Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1878-10-03
Railroad Prospects. !

Z a movement was put on loot eignSz
years ago % build ! railroad from Lit.
tie Falls to the head of Big Stone
Lake. It was then believed that the.
Bra1nerd branch would be pushed to
an carly completion. and that the im-
provement of the immense water pow.
er at Little Falls would shortly follow.
It was intended that the road to he
built to Big Stone Lake should con-
meet Mt Little Falls with the Braincrd
branch, and thus give an outlet ier
the millions of bushels of wheat that
every observer knew would, be raised
annually IN the extensive and exceed
inely fertile prairie resioo tetween
Todd county and tho western termi-
nus Of the road. The natnrals out let
for the grain raised in all that region
is by wayot 'Duln'h, as is we'll known
The supply of lumber for those west
ern c'un.ics would he obtained direct>
ly from Little Falls, and The price
would be reduced as much as the cost
Of driving the logs from here to Min
neapolis, which is considerable. The
capacity Of the water power at this
place is more than sufficient to run all
the mills that would be required, and
nothing in the future could seem
more certain than, that a railroad to
run from Little Falls to the western
boundary of the State would have an
immense business, and that the farm
ers in that direction would be able to
sell their grain at higher prices and
buy lumber at lower prices than would
otherwise be possible. The financial
stri"gency that begun to be seriously
felt in 1873 and the failure of the St.
Paul & Pacific company 70 build the
Brainerd branch, naeura'ly delayed
the builling Of the road to Big Stone
Lake for an indefinite period, bat there
is no room FIR doubt that it will be
built We do not wish to introduce
anything Of a political Complexion in
this article. but in this connection i,
will, p rhaps, not be am'ss to say that
the milling interest Of Minneapolis j.
directly opposed to any aud every
measure that would create competing
markets for wheat IN any Of the couu-
ties traversea by the main line Of the
St. Paul & Pacific railr,ad, or make
an important milling point Of Little
Falls. At present the Minneapolis
millers buy the wheat raised in tn ose
western counties at prices very favor
able to themselves, and sell their Iuu>
Der IN the same markets at high rates.
A railroad across from this place to
the State line would at once furnish
competing markets, both for buying
grain and selling lumber, aud Min"e-
apolis will therefore fight to the last
extremity any measure designed to
secure the early completion of the
road. Legislation was secured last
winter with a view to reviving the
movement to build the road, and it is
probable that Congress will be asked
for assistance. 49,.
Now, the query that arises in our
mind is this: Will W. d. Washburu,
if elected to Congress, be likely to
forget his own. Interests long enough
t" make a real effort to secure the
passage IF u bill favorable to the rail-
r"ad project described ab"ve?. We
do not consider it certain that bill to
aid in the completion Of sach road
could be got through Congress-. as
there is now strong feeling aga,ns,
bills to aid railroad corporations, but
We believe that if 1t is found necessary
to ask anything Of C"ngress. no such
bill could be passed with ". D. WASH:
barn to manage it.. There is not a
man in Morrison county that we can.
find, who believes that :Washburn
would be likely TO allow bill Of that
kind to pass. .: On. the other hand ;.
Dounelly does not own a cents worth
Of interest in ANYTHING that would.
sutier depreciation by the building Of
the road. He owns a good farm in
Stevens county, near the point where
this proposed road would cross the
main line Of: the st; Paul & Pacific,
and his ioterests are therefore ide,'ti>
cal az far as the proposed road is con-
cerued, with the Interests Of the pe"-
Pile in all the counties Through: which
the road would pass He has invest,
ed ! hrge portion Of his means in his
) E..Ec
Stevens county farm, : We regard
these facts ss worthy of consideration,