The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-07-03
D. JAsIEs B. aIoRRoW.

egists. and fighting men.
Also, they have their own orators
likely enough. they were brakemen, teleg-
raphers. or clerks years ago-and their
own poets. only their poets do not write
books or put their visions into rhyme
Railroad lawyers, as a rule. are merely
engineers seeking right Of way through
statutes made and provided by other
lawyers IN legislatures. sometimes IN
necessarily assembled. They tunnel and
bridge. according to the Typographical co
eentrieities OF the situation, and, ordi-
narfiy, are dry and technical persons.
The railroad diplomatist, strategist, or
warrior needs 70 be more than a lawyer
or an engineer. Broadly, he must be a
philosopher. Specifically. he must under
stand the temper OF the people and the
inherent principles of human nature.
Make Few BIunders.
God" said George F. Baer. in effect.
gave the coal mines to the coal barons. -
Baer is a lawyer. Brown, OF the New
York Central. a section hand in his
youth. VIII never fall into such blunder
OF thought or statement; nor VIII
Yoakum. the former driver OF a scraper;
nor will Marvin Hughitt. the old-time
telegraph operator; nor will James ].
Hill, once a roustabout on the docks OF
St. Paul; nor will Edward Payson Rip
ley. president of the Atchison. Topeka.
and Santa Fe system. who, years ago
was a shipping clerk for firm OF whole
salers in Boston.
Realizing the gravity Of the action re-
Gently taken by President Taft In the
matter of rates. the railroads Of Chi
cEgo, twenty and more IN number, came
together in a league OF defense and
chose some OF their wisest men 10 rep
resent their cause IN Washington The
instinct ard judgment OF the conference
made Mr.. Ripley chief OF the ambassR-
doris. An attorney might have split hairs
and IN the exhilsration OF legal contro-
versy muddled the case before the Pres
ident. SO Ripley, a freight monger and
an executive-placid. sagacious. terse.
forceful. and profoundly informed about
his own 5usiness-spoke for the railroads
that gridiron the great map OF the
West. from Chicago 20 the shores OF the
Pacific.
Like an ArmOred Knight.
Moreover. Ripley Is physically impress
Efve. AS I talk to him now in his Of
fee. many stories up. with Lake Mich
iigan moving and glowing In the sunlight
under the windows. I see a large man,
structurally and intellectually-a massive
man In head and features; tall, broad.
angular, nat az the abdomen as an ath-
iets; huge OF chin. nose. and mouth,
and gray OF eyes; symmetrical and leon
ine-Such man. in short, as one would
picture on q tremendous black horse.
armor-clad, and carrying a heavy sword
and a sure bulwark to his friends.
notice that his clothing is not rev. that
he occasionally lifts his shoulders and
spreads his hands. like a Frenchman or
Jew, md that he is short OF vision,
but that he does not use spectacies
The old man." he Is called in affection
up and down the 1900 miles OF main
track that constitutes the Santa Fs
system. A mighty getter Of freight. tire
less and tacitrrn, but violating and con-
tradicting the stern aspect OF hts appear
ance. kindly. thoughtful. and just. He
has training schools, reading rooms, and
beautiful free magazine for his men.
Those who know him say he would have
made a great judge. Formerly he was
an officer on the c.. 3. & Q. The traffic
manager OF that road had an obstinate
dispute. not long ago, with the traffic
"I'll arbirate the case" said the Santa
Fe rather eagerly.
"All right. replied the c., B. & Q.
Il am willing to leave 1t to Mr.. Ripley,
your own president
"Go to thunder" Santa Fe FASTENED to
say. as he turned and walked away
sought no verihcation OF the story from
Mr. Ripley. but I know that it is true.
Gloomy Regarding Future.
While he talked with the measure of
this man who employs 10000 wage-earners
and governs the business of a railroad
that covers the country from Chicago
70 San Francisco, and from Denver TO
Galveston, was gloomy concerning the
future and almost reconciled 10 what he
terms the ingratitude of me public
had asked him about the problems of
transportation, not as seen by agitators
and politicians, but by the men who are
on the inside OF the railroads themselves.
There are several very serious prob
lems.'' Mr.. Ripley said. rather slowly.
First, are we to be permitted TO live?
Ny experience goes back to the days OF
rough and crude conditions. Everybody
wanted railroads then. Everybody who
hasn't them wants railroads now Men
come here from sparsely-settled and iso-
lated regions begging for branch lines
and connections. pledging to help, and. In
some instances, promising TO pay one
fourth OF the cost. They are willing to
mortgage all they have that their lands
may be doubled OF quadrupled in value
and their crops sent, 10 market and sold
at good prices for ready money. They
feel as all the people felt when railroad
-,
Beginning Of Great Line.
Work on what is now known as the
Santa Fe system began at the then
frontier village OF Topeka in 1865. Coun-
ties through which the road was to be
laid voted bonds for its building When
the track was completed 10 Wakarusa,
thirteen miles from Topeka. the achieve
ment was duly celebrated by an excur-
sion 10 that settlement in borrowed
passenger car drawn by borrowed en-
CINE. The first citizens OF Kansas en-
phasized the occasion by. their presence.
They were enthusiastic. but visibly skep-
tical, when Col Cyrus X. Holiday, pro-
3ector OF the enterprise. proclaimed in a
speech that the crooked little road would
one day touch the shores Of the Pacific %
''Cy Warman. the locomotive engineer
and poet" I said. stated that one in
credulous individual threw himself upon
the grass when Holiday gave utterance
20 hfs grotesque prophecy and shouted in
nnerriment. oh, the damned old foolr "
$50 I have heard Mr.. Ripley replied
quite soberly. The unbeliever on the
grass was afterward the general passen-
ger agent OF the road" he added In
1859, the year I entered the service OF
the Pennsylvania Railroad as q clerk N
the city OF Boston," he went on 10 say,
~the rolling stock OF the Atchlson. To-
peka and Santa Re Company consisted
of one secondhand locomotive, twelve fat
cars, each OF ten tons capacity: a pas
senEer coach that had been operated be-