The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-04-04
Railroad News
URGES unions TO
BE CONSERVATIVE
CLARK, or INTERSTATE COM
MERGE BODY, ADDRESSED
FORMER FELLOW RAIL
ROAD WORKERS.

worcester Mass. april AID
/ dressing the immense gathering OF
railroad men, representing the differ
@nt railroad brotherhood who are in
convention here, hundreds of them be-
ing from the powerful organization of
which he was once the head, Edgar T.,
Clark. the railroad conductor who be-
came a member of the Interstate COM
Ynerce commission, bespoke a message
Z of conservatism.
Commissioner Clark told the men OF
the brotherhoods what an important
rublic service they perform in operat-
ing the railroads Of the United States.
The development of those brotherhoods
he said, had come only through frater-
nal unity and cooperation.
1T has come" he said, by having a
well considered and sound policy and
I by adhering 10 it, by applying to every
effort and desire to test-Is this
Right?'-by withholding every effort
and resisting every desi-a that would
not stand that test
"It has come by pursuing a course OF
conservatism which avoided on tn" one
band that conservation. which beyond
a certain point means stagnation. and
! on the other hand that conservatism,
which, beyond a certain point means
( COW lice.
"And the message ! wish to bear to
I you Is that the LoliL- that has brought
7 to you so much of material welfare and
contributed to the relations, which,
bring about such gathering as this
in which the president of the United
States and the presidents of the rail-
froads on which you are employed glad
| ay participate with you, Is not to be
| lightly set aside, nor TO be departed
from except for Imperative reasons. In
hhese men is represented an important
part of our nations life. which has nc
need to change its methods of con-
Quoting its business to keep within the
four corners of tbs law"
Commissioner Clark then went on II
illustrate in a graphic way how vas
ia the railroad industry in the United
States.
[ THE total miles of tracks, he said
''of the railroads of the Unf'ed State
Is three hundred and twenty leigh
thousand. If the capitalization of thos
! roads were laid down in silver dollar
!, an the same way, the dollars woult
extend more than twice around tn
world If all those revenues were pail
ian actual cash, the amount Of none,
$50 paid to the railroads for transporta
ton would equal the total sum o
money in circulation in this C1untry.
IF the money paid by these rail
roads to their employees ever yeal
were laid down the came way in cilve
Edollars, 1t would extend twenty tw
thousand miles-~lmost once aroun
the earth
eff the employees of all these road
were to march in a parade at the rat
Of three miles an hour Il day and nigh
the single file would be eight hundre
and fifty mills long and IT. would
quire nearly twelve days fo~ the pro
cession to pass a given point.
"If the number of passengers car
r1ed one mile annually by those road
were formed in parade ten abreas
that parade would require sixty-fou
years to pass a given point.
IF the freight cars of these road
were coupled together they would ex
stend from Worcester to Portland. Ore
then to Los Angeles, then to Jackson
willie, Fla, AMI from Jacksonville bac
to Worcester and there would /
enough left over to put ia ross line
Jbetween Worcester and San Francisc
and jacksonville and Portland, Ire.
IF all those cars were hauled |
zone train, moving at a uniform spec
OF ten miles an hour day and night,
would be sixty mine days after the Il
connective passed. before the caboos
would come in sight"