The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1908-04-30
LEGISLATION IS
THE MAIN CAUSE
OF DECREAD= IN RAILROAD
EARNlNGS-ROOSE is
NOT BLAMED.
COUNTRY SHOULD REST
From Further Restrictive Laws Till
Roads Can Adjust Themselves
3. F.. Yoakum Addresses
Railroad Men.


!
ST; Louis. April 29.-TrafGic official,
of thirteen railroads were guests d
the st. Louis Traffic Club tonight al
a banquet They have been heoldinf
their annual meeting here for tn,
past two days. The principal address
was delivered by b. f. Yoakum, chair
man of the executive committee of the
Rock IslandFrisco system, who spokc
as follows:
| Take as a dividing line the Missls
sippi river, with its splendid CONNER
cial cities, extending from st. Pau
to New Orleans; the vast territory ly
| ing west of the river comprises GO
per cent of the entire area of the
United States, not including Alaska
while of our 100000 miles of railroad
about l25,000 miles are located to the
east of the river and 100000 miles
to the west. In other words, 40 per
cent of the total railroad mileage OF
the country is serving 60 per cent of
the total area. To put 1t another way,
east of the river there are less than
five thousand acres of land for every
mile of railroad. while west there are
over thirteen thousand acres for
every mile of railroad. And if the
territory west of the Mississippi,
which furnishes this country and to
a great extent foreign countries with
bread and meat, were as well sup
piled with railroads as that portion
east of the river, ii would have more
than double its present mileage to ad
its development The necessity for
this additional mileage is becoming
more evident every day as it Is being
demonstrated that the heretofore
considered arid regions of the west
are hcirg located aud eeyeiuped by
farmers who are proving their pro
ductiveness through advanced meth
DDS of cultivation; through irrigation
from artesian supplies and the stor-
age of the heretofore wasted waters
of the surface and the melting suoM )
from the mountains, until there is a
comparatively small area where the
grazing lands of the past are not be-
coming the farming lands of the fu-
ture.
Development of the West.
This increased mileage west of the
Mississippi. not only means the de
velopment of that rapidly growing
growing country, but with it will come
the deepening of the waterway of
the Mississippi river Ocean steam
ers then may come 500 miles further
into the interior and 500 miles nearer
to the productive fields of the far
mers. and instead of crowding the
cars containing these products the al
ready congested terminals of the Gulf
and Atanic seaports, the river will
furnish one continuous terminal from
st. Louis to New Orleans where the
commerce tributary for thousand
miles can be transferred from the
cars to ships destined to every coun-
try of the world with which we en-
joy trade relations. And in this con
nection | wish to say that the rail
roads of this country ere not, as far
as my knowledge extends, opposed to,
but are in favor of the improv vement
of our waterways to aid and econu-
mize in the movement OF its traffic
Situation Serious.
The situation of today is a peculia?
one; in many ways a serious one. an!
one that every thoughtful citizen
must give due consideration, rs the
country is passing through an unusual
siege of agitation and uncertainty.
Some of the most thoughtful men
of our country. the head of many of
the great financial instutlons Dc for
eign countries and the able editorial
writer's of our press, has described
the various causes that contributed
to and brought about the business
difficulties we are now facing, and
the public is becoming well informed
upon the subject. The concensus OF
opinion is that the trouble has been
precipitated largely by too hasty en-
actment of laws, resulting il the dis
continuance of railroad con tructipD
the suspension of industrial activity
factory development aud a curtai
ment of markets for the farm pro-
ducts. Brt we have reached a point
where we should cease looking fnf
the cause and give attention tp =
remedy, and this remedy must coma
through the cooperation and actor
of the thoughtful citizens of the
country supported by the endorse
ment and encouragement of the
press.
Roosevelt ENonerated.
After careful consideration. every
fair minded man must admit that the
underlying principles of the policie
laid down bv the present administra
ition have been healthy and sound ;
but the methods adopted in their aP
plication have been hurtful. cars ne
shrinkage of values. and contributing
to the falling of OF business: and
while the treatment was heriic We
should net overlook the fact that