The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-02-17
RAILROAD NEWS.
Paul Morton, of the Santa Fe,
Talks of Kansas.
COnfers With Attorneys Re-
garding the Boycott
OF PITTSBURG & GULF
Industrial Commissioners Davis
Has a Scheme
To Locate Several COrnstalk
Factories in Kansas.

Kansas City, Feb. 17.-Paul Morton,
second vice president of the Santa Fe,
an charge of the traffic of the system,
was in Kansas City yesterday and spent
several hours in conference with La
throp, Morrow, Fox & Moore, attorneys
for the Santa Fe at Kansas City, on the
subject of the temporary injunction
granted and permanent injunction
sought to prevent the withdrawal by
the Santa Fe of freight divisions with
the Pittsburg & Gulf.
Our position is simply this he said.
1.-THE matter is now in the courts, and
our reasons for Withdrawing our ar
engagements with the Pittsburg & Gulf
will be made public when the hearing
is had as to whether the injunction is to
be continued or not.
There isn't any boycott. The Santa
F'e company was not Influenced by 9TH
er railroads in taking the action it did
in the matter. 1t is merely desire on
our part to do our own business over
our own line, which it seems to me is
quite permissible.
I'VE are spending a lot of money on
the Gulf Colorado & Santa Fe, and ex-
pect to see large volume of traffic
moving that way permanently hereafter
that has heretofore gone to the Allan
tic seabOard.
we are not spending that money,
however, for the interests of the Pitts
burg & Gulf, and that is one of the rea-
sons we are taking out our divisions
with the Pittsburg & Gulf"
Referring to the matter of the trOu-
bles which have grown out of the mat
ter of fast trains between Chicago and
Denver, Mr.. Morton said the Santa Fe
had not changed its position.
1T has not receded in the least from
its position and does not expect to- he
said Its position is that an extra
charge should be made for the accele-
rated service
I'VE are right in the midst of prosper
aty," said Mr.. Morton. May wheat sold
at Chicago today at S1.03 That means
a big acreage next year. The higher the
price of wheat in the fall and winter, the
more acres there are planted. All our
crop reports show that the condition of
the wheat crop at the present time is
better than 1t ever was before We must
not forget, however, that Kansas is
very long on promises and shy on per
Torrance sometimes.
Business is good all over the line and
the Santa Fe railroad is doing we'll The
only thing threatening at the present
time is the extra session of the legis-
lature in Kansas"
James A. Davis, industrial agent of
the Santa Fe, has always a good word
for Kansas, and he is in a position to
hear the good words other people say
of Kansas. Mr.. Davis doesn't know
much about the boycott of the Pitts
burg & Gulf but he knows the Kansas
gas belt is attracting attention from
manufacturers all over the world. He
knows that Kansas gypsum is going to
supplant all other plasters in the world
and that the Arkansas valley is not
equaled by any other section of the
globe of its size.
We are in correspondence with the
managers of the Marsden process of
utilizing cOrnstalks, and have invited
them to go over our line for the purpose
of investigating points for establishing
their plants, to make from cOrnstalks
food for cattle and packing to be used
in ship building-commercia products
from what is now waste. They Will be-
gin looking over the line some time this
spring for new sites, and will have Il
number of plants ready for operation
next fall.
They look upon Kansas as Offering
very good possibilities. We are also try
ing to interest the cotton mill men to
look upon southern Kansas and north
ern Oklahoma as good points to cOnSid-
er for the erection of cotton mills, that
section being very near to q large cot
ton district, and also having the ad-
vantage of cheap fuel and a large ele-
ment of labor to draw from. Southern
Kansas could give them a higher grade
of labor, and, at a lower cost of living,