The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-08-31
THE GREAT WEST.
Impressions Of the Country by an En-
thnslastic Visitor.

'hANtt1hi' iFAAoAs
Editor OF The Times:
sir.-F'or fear the public should forget
me j write you few lines from this
place. The American Bankers Associa-
ton has been in session here all this
week and % invited me TO make to it an
address which / made. Ii was a very
fine address according 10 my way OF
thinking, but u any oil The others thought
80 they kept their opinions 70 them
selves. The world Is full Of cranks
though.
/ would Ike 20 tell you what I think
OF the great West but before attempting
20 do 60, I would have 10 say that
Great is not tho word Tor H. Great
IS discredited now we gay Great Scott"
and the bumptious young German En-
peFor has docreed that his grandfather
Is william the Great
We want q new word for the West that
VIII suggest everything YOU can imagine
OF the immense, the enormous and the
prodigious. Il Is the most wonderful
thing in the world. You travel day IN
and day out through boundloss plains
covered with corn that viii yield not
less than ten barrels 10 the acre. and
ricks OF upthrasred wheat are I'm greater
number than the sands on the sea shore
with millions OF cattle, sheep and
horses. 10 seems to me 7 have seen
enough food for man and boast 10 sus.
tain the human race through an time
A sleeping car conductor ~ Kansas
City who learned I was from Richmond
said. "Oh. you are all out OF clviliZa-
ton" / was beginning TO think go my
self, but when I saw tho cars filled with
men in their shirt sleeves sitting amongst
well dressed females, when I sat I'm the
restaurant az Union station. Kansas
city, and saw the tables waited on by
negro men. negro girls and white girls
all mingled together while and express
messenger passed through with q breech
loading shot gun and an army revolver
buckled around his waist 20 battle the
hold ups / had 10 admit that We at
least had some remnants OF civilization
10 which 1 was glad We were holding on.
But the Great West IS all that this
conductor could have claimed for T.. 1
saw Il begin as soon as / struck the coal
development I'm West Virginia and II went
on steadily as FAR as j went, and may so
on, for ought j know. TO tho other end
Of the world. 10 commenced whore the
people work early and late and I'm
afraid a great deal of what We lack
comes from the fact that our people
don't work as these people do. With MS
lrs a great deal OF the old story of "the
country going to ruin because the nlggers
won work"
i was az Virginia courthouse IN June
IN a county where there are IL great many
negroes. I said 10 one gentleman nc
would never have any prosperity until
his people got rid of the negroes. lie
said be did not know SO much about that.
That they ought not TO De allowed 90
vote, but 10 liked them very much as
labOrers. Another gentleman said; you
have either got to keep the negroes or
ssh l. IL HfrF
,me he had stated free sllver's Whols
case. but had shown how we must always
lag behind while We depend upon the
labor of others instead Of buc6ling down
20 hard labor ourselves
The railroad system OF the Great West
s. ono OF the marvels Of the day and the
pivot upon which its greatness I'm large
measure turns. There ls a railroad run
ming everywhere and all are comprised
IN two or three great systems that cause
all 10 work together In perfect harmony
so that you travel everywhere ana ship
90 every point without hitch or break.
10 was not so thirty years ago. Then
the present system consisted OF iunum-
erablo little roads running from one town
20 another. each one lcyying toll upon
traveller and shipment in the vain effort
10 pay interest on cost and the salaries
and wages OF thousands OF unnecessary
officers and employees. All this is now
Topped oil under the consolidation, and
tho public gets the advantage OF the saw
ing 20 a large extent, because the in
terest OF the railroad IS 20 reduce fares
and freights 20 the lowest point that will
produce a profit
IL j were asked what ! thought of the
Cato Jay Could 1 would In the matter or
moral character present "A dark picture.
and / would be keeping the maxim: "De
mortuis nil MIST bonOum" as well IN
mind as the case allowed. When put
ting his schemes into operation he dis
regarded all who were In his way as
mercilcssly and "a pitilessly as Jugger-
naut car ever crushed its victims But
he had a genius for construction which
has rarely been excelled In this world.
lie looked over the field thirty years ago
and saw what .mmense profits We're %
be made from consolidating its petty
fragments OF railroads. He cared no
more for public interests than his con-
temporary who thought the public should
'be id" But buying up controlling
interest In the stock OF each detached
road and bringing them all together IN
consolidation. he did service 20 the
public the value OF which Is simply be-
yOnd calculation. What Is the moral Of
N+i+' NnoEf II - illik Il tNAAl-A IltAANt
VIII often actuate the worlds benofactOr
10 spur him on 70 the endeavors that arc
necessary for great performances. Ma
poleon Bonaparte was as utterly destitute
OF moral impulses rs jay Could. and
pay what was common between Jay and
the devil high compliment when I say
this. But with all HIS znurder and
slaughter and destruction, Napoleon left
the world far advanced over what he
found IL. His murder and bloodshed
were necessary FOR forcing upon man.
kind the principle OF the equality of men,
and man did not paw too high 4 price for
this boon 20 have Il fixed upon the plane
where ne left a. But selfshness was
AZ the bottom OF all that Napoleon ever
cid.
Another though, suggested by this sit
uation is the incalculable influence OF the
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