The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-05-19

IL is . well-knoTn fact that the
science of comparative anatomy has so
far advanced that it is possible for
the whole skeleton of prehistoric an
imal TO be reconstructed, if but one
bone OF the animal itself is found. For
one to attempt to explain the thoughts
Of the monster that may have roamed
the earth thousands OF years ago, furth
er than 10 say that he ate and drank
and slept like others of his kind, would
be indeed absurd. To undertake the eN'
planatiou of all the thoughts that sway
the minds of the chiefs of the great
railroad systems, other than TO say that
they want business, easy grades, least
cost OF operation, things common TO
the species, would be Just as laughable
as IN the former instances. But the
comparative anatomy OF railroads
while not so well-known, perhaps, as
the comparative anatomy of ANIMALS,
In none the less reducible TO rules we'll
known. and the skeleton can be pieced
together with much accuracy.
The railroad is so much the larger
animal, the perspective of the construc-
tor of his skeleton is so much wider
and the rules governing. the creation
or his being arc so well dehned and
compulsory, particularly in this North
west, that the chance of making a rail
road mammoth out of what should be
o mere elephant, is truely small.
Situation in Northwest
To thoroughly realize the railroad
situation IN the Northwest, in Oregon,
Washington and Idaho, one must dis
regard, in a measure. the wild rumors
of this road building down a certain
canyon, or of another going through
this village, and weigh with care and
with unpreiudiced mind, the reasons
why certain routes should be selected
over all others.
In country that is level or but lit
tie broken, the question of location is
usually one of entrance into the most
fertile region, the passage through the
largest towns, and the matter OF routes
is really but secondary, tride for the
engineering staff TO settle with but pas
sing comment.
however, the land changes with such
startling rapidity, from a Topographic
cal viewpoint, that one could almost
believe himself to be in another world.
Particularly is this true in the North
west, where the three States are made
up OF fertile plains and productive roll
ing country broken by mountains and
edged with border IN many instances
of high plateau land. Entrance into
the fertile lands, the touching of large
towns that originate much tonnage,
then becomes OF secondary Importance
compared with the selection of the best
route one which may entail a larger
cost in the construction. but one which
VIII, as the years multiply, cost less
and less for maintenance, less for equip
ment. and. at the same time, permit
OF greater speed and safety IN opera
tion.
But even with these facts brought
before one g eyes, the reason for the
abandonment of the old way of rail
road building, the idea that the towns
must be tapped, surely has been brought
ahoL- by some larger event than the
question of easy grades over which
purely local traffic may. be handled IN
extensively. Competition among the
different roads, no doubt, accounts for
3. portion Of this spirit, but there is a
more general reason; one that affects
all roads that carry from the East TO
the West and back again. This caused
csusorum, this ultimate rule, which af
fects the transcontlnental road already
operating in the Northwest, and inhu-
ences the one just building, must be
something of vast importance to their /
future formation, their skeleton, that |
we are trying to trace with ink as
our plaster and a pen, instead Of
sculptor's chisel
Eailroad Interests and Canal.
Opposition TO the Panama canal. |
when the bill authorizing its construc-
tion was fayed TO shreds. in the Con-
gress Of the United States, did not
lie wholly with those broad minded
statesmen, who oppose anything that
appropriates money to districts other
than their own. Party politics cannot,
when we regard the significance of the
canal be blamed for the strife it caused
among representatives and Senator's
Republicans and Democrats alike,
favored or dlsapproved its passage
Some of this opposition was, no doubt,
the voice Of independent thinkers, to
whom the thought Of the canal was
distasteful, the amount needed too
large, and the seeming impossibility of
the task too apparent. No one will
deny, however. that in the play Of fact
against fact, the array of millions for
its construction against the millions al.
ready wasted for the same purpose by
the French. the talk of the Nicaragua
route, and the sea level plan at Pana-
ma, the railroad interests of the coun-
try took large and well-played hand,
With the possible exception of the
rate bill, no measure for many years
has awakened such hostility among the