Four. Look
at George Peck, Henry Bronson, Ben Kel-
sey and. by the way, old CT Dixon. Every
OO0g OA O6A III NV AAALs h1 ALCN - viz
matter Is a passenger man who is not in
the newspapers every day and paraded
before the public every day and known by
everybody, is a rarity. Take these four
names and ask the general public who they
are: George Daniels, T.. A. Ford, l.. ..
Mccormick, u. G.. Edwards. Nearly every
one knows them. / could pick out four
freight men, and scarcely anyone would be
able 10 identity them. 1t is the duty and
constantly in touch with the public, and
unless this is so they are mo good" The
general managers article was one of wild
assertion. He says the passenger man has
double the work in soliciting and looking
after his traffic that the freight man does,
and even after the business is promised it
is liable TO be diverted on account of un-
der-handed work OF a competitor. a prom
lnent passenger man OF this city once said
he quit the freight business because after
you secure a car of freight your trouble has
just begun" while when a passenger is Sc
cured and loaded on d train that ends the
matter. This is the fact. You secure a car
or freight; II starts on its journey; 1t must
be traced; shippers worry you constantly
while in transit for delivery: If the car is
detained, or should 1t be damaged, or over
charged, months of worry and trouble must
ensue until the claim is settled. As to
work in soliciting all large concerns nova
days select smart. shrewd railroad men to
handle their traffic affairs, man. of whom
know more about freight business than the
solicitor himself. and IL the general man
ager thinks it is fun to combat such gen.
tlemen. let him try a round. Furthermore,
every concern doing shipping makes a
study Of Its particular character of traffic,
and with the briskness of competition il
makes the solicitor hustle" TO please him
and secure his business. What passenger
man goes over the town every day hunting
up business? The freight solicitors have
rounds like policemen. and see shippers
every few days. 1t is a rare thing to see
city passenger agents hunting business.
They Will visit a man or party after they
come to the office and inquire about a
trip, but it is rare. indeed. TO find them
reading society notes, hotel registers and
mingling among the people in search Of
traffic. FREIGHT.
Freight Boom Expected.
The railroads are looking for greatly in
creased traffic within the next few weeks.
They say that now the election is over
the merchants throughout the West and
Southwest who have been delaying the or
dering of their goods will now, that they
have some assurances that the way the
markets are likely to turn will demand