The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-01-25
RAILROAD NEWS.
Secretary Paul MOrtOn's Views
on RailrOading.
Passenger Department Creates
Good Feeling.
PASSES FOR FREIGHT.
Business or One Branch Often
Built Up at Expense Of Others.
Gossip and Matters OF Interest
in Railroad Circles.
PASSES FOR FREIGHT.

One of the officials of a well known
western railway recently wrote to Paul
Morton, formerly second vice president
of the Santa Fe railway, but who is
now secretary of the United States
navy department. asking him a num-
Der of questions concerning the duties
and the relations of the passenger and
freight officials of a road to each
other. Mr.. Morton was in supreme con-
troll of both the passenger and freight
business of the Santa Fe and there
fore should know that of which he
speaks. He says:
Il am n of those who do not be-
lieve that operating expenses is the
chief cardinal principle to be regarded
in railrOading. I ave held to the view
that the relation of the railroad to the
public (and by this / mean the ability
of the railroad to get along with the
people whom it serves and satisfy
them that it is doing all that ought to
be expected of it, is the chief feature
in my mind that the passenger depart
ment has a great to do in this
work.; neither is there any doubt in
my mind that in many instances the
for the purpose of building up its
freight business. and its general stand
ing with the community"
This is valuable Information from
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carefully considered by railway man.
ayers. 1t is true that on western
railroads the earnings of the passenger
departments are only about one-third
in that proportion a freight man is of
more Importance with railway man
ayers as a revenue producer than the
passenger man. Yet one feature is
overlooked, and that is that while the
freight man can do the most good the
passenger man can do the most harm
The passenger man is the one who
meets the public, the one who is de-
pended upon as the public representa-
tive of the company, and the public
judges largely the corporation by the
acts Of the passenger man. The
freight man deals only with a limited
citizenship, and that portion, too, most
trained to business methods. The pas
lsenger man dealS with the whole peo-
pie, and his actions send largely to
crystalline a good or i'll feeling toward
the corporation in the minds of the
WhOle citizenship.
The railway manager should not for
get that one man may be of i'm
p~Ortance to the company as a big ship
per, another may be of more Importance
because lie sits on the most juries or
in other places where corporations be-
ing of a hazy personality may get the
worst of it. Railway nag in the
past have not considered the passenger
departments of hat Importance which
their close relation to the public would
seem to warrant. This is, we believe, a
wholly improper policy. The passenger
department is important for many rea-
sons aside from its revenue producing
feature, and the man in charge of it
should be one of the wisest, most dis
corning and capable officials of a rail-
road. He should have the confidence
Of his superiors and be permitted to
build his business on the broad lines
of sound Judgment instead of in the
narrow lines of a few ironclad and
sometimes petty rules.
The best evidence of a person without
authority is the use of the hackneyed
phrase, lowing to our rules" etc. OF