The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-09-19
RAILROAD NEWS.
Remarkable Interview With
Great Railway Man.
j. j. Hill Gives His Views on
Western Situation.
BUSIN ESS DIFFICULTY
Railroads Treated Differently;
ana Earnings Limited.
Rates Are Half; Wages Double
That Other Countries.

To get, first, an authoritative view of
the western situation the work that
has been done. the chances of develop
ment. the things that stand in the way.
and particularly. in this connection, of
the railroad conditions, l went to st.
Paul and talked with the veteran, the
empire builder. whom the Northwest
man. woman. and child, always speaks
of as Jim Hill. 1 spent day with
him. asking questions, listening to his
anecdotes OF the early days, his ana
lyses of figures and his estimates OF
values. / saw his pictures, his horses,
his rugs. and his books
/ heard judgments OF measures and
of policies which retard the growth of
the west. and of the east as well.
heard stern censure Of the shiftless ana
por refine methods which are destroying
our national patrimony. of the farmers
who in perverse ignorance have rob-
bed the land. and of the blatant poll
ticians who for their own selfish ends
have fostered distrust and crippled
progress.
Bad Man TO Come To.
Il am the worst man in the world
to come to- said Jim Hill "if you
want to hear d madrigal of peace and
plenty and sweet content. | have rallied
against blunderers and schemers and
the abuse of our resources so long and
so industriously, in the effort to make
people see which side their bread and
the bread of their children is buttered
on. that 1 have almost come to be re
garded as a common scold.
He has made a highway to the Pa
cfic and filed many pockets and set
many wheels TO turning. He has made
one great railroad and remade another
by the strength of his own rugged Will
and wisdom. and put them on so firm
a footing that financial tempest
seems to disturb them. He has opened
and enriched millions of square miles
of territory and made il ready for hab-
itation and prosperity.
Yet when ] made some comment on
the high measure of his accomplish
ment. he swung around in his chair
and said:
well, here is a fellow that is very
tired of it," and his voice had an echo
Of WEAKNESS strangely dissonant from
the general character of the man.
Seen Country Grow to Power and
Wealth.
yes" he continued after mo-
ment's reflection, Il have seen this
country grow from nothing to its
present state Of development. and have
put in lifetime of hard work to help
the growth along, and what have we
got today? people that either can't
or won't look an inch ahead of it's nose,
and is led by demagogues; an immense
territory. rich in resources but already
in the space of so years worn down by
senseless misuse to the narrowest- mar
gin of prOductiveness. with which to
face the demands of a population which
within a century will be almost as
great as China's. There never was a
richer state than Minnesota. Today its
average agricultural production is 1914
an acre. and of the whole United States
a little over Sill"
But cannot these abuses be cor
rected by law? ,"
Railroads Greatest Agency in Growth.
Law" he retorted. Law is made
by politicians. the worst MASTERS of
all, because they produce nothing, and
the people, the working people and
farming people and business people,
stand by and permit it. We have had
an illustration in the last few years
of what the modern kind of blind
lawmaking accomplishes There are
individuals who deny it. but it is q
fact nevertheless that the railroads
have been the greatest agency in ma
tional growth. Yet where do they
stand at the present minute? Hun
dreds of laws have been passed by
politicians in the past few years. all
aimed at the railroads, and almost all
without investigation or information.
Just before the recent slump, the New
York Central could not contract to
deliver 10000 barrels of flour in New
York within given time because its
lines were so congested. but if you
had all the money necessary to do it
you couldn't build a trunk line to
New York today, with present values
and make it pay two per cent to save
your soul
What COnfronts Railroads.
when the present depression. is
over, the railroads will be confronted
with a greater burden of business
than ever, and how are they fixed to
meet it Railroads want to serve the
public; that is where their success
lies. They want to make money; that
is the only way they can live. But
neither of these desires will enab BILE
them to do more than they can do.
Now, the practical efficiency Of every
mile of track in the United States
has been pretty nearly doubled. in the
effort to meet the demands. The
greater part of the earnings has been
consumed in the increasing cost of
labor and materials, and all the rest
that they could raise in terminals, in
renewal of old equipment and pur-
chase of new. in order to keep the
property at least from retrograding. -
Concerning Last Years Business.
But what of last years business -
Last years business did not bring
material increase of profit. simply be-
cause inadequate facilities multiplied
the cost of handling 1t. New con-
structioE has fallen off every year
since 1901. until it has dropped down
to something like two per cent. while