Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-02-02

sources and make available the vast
mineral wealth of the state.
New Mexico has one hundred and
twenty-five thousand square miles of
territory, and in round figures about
one mile of operating railroad TO
every one hundred square miles of
territory A very small portion of the
people of the state have railroad ia
cilities adequate TO their needs and
would in the natural course of events
under any of the plans suggested have
no reason to doubt that their future
requirements would be met.
A further small portion have at the
present time inadequate railroad ia
ciiities which would probably be eX
tended to meet their present and flu
ture needs. A further portion have.
very inadequate railroad facilities and
a further very large portion have no
railroad facilities at all and will never
have any unless the opportunities FOR
profit afforded TO pioneer railroad
builders are preserved.
Pioneering Necessary.
There is no incompatibility betweenI
the public interest and the preserva
ton of the legitimate profits of pio-
neer railroad builders. The possibility
of these profits can only be preserved
by carefully preserving the right of
the state of New Mexico to deter
mine for itself when and under what
circumstances it will encourage the
construction of railroads which are
necessary to the development of it's
wealth, which can only be made avail
able through increased railroad facili-
ties The liberalization of railroads
can only be accomplished by the de-
struction of an important element of
the power of the states to regulate
their Internal affairs.
While in the older and more thickly
populated sections of the country re-
strctions upon further railroad con-
struction there might work no spe-
cial hardship, such restrictions inI
New Mexico and other parts of the
country in like situation would arti /
ficially obstruct the natural devel ,
opment of the country to an appall-
ing extent and no future advantage, |
however great, would adequately com
pensate those communities for the
immediate loss of opportunities for de-
yelopment.
Exploitation Should BE Prevented. /
There can he no objection to such !
reasonable restrictions as may be nee
essary to prevent new lines, when con-
structed, from being used for the .
purpose of exploiting the public or to
prevent discrimination in rates or
services or even the regulation of the
issuance of securities, but there can
be no hope of securing new construc- I,
ton such as we need if those reason
able opportunities for profit upon the
capital required commensurate to the
risk involved are made unlawful or
are INSTRUCTED by congressional legis-
lation
Men of vision, initiative and courage
with the necessary capital to create
the required facilities are beginning
to realize that the country needs an
other great transcontincntal railroad
system, one which by the shortest and
most feasible route shall connect the
waters Of the Gulf of Mexico with
those of Puget sound.
That such system cannot be built
as unit at this time without great
economic waste will be apparent to
anyone who makes a careful study of
the map of that part Of the country
which it would run. Any one
of several roads existing reaching the
ports of the Gulf of Mexico might be-
come q part of this system and serve
every purpose equally with any new
line which could now be constructed,
and the same thing is true in more
limited way as to the great ports of
Puget sound. Eut in the vast terri
tory intervening Il great mileage of
new construction is necessary in order
to connect up existing lines into such
a compact system, ana il all artificial
barriers were removed there is little
doubt that there would he great CONF
petition for the opportunity to create
such a system especially at this time
when a large volume of capital will
greedily embrace every opportunity
for great speculative profit even
though the chance of loss may be
great. ....
Short Lines Would Pay.
There are sections of this intervcn-
ing country where short lines from
fifty to two hundred miles in length
would from the beginning not only in
sure adequate return on the cost of
but would give reasona
Bile promise of providing from the