The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-07-27

" go On at WorklnS Tor anybody. He
couldn't stan being bossed. With a
lot of notions and opinions that he
couldn't subordinate to other peoples,
he just had to give up working for
anybody else n go to working for
himself. Nothing of better promise
presenting itself, he decided to build
a railroad.
So He Built a Railroad.
1t was manifestly visionary, for he
was going to put it right in the heart
of the midwest where there were all
ready plenty of railroads. The busi-
ness didn't need a new road, and the
moneyed interests would not give him
any money. The day of land grants
was past, and Stickney didn't believe
Yet with all these conditions demon
strating its impossibility, Stickney
built his railroad. 1t has been unique
among roads, as Stickney is among
railroad men. Somehow 1T has won
out. The struggle was long and hard,
but the foreign investors never lost
confidence In Stickney. When the
company bankrupted he reorganized 1T,
Cancelled the bonds and issued only
stocks in their place. ST the road is
the only one in the country without a
bonded debt or fixed charges. This
gives 1T a financial status of such strik-
ing independence that the efforts to
- oaS IN W. SCCSSu. U
day a large part of its line is being
double-tracked; millions are being in
vested In betterments and rebuilding.
1t is fast becoming one of the best phy-
steal properties in the country.
He Keeps His Word.
Out in Great Western country they
a Stickney succeeded because he al
ways did What he promised. In Lon
don, Where the money comes from, they
say they back him because he always
keeps his word.
He was invited 10 Washington to
talk over the new rate law with the
interstate commissioning first rail-
road president so honored. AT the
commission they believe he is a Square
man." He came, wearing a dun-col-
ored slouch hat. a rather Worn bust
ness suit, no vest, and a blue shirt. He
looked exactly the prosperous Kansas
farmer. But he was the particular
railroad man, nevertheless, With whom
the commission wanted to talk over it's
new troubles.
TIC begin with" continued President
Stickney in his analysis of the Amer
lean business character, cover in Eng
land they ave better. educated men.
They understand the duty of the man
OF large affairs to the community. Their
We don't have any real education in
that subject here. They teach it, of
course; but how? It's all dominated
by business. If a professor of econ
omics teaches ideas that conflict with
the interests of some trust or other,
that institution doesn't get any more
money from that source. If it's a state
university it gets into politics and they
kick him out.
Difference in Business Principal.
There are too many Americans in
business who think it clever to oar
money on stocks and then call the loans
and force the stocks down so they can
buy them in at the low price. They
don't do such things in England. The
land-I know them personally and have
visited most of them in their homes
regard their posts as the most sacred
OF trusts. A friend of mine was a di-
rector in the London and Northwest
ern railroad. He told me that while he
held that place he never sold a share
of the stock, and that as a matter of
principle he would not hin of doing
SO. He would not do anything that
might possibly be construed into af-
fecting the stock market"
Many people have gathered from his
writings that President Stickney leans
toward government ownership as the
solution of the railroad question. He
says they are mistaken.
II don't think government ownership
is ever going to be preferable, except
as against a situation in which two or
three men will control all the railroads.
OF course, I think it would b. better
to have all the people han to AVE one
mar own them.
Control of tho World.
"Sir Walter Raleigh said the sea was
the worlds highway, and the power
that controlled the sea would control
commerce, and the power that con-
trolled commerce would control the
wealth Of the world. He was right.
He laid down the law that England
has followed. and that has made it the
great controlling power in the world
for that is what it is. Don't you know
where you can sell anything you want,
from any place on earth, without being
taxed OF the deal? Do you know how
much that means or what it has lone
to make England what she is?
"Now, what Raleigh said about the
sea as the worlds highway is true of
the railroads as this continents high
troll commerce; who controls commerce,
controls the wealth; and who controls
the wealth controls the country.
"Our danger is in the fearful in
equalities of distribution. People see
that the few have immense wealth.,
while the many, who produce 1t. have
little. But the many do the voting, and
what the:F vote becomes the law of the
land. That is a big II pregnant fact
that must never be forgotten.
Pco-Ie Hard to Save.
u know it is hare to do things for
the people. There are SO many of them
who will not SAY who can't work un-
less they are given a job and set at it.
They want to live in cities, and look
at these huge apartment houses wav-
ing his hand to one OF the pigeonhole
h%abitatlons as he passed it. They're
a rot1rn 10 tAa- oIiec duallorc, .aiuil:.a