Evening journal., 1912-03-08
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
A Proposition That Didn't
Interest James ]. Hill
By Holland

mo man that was ever associated
with could turn down or set aside Il
business proposition made to him with
more biting or expressive epigram
than Mr.. HILL" said the late Colonel
Daniel S. Lamont, who was very inti-
mately associated with James j. Hill
after his retirement from the second
cabinet of President Cleveland
Il happen to know that Mr.. Hill
pever could quite understand what
had tempted his warm personal friend
Sir William Van Horne, to undertake
railway investments and deyeopment
in tropical Cuba after he had won his
great triumph in Canada. However,
Mr.. Hill rarely criticised the judgment
Of others unless that judgment had
something TO do with his own pur-
poses or plans.
You may remember that shortly
after the Philippines Islands came
into our possession the governor gem
eral, William II. Taft, was very anxi-
Gus that American capital should be
secured for the purpose Of develop
ing a comprehensive railway system
in the Philippines. l presume that
every leading railway manager in the
United States received intimation that
there were splendid opportunities for
the investment of capital I'm the Phil
ippines and that in all probability the
Philippine government. with the
moral support of our own Federal
government, would stand sponsor for
investments Of capital in the Philip
pine railway system. / know that MIR.
Hill personally received information
Of that kind. But he paid no attention
to them, although he was very great
ly interested in the whole Philippine
problem, wondering how 1t was going
to work out.
"At last Mr.. Hill met by appoint
ment several gentlemen, one of whom
had been a United States Senator, who
had sought the meeting for the pur-
pose of laying before him a PROPOSE
ton involving his investment of con-
siderable capital in the Philippine
railroad proposition.
MIR. Hill was told that if a railroad
were built connecting Manila with the
most northerly part Of the island OF
Luzon and that If another railroad
were built bisecting the island from
west to east, then some of the richest
lands i'm the world would be opened
to development The promoters pic
tured to him the hardwood forests
the sugar lands, the rice plantations,
and laid especial emphasis upon the
possibilities of tobacco culture.
In the midst of one Of these highly
colored descriptions Of the natural re-
sources of Luzon. Mr.. Hill suddenly
burst out with this question:
"'What is the temperature there in
winter?'
"'Oh, It never goes below seventy
five degrees
What-in january
Eyes, never below seventy-hve de-
grees, even i'm January
"'Well, what is the average tenn
peratur in summrg
"'Oh. about ninty degrees.
"'All day long, .
We'll. yes: almost all day.
"Ifs pretty sticky, too, isn't itg'
"Well. yes. the atmosphere is rath.
or humid in the summer months. Bul
! the natives don't mind that
"'Well,' said Mr.. Hill, rising as il tC
terminate the interview. I'm not In.
iterested in your proposition; and IT
give you one good and sufficient rea
son: I'll never invest any money in
country where they don't wear over
coats.
Copyright 1912, by E. j. Edwards
All rights reservcd)