The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-07-04

! have developed enormously within the
| past forty years. The acreage under cul-
| tivation, as well as the population Of
those sections, at that time is hardly to
be mentioned in comparison with that OF
| today, and it is easily demonstrated that
| this great progress has been made in
these sections where transportation facil-
| tiles have most increased, and so it must
always be- ! have heard it asserted many
| times, that that section for whose pro-
| gress and prosperity it is our pleasure
and pride TO labor, that section which we
| love SO dearly, has railroad or transpor-
| taton facilities sufficient for her every
| need, but generally those statements
came from interested parties, and were
made at a time when the Seaboard was
| Tin the interests not only of itself but
! of the people in every State, city and
| hamlet through which its line passes) en-
| deayoring to combine in one great system
| the 1900 miles Of road, which our presi-
| dent and the other gentlemen compris-'
| ing his syndicate have now accomplished,
and which event we here celebrate The
| Seaboard, now the shortest line to the
| principal cities and ports of the South, is,
| in a greater sense than can be said OF
| any other system traversing your terri
| tory, the peoples railroad, your railroad,
and being owned and controlled by South
ern men, and those having your interests,
| as well as their own at heart it will serve
you honestly and faithfully and bring to
you the greatest measure of prosperity
| in its power
It's industrial department, organized for
your benefit, will aid in every possible
way the development Of your lands, by
! demonstrating that perhaps there are
| other products than those you now pro-
duce that may be grown profitably by
looking after new factories and mills
which prosper so greatly in the South, and
which the South so much desires, and
which are now multiplying so very, rapi1-
1y, and aside from this through it's library
| department, books may be obtained for
those located upon its>line,N for the bene-
| fit of the families who possibly find it
difficult to secure good, healthful read
| ing matter otherwise. All this and very
much more that it is impossible for me to
| enumerate we are doing for the benefit
of our people in the full belief that what
ever results in good to them, benefits us
at the same time.
The advantages that are to accrue to
the entire South as the result of the
ready, in a measure, appreciated. The
competition you have so much desired, and
which is today given you, has been, las
| all good things seemingly must be- ac-
| cCmplished after many trials, tribulations
| and dsappointments, and had the destiny
| OF the railroad properties now combined
! been in less brave hands than our presi-
| dent s, you hight have failed in securing
| them and such failure would have proven
most disastrous to the Souths every in
! terestI
AS a civlizer and peacemaker the
railway is found to be the most success
| ful CT all mechanical agencies. and VAL
liable auxiliary to the missionary and
philanthropist.
Today the United States has in opera
ton 1S6, G10 miles Of railroad, representing
| an investment of S12, 175, 273, 501, and more
than six per cent. of our whole popula-
| ton depends upon this industry alone for
daily bread
The railroad has given rise to many
auxiliary industries; has made political
ana social Unity possible and it's tendency
here as elsewhere in the world, is towards
| the humiliation of space; the assimila-
! tCn of races: the advancement of the
arts, and peace and good will among men.
| The iron bands of commerce are stronger
| than prejudice and the conservation of
trade more potent than fiery logic. With
| out violence to our feelings we cannot
| contest or fight with the man at whose
| table we sit, nor do we stir up acrimony
| with those who buy our products and
! sell US Injuries. This interchange be-
tween the separate peoples of the earth
is now more common than. but a few
years ago, it was between the cities and
| hamlets of our own States.
The following figures of comparison OF
population AMI railroad mileage between
several groups of States of the Union may
| prove interesting:
The State of Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Ne
| braska, Minnesota and Missouri have an
| average, with respect to their admission
into the Union CT only 55 years, as COM
pared with an average of 81 years for
| Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina,
| Georgia, Florida and Alabama and yet the
former group has a population of 1872 per-
| sons per square mile, over an area of
/ 416 653 square mile as against a popula-
ton Of % persons per square mile over
an area of POI 042 square miles for the
Southern group.
This is accounted for by the fact that
| Illinois. Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Mime
/ sofa and Missouri have an average of ILL.,
! miles Of railroad for every 100 square
miles of territory, even though their area
| is nearly double that of the Southern
group, as against 7.S miles of railroad per
| 100 square miles of territory for Virginia,
| North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia,
| Glorida and Alabama.
| To commerce and agriculture the rail-
| roads canals and navigable rivers are
| the veins and arteries through which all
| improvements flow; but, like the human
| body. if the circulation by any means be
| checked or INSTRUCTED, even in the re-
hottest part, the part so obstructed be-
comes useless and sinks into decay.
| You desire competition and the Sea-
| board Air Line now secures it to you,
| and in this fact both you and we rejoice
We hope you will retain that competition
always, and you will so long as it re-
mains unobstructed. as now, and without
your consent it could not be otherwise,
for in very great sense. the Seaboard
| Air inc railroad belongs to the South. and