Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1897-11-04

miles. In that statement lac exagerates
the density of the population about
fifty per cent The Encyclopedia Brit
anica (Vol. xii, p 731), says:
India is great empire of Asia com
posed of twelve provinces under direct
British administration, and one hun
bred and fifty feudatory states and
principali3ies, which, equally with the
British provinces acknowledge the par
amount sovereignty of the British
crown. The whole empire contains
close on to one and a half millions
square miles, and 24O millions of in
habitants"
This authoritive statement reduces
the density of the population from 94O
to the square mile, as stated by Presi-
dent Ripley, to 100; and, the number
to each quarter section, from sixty to
forty persons. That gives twenty acres
of land to each family of FIVE persons.
Then if we deduct the artisans and
tradesmen, and others living in the
towns and cities, it will give TO each
Hindoo farmer and family about thirty
to forty acres of space. That is not
such a distressing density of popula-
ton as President Ripley has pictured.
And, surely, the writer does not mean
to say that all those people are within
using distance of the railroads! British
India is about eighteen times the size
of Kansas, with only twice the extent
of railroads. Many millions of people
in India, it is safe to say, have never
seen a railroad and never will. In this
country railroads are plentiful and the
people all use them and are able to
pay the cost of the using.
In this connection it may be stated,
however, that, in these glorious gold
standard times, there are millions of
destitute people in the United States
who would gladly occupy and crowd,
even the ''cattle cars" so sneeringly
mentioned by President Ripley, if they
could do so at Hindoo figures. Many
of them strive and even fight for the
privilege of riding, not only In the cat
tie cars, but, even, in the most danger
Gus positions beneath the cattle cars,
because theird stitution prevents them
from riding in better style. 1t is only
4 question of time, under the present
financial and transportation policies,
when Americans must cease to boast
over Hindoos. In matters of railroad
the British lion has his
Jour feet on both the countries OF
course the President of the Santa Fe
'oad cannot deny this wildly advertised
Ind boldly illustrated fact as to Amer
ca. He speaks of the people of India
IS starving themselves in order to save
money to pay car fare, but appears oh.
obvious of the fact that many thous-
.nds in this country are starving also,
tut the painful process saves them
lothing to pay car fare in America.
We have no low, Hindoo rates here,
within the reach of starving Amer. /
cans, but, for newly imported Euro f;
can restitution, we can under-bid {
ven the Hindoos, with much better /
airs and accommodations than the
attic cars This railway king scars so
oftily that his regal highness scarcely
iscerns the suffering condition Of low I
: humanity. There is fable of an l
agile in similar high position, which I
hen swooping down to earth for his l
inner, mistook wild cat for a hare
nd the cat did the feasting. ,
AS to the support Of railroads by the
eople, it is we'll known fact among .
EN- who have studied the subject,
'at the income of railroad does not =
'pend altogether, nor even mainly i
pom q count of noses in the passenger
RS; but upon the industry, enterprise o
Id general efficiency of the people as :,
eight producers In the United =,
ates about two-thirds of the aggre- W
Ite railroad income is from the car ii
age OF f"eignts, aud about oue-thlrd 81