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

The Senate committee railroads held
meeting last evening in the Senate chamber to
consider the proposed legislation in reference
to the St. Paul & Pacific railroad as embodied
in Senator Nelson's bill. Besides the commit
tee, there were present Messrs. j. Nj. Gilman,
F. R. Delano, 1. V. d. Heard, Col. Crooks, ]. j.
Hill, and others, the most Of whom, at one
time or other participated in the debate,
which OCCASIONALLY grew spicy and interesting.
Mr.. Heard, the attorney for Manager Farley, re-
capitulated the points made before the House
yesterday morning and last evening. He in
sisted specially that there should be an appeal
from the decision of the commission, as the
commission had decided that DeGraff & Co.,
was entitled to 1890, 900 for ties and materials
which they still owned and which they never
put into the road. DeGraff &, Co. claimed to
same time which was unjust. He insisted
further that the land should be put up at the
the minimum of $3.50 per acre, in order to
prevent their being sold en- masse,
G Tor few ~ cents per acre acre, to e: De-
and retailed by them to homesteaders at large
figures. He also said that the St. Vincent
branch could only be built through forfeiture
and it was doubtful whether the Legislature
could make a forfeiture, or it could be built
after foreclosure. When that would take place
might be very distant, as the Northern Pacific
company stood in the way as defendants, with
dilatory pleas. The only other way for the re-
ceiver to build it, was through negotiation of
debentures. The receiver could get money at
once from Canadian parties, if the Legislature
would remove the DeGraff legislation. Other
wise they, the bondholders, would not touch
the thing, as they were very frank to declare
! here.
| He contended that DeGraff's contract was an
extremely lucrative one, and that if they never
got another cent they would still be large gain
ers by the contracts.
| Let the debts be paid out Of the lands be-
longing to the Brainerd branch.
Mr.. Hill said they asked the privilege of
building up the remnants. They had the
money to go on and construct, and only asked
the legislature to give them the lands
They were willing that not an acre of land
should be certified to them unles they construct
the los miles of road at the close of the next
season. He repeated the road would be con-
structed if the Legislature would only give
them the lands originally intended by Congress
for building the st. Paul & Pacific railroad.
MIR. J. M. Gilman said company now
willing to build the st. Vincent end under the
| act OF last winter. Mr.. Heard argument was
to throw the whole burthen of the DeGraff in
debtedness upon the Brainerd line The entire
lOO,OO acres on that line was not sufficient to
! pay this debt
Mr.. Gilman had no objection to the supreme
courts passing upon these claims. but it was
merely pretext for delay.
spirited colloquy ensued between Messrs.
Crooks, Bonniwell and Gilman on one side and
Messrs. Heard and Fisher on the other, as to
whether Mr.. Farley had consented to the legis-
lation of last winter, the prominent
feature of which was a compromise.
in which the Brainerd branch was to be forfeit
ed, the st. Vincent extension to remain intact
and the DeGraf Indebtedness to be secured.
The last act Of the compromise was the fixing
OF the time for building the road from Melrose
to Sank Centre.
MI. Gilman further contended that
the excuse given by Farley for not building the
road was, that the forfeiture had not been
ton.
Col. Crooks said he had gone to the Legisla-
ture last winter as q last resort, and not until
every effort had been made for compromise.
Mr.. Delano then recalled the history Of. the
triangle fight Of last winter which resulted