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Show IMPROVEMENTS MUST PROCEED. But B. F. Yoakum Says Adverse Litigation Litiga-tion "Will Retard Them. CHICAGO. Feb. 2S. "I do not take such a crloomy view of the situation and prospects of' this country as some of my railway friends do, ' said P. V. Yoakum, chairman of the executive committee of the Rock Tslnnd-Frisco system, who arrived here yesterday from New York. "This country is too big and too powerful pow-erful to be ruined," continued Mr. Yoakum "It. is bound lo crow bigger and stronger, and the railways will crow with it. They will not be ruiucd bv the agitation today over their operations oper-ations and rates. It- is unfortunate that this outburst of hostility toward the railways and adverse litigation 'should come just at a time when the railroads are confronted with the nocessity of securing vast amounts of money in order or-der to make the extensions and im- I provement? necessary to the demands of I the country for transportation facili- j tics. "The anti-railway agitation today will retard, but not, stop, the develop- ment and improvement of the railroads. ' Thcv will be obliced to expend just as much nione- as they con economically I in order to take care of the. business j now in sight for them. They cannot let their lines deteriorate or stop making mak-ing improvements, for there is in sight todav enough business to keep all the road's busy for a year at least. The j improvements and extensions, however. : will be limited by the ability of the j railroads to secure men and mone3- to do the work. t "Some of the Iargor plans for im- ' provements of terminals and the con- j structiou of new lines may be deferred until general conditions return to a more normal state, bill the railroads must go right ajong with the general policy of improving their facilities for doing more business.'' |