Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-05-05
nlILq POST IEfELLlGgECEK.
v,.Ia.p TO TnE wAssIscToSuaSs
Prom the S. T. Alta. j

from the s. Z. Alta
Henry Willard made an address TO tue
r.aor,le OF Seattle on the OCCASION OF bis
recent visit, of which brief synopsis
was autographed, but which proves more
Interesting ON perusal Of verbatim re-
nort The meeting was held at the re
anest of the citizens Of Seattle. no
yished to pat certain Questions - the
railroad king of the Northwest, aud 10
Obtain circumstantiai angwersor pledges
thereto. The first question was Al IN
oaIry as 10 the time when the Northern
pacific zould be completed 10 Pnges
Sonnd. the second xas the question wfy
the Cascade Division 81 the Northern
Pac:fe has not been built or even be
ouu: and the third question whether, II
IN. r;.izsns of Seattle would raise
fund Of $4,000, the railroad csfnpanF
world construct broad gage road up
CEDAR Valley to connect the Green river
coaI deposits with Seattle. and also 10
connect with the Cascade DIVISION oil
the Northern Pacific. 49,.
In RESPONSE TO the first question, Hiard
replied that he would ride into ssa'tle
in his private car in the first week u,
SeDtember. The only link Of the road
that NAV not be completed by that time
ia the short road, whose construction
has lust begnn. from Portland To ha-
lama, n that should not he finished By
September. Willard would haze h trans
port his private car from Portland 70
Kalama bv water. To the third quea-
ton Mr.. Willard replied In the ainfniax
tive. The result of the construction OF
such a road wJuld be. IN elect, tnst !, he
Northern Pacific would fork some dis
49,, nc n
ming to New Tacoma, the nominal Ter
minus, and the other 70 Seattle. ms
appears to be very satisfactory TO the
people of Seattle, aud To relieve them OF
the fear OF having their town oyer-
Swallowed by New Tacoma.
In explanation OF the second question
why the Cascade division Of the North
ern Pacific has not been built--it may
be well to say that the main line Of the
Northern Pacifi; il supposed to run
easterly from some point on the Colutp
bia near Walla Waila, across the Cascade
mountains, to the terminus OH the Sound
In answering tho question why the road
across Washington Territory had mol
been built or even begun, Willard let HI
hearers into little of ths secret histoFs
of the Northern Pacific, saying that tbs
attacks on the land grants Of the com
pany at the first session of tho Forty
seventh Congress had stopped the sa!s
of bonds of the read and Gre lfed 50
much trouble that there was "morta
danger Of a break down OF the whol'
enterprise. For this reason the com
PAW did not wish to take upon itself
heavier load than necessary and for tina
reason had deferred the construction ol
the Cascade division. Now that TN
difficulties had been removed, Mr.. vi
lard said, this part Of the road would b
built.
Henry Willard is perhaps the oul,
great railroad manager who has ayowee
that the company of which he II at the
head il a monopoly. In his interesting
address at Seattle be stid: 1T may seen
a bold thoOry To some OF you, but 1t i
nothing but the solid truth, but for til
fact that represent q monopoly, q grea
concentrated power, il would have no
produced the material development tina
You sac here and everywhere elss OF
Plget Sound, as well as in the Territor'
Of Washington and the State Of Oregon
It is the exclusive control OF the bust
ness on this Northwest coast that CAV,
to us a sound basis ON which u carry oi
our financial operations, and We need |
sound financial basis. When you I'm
derstand tha. on this coas. alone duriu,
the past three years there have been ex
pended through the channels of on
different corporations, no less than $50,
100000 Of money. yon will understan,
what / mean. No single corporation
controlling simply steamboat lines %
railroad lines, would have been able t,
rise that amount Of capital"
There is in this something worthy o
consideration. Thirty-five million dol
lars il good deal OF money, and unles
il had been in the power OF Willard ana
company 10 give assurances OF Oh,
strongest kind of the substantial ma
ture Of their enterprise, they could no
have raised such sum in the tint
mentioned. As Willard says, by show
ing subscribers that they controlled all
of the transportation business of tn.
Northwest, they were able TO command
confidence and obtain as much mcney
as they needed, while, had there beer
formidable rival lines Of railroad, in
vestors would not have pat their money
into company that might any day b.
beaded of aud bankrupted. Withou,
doubt. the Willard plan Is good one
for the stockholders, and IL Is also q
good one for the people Of the North
west. IN 70 far as il secured the speed,
completion Of n Great work; but the per,
manent advantages Of ich consolida
ton can only be tested by time. Mr.
Willard promises that ii shall DO a ''be
nevolent monopoly" and we indulg,
the hope that il win prove even 80.