Southwestern Hospitality

Fort Worth, Tex. prides itself on being a bang-up Western cow town, likes the virile stench of its stockyards, despises cultured Dallas 33 miles to the east. Biggest man of Fort Worth is rich, blustery, football-mad Publisher Amon Giles Carter of the Star-Telegram, who seldom misses a chance to publicize his city at Dallas' expense. Four years ago he stole the show from Dallas' official Texas Centennial Exposition by hiring Broadway's Billy Rose to put on a red-hot Frontier Centennial at Fort Worth. Since then Dallasans have burned like a slow fire, awaiting a chance for revenge. Last week they got it.

Dallas' opportunity was an ICC decision three weeks ago permitting 804-mile Colorado & Southern Railway, which operates from Orin, Wyo. to Texline on the Texas border by way of Denver, to lease 902-mile Fort Worth & Denver City Railway, which runs from Dallas to Texline via Fort Worth, Wichita Falls and Amarillo. Big Burlington Lines control C. & S., which controls F. W. & D. C. Reason for the move was an estimated saving of $250,000 yearly by joint operation. But it meant the removal of F. W. & D. C.'s general offices from Fort Worth to Denver.

Into action went potent Publisher Carter. In a two-column, front-page editorial entitled Mr. Budd Bows His Neck he blazed away at Burlington President Ralph Budd (member of Franklin Roosevelt's Defense Advisory Commission) "for sacrificing the Fort Worth & Denver City Railway on the altar of Burlington front-office convenience." The "Burlington Boys," he roared, had put the "snatch" on the road to bolster deficit-ridden C. & S., were cold to the fact that 190-odd Fort Worthians would lose their jobs by removal of the offices to Denver. He even suggested that Texas, whose railroad taxes were 50% lower than Colorado's, might well up F. W. & D. C.'s tax bill to the point where the anticipated operations saving would disappear. "You, Mr. Budd," cried Amon Carter, "have cast the die, with utter contempt for fair and decent treatment of both your faithful employes and old customers. We use the word 'old' advisedly."

This blast upset Fort Worth's Junior Chamber of Commerce. To celebrate the inauguration of a new streamlined train (Texas Zephyr) this week between Dallas, Fort Worth and Denver, the Junior Chambermen had planned an elaborate ceremony with General Motors' famed vice president, Inventor Charles Kettering, as principal speaker. Mr. Budd and his unrelated namesake, Edward G. Budd, streamlined-train maker, were to be on hand too. Last week the ceremony was abruptly called off.

That was Dallas' cue. If Fort Worth wouldn't be hospitable, Dallas would. This week Dallas businessmen and civic leaders arranged a monster ceremony to greet F. W. & D. C.'s new Zephyr. Their guests of honor: Fort Worth's Rejects Kettering, Budd, Budd.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.