El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-12-23
Tilt at Chamber Of Com
merce Dinner; Illustrat-
ed Talks Given.


Continued from page l.
land grants had been given to the
people, instead of the railroads, they
would have produced freight and would
have been an asset instead or a llaDll-
ity to the railroads
Senator Fan came back with the
question: us there any opposition to
the United States recovering from the
Southern Pacific land in California
donated to the railroad and now known
10 he tremendously valuable Tor Its
minerals2"
Mr.. Clancy That is a different
proposition, senator
Arizona Land BIHnipUlatiOns.
Senator Fail: rs it a fact that the
railroads owning forest land IN Arizona
after having cut the timber OIL nave
had them declared a forest reserve and
taken scrip for them to apply on land
elsewhere
Mr.. Clancy: "If those charges are
made and they are facts, then those
men who We're instrumental In grant
ing them were not honest and they
were members Of congress. lCheers
sen Fail: "The legislators mad
nothing to do with that
Courts and Railroads.
Mr.. Clancy. 1.-THE senator mas sara
that the protecuon Ior inc IaIlI oaoS
resides in the judiciary. The MInneSo-
Ia rate case is a sample of that kind OF
Justice the railroads get. 1t SHOWS
lack of knowledge of the subject The
islation when they know that IT IS
inimical to the service and dangerous
TO the public. have appeared DeIore
legislatures on proposals which seemed
absurd to operating officials The leg
islators do not understand and the
railroads ought not be censured Tor
trying to correct false impressions.
Examples of Texas Laws,
CAS- an eXabple of the legislation
that railroads are forced to endure, the
electric headlight law in Texas is
fair sample. The law says headlight
must be of 1900 candle power and no
such light has been invented-with a
reflector it is possible to get such a
light but the law says it must be
without a reflector Railroad men will
tell YOU that the electric headlight is
absolutely dangerous. The law says
we must carry a full crew on every
train-light engines as we'll Tt is
stuffed crew law. Tt puts too many
men on q train and more serious acct
dents have occurred because too many
men were on an engine than for any
other reason. They get to visiting.
There are too many men with too little
Fan and the 5. P.
GAS to the SOuthw estern, The senator
seems to have done valiant service for
the S. ?. But the Southwestern could
have oOne into court and condemned
the right Of way Of the S. P. They had
that right of eminent domain under
the law"
Sen. Fall: "How much would they
have had to pay for it?'
Mr.. Clancy: 1.-THE senator does not
have an idea of the effect such state
ments have upon the public mind. Take
the senator's statement of the pro-
posed 5000 miles Of railroad in Mexico
That road is on paper and that is as Ear
as II viii ever go. I know that the
railroads of the United States cannot
borrow one dollar for railroad con-
structiOn and it seems absurd that
railroad could be built IN Mexico. Mex
leo does not need a railroad where
they have nothing to anspOrt except
men in arms.
The Sins Of the Past.
eff the appeal of the railroads for
money is to be treated lightly and the
sins of the past thrown up to us, the
country viii have government own
ership or Industrial paralysis. I could
not sit here and listen to statements
which did not square with the facts.
Today the S P. IS one Of the best rail-
roads in the United States and I will
say for the S. p. that it cannot be
duplicated for the face value Of its
stocks and bonds"
Government Ownership.
Sen. Fall: Il am not in the habit
of having my facts questioned and
every statement I have made can be
proved. AS for the investment in the
new railroad in Mexico 7 know nothing
but what I have read. Ny other state
ments were to show that the railroads
have not always consulted with the
people. The gentleman admits it when
III says that the sins of the past should
not be thrown up to them. If the rail-
roads do not treat the people fairly,
they viii go to the other extreme. The
people Of the United states are aroused
and there VIII be government owner
shin and cOnfiscatiOn of the railroads
with such indemnity paid for the prop
erty as the people think it is worth. if
there IS not any other way to control
the railroads in the interest OF the
people.
when they say that the legislatures
and the courts cannot be trusted and
only the railroads are fit to rule, when
the railroads believe that they alone
can run this government. then they are
threatening a condition that will force
government ownership Of railroads, for
the people believe that they can run
their own government"
An AII-Evening Session.
II was almost y o'clock when the de-
bate concluded between the senator
anG the railroad man, but the crowd
remained TO listen TO an address by
willard F. Holt, secretary of the cham
Ter Of commerce OF DeminS-
Prior to the talk by Mr.. Clancy and
his round with senator Fall J. J. Orms-
bee, manager of the FL PasO smelter
ana H. ID. Slater, editor of The FL PasO
Herald, delivered illustrated talks Mr..
identifying FL Paso.
A quartet composed of Parvin White,
4lrs- Witte, Mrs. W w. Evans and
-fAeLt--1N l-ELleu sang during the dinner
The EI PaSO SmeIter.
Mr. Ormsbee said in part:
That the smelter is of considerable
importance to Ell PasO will be realized
when it is stated that its monthly
pay roll including the office force, is
over $4,000 or very nearly $1,000, 900
in a year This is quite a comfortable
addition to the spending money Of our
city. Il goes quickly into the hands
Of our local merchants as the smelter
does not conduct any company store.
Another item Of interest to the bust
ness men Of the city is the fact that
che smelter purchases through local
houses and agencies supplies and re-
pairs to the amount Of approximately
$4,000 per month. The amount paid
TO the railroads here for freight and
switching is between $4,000 and $780,
GOO per month. Therefore in these
three items, the smelter disburses To-
cally about two and one-half million
dollars per year.
The output Of the plant in precious
metals is over one million dollars per
month. While the merchants of our
city may not handle much of the money
that is paid over to the ore shippers.
the banks have the pleasure at any