Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-02-25
THE RAILROADS.
Most Of Them Troubled With the Snow of
Yesterday. But All Working Clear Again

Most of Them Troubled With the Snow of
Yesterday. But All Working Clear Again
The st. p. & s. G. Probably Blocked for
Day or Two Longer-Snow and stocks
An Unwise Proposal to Advance the
Price of N. p. Lands.
H. A. Towne, superintendent of the Nor
thern Pacific, came down from BraInerd yes
terday, and spent the day at the general
offices.
w. R. Baker, Ottawa, and VIM. Harder,
Montreal, connected with the Canada Pacific
railroad, were registered at the Merchants
yesterday.
The snow fall of yesterday morning, and the
night previous, extended over the most of this
State and Wisconsin, and in some sections
accompanied by wind, which fortunately sub
sided soon after the snow fall ceased. On all
the roads trains were more or less delayed, and
the snow blockade of the Sioux City road was
renewed for at least another day. On the Nor
thern Pacific there was a troublesome wind in
Dakota, two inches of snow at Perham and
six inches of snow at Brainerd. The snow fall
varied in amount on the st. Paul & Manitoba
lines, but extended from st. Paul to st. Vim
cent. On the North Wisconsin and Chicago,
st. Paul & Minneapolis roads there was a
high wind prevailed during the forenoon But
the Milwaukee & St. Paul folks, as their River
Division trains came in, ostentatiously pro-
duced their watches and proceeded to regulate
| them by the train time.
The Hastings & Dakota road is said to be at
last opened across Dakota county.
The Milwaukee q St. Paul company has had
about 200 miles of railroad suspended on ac-
count of snow blOckades for over ten weeks
nofn hQr I, locf
Northwestern company has had even more OF
| snow blocked track for an equally large part
| OF the winter. Still thei1
stocks and bonds are up and Wall
street considers them all good investments
even to the bonds which are secured only by
| the snow covered roads. Yet while these snow
blockades last, earnings are cut off, and if the
companies strive to move, the snow expenses
are doubled viii the owners of stocks and
bonds, bought at the fancy prices of Wal
street, be satisfied to submit to these acciden
tai losses, and wait for future legitimate earn
| ings, or will they crowd the executive officers
| of the companies to trying to recover the
| losses by forced dividends, and then high taxes
| upon public transportation?
The Neac Northeast, an Eastern publication
| in interest of the Northern Pacific railroad
company, in its current issue, dis.
cusses proposal to advance the
Wv
to IS an acre. The proposal may have been
made to influence Wall street prices. II is pos
| sible that i. had its purpose in connection
| with the recent change in the company's land
office at st. Paul. But it is not probable that
| the company will really advance the prices of
| its lands without at least years notice. Less
notice than that would be'outrageously unjust
to the immigrants who may be induced to
come to settle upon the company's lands by
| the hundreds of thousands of circulars, pam
phlets and newspaper advertisements, over the
signature of the late land commissioner of the
| company, which have been circu-
lated through all enlightened parts of
the world within, say, the last six months
Furthermore the change of price would be I'M
popular and financially bad move. The peo-
pie of the new Northwest and of the Northern
Pacific slope want their country settled on, SO
that their children shall have, with homes,
society, comforts and fair chances in life.
They are not numerous but their good will is
more than any corporation in the position of
the Northern Pacific can afford to ignore.
Then, it would be manifestly injurious to the
permanent property in the railroad, it's grants
and franchises, if settlement of the country
along the line should be delayed for sake of
the slow coming income to be devised from
putting up the prices Oft the lands. The CON-
pany would do better in giving it's lands to
actual settlers.