Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1906-09-14

money Ol tHciI OWh anu SoAA
much greater sums not their own,
while have neither. They have the
tools and the materials; have neither.
The clumsiest mechanic who has tools
and materials to work with can DO
things that the most skillful mechanic
who has neither tools nor materials
cannot do.
81 have decided, therefore, to possess
myself of tools and materials in order
that may make myself a master
workman and do my part in the great
nation building enterprises Of the time
and country"
"Would you mind explaining what
you mean by that?" interrupted Hal
lam.
"What is going on here in the west
does not impress you in the same way
In which it impresses me-" said Dun
can. "You men of affairs are just now
beginning to do the very greatest work
of nation building that has ever been
done since time began, but you are so
close to your work that you do not
appreciate its colossal proportions. You
have no perspective. In that have the
advantage of you. May go on and set
forth the whole of my thought"
Eyes; certainly. 1 want to hear. Go
on"
"Well, then, let me explain and Illus.
trate. A little while ago, in going over
your accounts, l discovered that the
cotton and grain you shipped from
Cairo to New York must be five times
transferred from one car to another.
That cntailed enormous and needless
expense in addition to the delay. A
few weeks ago l suggested to confer
encc of railroad nabobs at your house
that you should organize a line OF
through freight cars, which should be
loaded at Cairo, st. Louis, Chicago OF
anywhere else in the west and hauled
through 20 New York, Boston or any.
where else in the east without breaking
bulk. The saving of expense was SO
obvious that you put hundred thou
sand dollars into the line, and the rail-
road magnates made specially good
terms for the hauling Of the car YOU
expect and will get dividends from
your investment. The railroad men see
profit for their companies in the oper'
alton of the line. That is all that you
and they foresee Of advantage. In my
view that is the very smallest part OF
the matter"
How do you mean"
"Why, taking cotton as basis OF
reckoning, this through line system OF
transportation, owned Independently
If the railroads, will make an impOr'
tant saving in the cost Of raw mate.
terials to the owners of New England
mills. They will run more spindles
and set more looms a-gOing than they
would have done without the through
lines cheapening of raw material
They will pay better wages and reap
larger profits. They will produce more
goods. and they will sell them at
smaller price. The farmer In the west
will pay less for his cotton goods and
eCt more COR his grain because OF the
through LIS cheapening Of transpor
tation. He and his wife and his chill
dren will Dire IS better at less cost than
they otherwise could do. Bear in mind
that the lines cars will carry other
things than cotton. The people OF the
east will get their breadstuffs and their
bacon and their beef far cheaper be.
cause of It's existence than they other
wise could.
"NOw. again, q little while ago you
were In Washington. You found II
necessary to execute certain papers
and to file them in Chicot county, Ark.
before a certain fixed date. You or
dered me by telegraph to prepare the
papers and bring them to you In Wash.
ington in the speediest way possible In
order that 1 might carry them within
the time limit to their destination.
started for Washington within five
minutes by the quickest possible route
preparing the papers on the train.
had to change cars five times between
Cairo and Washington and seven times
more between Washington and Mem.
phis. All that will presently be chang.
ed. The railroads of this country TO-
gether with the new ones now build
ing, will presently be consolidated into
great systems. Transportation, both
as to freight and as to passengers, is
now done at retail, and the cost is
enormous. 1t will, after a while, be
done at wholesale and at proportion
ate reduction i'll cost.
"Now, the thought that Is in my
mind is this: We have got to build this
great nation anew upon lines marked
out by the events Of the last few years.
The war has been costly, enormously
costly. 1T has saddled the country
with deb. Of about $3,OO0,0 100000, be-
sides the itcalcuiable waste, but 1t has
awakened great national self con-
sciousGess which will speedily pay off
the debt and incidentally develop the
resources of the country in way new
er ureaueu Ol DeIore. 1HcSc ic'ouiSSo'
so far as they are undeveloped or only
partially developed, lie mainly In the
west and south. 1t is our duty to de-
vqYp them.
%The government is building rail-
road to the Pacific coast That, when
it is done, will annex a vast and singu-
larly fruitful country to the Union"
"Why do you not include the south In
your reckoning" asked Hallam.
II do. Under the new conditions the
south vii, produce more cotton than 1t
ever did, and it's coal and iron resources
will be enormously developed, but the
south is for the present handicapped by
disturbed conditions and disOrganiZed