The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-02-16
HISTORICAL.
The Charter Of the @. R. I.
& P, Railroad.
Important part Played by the
Governors Wife.

papers furnishes, under the name OF p. A.
A. the following interesting "reminiscences
of the manner of obtaining the charter of
the Rock Island and Pacific Railroad:
] About the time of the completion of the
Illinois and Michigan canal, charter was
granted by our state Legislature for the
building of railroad from LaSalle to Rock
Island called, the .tLaSalie and Rock Island
r. r. Company" but as the country lying
between those two points was sparse.y
settled the necessary capital to build such
railroad was very backward about coming
| forward, hence nothing further than pre-
linlinary survey had been done uatil 1851.
Judge Douglas had, in the meantime, with
| his remarkable foresight, seen the import
/ ance of a railroad connection between
Lake Michigan at Chicago and Rock Island
and Davenport on the Mississippi, and had
written from Washington city while in the
| United States Senate to Norman c. Judd,
since deceased. but then representing Cook
/ county in our State Senate, suggesting the
propriety of extending the charter of this
LaSaIle and Rock Island railroad to Chica-
GO AT this time the Illinois and Michigan
canal was IN the hands of Messrs. Leavitt,
Swift and State Trustee, and held by
them in trust for the payment of the ST.
| 100000 borrowed in England to enable
| the state to complete said canal hence the
granting of railroad charter for the build
| ing of railroad from Chicago to LaSalle,
| running parallel with the canal and near
| thereto, it was justly considered antagonis-
| tic to the interest of the canal and was pro-
nounced by Messrs. Leavitt and Swift, who
represented the bondholders Of the canal
| loan, an act of bad faith on the part of the
state represented in the general assembly.
THIS DIFFICULTY
Senator Judd fully appreciated, and moved
very cautiously in the matter. At that
time Hon. VIM. Reddick represented La
Sale, Bureau Livingston and Grundy
counties in the Senate, and the lato
Gov. Matteson was in the Senate
from Will. To these Senators
Mr. Judd communicated his de-
sign of introducing an amendment of the
LaSalle and Rock Island Railroad Com
pany's charter, who looked upon the sub
ject favorably. Hence, upon a Saturday
evening conference was held by select |
few of those who were supposed to be fav |
orable to the scheme, at the room Of Sena- |
tor Judd at the old American House in /
Springfield, to which the writer, with Hon. |
George w. Armstrong, were invited The |
result of this conference was the appoint |
ment of committee, consisting of Sana- |
tors Judd, Reddick and Matteson, to pre-.
pare bill for the purpose of extending |
said charter and r. r. to Chicago. OF this |
committee the writer was clerk and on the |
following day Sunday though it was
Senator Judd dictated, l wrote the charter
of the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad /
Company, which was introduced early on
the following Monday and rapidly pressed /
to its passage through the Senate and then |
AL - IL,
bitter opposition made thereto by David I
L. Hough, Esq, who was the local agent
of the nonresident canal trustee. But
after its passage came the "hardest tug of I
war in obtaining the Governors approval
Messrs. Leavitt and Swift, who represented
the bondhoiders. made personal appeal to
Gov. French to veto the Bill-pay, demand
ed that it should be vetoed as matter of
right to the bondholders, whose security
would be lessened, if not destroyed, by the
construction of railroad running parallel
with the canal its whole distance and we
were assured by Mr.. Hough that he would
veto it, basing bis statement upon the fact
that he had personally delivered a letter
from Messrs. Leavitt and Swift to His Elk
cellency and had secured from him the
positive assurance that he would
VETO THE BILL.
Thereupon another conference of the
friends of the measure was held at the room
occupied by G. w Armstrong and the
writer, at the residence of Mr.. John DAILY
to devise some means of inducing the Coy
ernor to approve the bill. This conference
was gloomy one, and many suggestions
were made and speedily abandoned as inn
practicable. One, l remember, was to
threaten his Excellency with rejecting his
official appointees; but these at that time
am oar.edta nothing for we had no state
boards nor Cook county justices of the |
peace to be appointed by the Governor.
Senator Reddick, always fun of ready and
practical expedients, had already got pos
session of the Leavitt and Swift letter by /
the use OF q little strategy. He called ]
upon the Governor as soon as he learned
That it had been received by him and asked !,
% see it. When in his possession he asked Z
permission to retain it shart time to ena-
bic him to show 1t to certain members of
she legislature to which the Governor as ;
'ented. That letter was never returned,
md may now be- found at the residence of
sfr. Reddick in Ottawa. It was shown only
% the friends of the proposednew railroad, Q
md Mr.. Hough is doubtless ignorant of q
What became of it to this day. 1t fell into
he hands OF those who knew where to put
to do the most good to the railroad. t
This letter being disposed Of then came
he next question, and the allimportant
me, as to how the Governor might be in
luenced to approve the bill, and here again /
senator Reddick came to the rescue by sug- n
.esting that If Z
MRS. GOV. FRENCH
ould be induced to favor it. all =
you'd be well. as she was well 2
.nown TO be lady Of decided abil | "
ty, and withal quite politician and of S
n influential family. Her brother, Judge
ames c. Allen. was then leading mem !.
er of the House, and had just successful
7 carried through the Legislature charter u
or the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad T
company against stubborn opposition, e,
nd in this struggle Senators Judd, Matte !,
on and Reddick had assisted him in the -
enate. Of this Mrs. French was cogni- g
ant. The moment Senator Reddick made
MS suggestion it was adopted by the con-
erence, and he was directed to see her at