The Advocate and news., 1898-01-26
Hoods Pills SS,S SS'S 5ySS open;G s 'n:y 3 tSn e s

Cooley was looking at the commercial and
financial side; Judge SchoOnmaker at the
political one. A third Interstate Com
merce Commissioner, Martin A, Knapp
has said: Government ownership Is n
prOject-a scheme OF dangerous import,
wholly inharmonious with the spirit and
aims of democracy"
Now let us look abroad, to the ideal
railways which Mr.. Davis admireS no
much. have already said that every
American who travels on gOvernment
owned lines In Europe becomes infuriated
with the badness of the service and the
eXtOrtionate charges. On the other hand,
what a few foreigners have said Of Amer
lean railways may be OF interest:
Ii Hung Chang, the great viceroy OF
China, said: Nowhere else In the World
are there such fast and luxurious trains"
as in America.
Marquis Yamagata, the field marshal OF
the Japanese empire, said: 1.-THE speed,
the comfort, the luxury of your railroads.
is marvel to me-"
roads of Russia, said: There Is nothing
in Europe to compare with your railroads"
Sir Henry Truman Wood, special rep
resentatlve Of the British government to
the Worlds Fair In 1893, said that nowhere
In Europe could there be found such lux
ury in travel and such excellent service as
are given on the railroads Of the United
States"
Paul Leroy BeauIeu, one OF the greatest
economists Of Europe, writes: "The cOnti-
nent of Europe by the bonds in which II
has always held private enterprise, has
been able to follow only with n tardy
step the example Of the United States,
which nation has realized in It's railroad
system three ideal conditions, rapidity, eff
iiciency and good market, while Europe,
enveloped in administrative Journalism,
was destined to attain neither of these
three conditions"
I am nearly done. There is much more
that might be quoted, but / believe the
above should be sufficient If Mr. Davis
him to II and to the source whence all
this comes. Let me quote only a few
lines more on the subject OF accidents,
which is the basis of all Mr.. Davis arr
guments: Even in a country like Ger
many, under military management, which
our people would never submit to, acci-
dents have not diminished even since the
state took over the railroads. The reports
OF the railroads Of Belgium show accidents,
to be more frequent on the state than
on private lines. The state lines Of France
have been condemned by experts because
OF their liability to accident. The pro-
portion OF accidents TO passengers travelling
In the colonies of Australia is greater
than in the United States"
Lastly, Captain Mahan the great au-
thority on naval and engineering affairs,
says: "One marked difference exists be-
tween the canals and the railroads. The
railroads owe their life to private enterA
prise, the canals to State enterprise. Cap~
ital Is alive to It's interests, and the state is
not Private business is arranged on busi-
ness principles, state affairs are not Hence
IL IL that during fifty years everything
connected with the railroads has UNDER
gone great Improvement, whereas the wa
terways have been allowed to stand still
and fall into ruin"
But there is no end to all this, Mr.. Ed
itor; and / do not wish to be tedious.
only wish to lay some facts before the
people OF Kansas and to warn them
gainst the false teachings OF uniformed
and prejudiced men. l wish warmly tU
protest, in the name Of every railway
emplOye In Kansas against Mr.. Davis
unwarranted attack upon these men, and
wish again most earnestly to say that
I'VE ought to be friends, and II can
bring 1t about we will be-"
Yours truly
II. p. RIPLEY.