The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1872-01-27
THE LAST TWO YEARS..


road matters here And this conditional
confidence has almost made the saying pro-
verbal among us ''there will be a change
for the better inside of two years" But
the promise SO long based on nothing, re-
suited in nothing. And when hopeful men
among us said the same thing in the winter
of '69-'7o, the doubters wagged their sol
emn heads, and prophesied failure as usual.
But the hopeful gentlemen We're not the
class Of men whose strength is to sit still,
and prophesy evil, and wait for somebody
to come along and do wonders for them.
On the other hand they went to work to
fulfil their own prophecies, just as the men
Of energy and foresight among us are doing
to-day That winter a triHe Of judicious
work secured us the very abroad charter
under which we are going ahead now, be-
side spiking Mr. Cookies big guns about
crossing the Entry, and in addition sec'r-
Ing three years dredging permit that may
come in good play next spring
The next move was to secure a reliable
paper to speak for the interests of Superior,
in place of an alien and hireling sheet that
soiourned here for a time, and sold us out
when the services of 4 true paper were
most needed. This resulted in the estab
lishment of the Superior TIMES, by num-
Der Of public spirited gentlemen who appre-
ciated the necessity of having here that
right arm of progress, faithful, wei con
Quoted newspaper. And the TINES, so the
public says, has done effective service thus
far, disappointing no reasonable expecta-
tons, and never laundering loudly without
ssliohtning struck somewhere"
In the meantime railroad matters were
being worked up, and came to a crisis in
October, 70, by the calling of vote on
permitting Douglas County to subscribe
stock to the amount of 100000 i'll the
State Line railroad. This proposition, not
withstanding the eagerness Of our citizens
to reach a definite conclusion in railroad
affairs, Tor rather in consequence of t cir
caoerness to reach definite cOuclusi0n) was
nesaliyed by small majority, in the ab-
sence OF any specific pledges concerning
the time of its building.
The following winter witnessed the con-
tinuation of an active stra@gle with rival
interests at the head of the lake, in which
Superior endeayored, with success, to couu-
telact the effort made by said antagonism
to induce the United States Government 70
snore this port and harbor, and discrimin-
ate bv large subsidies, and wholesale ofli-
cial approval, in favor Of the artificial and
costly harbor proposed at the village Of
Duluth, (instead of using and improving
the grand harbor system common to the
two places and their two states) The
subsidy of quarter of 4 million Of dollars
called for, was reduced to one-fourth ofthe
amount, and the attempt to construct an
artificial entry to the detrlment of the St.
Louis River entry common to the two
states, Minnesota and Wisconsin,, was met
by an injunction from 4 u. S. court which
finally took the shape Of an order from the
War Department to build a watertight dyke
between the artificial entry and the St.
Louis river, or close the said entry alto
gethe.
During this time, the energetic workers
of Superior were pushing our railroad en-
terprises to some definite conclusion, mat
ter which was simpifed somewhat by the
repeal Of the State Line II. r. charter "a
measure entirely unexpected however by
the majority of our citizens). A union of
effort now centred on the remaining line,
and terms were soon made with parties
willing and able to build the branch to the
Northern Pacific Junction at once.
These terms were ratified by UNANI-
NOUS vote of this community on the 9th of
Nov last, the contract was let on the 2lst
of December; and the clearing and grad
inc commenced on the 18th Of the present
month. Several hundred men are now at
work on the line, and new forces are being
added daily 1t is now apparent to the
yeriest old moss-back of a doubter IN all
this cornty, and country, that Superior has
done some hard and successful work, and
taken splendid step in advance during the
last ttoo years.
ST PAUL PRESS on DULUTH As 'D0G ~
THE NANGER"
The following, which we find in the St.
Paul Press of the 2lst inst, well rebukes
the known Duluth policy Of . arresting the
railroad development of the Superior re
oion. and the Northwest" and making her
prosperity depend upon 'the desolatlon of