The Washington herald., 1918-05-18
OFFER TO BUY
FLORIDA ROAD?
Rumor That $50. .000, 900
Has Been Named. Says !.
Holland.

interests are ready to buy the Florida
Coast Railroad Company's stock, pay
ing for it $50 100000. then In this pro-
position Is to be found perhaps. the
best vindication of the judgment Of
Henry N. Flagler when he undertook
TO invest many millions Of his own
money in the .construction Of the
Florida Coast Railroad line and the
extension of II by ocean ferry to
HRvanna.
Probably not one of the railroad
managers who were living at the time
Mr. Flagler began his railroad ex-
ploitation in Florida hesitated about
expressing the opinion that the Flagler
adventure was almost reckless: GER
tainly was without substantial trans
portation foundation, for where was
the business to come from by means
of which an income could be derived
sufficient to pay even operating ev.
penses Of a line OF this kind. Mr..
Flagler listened to none of the coun-
sels which his warm friends ventured
to give him, although he did acknowl-
edge that his Florida railroad pro-
position camo to him as q sudden in
spiration at a time when he was per-
suaded by his cousin, John II. Flagler
to visit st. Augustine 50 that he might
obtain in that way a months rest.
Develop Agriculture.
Mr.. Flagler carefully worked out
plans whereby. following the rails,
there would be a great development
Of Florida's agricultural industry and,
as he believed. the creation Of win
ter resort on the Florida coast which
would ultimately equal in popularity
-. L..
where the wealthy were accustomed
10 soJourn in winter months.
Mr.. Flagler's friends always sus-
pected. after the road was completed
and was occupied to its capacity in
certain seasons Of the year in trans
porting the agricultural products of
Florida to the North. and also after
the Florida coast had become a So
journing place in the winter for those
whose income permitted them to visit
II, that one or more OF the railroads
stretching southerly from New York.
or Washington. or Louisville, would
he glad to get possession of this prop
erty so as to unity II with certain
large systems- II propositions of that
kind were made TO him he paid no
heed to them and II he were now liv-
ing it would presumably be useless
to those who control certain large
railroad systems to approach him with
intent to procure at a large increase
over his own investment, the Florida
Coast Line.
1t is possible. even probable, that
those to whom these properties
were beQueathed will have due re-
gard to the desire of Mr.. F1agler
that the properties remain as long
as possible in control of the Flagler
interests.
When Henry II. Rogers. who for
years was associated with Flagler
in the Standard Oil Company.
undertook to construct a Railroad
from the Appalachian coal fields to
Norfolk. about four hundred and
nifty miles in length, and so built
as to represent the greatest i'm
provements in railway construction.
he. too. like Mr.. Flagler. was re-
garded as having lost the excellent
Judgment which characterised him
in other business affairs. But as he
had no associates to consult. using
his own money to build the road.
Mr.. Rogers was content to rely
upon his own judgment. That has
been vindicated too although he.
unlike Mr.. FlagIer, did not live long
enough to realize that the PROPOSE
tion was commercially successful.
Mr.. Rogers might have entered into
negotiations whereby his railroad
would pass into the possession of
an important railroad system. but
he would not do II. He too. was in
the hope that this Individual rail-
road would remain as long as pos
sibIe identified by the Rogers name.
nuPont DlyIdend
The dividend of per cent which
the DUPONT Company has declared
in the hope that the stockholders
who receive IL will contribute It to
the Red Cross fund next week, is
likely to set the pace for other cor
porations. When the first Red Cross
campaign was under way extra divi-
dends were declared by several OF the
large corporations, the managers
hoping that the stockholders would
turn these dividends over to the Red
Cross. 1t has never been known, at
least with accuracy, how many of
the stockholders did thus utilize the
dividends and how many of them
kept the money. but the common un-
derstanding is that a large percent
age Of the stockholders did turn these
dividends over to the Red Cross.
should the Dupont stockholders
place in the hands OF the Red Cross
management this dividend of . per
cent, and the presumption is that
nearly all of them will do that, then
the Red Cross starts of next week
with one Of the largest subscriptions
ever made by a single individual or
corporation to the Red Cross fund.
Liberty Loan PecuIIarItIes.
Gradually some of the interesting
but minor details associated with the
marketing Of the Third Liberty Loan
are being narrated. In the first few
days after the subscription was end
ed public interest centered In the re-
ports which would show the aggre-
gate subscriptions, the extent to
which the various districts had over
3 subscribed their aIlotments, and the
number Of individual subscribers.
Now that these more striking figures
are made public the smaller details
are becoming known, as for instance:
Apeals were made in New York to
the Russians. which resulted in pro-
curing a considerable number of Rus
sian subscriptions. almost all of them
being so for each Individual.
There Is in New York a little or
ganization which calls itself the ia
panese-American Association. The
members of this association. the num-
Der Of which is not very large, became
enthusiastic over an opportunity to
subscribe for liberty bonds. They
therefore held a meeting, Of which no
report was made in the public press,
and at this meeting Mrs Charlotte ].
Umemurh made an appeal to her ia
panese associates urging them to buy