The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-09
CHANCE FOR THEORISTS
PRESIDENT OF THE SANTA FE
MAKES AN OFFER TO POPULIsTs.
He Is willing to Lease Railway
Trains i'm Kansas mt the Rate of
One Dollar Per Mile.

WICHITA, Kan. Jan. s-President Rip
lev of the Santa Fe Railroad. in an article
published here in the Kansas Commoner.
Populist paper, answers at length the
theories of railroad management and rail-
road legislation of the Populist party as
advocated in the same publication by ex-
Congressman John Davis. of the Sixth Con-
gressional district, and W. +. Brown, chair
man of the committee on railroads of the
Kansas Legislature. After referring to at
lacks made upon the railroads in the ef-
fort to pass a maximum freight rate bill
and the argument advanced by Mr. Davis
to secure an extra session of the Legisla-
ture for railroad legisa alton, President Rip
ley says:
1.-THE Santa Fe road is an institution
which pays out annually $12,OOO,OOO in the
State of Kansas. 1 most earnestly wish
that the people of Kansas owned the road.
You would then see what we were doing
and you would not then believe the peo-
pie who attacked and misrepresented us.
Mr.. Davis, speaking for his party and re-
hecting the sentiment of attempted rail-
road legislation in the Kansas Legislature,
charges us with exorbitant rates and fares,
and offers suggestions on railway manage
| ment.
1.-The Santa Fe road is at the disposal Of
Mr.. Davis, his party, or any responsible
| company or syndicate to be named
| for proof of theories or settle
ment of agitation. On behalf of
| the Santa Fe road / am entirely
willing-and 1 make now, as an official, this
| statement-to let Mr.. Davis or anybody else
who pleases carry out their theories and
| get all the profit from it. 1t is possible that
Mr.. Davis and his party know more about
railroad management and fares than men
who spend their lives struggling with the
problem.
Simplify the situation and come to a
| definite proposition. l do not believe that
| anybody has ever figured the cost OF pas
senger service at being less than 81 train
| mile. AT 8 cents a mile it would take thlr-
| ty-four people on each train to pay this;
at cents 1T takes fifty people; at cent It
| would take a hundred people, and at half
| a cent it would take two hundred people.
| Now, the Santa F'e road is entirely anxious
| to make whatever rate will most surely
| produce this 81 per train mile return.
ITO show that We are in earnest, the
| Santa Fe road will lease to Mr.. Davis, if
he can assure us of his responsibility, or to
| any other responsible person, party, syndi-
| cate, or company in the State OF Kansas, a
| train to run from any point in Kansas on
our lines to any other point every day IN
| the year at a rental of 81 mile. The par
| ties renting the train shall receive all fares.
| They will only have to pay us $40 each way
| If the train runs ten miles, or 500 each
way if the train runs one hundred miles.
They can make the passenger rate so low
that everybody will travel, or they can do
with it as they please.
This offer is not made as bluff, but is
a serious business. proposition. II 1t is a
fact that somebody else can make more
money out of the passenger service on the
Santa Fe road than we can by. charging
lower rates we are entirely willing that
they should make it. l shall be very glad
to have the offer taken up You will I'M
derstand that am not now offering to put
on q special train for single day or a
single run at that rate. The train must be
scheduled and run each way every day,
rain or shine, and whether there is any
body to go or not, just as our present
trains do. But the lessee may fix the rum
ming, time and place"