, 1881-04-08
THE n p R. R. FIGHT.

lngton are Just now very generally
engaged in discussion of the con
test for control OF the y ,rthern Pa
cifc II. Il. Co, between Willard nnd
h's hackers on the one hand, aud
President Billings with the present
officers of the COMPANY uu the other.
Our Oregon contemporaries, Of
course, land Mr.. Wizards energy
and prowess, and favor him in every
way in their comments, well know
ing that should he be victorious he
would favor Portland as TUE term
linus, and put Pnget Sound "ff with
The promise of branch line some
time in the dim, misty future-not
wishstandiag his feeble protests 10
the contrary. From the events that
have transpired, il would seem that
Mr.. Willard, with all his ShrewdneSS,
began to "craw before he was out
of the woods" 50 10 speak. He
went East aud slyly worked into the
affections of few mnneyed sharpers
until he secured the formation of
powerful railway syndicate and
quietly purchased enough of the
company's stock to control its next
annual meeting and elect officers to
suit himself. Thinking that he chad
'em" SURE, he gave out the word
that the Billings management was
fast nearing its final end. Whether
this was prompted by mereiful feel
ings on his part or not-a desire TO
serve due notice nf the death war
rant ON the Billings government
may never come 10 ligh'; but it is
cerIain that word came from his
headquarters, as the man said who
had IA bear by the tail, "l'vE GOT EN-.
YOU BET" Straightway the "Ore-
gonian" published from 1.-The sUREsr
authority" that Mr.. Willard would
be the head and front of the n. p.
r. r. Co. just as soon as a formal
change of officers could be effected.
Its t. ne OF eXultation, and patronizing
condescension to Puget Sound, be-
trayed the secret delight in which
its editor was revelling. But there
is another side to the picture. Pres
ident Billings is keen lawyer, not
easily caught mapping. The other
side had apparently not calculated
on what HE would do while they
were getting him bottled" In
stead of asking to be let down easy,
MS had been planned for him To do,
he went TO work in cool-headrd
way and had 10000 extra shares of
stock issued, as provided for by the
company's charter. This put things
on new basis, and the purchase of
nearly all these shares 10y the Bill
iings party left them still masters Of
the situation. Willard stopped
chuekiing long enough to realize thar
he bad met the enemy and WAS theirs.
He began to realize tha, he was not
quite smart enough To ohlitrrate the
fact that some other men bad the
audacity to know a thing or two.
He gasped once or twice for breath
and then, for want of something bet
ter TO do i'll order 10 save himself
and friends from utter r"uf, he en-
tered suit to obtain an injunction re
straining the officers of the Company
from issuing the new shares-in fact
to declare the issue of them null
and void. This suit, whether Il sham
Or not, will hardly accomplish any
thing except to demonstrate the law.
ful power that the Billings manage
men: exercised. The outcome of
the whole matter will be that the
stock holders who want to- avail
themselves of the superior advan.
tages afforded by Puget Sound as Il
terminus. compared with the dan
gers and drawbacks of the Columbia
river, will have their WAY and CON
troll the policy of the company.
They are not interested in the D. r
< n. Co., as Willard is, and cnnse-
quently would not feel the injury
aud loss that company will expe-
rience by competition with the
Northern Pacific when the latter
gets trough to Puget Sound. The
amusing part of the whole affair is
The very marked change of tone in
the "Oregonian's" editorials on the
subject since il has been cleari,
shown that the Willard syndicate has
not the ghost If chance To trI
umph iii this contest. That paper
Is now as vigorously TRYING to prove
that Willard intended To build The.
line to Puget Sound anyway, as it
was at first in attempting Ia come