The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1875-05-13
With Senator Nelson's views ofthe

inridge, voted and spoke against the
"Delano Bills," in my opinion, from
a very different motive from that
which governed the other gentlemen
above named, it being Listoe's desire
that Delano's bills should be defeated
so that the plans of the bondholders
and Receiver Farley could be carried
out to obtain possession Of the Main
Line, and then construct the "Cut-eff'
from Breckinridge to Glyndon and
thence to St. Vincent, which would
place his town Of Breckinridge on the
main route from St. Paul to Manito-
ba, all trains running that way. If
tho construction, after that, from
Melrose to Glyndon did drag, his i'm
mediate constituents and himself
would be fixed, while his other con-
stituents who lived about Fergus Falls
might fix themselves At their leisure,
or at the pleasure Of the aforesaid
bondholders.
| Senator Capser, of Sank Centre, ap-
peared to take rather more compre-
hensive view Of the case than the 9TH
eft Sank Valley members, and talked
IS if some plan had better be tried
which would hurry up the completion
of these lines and protect the settlers
in their rights, and although he might
not fully concur in all of Delano's
plans as to what he thought the best
thing, he would probably have voted
for the "Delano Bill" if he had had
a chance. "Get something going, and
keep it a-going, piece at time, if
need be, until we have the lines all
built, and not let tho whole concern
lay in the hands Of Farley and rot
down like the ties and bridge tim
ber," seemed to be Mr.. Capser's idea.
Mr.. c. appeared to work for in,n.eoi.
ate results, and talked as though it
would be a good thing for the Sank
Valley people, including St. Cloud,
to have a connection with Duluth as
soon as possible via the Northern Pa
ci6c Railroad. He thought that thi.
could be accomplished the soonest
and best by the construction Of the
piece from Sank Rapids to Brainerd.
and that if this piece should be built
first it would be the means Of driving
along demonstration of the line from
Melrose to Sank Centre, Alexandria,
Fergus Falls and Glyndon. Mr.
Capser also took strong grounds in
favor Of protecting the rights Of actu.
al settlers.
Mr.. Merz, Representative from St.
Joseph, was bitterly opposed to the
"Delano Bills" and most decidedly
in favor Of turning over the whole
concern to the bondholders without
any IFS or ands," conditions or reser
vations, and to judge from his actions
in connection with these railroad
matters, one would naturally suppose
he had come to the Legislature fresh
from Amsterdam, and that he did moi
consider there were any other parties
interested in the present or future o.
these roads except what he called the
bondholders. When this gentleman
while in rather an excited condition
had his special attention called to the
matter Of protecting the actual set
tiers and providing for their rights by
any bill that should be passed, hi
vehemently declared that "the set
tiers interested in these bills were hi
constituents and did not want these
bills passed, that they could take
care of themselves and of their owl
claims" 1t may be that the settler.
on these railroad lands who are nov
and for long years have been waiting
to obtain their titles may admire thi
style Of Mr.. Merz's in procuring thes'
titles. 1fso, these settlers will con
tinue to engage Mr.. M. to look afte,
that part of their affairs, and he viii
no doubt attend to the matter eff
, ciently-if the Hon. Chas. A. Gil
> man, of St. Cloud, should be there II
} give him the necessary directions a
to how to do it. Mr.. Merz's specia
! strength lay with his German fellow
members, and aided by the fact o
his being from the locality intereste,
) he accomplished all that was possible
. to leave these Extension Lines lyin,
, in their present, and prospective, dead
condition.
Chas. A. Gilman, the Representa-
tive from St. Cloud-and a gentle
man who was not "green" in legisls
> tive matters-was an "old settler" o
) the locality" and was supposed t,
know, from his omeial connection witt
the St. Cloud Land District, the con
dition of the land grants. He wa
also supposed to appreciate the press
7 ing necessities of the settlers and t.
understand the real interests of hi
? own town (st. Cloud in this matte
and not only of his own town, bu
! ola closely adjoining district, whenc
he had been looked to for aid ant
comfort should the necessities of th'
: case require it, and particularly so 70
7 the reason that he so often and will
J such paternal affection advises tn
) residents of that district in regard tt
!: their duty in electing men to the Leg
islature who will look after these rail
road affairs and see that something i
I done to forward these Extension
Lines to speedy completion. Mr.
Gilman was interested in the passag