The Washington herald., 1919-01-06
WRITES BOOK
ON RAILROADS
Three Americas RAILWAY" !"
Title Of H. R. Helpers Pro-
duction, Says Holland.

eral years ago. He lived at "asn-
ington and was almost Impoverished
In his latter days. 1t has been for
gotten that he. citizen of North
Carolina before the civil war. wrote
and published a book entitled The
Impending Crisis" In that work
Mr.. Helper predicted three years be-
fore Mai. Anderson hauled down the
flag that foated over Fort sumpter.
the speedy coming OF a struggle be-
tween two civilizations, that Of the
North and that of the South. The
events yindicated his prediction. The
book was almost as widely read and
excitedly discussed as was Uncle
Toms Cabin which was published a
few years earlier. Mr.. Helpers name
became familiar to the people both
I'm the North and in the South. II
he did not gain the fame which is
enduring. there came TO him repu-
tation which was Of much avail TO
him in his later undertakings.
A few years after peace was again
established in the United States Mr..
Helper began an agitation which he
hoped would result in the promotion
OF allied railroad systems which
would operate in North America,
Mexico and Central America and
South America. Its name should be-
he thought the Three Americas
Railway" The project so far ap-
pealed to Congress that a resolution
was introduced which IL adopted.
would have been followed by the
publication and distribution by the
government Of reports made by
competent engineers and men Of n
nance which would show how and
where this railroad could be con-
structed and what the outlook for
commercial success was.
1t may be that when the atten-
tion Of Jay Gould was called to this
project he put an Immediate damper
upon II by saying that such rail-
road system could not earn enough
TO nav its running expenses Mr..
Gould at that time was beginning to
be interested as developer and op-
orator Of important railway systems
in the United States. one OF which
reached from St Louis to the en-
pire like Southwest and to the Rio
Grande.
The Project Forgotten.
At all events, after Mr.. Gould thus
spoke, as one speaking with expert
authority. the project was forgotten.
In this country at that time came an
era Of enormous railroad expansion.
This development was overdue. II
involved the borrowing Of great
amounts of money in Europe and the
European financiers at last held up
their hands I'm dismay so that indi-
rectly at least the panic Of 1884 was
! in this way caused.
Nevertheless these railroad eXpan-
sions in the United States and some
that were under way in South America
| and in Mexico seem now TO have pro-
vided substantial links for the com
| plete construction Of the Three Amer
icas Railway. Canada. with her stu
pendous increase in industry, agr7-
culture and railroad development
I furnishes the first link. From the
western end Of the Great Lakes at
ready a continuous railway line. al
though under different ownerships,
stretches to the northern boundary
Of Mexico and Mexico herself has
been almost completely hisected north
and south by railroad lines.
South American situation.
Argentina. with courage, but per
haps a too early development Of It's
national railroad system. built line
across that republic, which, on the
eastern side Of the Andes, connects
with the Chilean National Railroad.
Bolivia and Peru have been engaged
in railroad construction. and ii Is pre-
sumed that the day is not distant
when the Bolivian system will be con-
neCted with the national railway sNs-
TEN of Argentina Already in South
America a transContincntal system is
established whereby traffic and pas
senger travel hack and forth between
VALPARAISO on the Pacific and Buenos
Ayres upon the Atlantic Coast are
carried on and are increasing.
| There would remain, therefore. IN
order to complete a railway line OF
! this kind no more than construction or
new links through Central America.
Colombia. the Peruvian slopes OF the
Andes upon the eastern side. and the
continuation Of the Bolivian system
TO the Argentina line. Already enter
prising capital and constructive en-
gineers Of great ability are pushing
the railroad from the Pacific seaCoast
to Quito. Already American capital
has completed. or at least has under
way, the construction OF a railroad
from the eastern terminal of the Pc
ruvian national railway. which owed
existence to American engineering
ability and American capital. to a
/ harbor upon the northern coast Of
! Peru.
Mr. GouId's View Point.
Jay Gould's reasoning. upon which
he based his statement that a rail
road Of this kind could not earn
enough to pay its running charges. to
say nothing OF the interest. was
| based entirely upon his inability 70
! forecast the development OF very
| great traffic between the various ma
| tions of the American hemisphere. es-
peciaIIy between South America and
the United States.
Now. in part due to the European
war, international commerce Il that
kind has been PmazinGlv d drv,lopeA
within the past four years. our ev-
ports TO Brazil alone have gained l6O
per cent Our trade with Chile has
greatly gained, Argentina. relatively
speaking, matches our vastly in
creased commerce with Canada and
that Of Canada with us. For more
| than a year representatives OF indus
try and trade in the South American
nations have been visiting the United
States for the purpose not only of
| buying American goods but also OF
| seeking larger purchases by the
United States Of South American
commodities.
Writer'S Idea Revived.
Undoubtedly IL is due in great