Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1883-10-24

nant party by thus chasing the splendid
but unattalnablc, phantom exposed
TO their 81 ght by their arch enemies.
Reply Of the Executive Committee of St. Cloud
Mankato & Austin Railroad.
ST. PAUL, Oct. is, 1888.
NJ. G. Willard, Esq, Secretary Mankate
Board of Trade
SlR:-iour letters to Lieutcnant-G Gov
ernor Gilman and others, have bee,
handed by them to the members of tn,
executive committee Of the late Board OF
Directors Of the st. Cloud, Nlankato and
Austin Railroad Company for reply
You are pleased to request information
concerning the status of said railroad
and call attention to certain resolutions
adopted by your Board OF Trade.
We chccrtully give you, so far as pos
siblc, the desired information. The res
olutionS ask. first, "Why the railroad is
not being constructed" 1t is as much a
matter Of regret to us as it can possibly
be to any one. that nothing further than
engineering work has been undertaken
this season. You will have, OF course,
observed that the Construction company
have technically, at least, began the
work by placing engineers i'll the field
and partially locating the line.
The call for the survey of several new
routes necessarily della yed this work
The first obstacle to the beginning Of
construction, was in part the failure Of
some of the principal places on the line
to promptly respond to the call Tor aid,
which required the work of raising
| bonuses to be gone over again, and this
call has not even yet been responded to.
Notably, your city OF Mankato has not
contributed a cent in that direction
These bonuses. it should be remembered
were part of the consideration in the
contract for construction. This was the
beginning Of the delay. Furthermore,
within the last six months, the value OF
railroad securities held in New York
has shrunk the enormous amount Of
four hundred millions OF dollars. Look
at the shrnkage in Manitoba and North
ern Pacific stocks, in. both Of which, we
in Minnesota have iull faith. Thus the
financial condition Of the country has
proved a further obstacle to immediate
construction. Again, iron or steel rails
could only be obtained with great diff
Guilty. After the completion OF the nee
cSsary engineering. the portions Of the
line which could have been completed
before winter, would have been !; useless
Investment until the completion Of the
remainder of the road next year; and
Gen. Bishop, the present president, in
forms Us that the road can easily be con-
structcd from st. Cloud to the State line
south Of Austin, in six months, commence
ing the first Of April next.
There are very few similar enterprises
which have been exempt from similar
delays, even in better financial seasons
than the present.
Let it be noted that the contract with
the construction company does not re-
Quirc the completion OF the line before
December. 1851.
Next, As to the matter Of franchises:
the franchises are in possession of the
"Railwav Improvement Company OF
North America' They were SO transfer
red as an essential part of the contract
to build 1t was the best contract we
could make with that company, and the
only contract We were ever able to make
with any company. Nor did any person
al considerations influence the making of
that contract in any degree whatever
the sole motive being the construction of
the road. The franchises are yalucless
to the Improvement Co., except the road
be built, 50 that company have nothing if
they fail to build Had we rejected this
only opportunity of constructing the line,
then severe blame would properly be at
tached to the directory. Parties now dis
posed to be censorious, would then be flu
rious. Let it once for all be understood
that we have a contract with Il RESPONSE
bic company who have agreed to build
the road within the time specified
We have not now and never have had
any reason to believe they would not
comply with their agreement. The fran
chists were transferred to and are now
held by this foreign construction compa-
ny, and no railroad company in this state
or doing business in the state has any in
terest therein, all statements to the con-
trary Notwithstanding.
In conclusion, We found this a bank
rupt and an abandoned project, with its
land grant lapsed. BY long and assidu-
Gus exertion we placed it upon its feet.
Those who have been directors have Civ
en- it their time, their money and their
efforts for years, and they are certainly
far more disappointed at any delay than
those parties who have done little or moth
ing to advance this enterprise.
AS this is the only proposition we have
ever had to build this road and as these
parties have not yet had time in which to
complete. their agreement, and as we have
reason to believe that they are able and
competent and that they intend to build
the road within the limits of the con-
tract, we see no proper motive for any
reasonable man to prematurey question
the situation, or to refuse to give all par
ties the full period called for in the
contract before ungenerous criticism
is indulged. No statements or repre-
sensations contrary to the facts here pre-
sented have ever been made by any
member Of the directory. Any other
representations, from whatever source,
are unjust and untrue, and can be re-
peated only from unworthy motives.
We have thus answered all your ques-
tions, and in the light Of the facts pre-
sented, it would appear but reasonable,
prudent and fair to wait till we see that
the company does fail in building before
making ungenerous and unjust COM
ments. Very respectfully,
W. II. OFFICER,
Chairman Executive Committee.
"GOOD SUCCESS"