Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-11-01
RAILROADS
In General and the Illinois Central in

Al 1CuCTdl anu LuG SeulTdl III
Particular.
The following is an address made to
the United States Industrial Commits.
sion by Stuyvesant Fish, president OF
the Illinois Central railroad company
and of the Yazoo Il Mississippi Valley
railroad company.
MIR. CHAIRMAN AND GENTLEMEN OF
THE COMMISSION: Railroads are "of
the people and for the people," They
are permanently attached to the soil
Capital invested in them is irrevocably
dedicated to public service. 1t is pre-
sumably for these reasons that the com.
mission, in investigating "questions
pertaining to immigration, to labor, to
agriculture, to manufacturing and to
business" have called so many railroad
presidents.
However this may be, take pleasure
in answering your summons, we'll know.
ing that nothing can affect, for good or
evil, any important interest in the
United States without in like manner
affecting the railroads.
You have heard and will hear from
other railroad men representing differ.
emit parts of the country. What L have
to say will relate to the great central
basin drained by the Mississippi river
the heart of the country, its granary
and its workshop, and New Orleans, the
seaport of that basin.
The Mississippi river drains the whole
of nine states and territories and parts
of twenty-three other states, not to
speak of considerable slice of the
Dominion of Canada. Rejecting eight
states, New York, Maryland, Virginia,
North Carolina, Georgia, Texas. New
Mexico and Michigan, of which but a
small portion lies within the valley,
twenty-four states and territories may
be fairly considered as tributary to that
river.
Its valley contains 1,24O,O39 square
miles, or forty one per cent. of the area
of the United States, exclusive of
Alaska and other outlying possessions
There dwell 100000 of our people, OF
nearly one-half our citizenship.
Its soil, besides feeding all our own
people, except those on the Pacific
coast, yields the whole of our export.
able surplus of live stock of every kind
and most of the breadstuffs. Its mines
yield our petroleum oil and most of oul
coal, its forests supply our lumber anc
its workshops turn out annually an in
creasing share of our manufactures.
In these days of large and increasing
tonnage and Of low and constantly fall
ing rates for transportation by rail, tn
question of grades is becoming NOR
and more controlling. 1t is therefore
in the level prairies of the great vale
that we must look for the solution O
the problem of how to conduct trans
portation even at or near, and often be
low cost, without 80 absolutely bank
rupting the carriers as to close the high
ways Of traffic. The accumulated sui
plus earned in previous good years, an
the borrowing power based Thereon
coupled with a rigid and distressin
economy, barely kept the western an
southern railroads from universal banl
ruptcy during the bad times from 1856
to 1897. On June 30, 1894, there wei
in the hands Of receivers, 4O,S18 mile
of railroad, or nearly one.q uarter of a
in the United States, (176602.) Thes
bankrupts represented an investment
over $3.50 100000.
The enforced economies of that yee
reduced the number of railroad en-
ployes by 1884. The effect on thos
employed by manufacturers of railroa
supplies in particular and on immigr,
ton, labor manufacturing and bushes
in general, while not specifically r,
ported, is too well remembered tonee
repetition. While we all hope the
those evil days have passed, never to +,
turn, may we not gather wisdom frol
that sad experience?
The statistical reports of the Int
state Commerce commission divide IL
United States into ten territorial group
The following table has been compile
from those reports:
COMPARATIVE DISTRIBUTION OF RAILRoA
Employers by GROUPS FOR THE VEAL
ENDED JUNE so, 1893 AND 1894 ,REspEcTIvEI