The San Francisco call., 1908-08-07

OF. It cost so per cent more than the
estimates.
QUESTION OF RAISE IN RATES
There are so many questions in
volved in the matter of q raise in
rates. ! am in favor of a fair COM
pensation for good service. 1 am not
in favor Of a general raise, but l think
when the situation is understood that
better relation VIII come about be-
tween the public and the railroads.
In some cases there must be some
method for reduction in cost, or there
win be an increase in return if the
lines are going to conduct their busi-
ness properly.
The lines should be brought into
the highest state of proficiency, and
the railroads should be put under such
management as to insure this being
done
some years ago in a letter to the
president and to Secretary Taft, who
was then IN Manila, 1 wrote I was in
favor of regulation and publicity, and
such protection so that we conduct
traffic with the least effort and with
the least cost.
This would mean no increase in
charges. If the men representing the
people would understand this it would
tend to improve conditions.
Forced competition by legislation is
GOULD AND HARTMAN
This Gould matter is grossly exag-
gerated," continued Hartman. 1T is
9oOlish to speak about my taking charge
Of their properties" and added dryly:
The Wheeling and Lake Erie is a safe
property, and we thought ii advisable
20 bridge over an emergency which
would be beneficial to the general sit
uation.
YES - 5oa- LII - 20 -, 49, -, ~
ing upon a more prosperous era 1t
seems that the crops were never so
large in the history Of the country,
and when the farmer begins TO buy all
classes will feel the effects of the
magnitude and the value Of the crops"
LAUGHS AT WOMEN VOTING
hartman laughed when asked for an
eNSssion of opinion on the question
OF woman suffrage.
Certainly L believe in women vot-
ing and the men not voting. They are
regulating everything else in the coun-
try. Why not the ballot?"
Hartman did not care TO enter into
any discussion on the question of
through Asiatic rates. All he did say
was:
we have never done anything TO
induce the government to do anything
that would particularly favor our in
II is a serious situation.
My contemporaries say, do they,
that / am remarkably successful
man? That depends on what success
means. Perhaps, they are better off
than myself
Yes, the young man has better
chances to make a success than did his
fathers. he has not the same hard
ships 10 go through"
nFr~r-a-sr .~or-rS.~.o.--
When E. H. Hartman was out here
last year it was generally conceded
that he was the biggest railroadman
in the country, but few had any sus-
picions that he was simply starting out
IN his career Of acquiring railroads
Last year Hartman had the Union
Pacific, the Oregon Short Line, Oregon
railway and navigation company, and
the Southern Pacific, with its Mexican
extension leading to Guadalajara.
He was then a western railroadman.
Now his lines cover the south. bisect
the United States and connect the great
lakes with the Hudson river.
The first intimatiOn the public had
OF the recent extensive acquiremeIts
Of Hartman was when the Central of
Georgia passed under his control 1t
had been his for whole year without
2 suspicion Of the change in ownership
having gone abroad. The Central Of
Georgia has a mileage of 1880 and
traverses the states Of Tennessee, Ala
bama, Georgia and Florida, and. con-
Meeting with the Illinois Central, has
an entrance into Chicago
The Illinois Central with a mileage
of more than ! 400 and running through
the richest portion of the middle states
linking all the great cities of the west
and south, is another of his posses
sions.
CAME TO THE RESCUE
The Erie. with a mileage OF 1900
fell into evil straits, and for a smalr
sum was taken in by Hartman. 1t
has direct line from Chicago to New
York, and reaches such towns as Gin
cinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburg Buffalo
and Rochester It had run down ply
sically. and Hartman a few DAYS after
he had il in his control, issued orders
for its rebuilding and for new eouip-
ment
The Wheeling and Lake Erie. $50
miles, is his latest prize. It, too. was
in bad condition, and Hartman came
to the rescue.
AN ENORMOUS SYSTEM
Altogether in the last few months
Hartman has acquired 7,44O miles of
road in the richest agricultural and
manufacturing districts in the world.
The interests he represents have the
following roads:
Southern Pacific, 5.s71 miles; Oregon
Short Line, 1876: Oregon Railroad and
Navigation company, liza: San Pedro
Los Angeles and Salt Lake, 1.O42; Cen
tral Of Georgia, 1880; Erie, 1900;
Illinois Central, 1874; Baltimore and
Ohio. 4.410; Sonora railway in Mexico
2e5-naking total mileage of 2l772