Mexico weekly ledger., 1908-11-19

$3.50 49, -2L2LALu AuuAM
very well that IL could NOT operate the
lnternr0sn as well IS the local owners
can, 50 u sonld be = detrinent to the
! steam road for u TO acquire the inter-
urban
The wholesale merchant knows that
bis business would suffer II be bought
up the retailer or suppressed him So
the steam road knows It's business
would suffer II IL bought up or short
sned the service OF the interurban.
The interests OF the two different
kinds Of roads sre mutual, not antag-
onistic.
Don't let the sell ont" notion
trouble you; it's simply the weapon
Of the "knocker.p
As an illustration OF why the own
ers Of interurban railways do not fsell
out" take the case OF Mr.. George 4.
Bishop, who is actually the trolley
king OF the United States.
Mr.. Bishop was q railway clerk at
Is years OF age and is now a multi
millionaire at "A. He persuaded.some
friends TO back him with lcapital 10
build q trolley road from Dallas TO Ft.
Worth in Texas In two years he
returned all OF the money be paid out
for building the rUad and earned 100
per cent on the investment for him.
self and bis hackers. Then be built
az interurban road from Baltimore to.
Washington City with = branch to the
United States Naval Academy at An
napolis. This road Is q gold mine that
Is getting richer the MORE 1t is worked.
Wm B. Mckinley, Of Illinois, q
member Of congress and the owner Of
a trolley system Of over 800 miles In
length In central Illinois, began.
building interurbans about six years
ago. He had nothing . few years ago
except the confidence OF sone friends
with money 70 invest Now be Is sew
eral times . millionaire and bis friends
who trusted In his genius and skill
have reaped large returns on their in
yestments. Hundreds OF enterprising
people all over the land have made
fortunes out Of interurbAn roads, not
BY selling them out but by operating
them.
There are 80. 700 miles OF electric
trolley and interurban roads IN the
country, all OF which are paying large
dividends.
Ohio leads the list with about 1890
miles; Indiana, Michigan and Illinois
come next in order named, OF large
mileage, But these roads are not all
confined to the central states. they
are all over the land and are multiply
ing daily.
Steam railroad companIes:do not try
to buy these roads, for they are more
valuable to them when they are oper-
ated as interurban roads and owned
oy the original promoters, and being
valuable to the owners they are not
for sale.
Referring again to the values OF
lands; once went into a little village
to buy a site for q repair shop; land
had been unstable at s2O per acre.
There hadn't been a transaction for
years. But when 1t was learned that
an interurban road was coming the
acre price increased to 81, 500 per acre,
and subdivision property sold at
prices exceeding this. The reason for
this increase is the trafic that comes
to towns and cities by the building OF
the lnterurban roads.
This traffic is nearly all new busi-
ness, created by the frequent opera
ton OF the interurban trains. After
the road from Dallas to Fort Worth
was built the trsfic increased 300 per
cent and the loss OF business to the
steam roads was less than Is per cent.
The people travel more, because they
can go and come when they please at
a small cost.
There is nc industry more profitable
than a well managed and properly
built interurban railway and there
are thousands Of places where these
roads can be built cheaply and make
fortunes for their owners.
A little enterprise coupled with
sense enough to ecure skilled and ex-
~perienced assistance will set the thing
to going, and first class lnterurban
railways are making their stockhold-
ers rich az a result.