The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-10-08
PEsSINIISTTC MIR. RIPLEY

Railroad magnates are declarine
that If the anti-railroad agitation that
is sweeping over the country is1not
stopped, the railroads will be ruined
but 1t is doubtful If any other single
utterance has been as hard on rail-
road investments and railroad credit
as the interview credited to President
Ripley, of the Santa Fe, in the Chi
cago Record-Herald, and sent out
over the country in the press dis
patches day or two ago.
Under existing conditions" Mr..
Ripley is quoted as saying, ct could
not, as president of the Atchison, To-
peka & Santa Fe road, advise anyone
to invest dollar in any of the west
ern states through which our railroad
extends"
1t is almost inconceivable that Mr..
Ripley intended such a statement as
that The railroads have said that
they can not borrow money because
of the railroad laws that have been
passed, but if Mr.. Ripley is quoted
correctly, it looks as though some of
the railroad magnates are trying to
scare capital out of the railroads. in
stead of trying to bring it in.
If the public were to believe Mr..
Ripley's statement, it would do his
road little good to continue home
seekers excursions. for they are sole
ly to induce people to invest in the
states through which Mr.. Ripley's
road runs. And there are no better
investments in the country than in
these very states. The railroads are
doing a tremendous business in these
states, and there appears to be little
hot will he 1af
in business in the west.
1t has been charged that Wall
street has deliberately attempted to
create panic in order to discredit
Roosevelt. The State Journal can not
Ripley is a party to any such scheme
but Wall street may have produced a
panic in Mr.. Ripley's mind. 1t is hav-
ing a hard time, however, in creating
panic through the country. The
people do not take much stock in
Wall streets fears.
1.-THE country" continues Mr.. Rip
ley, "has been worked into terrible
hysteria over railroads and corpora
lions until the people may do almost
ANYTHING so long as railroad or cor
poration is hit hard. The hysteria has
affected high places and has resulted
in grandstand plays where we might
reasonably expect to find calm and
deliberate judgment 1 can see evil
dence of trouble ahead despite the
fact that railroads just now are busy.
In a short time there will be two men
to every railroad job instead of two
Jobs to every man."
1t would doubtless do the president
of the Santa Fe good to take a trip
over his road and find out a few facts.
The terrible hysteria" of which he
speaks is only a desire to secure Jus
tice from the railroads. The people
have no desire to harm legitimate
in the least; and the rail-
roads are. having trouble to secure
men to do their work.
Mr.. Ripley's remarks about the |
business outlook is at variance, not |
only with conditions generally. but |
with the views of many other rail- |
road men. Even Mr.. Hartman re-
Gently told Wall street that the west |
Is far more prosperous than they had
imagined. The acts of Mr.. Ripley's
own road are also at variance with |
the pessinism which he expresses. Its
recent voluntary increase of its ma
,hinists' wages does not look as
though it expects any such hard times
as Mr. Ripley intimates.
Mr.. Ripley is evidently getting his
views from Wall street.