New-York tribune., 1910-09-25
PLEA FOR RAILROADS
A. {. StiIWeII Says Prosperity
Depends on Fair Policy.
ACTION AFFECTS MILLIONS
Says Quarter Of Nations Pepu-
lation Is Interested IN Atti-
tude Toward Roads.

A z StfiweII. president of the Kansas
City. Mexico & orient Railway Company
In an interview yesterday dwelt upon the
necessity. as a condition Of continuance OF
the DEVELOPMENT OF national prosperity. for
the establishment of "a fair and just fixed
standard policy toward the railroads on
the mart of the states and the nation. He
said in part:
There are l. 100000 persons employed
on the railroads there are 100000 per-
sons employed in industries that furnish
railroad supplies. and there are 2,000.0oo
men who own stocks and bonds In our rail-
roads and industries dependent thereon
That is to say, conservativeiy, fully 5,OeO'-
600 persons are directly or indirectly IN
terested in the railroads Of the United
States. Each of the above men, We Will
estimate, supports three dependents, so
that il is fair to figure that 20,00O,Oe0 per-
sons, approximately one-fourth of the ma
tion's population, are vitality interested IN
the successful conduct of and fair returns
for money invested in the railroads and
allied industries.
During the last ten years $4,000 miles
of railroad track costing $4,000 miie'
were built. One and three-quarter billions
of dollars resUltantly poured into the pock-
cts of the weriingmen Qargely drawn from
foreign investors), and accordingly went
out to trade. manufacturers, farmers, etc
The railroads paid to United States labor
during the last ten years $1,S0OOOo,O0
equivalent to 1900 carloads, sixty tons OF
silver to the car. or 100 trains of pure sill
YER, distributed by the railroads during the
last ten years to American labor!
Unless a fair and just fixed standard
policy toward the railroads is Immediately
adopted by the states and nation business
must STOP labor be unemployed, confidence
be shaken and investment money diverted
from the United States.
Note the ST Louis Brownsville & MeKi-
co Railway, built by 3. z. Yoakun Land
in the southern Gulf region, which IL
serves, sold at 81 or So an acre four or I'VE
wears ago. before the railroad came. Since
the building of the road land along lis lhe
has increased in value more than $1,000
600 Oo0 and this sum Was not gain for the
railroad, remember, but for the outsiders.
That is to say, Yoakums railroad presented
about sixteen hundred carloads of silver to
land owners in the Gulf Coast region,
SPLENDID gift from the efforts of one man!
But Texas, since Mr.. Ynakum built that
railroad, has passed laws combating just
rates or fair treatment for railroads. and
such action has put stop to railroad build
ing, preventing Mr. Yoakum from contlnu-
ing such work during this and the next
few years as he had fully planned. Cap
ital which he otherwise could have enlisted
for Texas railroad construction will re-
main in bank or be diverted elsewhere and
Texas real estate, farmers and labor are
denied gold.
THE ST. Louis, Brownsville Mexico
road IS 81 miles long. Presuming that the
people who built the road made $4,000 net
a mile annually, they would earn $4,000
q year Yet the road h5s increased the
values of land for outsiders over billion
dollars in four years"