Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-12-31
OVER 1000 MILES OF TRACK
Added to the Railways in Which St.
Paul is Interested.
IMMENSE INCREASED EARNINGS
Especially Of the Roads Northwest and
West Of st. Paul.
SEVEN CO.'S OWN 5000 MILES,
With Not Less Than 5, 900 Miles Con-
tributing Direct to the Com
MERGE Of st. Paul.

w I'LL NOt AcSS udu O,OVV MAoS OOn-
tributing Direct to the Com
MERGE Of st. Paul.
The striking features of railway prog
ress in the Northwest dnring the year
1881 may be stated as follows:
First. Notwithstanding the great pres
sure upon manufacturers of rails and
other construction materials and the con-
sequent delays in procuring rails and ma
ter;als of good quality, and although the
fall season was extremely unfavorable to
construction work, the vigorous and
wealthy railroad corporations Of the
Northwest have, during the year laid
nearly two thousand miles of new track,
of which about nine hundred miles has
been added to lines which are directly
tributary to st. Paul.
Second. The rivalry in defending occu-
pied territory and in reaching out after
new territory, which has greatly stimu-
lated railroad building the past two years,
throughout the Northwest, has not in the
least weakenened the combination of
railway interests which dictates rates Of
transportation by every route to and
from st. Paul.
Third. Some of the leading companies
of the Old Northwest in extending their
lines into the New Northwest are driven
by adherence to the extreme long haul
theory to plant their lines in the in
terest of Chicago and eastern connec-
tons as against the interests of st. Paul.
Fourth. The companies which show
the largest increase of earnings in excess
of their increase of mileage are those
which belong almost exclusively to the
railway system of the New Northwest,
and are closest bound thereby to the inter-
ests of st. Paul.
The unbounded prosperity of the coun-
try tributary to our city, and the
corresponding growth Of the city and
Of it's business are evidences that the
combination controlling rates does not at
this time materially injure US, although it
has, for two years, by maintaining rates,
placed us at disadvantage with cities
which have had continuously the benefit
of competition and low rates. At pres
emit the most which can be said of the
combination is, that it will bear watching,
and that the time may not be distant
when this business community will feel
it as burden. At the same time it is to
be borne in mind that these same COM
panies have substantially fulfilled all their
specified promises to the people of St.
Paul-ln making local Improvements,
in adding largely to the popu-
lation and business of the city,
and in furnishing facilities for extending
the commerce of St. Paul into larger
field than that which sustained New
York forty years ago, or Chicago's field
of twenty years ago.
As to the lines by which Lake Superior
and the Northern Pacific are being ap-
preached East and West Of us, they were
to be expected, and are natural part Of
the railway development Of the country.
So long as ST. Paul has reasonably direct
connection with the country traversed by
those outside lines they will do more
good by the stimulus of their opposition
than harm by their diversion of traffic. The
line of this character which comes nearest
to us is the one being built under aus
pices Of the Chicago, st. Paul & Omaha
company from Superior City to Chippewa
Falls-wh1ch its chief promoters expect
to make direct Chicago connection for
the Northern Pacific. So far as that line
may be regarded as antagonistic to St.
Paul it can be fully met by proper main
tenance of the st. Paul & Duluth road
and by perfection of the Northern Pacific
connection with st. Paul. To these two
points the GLOBE commends the atten-
ton of business men of St. Paul.
The St. Paul e Manitoba.
The energy heretofore shown by the
management of this young company has
in no wise slackened during the year 1881.