Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-01-13
Hon. E. P. Ripley, President of the
Atchison, Topeka g Santa Fe
Railroad, Writes Letter to
The Wichita Commoner.
He Replies to Open Letters Written by w.
r. Brown.and John Davis.-His Answer
to Their Charges IL Hferitorious and
is Filled with Valuable Informa-
tion. The Statistics Produced
Support His Argument.

CoSy Oh your COLUMNS 10 reply I'd Inc /
article of MIR. Brown published in your |
issue of August 5th last, L began by |
saying that had no desire to become |
involved IN newspaper controversy. |
Certainly had no idea that my one
letter would provoke such an outpour-
Ing of literature in reply as has since
appeared in your pages over the sigma |
lures of Mr.. Brown and Mr.. Davis re- |
spectively L do not know whether |
have read all that these gentlemen have
written in reply to me. l know that l
have read a great deal, and if few
yards of Mr.. Davis matter has escaped |
me believe no harm will have been |
done. I cannot possibly reply at the
same length as he has written, because
however strange it may seem, my
duties occupy my time quite fully. A
great deal of what Mr.. Davis has writ
ten, moreover, seems to me to be entire
ly aside from the question at issue. He
has drifted off into general abuse of
corporate institutions, and of the pres
eEt administration at Washington, and
great many other things which have
nothing to do with the subject of pass
enger rates in Kansas. While, there
fore, / am willing and desirCus to tell
the people of Kansas as much as poss.
ible about the Santa Fe road, and if
possible to get them interested individ
ually and collectively in its workings
and its success, may be pardoned, l
hope, if 1 hurry over a great deal of
matter on which Mr.. Davis has dilated
at some length and confne myself only
to the essential points at issue. l will
take up the various complaints which
Mr.. Brown or Mr.. Davis have made, as
I understand them, and dispose of them
as briefly as 1 can.
1. 1t is complained that I do not
earn my salary as president of the
Santa Fe road; at least it is charged
that my salary is unreasonable" and
that I, myself, am of little value" I
do not see the direct bearing of this on
passenger rates in Kansas and the sub
iect is somewhat embarrassing to
modest man. / can only say that | be-
gan to work for railroad company
about twenty eight years ago at wages
which think even Mr.. Brown would
consider modest, that / never enjoyed
what is called "puli,' that the direct
.ors of the Santa Fe hired me as cheap
~ as they could, that l work to the best
of my ability, that there is no COM
pulsion on the directors Or ockholders
of the Santa Fe company 20 employ mo
rather than anybody else and they are
at liberty to make change at any
time. Until they do so l must accept
the fact of my continuance in my po-
sition as more important evidence as
to the value of my work even than the
statement of Mr.. Brown and Mr.. Davis.
2. 1t is complained that the Santa
Fe road uses the British lion as trade
mark on many of its folders. Again l
confess that 1 miss the connection be-
tween this and the matter of passenger
rates in Kansas. Simply as a matter of
historical interest, however, 1 may
state that the lion that formerly ap-
peared on the Santa Fe folders was not
the British lion: it was simply lion,
and as matter of fact was, am in
formed, originally adopted from the
lion of Venice and not the lion of Eng
land. Venice at one time was the great
commercial and carrying power of the
world. starting from tier one little
port, the Venetian navigators pushed
their way into the remote corners of
the then known world and did the car
rying trade and the commerce of great
.er part of the peoples of the earth.
When the Santa Fe pushed its tracks
1t traverses it seemed as if the spirit
which impelled the men who built the
road was not unlike the spirit of the
.olo Venitian sea captains. They, in the
old days, carried their lion ensign
proudly wherever there was trade to be
gained or carrying to be done, and il
seemed as if the same ensign would
serve well for the Santa Fe road Per
sonally, on this understanding of it, ]
think the emblem is good one, but ii
so happens that this trade mark was
discarded something over a year age
and further discussion of such wholly
frivolous matter is superf1ous.
3. It is frequently complained that
there are no detailed "public official re-
ports" of railway matters and that rail
way managers make no public reports
to the people" 1 really do not know
what this charge means. 1t used to be
made with truth up to some ten years
ago. As a matter Of fact to-day rail
way managers do make public reports
and these reports are given in great de