The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1906-06-24

me and listened to them"
Again Hallam chuckled.
"Then another thought occurred to
me. The only reason why they can
execute plans that / conceive, while /
cannot, IL that they have considerable
money Of their own and command OF
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 10 work with can do
things that the most skillful mechaE!c
who has neither tools nor materials
cannot do
II have decided, therefore, TO possess
myself Of tools and materials In order
that / may make myself 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. "Yon men of affairs are Just now
beginning 10 do the very greatest work
Of nation building that has ever been
done since time began, but you are 30
close to your work that you do not
appreciate Its colossal proportions. You
have no perspective. In that have the
advantage Of you. May 90 on and set
forth the whole Of my thoughtT"
"Yes; certainly. want to hear. Go
on"
swell, then, let me explain and illus
trate. A little while ago, in going over
your accounts, discovered that the
cotton and grain you shipped from
Cairo TO New York must be five times
transferred from one car to another.
That entaIled enormous and needless
expense in addition to the delay. A
few weeks ago | suggested to confer
ence of railroad nabobs at your house
that you should organize line Of
through freight cars, which should be
loaded at Cairo, st. Louis, Chicago or
anywhere else In the west and hauled
through to 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 a basis Of
reckoning, this through line system OF
transportation, owned independently
Of 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 cheapenlng Of raw material.
They will pay better wages and reap
larger profits. They will produce more
goods, and they will sell them at a
smaller price. The farmer in the west
will pay less for his cotton goods and
get more for his grain because OF the
through lines cheapenlng of transpor-
tation. He and his wife and his chill
dren will dress 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 its existence than they other
wise could.
snow. again, little while ago you
were in Washington. You found 1t
necessary to execute certain papers
and to file them In Chicot county, Ark,
before 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 l 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. l
had to change cars five times between
Cairo and Washington and seven times
more between Washington and Men,
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 while, be
done at wholesale and at proportion.
ate reduction in cost. 90.
"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 debt of about $4,000, 100000, be-
sides the incalculable waste, but 1t has
awakened great national self con-
sciousness which will speedily pay or
the debt and incidentally develop the