The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1875-05-20
OUR RAILROADS.
NO o.

Legislative Action--Hon. Chas. A. Gilman
.-HOn. j. j. Egan. and Others.
LETTERS FROM OUR ST. PAUL COR
RESPONDENT.
ST.. PAUL, May II, 1875.
EDITOR JoURNAL.-One of tn,
Duluth papers had a long editoria
on these railroad bills, and claimed The
glory Of their defeat for their Repre-
sentative, Mr.. Egan, and in the arti
Gle says: 1.-THE Delano Bills had s
powerful lobby from St. Paul, and
the delegation from St. Cloud and
along the Brainerd Branch, but with
all the influence brought to bear they
were both killed in the House with
out reaching the Senate"
Who saw this powerful St. Paul
lobby, and where was that power ex'
erted? Certainly not at the capitol
1t was subject Of general remark
that none of the incorporators Of the
Western Railroad Company were
about to lobby for the bill, but still
the Duluth editor claims that those
men who were SO strongly interested
in St. Paul and its elevators were
moving heaven and earth for its pas
sage and leaving no means unused to
accomplish that end. 1t was another
subject Of general remark that Mr..
Delano himself appeared to be very
Indifferent in regard to the success Of
| this bill in fact, when he was asked
why he did not set lobby at work
and pass it right along, his reply was
that if the bill did not commend
itself on the merits of the case to the
members from localities so vitality in.
terested as St. Cloud and Duluth
the men who proposed to furnish the
money to build the road were moi
anxious enough about it to invest
any money in lobby operations or in
the purchase of Honorable voters 70,
it,"
Watching, as I did, the action Of
Mr.. Gilman, Of St. Cloud, and hear
ing, as did, his remarks on this
bill and on the swamp land bills
which he desired to pass, I have tt
say, and I wish to say it to all YOU
readers, that if Mr.. Chas. A. Gilman
had said one-quarter as much in ia
vor of the Delano Bill as he did il
favor of the swamp land bills, il
would have passed both House anc
Senate with a fair majority, the efforts
of Mr.. Egan to the contrary notwith
standing. Mr.. Gilman lodged tn,
vote. What he did with his fellow
members, through their: button holes
can be conjectured.
Representative Egan, from Duluth
to whom the Duluth Minnesotia,
awards the "honor" and "glory," wa
the bold, outspoken opponent of thi
Delano Bill, and why? The Lax
Superior and Mississippi; Railroad
Company houe ever opposed the con
struction of any line of railroad north
west of St. Cloud, and it is, in m,
opinion, owing to the opposition O.
the leading men in that compan.
(and from the opportunity that the.
have have had to prevent favorable
action) that the St. Paul and Pacif,
Extension Lines are not to-day com
pleted and in operation from Saul
Rapids to Brainerd and from St
Cloud to Alexandria if not to Glyn
don.
This L. S. & M. R. r. Co., at tn,
last session, appeared in the legisla
tive halls in great trouble arising
from late decision Of the Supreme
Court, being decision which virtual
ly demolished the Company. L
asked for the passage of three acts
all of which were very proper to be
passed to cure the decision of thu
Courts, which would have been fata
to it had the bills not been passed
Mr.. Egan was very earnest fol-
the success of these bills, for hi
constituents must be very deeply in
terested in the present and future sue
cess of this road from St Paul to Du
luth. Can it be possible that Mr.
Egans's constituents are interested only
in that one piece of road =? and is it (
fact that they are opposed to the con
struction of another line that viii
shorten the distance and time for tn,
transportation of passengers ant
freight between the city of Dulutl
and one of the most fertile valleys o.
the Northwest? Will it help the
business of Duluth to drive all tn,
passengers and freight from the Saul
Valley country, and from the coun
try between Sank Rapids and Littl
Falls and up to Fort Ripley, into ST
Paul, SO that they shall at that place
be put in direct connection with Du
luth's and Lake Superior's most hos
| tile foes, the Milwaukee & St. Pau
and the Chicago & Northwestern
Railroad Companies and the Missis
sippi river routes?
Mr.. Egan did just what the man
ayers and owners of the railroad from
St. Paul to Duluth have Away
done-opposed the building of tn
road from Sank Rapids to Brainerd
and in this case opposed to the bes
of his ability the Delano Bill. MI
Egan's arguments were varied ant
took a wide range. At one time. tn,