Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-12-07
HISTORY OE THE WAR.
origin of the Northwestern Rate
'freubies-The Kise and Progress or
she Eerry war That Ia Now Making
Things Lively In Northwestern
Railroad Circles

huffEoud &ittAtS
The war between the great north
western railway lines has now been
going on Ter some days. The suspicion
saat 1t IS war not altogether IL bet
half of rates Is strengthened by a num-
Der OF circumstances which have al
ready como to light. The real sit
uation OF affairs between the warning
companies 1t is not 50 easy to discover,
as railroad men are disposed to stin-
the quantity of the information which
they may furnish and TO strain It's
quality so that only the grievances Of
taeir particular companies shall be
ventilated. The four companies which
are engaged in this warfare are the
Chicago and Northwestern, which is
controlled by Mr.. Vanderbilt the
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul the
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific, and
the Chicago, S.. Paul, Minneapolis and
Omaha. or late years the Milwaukee
and St. Paul has been foremost in the
extension of its branches and
the other three companies have
been loud In their complaints
against what they termed the grasping
spirit shown by this corporation. The
Rock Island and Omaha companies
have seen territory which they consid-
cred specially their own invaded by
their neighbor, and there is little doubt
that the present controversy is the re-
suit of determination to check its
operations, or ut least TO secure a read
justment of the plan of operations to
be pursued by the rival lines TO the
wheet-growing country. Formerly the
relations OF the managers of all these
lines were of.the most harmonious ma.
ture. These gentlemen constituted a
confederacy which was organized for
offensive and defensive purposes. The
officers IN one were annually elected
officers in the other, they held large
amounts Of stock in one another's cor
oorstions, and move OF any sort was
never made without consultation in
which al participated. The energy
with which the Milwaukee & st. Paul
has prosecuted its building schemes is
illustrated by the fact that within the
last five years it has extended lis sys-
tom from 1900 to 4. 900 miles.
A proposed Encouragement of the
basis upon which these trunk lines
have hitherto been operating so as to
make = more equitable division of the
business is probably the real cause of
the present controversy. II. II. Porter,
president of the Chicago, St. Paul, Min
neapolis and Omaha Railroad, appears
to have foreseen it number OF months
in advance of the outbreak. In q let
10, NH oh ha "a fr.of no,
last Saturday, dated Chicago, February
10, 1881, and addressed to Benjamin
Brewster, the vice president of his COM
pany, then in New York, he outlined
mis- views in regard to the future situa-
ton of the railroad affairs as they pre-
scented themselves to him at that time.
Its publication, he declares, ought to
summary dispose of the rumors that
the present difficulty is one gotten up
Tor stock jobbing purposes. The letter
reads rs follows; ----------------------
"The activity of the Milwaukee & ST.
Paul railroad and their determination
to build railroads everywhere, and in
competition with everybody, in its Ill
innate results is going to be very dis.
turbing if not alarming. | have no
doubt when they get through they will
land where some of our acquaintances
have landed before them. But SO long
AZ they can raie the money they will
go on. Last year they built from Ben
ton, point southwest of Minneapolis,
into Minneapolis. Last week resolu-
ton of their board came from New
York instructing Mr.. Merrill to go on
and build from Benton to Mankato, on
the west side of the Minnesota river,
passing just west of 81. Peter and cross
ing at Msnkato to n connection with
their present road up there. This
makes connection between their
Hastings and Dakota and Southern
Minnesota lines and puts q line Just
west of us all the way from st. Paul
and Minneapolis to Mankato, which
will be extremely disastrous to our line
from Merriam Junction to Mankato,
where we have some nice towns now
giving us large grain and other bust
ness.
ave have got to look squarely in the
face this condition of the Milwaukee
and St. Paul, and it is question tor
our road, the North Western, aud the
Rock Island to consider, as they are
making similar movements in each OF
Of their territories. In my judgement
some policy will have to be adopted,
and that policy be a uniform one that
each shall carry out, TO protect them
selves against the st. Paul Company in
its own district; for while large disasters
will come to TEEN the result will be dis
astrous to each of our interests also.
1--WE are urged to commence at Hen
derson and build line west between
the Hastings and Dakota and the
Winona and st. Peter. | dislike to do
it, 1t may be necessary, however, to
get out there to catch the business west
Of their Inns, as with this, by their par
alel line to ours they viii catch it be-
fore it gets TO US. / have no doubt,
from what | hear, that the Milwaukee,
and St. Paul are also preparing to
tuild a road to Ottumya and another