The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-11
Ripley Dinner by Commercial
Club a Success.
Over 200 People Sit Down at
Tables.
GIVEN LOVING CUP.
President Great Railway Given
Assurance of Friendship.
Speeches of Prominent Citizens
Tell of Good Will.
Intention to Continue Improve
ments in Topeka.


ing the people of Topeka an oppor-
tunity to express their appreciation OF
all that the great Santa Fe railway
system has done for the capital city
and to give those leading citizens OF
the city who were able to attend the
function a chance to become &C
quainted with the chief executive of
the system who has done much 10
make the road great as it is.
The gathering was a marked sue
cess, and the only regretable feature
was that more citizens of Topeka
could not have been accommodated.
AS it was it was the largest gather
ing of the year, two hundred people
sitting down to the banquet table
President Ripley was presented
with a silver loving cup by the club.
The friendly feeling existing be-
tween the people of Topeka ana the
officials was strongly brought out
President Ripley said that the Santa
Fe has in the past spent much money
in Topeka, and it is its intention to
continue to do so.
Scott Hopkins president of the Com
mercial club. made happy presiding
officer and POSTMASTER
The program was carried out with
remarkable smoothness and the affair
was in every way a success. Hail s
orchestra furnished music while the
banquet was in progress and Mr..
Dana Parkhurst sang a solo. l. was
impossible to provide plates for ALI the
guests in the club parlors, so the
rooms occupied by the Topeka Ad
club on the occasion of their meet
ings, served as a second banquet1ng
room. When the speaking began all
adjourned to the main room.
During the meeting the following
resolution was adopted:
Resolved by the Commercial club
of Topeka that we remember with
appreciation the kindness and great
value to the city of w. B. Strong
while he was a citizen of Topeka and
president of the Atchison, Topeka &
Santa Fe Railway company. We ten
der to him our sympathy in his great
affliction.''
Mr.. Bonebrake's Speech.
-ANP. l. Bonebrake gave an interest
ing talk on the Birthplace of the
Santa Fe which was as follows:
THE history of that road would
require a volume, and how to tell the
story in five minutes is past my ability.
In 1860 the railroad promoters of
Kansas Territory met together and
apportioned the territory to four
roads, st. Joe and Denver from st.
Joe west; Central Branch from Atch-
ison west; the Leavenworth, Law
renee, Galveston & Southwestern (now
southern Kansas) the A. 7. & S. F.
from AtchisOn via Topeka southwest
TO west line of the state. Later on
these several companies secured land
grants about as they had arranged, to-
wit: Each alternate section of land
ten miles wide on both sides of the
right of way. The amount received
by the Santa F'e aggregated about 81.
100000 acres. These were its assets
UP to 1869.
Strenuous efforts We're made to get
some one to build the road. All eff
forts failed. In 1869 a petition was
presented to the board OF county
commissioners of Shawnee county ask
ing that a proposition to give to the
Santa Fe company two hundred and
fifty thousand dollars in thirty year
six per cent bonds be submitted to the
voters of the county. 1t was sub
mitted and the proposition was de-
feated. The small majority by which
the proposition was defeated so en-
couraged it's friends that they asked
that it again be submitted. 1t was
resubmitted and carried.
The company now had it's land
grant and $3.50 900 in Shawnee coun-
ty bonds. Renewed efforts were now
made in London, New York and Bos-
ton to have the road built. All failed.
Finally some Cincinnati people agreed
to undertake the job. Thomas j.
Peters was sent out as general man
ager and the work was undertaken.
Prior to actual work number of cit
izehS gathered together and with picks
and shovels repaired to q point near
where the old freight house stands
and raised pile of dirt. Colonel Hol-
liday mounted the pile and made q
speech He predicted that the pres
emf generation would see the road fin
ished to Santa Fe. perhaps to Calves
ton The crowd cheered and laughed.
THE idea of building q road for
one thousand miles where there We're
no inhabitants but prairie dogs buff
faloes and Indians was ridiculous.
Later / will tell YOU how much Of
a prophet the colonel was. 1 want
the present and future people of To-
Dek2 and the management of the
Santa Fe railroad to understand that
the first dirt thrown. the first tie and
rail laid and the first whistle of a To-
connective on the A T. & s. F. r. R
was right here in the city of Topeka.
The new management built the read
as far as Pauline. five miles. when we
had an excursion. Later on. we had
an excursion to Wakarusa, the south
line of the county. Everybody was
invited and everybody went.
There was no prohibitory law at
that time and there was plenty of
refreshments and quite large num-
her OF the crowd could not tell when
they got home whether they had been
on the Santa Fe road or New York
Central. The night following the ex-
cursion the boys of Topeka made
Rome howl" Fifteen thousand dol
1ors of the bonds were delivered to
the railroad company The object of
the Cincinnati people was to get to
the coal fields of Usage county as they
bought many thousands of acres of
coal lands there. The terminus of the
Union Pacific railroad being located
a. Kansas City from the west and
the Joy roads from the east made it
sure that the city of the Missouri riv-
er.valley would be at Kansas City and
not AtchiSon.
Therefore Topeka was anxious to
have another connection with that city.
Some Of the enterprising citizens or