The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1869-12-09

iTHB IoB1HIRH RACITIC RAIB8Oll
A History Of the Enterprise-1tsP Preseu
Condition and F.ture Prospects.
! Correspondence Of tie Boslon Journal.
During the last few weeks I hsv
received many letters from persons il
different parts Of the country, makinl
inquiries in regard to the Northerl
Pacific railroad-xhat the prospects AZ
IN regard to its construction, what tht
present and what the prospective con
ditlon Of the enterprise.
| AS it is project io which the people
OF The Eastern States have ever felt .
lively interest, it will be my aim ia
this connection to answer the above 10.
quiries.
A route to the Pacific BY the North
ern line was surveyed when franklin
| Pierce was President, ard Jefferson
Davis Secretary Of War. Isaac I
Stevens was the Governor of Washing
ton Territory, aud was put 10 charge of
the survey.
President Pierce has just bsen borne
to his final re.tiog place. JEFF. Ds.is
is still alive, bearing burden which
can never be laid aside, which he must
carry through life. Gov. Stevens,
alone, OF the three, is gratefully held
in remembrance by his countrymen.
The unscrupu'ousness Of Davis in
public affairs was manifest to those who
new him best long before tie reb.]l;on
was iuausurated. When. Gov. Sterea;
made bis report, the superiority of the
route over the Central and Southern
lines was at once apparent, especially in
the amount Of ar.ble land, aud Davis,
with his own hand, without any war
rant for so doing, falsifed the report Of
Gov. Stevens!
Nothing was done toward construct
ing railroad to the Pacific till after
the breaking out of the war, when the
Central Pacific was chartered, followed
by the Union Pacific, both of which
had liberal land grants and were aided
by the issue Of land grants and bonds,
as everybody knows.
Ia 1864 the Northern Pacific Com
pany was organ'zed, the prime mover
Of the enterprise being Mr.. Perhan,
who conceived the idea of making it
''the peoples road" the stock to be
held in small amounts, and everybody
taking little. lie went to Washing
ton, laid the project before Congress,
aud obtained land ant, and there
the matter dropped.
MIR. Perham iabored hard to get the
public interested, borrowed money of
everybody who would lend, got ln:o
debt, became discouraged, and finally
found parties who were willing to take
he franchise aud pay some Of his debts.
Extravagant reports were circulated at
he time in regard to the amount of
money he had received. He vas re-
'ozted wealthy man, but the amount
lid not cover his Indebtedness, and he
lied soon after in poverty
The new holders Of the franchise wore
aen from different parts OF tn country
tut one after another dropped off when
hey came to see the magnitude of the
Undertaking and the difficulties ia the
'ay OF construction not physical, but
oancial obstacles.
The children of Isarel three thou
and years ago found it hard work 20
'ake bricks without straw, and the
sntlemen connected With the enter.
rise fouod that thirty centuries had
OF modified the fact.
1t was fou2d that the public va. not
eady to invest in an enterprise where
here was no guaranty of interes. by
Government. The Government itself
tfered the very best securities =; the
'cntral and Union Pacific bonds were
ocd, and so all the floating capital of
he country was absorbed. For these
casons, one after another, although
ally convinced OF the feasibility of the
quite, and of the inestiuable value of
he road to the country when completed,
ave up their connection with the pro-
ect and turned their attention to other
hings.
Those who renamed went before
congress aud asked for the issue of
ouds in aid of the enterprise, but
hey encountered opposition and tho
equest was denied. Surveying parties
aeanwhile we're sent into the field.
'wo routes were surveyed from Lake
superior to the Mississippi, and one
rom Puset Sound to the Columbia
t an immense outlay Of money. A
econd attempt was made to obtain
Government aid after the completion
+ the survey, and bill vas reported
q which aid was granted to the North
rn and also to the Southern Pacific
cad, but no action was taken upon it
t fell to the ground Of its own weight,
md through the opposition Of other
'oads. 80
Each alternate section of land, on
10Th sides Of tho road, for twenty miles.
8 granted to the Company, matiuga
otal grant Of about forty-seven million
lcres The COMPANY cannot receive