Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-03-02

y
sabin in the chair, for the purpose of con-
sidering various railroad bills.
H. F. 456, Authorizing the st: Paul &
Sioux City to build branch from some point |
in Cottonwood or Jackson county to the
western boundary of the State, without |
land grant, was considered. Mr.. Fiddes |
hoped the bill would be reported without
recommendation, while Mr.. Reaney advocat-
cd its passage as it simply asked bare priv
ilege of home company. Mr.. Horace
Thompson, for the St. Paul & Sioux City, |
said the present line would substantially run
upon that of the proposed Southern Mime
sofa, but as no land grant was sought, he |
could not possibly understand why there
could be any objection to the measure. In |
case both roads we're built they would be OPP |
position lines, which could certainly do no
harm. Mr.. n. j. Horn, for the Southern |
Minnesota, hoped the committee would de- |
lay until Mr.. Van Horn could be heard. MIR.
Morse objected to delay. The bill was rea-
sonable enough, but he questioned if it would
ever reach the Governor however much it was
now hurried.
The bill was laid aside until p. M, when
MIR. Van Horn could be heard, and the COM
n,ittee adjourned.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The committee again assembled at 2 p m.
House File No. 456 was again considered,
upon which Mr.. Van Horn was heard who
said the proposed road would embarass the
Southern Minnesota, as it would run
through the latter's land grant, upon which
dependence was placed to secure credit
The St. Paul g. Sioux City road would head
off the Southern Minnesota's contemplated
action, and impair it's credit therein. That
effected, the former might come in and ask
for the land grant which would have accrued
to the latter.
Mr. Thompson, for the St. Paul g. Sioux
City, said the line of his road would SUBJ
stantially run over that proposed by the
Southern Minnesota extension. But this
bill did not grant foot of land, and any
independent corporation could do the same
thing, so that it was difficult to see where
the impairment of the credit could be ac-
complished by this measure. of any COM
pany, especially of one the land grant
of which was already secured or
to be secured by this Legislature. The st.
Paul aud Sioux City had an interest in the
development of the country intended to be
run, through part of which the road had
been for some time in operation at a loss.
A naked right to build could not possibly
injure any one, and what the St. Paul and
Sioux City wanted was the right to con-
struct the road if the Southern Minnesota
Extension failed to do so.
Mr.. Van Horn said the ST. Paul and Sioux
City could organize under the general law
without special charter. Such acts, short
and simple apparently, were generally
.:after' something belonging to somebody
else. He then traced the effect of the pro-
posed Senate amendments to the bill
of the Southern Minnesota Extension,
and he was inclined to think this
bill, with the amendments proposed
in the Senate were both in the interests of
the St. Paul and Sioux City, and might even
tuate in the aggrandizing to the latter of the
land grant west of the st. Paul and Sioux
City.
The committee then ordered that the bill
be recommended to be indefinitely post
poncd, and adjourned until 1880 p. m.
EVENING SESSION.
The committee gathered in the evening at
7:3O o'clock, with the St. Paul and Pacific
railroad bill as the special order.
Senator X. Nelson, after a glance at the
compromise in 1877, said it was then stated
that parties stood ready to build the Brain
cru DEaucu ullu Uuo CTOOkSLOu ellC, Du
nothing was said about the Sank valley line
The Sank valley line had scarcely any lands
whereas the Crookston end had plenty, anG
his people now wished the latter lands SHOULD
be held as indemnity for the building of tn,
road up the Sank valley. Mainly, he agreed
with speaker Gillman's bill, but excepted t,
the pro rata disposition of the lands on &C
count of their unequal distribution. If thi
was mere question between DeGraf an,
Co., and a souless corporation, he would say
slight it out to the bitter end,'' but he di,
not propose to convert the State into vas
collection agency, as would be the case j
100000 acres of the land of the Sank vale
line were saddled with til
collection of any claim of forme
contract. Should the rights of several thick
ly populated counties to railroad be mad
subservient to the claims of the sub contract
Moerhead, against whom DeGraff & Co. he'll
judgment? The equities of DeGratf & Co
we're no greater or more pressing than o
those poor men in the upper country or else
where, who had suffered through non-pay
ment by railroad sub-contractors. In 1877
no bill could be got through unless it con
tanned some clause in favor of DeGratf .
Co. Col. Crooks, of that company, and MI
j. Nj. Gilman, counsel of the same, were i
the House, and exercised wonderful intiuenc
in that direction. That was the reason. tn
Senator affirmed, that his people had swa
lowed the DeGraff e. Co. pill, bitter as
was. In short, Minnesota had virtual
thrown out the precedent rights of the pee
pie in the railroad, aud had said the lan6
accruing to the roads should be held for tn
past debts of the bankrupt contractors. II
hoped that the parties now holding the S
Paul and Pacific, who were home men, an
others deeply interested in this section
country people had no ennity against d.
Graft d. Co., but we're anxious to have til
incubus removed, which now prevented til
completion of the Sank Valley road.
MIR. Ed. Rice, the introducer of the bill
said it had been decided by the courts, ths
DeGratf g. Co., all of whom were gentleme
of honor, had no lien upon the lands alread
earned, but last year legislation had bee
secured by which DeGra1f & Co. were to
paid lands yet to accrue from work j
which it was not pretended the resources {
DeGratf g. Co. would be invested. Thos
gentlemen must, like all others, take the i,
evitable in this matter. The question sin
mered down to this: Shall we unite two en-
pires-Manitoba and the United States-t
the completion of these lines, or shall publ
interests be sacrificed, and the country co,
tinually distracted for the sake of purely pr
vate ends? We cannot undertake to sa,
every man who has suffered. Private int
ests must yield to those of the public
Mr.. Hill said his company was ready an
of line during this season, and was willi1
~ Ia XIV In ofSo 49,