Mexico weekly ledger., 1908-11-19


construction viii show their
good faith By taking hold of
the matter in q substantial
and earnest manner.
The money raised locally dtmInishes
the amount Necessary b borrow, cuts
down the fred changes and lightens
the : bonded Indebtedness. This 10
turn increases the roads surplus and
enables II to pay fts dividends Garlic r
Ia its career.
The burdens borne b. the locz PEG
pie, however, are In no wise commen-
surate with the benefits derived. 1t
Is an investment that will bring
larger returns in proportion TO the
amount paid out than any other that
can be made.
1t viii mot be long before every
town Of medium size will be looked
upon "a slow and behind the times I'M
less it has an i~nterurban railroad or
two.
1t has not been smore than five or
six months since. . large party Of
wholesale merchants chartered an In
terurban car ip Cleveland, Ohio, and
tooks run out among their retail
friends. The trip was q OF great
enjoyment and very helpful to busi-
ness. Interurban parties are frequent
in the middle west, the people get to-
gether and become acquainted. Fish
ing and hunting parties use the inter
urban cars rs freely As they would
their own conyeyznceS Mutual ac-
quaintanees grow up when simply a
corresponding knowledge Of each other
was possible. Travel is greatly pro
|moted BY the intermingling Of the
people. This business is not taken
from the steam roads, except 10 easei
where the interurban road parallels
the steam road, but is created BY the
convenience and frequency Of the In
terurban service. People acquire
riding habit, and like most habits
good or bad, when once acquired
grows and increases IN practice.
Tue social and business economy o.
our people reyolted At the methods
and practices OF the trunk lime roads
the old dirtaroads and the horse We
hicle came next, that was too slol
and smacked too much OF the mlddlI
ages, 50 as the last means, ingenuity
which never fails when the actua
test comes, produced the interurbal
railway, which has proven TO be tn
happy medium, striking the popu
lar fancy and appealing to the gooI
common sense OF the people.
And it has come TO stay, grow ami
spread ell over the country. IL vii
not be sold out TO the steam ROAD, be
cause IL pays to keep 10, and 1t is ruin
Gus 20 sell It. Most charters Of cleo
trio roads forbid their operation b.
steam road methods. Nearly all In
terurban reads are parallel and com
peting lines" within the meaning o
intent OF the law, so-they cannot b
absorbed by steam reads without VIC
lating the law. The United State
supreme court recently decided tina
the New York s. New Haven roat
must relinquish the ownership &C
quired 10 some competing interurbaI
roads. Besides, steam roads have n
surplus money with which to buy al
interarbans; most OF them are pant
Ing pretty hard 70 keep their finan
clal breath, and there's pretty tough
shedding ahead uf them.
1t must be borne In mind too tina
the steam road Is operated SO as TO &C
commodate and cultivate through
business trains that travel long dis
tances and do little or no local trafic
| While interurban roads are TO accom-
MEDIATE local business, short train
and frequent service are their purpose
The methods of operating the twt
roads is wholly different. Toe inter
urban is g feeder for the steam roaC
and It's value to the steam road de
Ponds largely upon the completeness
OF Its service to the local interests