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During the building of Hill's railroad, since it was his personal money that was being spent, he personally dug into the tough nitty-gritty details. With unyielding disciplines and efforts, he put controls on everything: He personally surveyed the routes; he made sure the shortest, most direct routes were built. When the track had to go over hills, he would spend time with the engineers and make sure they picked out the lowest grade hills. He personally supervised the buying of materials to make sure they got the highest quality rails and ties for the lowest cost. ...So what happened to Hill's Folly? Well, from day one, when it was completed, he made a profit! He ran circles around the three government-financed lines because his operating expenses were so much lower. In addition, his freight took a lot less time to reach the West Coast. From day one, Hill made a profit. From day one, the government-subsidized transcontinental railroads never, ever turned a profit.
One man was running circles around the almighty U.S. Government! Of course, the incompetence and greed of career politicians could never bring values to the people. But one market entrepreneur could raise the standard of living of a nation.
This one market entrepreneur's advantages kept building momentum and, with a great irony, left Congress's follies in the dust. Hill built up the whole industry of the Northwest. He built feeder lines. For example, if copper were found a hundred miles north, he would build a feeder line, move in a copper company so they could start mining and shipping the copper over his line. If lumber were discovered up in the mountain, he would feeder line up there, move in a lumber company, and they would start shipping the lumber over his lines. If there was a good clearing for cattle ranching a few miles south, he would build a feeder line. ...Railroads discovered that feeder lines became a main source of profit.
But consider Congress's lines built for politicians' own glory and self-worth. Because those railroads were receiving their money from the government, they would have to get Congress's permission to build a feeder line. Well, of course, everyone knows what happens when the government has to make a decision. A simple black-and-white decision to build a profitable feeder line that should be made overnight would be tied up for months, even for years. All the incompetent congressmen would get up and debate over it to get in the spotlight and appear needed and important. ...They cared only about themselves, not about what was best for America.
So Hill's railroad ran circles around the three government-financed railroads from day one. In addition, Hill brought civilization and industry to the Northwest: mining in Montana, lumber along the North, apple farmers in Washington, wheat farmers on the plains. He built up the whole region along his railroad line.
Once Hill completed his line to the West Coast, he did not stop there. He kept reaching out and pushing up standards of living. Hill started reaching out toward the Orient. What about trade with the Orient? Hill did some calculations: if one major province in China substituted an ounce of rice a day with an ounce of American wheat, that would mean 50 million bushels of American wheat would travel over his railroad to China every year! Think what that would do for his farmers! Now, he would make them rich! American farmers exporting huge shipments of wheat to China -- what a possibility! So Hill sent agents to Japan and China to begin promoting American trade, the same way he had done during the building up of his transcontinental railroad.
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