The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-11-21

Gently, and perhaps some of them do
still, they thought they were the ones
that made the rates. But they did
not. They only equalized the rates.
The rates have been made by the COM
munities which were served by the
different. railroads. II. has been. neces-
sary to ship certain commodities from
points of-pFodHe ton to points Of con-
sumption; to ship merchandise to
points of distribution.
Now all those common centers have
had to be treated alike; they have all
had to be put upon the same basis.
Therefore the rate making power was
comm ercial necessity. That is, it was
controlled by commercial necessity.
That is, you could not disturb the
rates, say at Kansas City, the rates
that might prevail from this distribut-
ing center to points reached by it
without affecting st. Louis, Chicago,
Houston, New Orleans, Memphis and
every other distributing center in this
country, no matter where it is.
It seems to me now that that condi-
ton of having the rates controlled by
commercial necessity has been changed
so that they may be controlled by po-
litical opportunity. Every aspirant in
every community for political favor
may be advancing the theory to his
constituents that If they will put him
in office he will favor the reduction of
rates. Now if they succeed in induc-
ing the commission to reduce the rate
or change the rate, whether it is a re-
be a reduction if at all-in only one of
those distributing centers then comes
the traffic mans position, he has to
eQualize all the rest.
Now that may appear to you, gentle
men, as a simple proposition to get the
rates down. If you get them down, If
you are all treated alike all treated
fairly-and believe Gvsry business man
in this country only wants to be treat
ed fairly-the rates will be arranged
by the railroads on a declining scale as
l. L. IL, h. ,aaf t,rr& ~ -
get themselves in condition first so that
they can carry these commodities at
less cost.
In other words, in order to reduce the
charge they have got to be able to re-
duce the cost. We have got to the limit
under the present condition and pre-
sent method of economics in transpor-
tation-almOst to the limit. We have as
heavy a locomotive as the base upon
which it stands will permit. We are
hauling as long a train will hold
have now reached has been brought
about by the interchangeable work of
many active minds
If five or six years ago, seven years
ago, when this work of reconstruction
of the railroads began actively, the
owners of those properties had just sat
down on what they had, taken the
earnings from the properties as they
existed, where would your business de-
velOpment have been today? What has
enabled this large development that has
taken place since 1899 or 1900? 1t has
been the fact that the owners of the
railroads showed confidence in their
properties, confidence in the territories
which they served, and confidence in
the people on whose favor they were
dependent.
Uncle Sans Free Land Going Fast.
To help satisfy an almost universal
land-hunger. the Santa Fe pub
lished. a few months ago, a large edi-
ton of a folder. describing the free
United States government lands and
telling how they might be obtained.
Several big editions of that folder were
sent out and all the United States land
Offices in the southwest report an in
creased demand for homesteads. Thus
far during 1906 nearly 100000 acres
have been taken up under the home
stead act in western Kansas, eastern
Colorado. New Mexico and Arizona
The Las Cruces New Mexico, office re-
ports the largest acreage; Roswell,
also in New Mexico, being second, and
Dodge City Kansas, third.
Safety Appliances on the santa Fe.
The sblock signal system" is the
most important device used in rail-
reading today for safeguarding the
movement of trains.