The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-08-22
RAILROAD NEWS.
President of Orient Writes of
Modern Economies.
Confidence or National Suicide"
Is the Title.
RESENT THE ATTACK
Stilwell Believes People Should
Support Railways. "A
Other Items of Genera! Interest
in Traffic World.
RESENT THE ATTACK

New York, Aug. 22.-Arthur Edward
Stilwell, president of the Kansas City
Mexico & Orient railroad, has written a
book that is likely to attract attention
| upon is publication today by the
Bankers Publishing company of this
| city. 1t is called Confidence, or Ma
t1onal Suicide" 1t deals in large part
with the conditions surrounding Amerf-
can railroads. presented from a rail-
road mans point of view; and it is
written just as attractively as Mr.. Still
well can talk
| The author knows the railroad bust
ness from the driving of cross ties
| spikes to the getting of capital for con-
| struction and improvements His ref
erenceS to the rate problem and its So
luton; the effect of railroad building,
past and present, on the progress of the
country, and many of his proposed
remedies for current errors DOUBTLESS
Will reach a sympathetic vein in gen.
eral railroad circles and among intelli-
gent shippers who realize that their
own prosperity depends in large part
upon the ability of the TRANSFORMATION
companies to do business at a profit
He'd Like Traffic Contract.
Mr. Stilwell says starvation of the
| railroads affects merchants in all parts
Of the country, for, if the railroads go
into receivers hands banks call their
loans from one end of the land to the
other and refuse to grant merchandise
accommodation General business then
goes to pieces. Starvation for invested
capital spells starvation for all busi-
ness, the author points out. He be-
lieves it is unfair to make the railroads
as he assumes is being done-turn
over their business to state or federal
commissions. He suggests that states
give to railroads 15-year traffic con-
tracts setting forth exactly what traffic
charges may be made, as is done in
Mexico, so that capital will know what
may be relied upon as to earnings on
each classification of freight and pas
senger earnings.
The book treats of various subjecrs
under the captions: "A Protest" Our
Country" THE Englishman." "Mexi-
cans as Confidence Builders" "On
Which Side of the Fence Is the Wa
Northern?" THE American Wolf
Grab bits" Are You a Lion or
Tiger?" Our Financial Apaches,"
state Contracts" "a Corporation
Court Fixed Traffic Rates for Fiji
teen Years. IAN American Legion of
Honor and Let Us Be Friends
Not the Shippers. He Says.
Mr.. Stilwell deplores the discrediting
of railroad investments by reason OF
adverse legislation and declares that
new lines are struggling for an exist
ence. The people, he says, should re-
sent these recurring attacks on rail-
roads now that the cost of materials is
advancing and labor demands higher
wages. The failure of the railroads re-
cent efforts to increase rates, Mr.. Still
we'll declares, was a national calamity.
He describes the cause of this failure
in paragraph:
Il do not believe that it really was
the shippers who objected but the sec
retaries Of various commercial clubs
who saw an unusual opportunity for
big noise which they had not had for
a long time. They were employed 70
watch railroads, and realized that here
was a chance they must not forego-"
Destructive radicalism, Mr. StilweH
says, started the panic of 1907 Real
conditions, he believes, can always be
bravely met by capital without com
plant, but radicalism it cannot With
stand. Relating has been abolished.
and some day, he hopes. market raiding
or kindred crimes may be prohibited by
law. The leading cause of an unfortu-
nate financial condition. he says, is
the popular belief that thu way to po-
litical preferment is to destroy capital
in railroads and industrial enterprises
The day will come he believes. when to
enter political life in this country will
be an honor, as it is in England, ana
not a joke as is often the case here.
IIlG NACdILAlAS VI
Mr. Stilwer says that if the United
States is to keep ION top more atten-
ton must be paid to building up. con-
fidence. and less to zap" He defines
''Yap'' in this way:
.'Yap'' is talk without truth back: Of
it; "yap' means attempting to convey
ideas which you do not believe; 1t Is
the talk of politicians whp are attempt
ing to impress upon their hearers the
idea that their lives are the essence or
the ten commandments, When tney
know they have broken nine and nope
lesslv cracked the tenth. "Yap'' is the
great asset of the bear raider, VINO is
doing all in his power to destroy con-
fidence in America and American IN
vestments. and has in view the ming
of his own pockets with Ill gotten
gains He is willing to say or do any
thing. in order to destroy any sacred
structure in his way. if it will only ada
to his gains. Of late, 'yap'' has had
full swing, and while it has tried 10
sway our nation into wrong paths, u
cannot mislead it forever. 1t VIII soon
be recognized for what it is ana tneh
will have no more power than the
voiceless Iisping of a gas leak"
After a chapter describing the world
achievements of Englishmen MI. Stn-
we'll says.
Fngland is for millions of US the
home of our ancestors; we glory IN
| this but we need never imagine tnat
New York may wrest from London its
great power as the financial center OF
the world. unless New YORK aoopts
some of London's strict integrity in
business.
Then and not till then. New York
NAV achieve this world distinction
What a howl would be heard, the au-
thor says. if the interstate commerce
commission should try to fix the price
of land! And land, he says, gets Its m
creased valuation from the building OF
railroads.
TIES A RESORT FOR CRIMINALS.
Union Pacific Conducts ''Jungle'' in