The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1873-12-11
AN OLD ISSUE DRAGGED up,

It there ID any one local measure
which has been thoroughly discussed
And which III" people OF St. Cloud
clearly understand, it ia tho matter Of
the bonus to the First Division of tue
st, Paul h Pacific Railway for the St.
Vincent Extension; voted in 1872. -
The friends OF tho measure, including
nineteen-twentieshs of the citizens, aud
its opponents, the remaining one
twentieth, presented al the arguments,
pro and con, 90 long a. the issue was a
live one. What good purpose its prea-
ent discussion IL to serve we are At q
losa to imagine. But tho Press of last
week saw fit to make it the subject of
40 editorial article, over two columns 10
length, which we would let 60 by un.
noticed but for the reason that facts
are 80 distorted, maugled and sup
pressed for the purpose Of relieving
the opponents of the measure from the
deserved oensurs under which they
have rested, as to throw discredi. on
the people Of St. Cloud.
The Press states tkat the road
"would have crossed the Mississip.
pi where it did cross without any DO.
nus At all" This is not So We per-
sooally saw dispatch from Mr.. Moor.
head, Of Philadelf hia, 10 whose hands
tho m latter was, t. Hon. Geo. L. Beck
sr, the President of the road, directing
that tho bridge be built At an entirely
different point, and one. preferred by
tho Company, unless the citizens Of
St. Cloud voted tho bonus. And while
tho preparations to build the bridge
where it now stands we're made "before
tho bill to authorize the bonus WAS intro
duoed In tho Legislature" as stated BY
the Press, yet they were not made
until after the citizens had pledged
their honor that the bonus should be
voted and the bouds issued, if author.
ized. On the strength of this pledge
tho Company went to work, tho late
ness Of the season not admitting of de-
lay.
The Press claims that "the act Of
Congress- granting the lands compelled
the Company to build it, line of
railway through and from. St. Cloud. :"
But whether "through aud from" St.
Cloud city or St. Cloud to,on was not
stated 10 the bill, leaving IN question
point very material.to tho city. While
the city OF St. Cloud Wss evidently in
tended by the act, yet the Company
could (aud would) have crossed into
the tows of St. Cloud. The only re-
oourae left to our people would. have
been litigation. ltso happened that
the city had had come experience: of
This kind which vas far from being sat-
lstaotory, and there we're few Who felt
a desire to 20 into the courts with a
similar case, With every reason to ex.
poet similar result: The Legislature
had provided that tho First Division of
the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad should
ruu to St. Cloud. 1t ran up the east
side OF the river, opposite to st. Cloud,
aud the Company claimed that it had
thereby fulfilled the requirements OF
the act. The people of St. Cloud held
that the road Was required to run "into''
| St. Cloud. Thercupon the matter was
taken into tie District Court, where
the city was beaten, receiving for its
pains heavy bill Of costs. When it
was proposed to appeal the case to the
Supreme Court some of the very gen.
tlemen upon whose advice the suit bad
been begun and who had persisteotly
urged the people to undertake the
fight, refused to sign the necessary
bonds to meet the costs of appeal. -
These same gentlemen, by their oppo.
sition to this bonus, would have forced
the city into another litigation, from
which it would probably have come,
after many years, with bill of costs
nearly as large as the bonus, with the
bridge where it was, and With the enmity
Of the railroad company. Hon. e. M
Wilson, by whose efforts the bill
referred to by the Press had been Car.
ried through Congress, advised the PEG.
pie TO adopt just the course they did
in voting this bonus, a. . matter
of policy aud to avoid litigation. and sc
did those nonresident property hold.
ers who were most largely interest
ed 10 tho prosperity Of the city. To
vote the bonus vas much wiser than 4
enter on long, "exhaustipg and uncer.
tam litigation.
A compact by which the eight gen
tlsmen Who signed it pledged them.
selves to oppose this bonus, Is publish.
ed in tho Press article. This oompac.
becomes fan when il is remembered
that come Of these same .igner. seeni
to st. Paul and lobbied 10Th Nigh,
and main for a 800, 900 bonus
urging = suspension Of the rules that
the bill might be put through the