The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-09-03
GOOD WORK.
What Railroads Do For South's Devel-
 Opment.

What Railroads Do For South's Devel-
 Opment. Sylvester Baxter in The New York Sun.
 It has been a fashion of late to depict the railways as raging monsters, de- vouring the substance of the land, de- lighting in the destruction of industries and blighting the prospects of flourish ing communities. While there have been and doubtless still are not a few instaSees of injustice to individuals and communities, 1t is evident that the self interest of a railway system lies in building up the territory along It's line without favor or discrimination to it's patrons. The ways in which the rail- ways have built up the South in the past few years and are still building 1t up In steadily accelerating degrees find probably their best illustration in the great work which is being carried out by the land and industrial depart ments of the various systems and com panies.
 There was recently a meeting of the Southern Railway Land and Industrial Agents Association at Asheviile, N, C., In relation to this occasion 1t was said at the time that until the Southern Railroads began q systematic campaign for promulgating information concern
 
 ceptible development In comparison with the newer sections of the United States. But in consequence of the eff fective work that has been done, a great movement of capital and indus try and of population toward the South has taken place.
 Altogether the South is now regarded as the most prosperous section of the United States, and this fact appears to be chiefly due to the systematic work of development which has been carried on by the railroads. How extensive this is may be seen from the fact that the association in question represents sixteen different railway companies whose combined mileage is over 10000. covering every part of the ten great States which they penetrate.
 The pioneer in this work of indus trial development was M. " Richards, the land and industrial agent of the southern Railway. When that great system was created by the consolida- ton Of numerous smaller lines scat tered all through the South from the Potomac to the Gulf of Mexico and from the Atlantic to the Mississippi, the President. Samuel Spencer called MT. Richards to him and asked him to undertake the organization of a great land and industrial department for the Dig new company. MT. Richards had had long training and successful ex- perience in railway work in the far West and later on the Baltimore and ohio Railway in a similar capacity un- der MT. Spencer. He was told that there would be no disappointment should no results be evident from his work for at least a year, for the man. agement was well aware of the difl- culty of the problem that lay with an oIo ana most conservative section of the country. entirely unused to such activities.
 In the work of the department thus established we have one of the most evident benefits from railway consoli- dation on a vast scale. Unquestionably there is economy in the increased efh- cheney thus achieved. for the extension of enlightened efforts thereby set on foot for the improvement of communi- ties Is thus made applicable to every part of vast area. No such elaborate activities would be possible for a small 
 Mir. RieharAss work began with '