The Dillon tribune., 1883-09-14


1srtAewhele lenltkyAe 1lnsx1ht'
plan was,smbodis11 q bin r6cA
kas before Congre14r b nhntee d
years, and In 1s47 ~ aess passiae
Whitneymay fairly 4eoaldsd- :
the father Of the Nonsra f1cinc On.
terprlse. He travsrA. the country.
from Name to Louisna, addressing
public mestinss and ig(Dla>i6 bed.
les, and spent his erire fortune in
tho work.
In 1858 the govsrnn1at ma6 sur
veys Of ave routes to-heP aciA The
Northern route was asveyed inlsr
Isaac I. stevens, Governor Of Nash.
tngton Territory, whs had ban Z
regular army oficsr. liz yepormas
very favorable, showing that TIE
mountain passes ware bwer thar In
any other portion Of the Rocky Msn-
tain system, the line entirely praec-
able. the grades moderate, and 70
winter climate. of the country mh
milder than had generally ;teep So
posed.
When the Union and Central r.
cific companies were chartered /.
1859, a strong effort was made to oh
tain q charter for tho Northern line
It failed at the time, but was revive,
in 1854. when the Union and Contra
companies were before Congress ask
ing for legislation, snbordinatins tn,
Government lien to their first mort
cages.
The man whe succeeded in gsttinl
the charter was Josiah Perham, who
had organized company, under thu
sanction Of the Legislature Of Maine
called The Peoples Pacific Railroad
Company, and had attempted In 1915
to obtain the Union Pacific charter
for his corporation. Failing In this
ne turned his attention to the North.
ern route, and by promising to ask
Tor no subsidy In bonds or money
from the Government. he obtained in
1884 a charter, coupled with q land
grant just double in area that given
TO the Union and Central Pacific com.
,anies. The Northern Pacific grant
embraces the alternate sections Of
and for twenty miles on each side Of
ne road In the States, and for forty
niles IL tho Territories, with M ad-
littonal ten miles on each side a. an
limit. within which lands
nay be selected to compensate for
hose taken BY settlers inside the or.
ginal grant.
In December, 1895. ha turned over
ne franchise to y syndicate OF New
England capitalists for barely enough
. ply his d hts, aud did not live to
90 the first apadefull Of earth turned
u the prosecution Of the enterprise
Or which he had obtained from Con-
ress . grant Of land greater In extent
han many Of the kingdoms Of Eu.
Ope. He died in Boston in 1858.
The second president Of the com.
any was Ex-Governor J. Gregory
NTH, Of Vermont. Smith and h,s
ssociates spent over four years IN !
ain attempt to induce Congress to
rake , grant OF bonds to aid in build
e the road. or to guarantees the In.
'rest on the company's stock. In
rider to strengthen this project for
congressional aid the Equalization Of
10 company was changed under
mith's management, and I number
I eminent railroad men brought IN.
ut no progrsss was made towards
'mmenct' E the construction Of the |
'ad till Jay Cooke came to the aid Of |
70 enterprise with his great rsputa- |
ON - . successful Ansneier. He |
otained legislation In Washington.
lthorizing the issue Of bonds and
hanging tho main line Of the road.
} that 1t should run down the Col.
mbia river to Portland, and thence
orth to Puget SQUAD. instead Of
ross the tremendous barrier OF the
ascade Mountains. Cooke tirst pro-
Ned to place the Northern Pacific
an In Europe. but his plans to this
ID were defeated by the breaking
It Of the Franco-G German war.
put the bonds upon the Amer.
an market, using the same means
popularize them which no had sue
employed In selling tho
eat war loans Of the United States
'vernment. In two years. time. be.
inning In the spring Of 1870, he sold
|snt 100000 Of the bends. In
20. with the means supplied by
N. the company began to build its