The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1911-06-16
KANSAS BOOTH IN UNION PACIFIC DISPLAY.

Seyenty.five million dollars are to
be expended within the next i've years
to give the people of Kansas and
other parts of the West the best that
it is possible to give them in the way
of railroad equipment and track. The
announcement Of the appropriation OF
this immense sum by the Union Pa
cific railroad company startled the
world, and particularly that part OF 1t
which lies in what il known as Union
Pacific country. But the Union Paci-
fic had still another thrill up its
sleeve" for the public, and Gerrit
Fort. passenger traffic manager OF the
system, sprung this when he an
nounced that the greatest sum ever
appropriated In a lump for similar
purpose was to be spent for advertis-
ing the advantages of the country
through which the Union Pacific oper-
ates.
I'VE shall spend $1,2OO,O0O in adver-
Using the advantages of Kansas and
the rest Of our country beyond the
Missouri river" said Mr. Fort. I'VE
will show to the rest of the world the
wonderful resources Of our country
and will disprove the old lie, that
Kansas is a mortgage-ridden state,
and will show that instead of that 1t
is commonwealth in which the peo-
pie do not have to plaster mortgages
in order to buy automobiles and other
advantages which the dwellers In the
cities have 80 long considered their.
own especial property.
Startle East with Display.
Chicago, Omaha and a great part
Of the East woke up last year at the
great expositions of products and facts
shown by the United States Land &
Irrigation Exposition held at Chicago
and the Western Land Products tx
position held at Omaha" continued
Mr.. Fort. The people of the west
and South joined hands to startle the
East with display greater than any
thing of its kind ever shown before,
and 1t succeeded And not only did
these shows, which more than $4,000
people paid admission to see, open
their eyes, but it opened our eyes as
we'll to the land hunger of the people
of the cities. Many of these had come
from farms in the hopes of lettering
their conditions. They were sons OF
large families, and they knew there
was small chance Of them ever own
ing more than a fraction OF the pros
porous farms which their fathers man
aged, and so they had sought the
cities in the hopes Of making more
money.
kansas hadn't then fully realized
the great good which would come
from taking advantage Of these expo
sltions, and so there was no organized
move, or community spirit shown, to
make showing of the states won
derful resources, but the Union Pa
cific knew what Kansas could do, and
we railroad people made up our minds
to show the results and we did.
Gather Products for the Show.
I'VE sent out trained men into the
country and they gathered the best
of the farm products to place in the
Union Pacifc's Kansas BOOTH and
that booth attracted more attention, !
think, than any other one of the shows
be cause It was striking reminder
that Kansas ID not failure, but Is
one of the most prosperous states IN
our country. We not only gathered
these products. but We carefully
packed them in refrigerator cars and
then carried these cars, free Of all
cost to anyone except ourselves, to
Chicago and Omaha. That is one
way in which we win spend good
part Of this great advertising appro-
priation. 1t is to go for the good, not
only of the railroad. but Of the state,
AT the Kansas lectures alone,
where trained speakers told Of the
wealth OF the soil. $1,000 men and
women heard the addresses. ar the
skeptical we're convinced. Men with
comptometers stood at the doors of
the lecture halls and counted them as
they entered The results have been
S. own in a practical way, for hun
dreds Of city men, wageearners. have
turned their backs on the narrow
streets and the cramped houses or
fats, and turned their faces toward
Kansas, where they plan to build
themselves new homes.
81 have had men ask me Why does
the Union Pacific do thls?'" continued
Mr.. Fort. That In easy. As the state