, 1883-04-28

| three important questions put to hIm by the
chairman Of the meeting. During his re-
marks the railroad magnate said that on this
coast alone during the past three years,
there have been expended through the chan
nels Of his different corporations no less than
| S35, ,O00, 600 of money. On behalf of the cit
izens Of Seattle Judge Thomas Burke asked
the three following questions:
Flrst-When will the n. P. X. +. be CON-
| pleted to Puget Sound.
Second-Why has not the Cascade divi-
sion of the Northern Pacific Railroad been
built or lts construction ever begun.
ThiId-If the people of Seattle will raise
| $3.50, 900, for the purpose Of building stand
| ard gauge railroad up the Cedar River Val
I ley, 10 connect the Green River coal de-
| posits with Seattle, and also to connect with
| the Cascade division OF the Northern Pacific
! Railroad, will you by the agency OF any OF
your companies agree TO build at once such
road.
As suggested, says Mr.. Willard, will
answer all three questions fairly and freely.
| Ii my answer should fail 10 cover any one
point Judge Burke made, | hope he will re-
mind me Of that fact, SO that | may make
| up Tor the omission. | believe the FIRST qles
| ton was why the constr uctiOn OF the Cas-
cade division had not progressed. l say
progressed, because the Cascade division was
commenced some years ago. That IS, the
coal branch Of the Northern Pacific main
line across the Territory from the Columbia
| river to Puget Sound vas assumed to be the
| beginning of the Cascade division. As you
know for a number Of years no work has
| been dope either there, or III any direction
| from the east or from the west. / have been
at the head OF the Northern Pacific, as you
| well know, not quite two years 1t will be
two years next September. For what hap
pened before my accession to the manage
ment, of course, | cannot be held RESPONSE
| bic. When succeeded 10 the Presidency OF
the corporation, | found a resolution on
record to the effect, in substance, that the
| Cascade division should be built. But the
resolution did not say in what time it should
or how it should be built tina. is. from what
! terminus on Puget Sound, or xhat point OF
| connection with the nraIn line east
| OF the mountains. am free
10 say, with all due respect TO nay prejeces
sors. that il was not supposed al that time
that that resolution had much practical
bearing. 1t vas passed more for effect on
the public mind ana effect IN Washington,
than with reference to its Immediate execa-
tion. In fact, at the time the resolution
was passed. and at no time until last fall,
was the management Of the corporation IN a
position to pass definitely upon the merits OF
the various routes over the mountains that
| had been proposed.
Mr.. Thielsen, who has been in charge OF
the engineering department of the Northern
Pacific Is here, and he will confirm what |
say in stating that the surveys and searches
| for practicable routes that have been carried
on for many years were only brought to
successful conclusion late last fall, when it
was altogether too late to think of COM
merclng work. Then at no time, no matter
what may have been said in the papers, no
matter what may have been sad by public
men to the contrary, the work OF prepara-
| ton, that Is, Of surveying and locating
line, was not advanced sufficiently until last
| October to begin work. Here you have the
simple reason why the work has not pro-
| gressed for some years on the Cascade divi
sion, that is, We were not ready t. begin it,
Even if We had been ready when acceded to
the Presidency of the Northern Pacific,
the work would not have been commenced,
and here | viii speak TO you very frankly.
| consider it my main duty, net only
to the stock holders OF the Northern Pacific,
who had the principal will in the matter, but
to the people OF Oregon and Washington, 10
complete the main line OF the Northern Pa
cific first of all that is, to give this isolated
coast communication direct b, rail to the
rest of the United States. / believe tins to
| be nv paramount duty, and believe al! OF
| YOU will agree with me that it is my para
mount duty Now, in looking at the prob
lem before me, at that time there were over
400 miles Of main line to be completed in
order to insure the accomplishment OF tins
purpose, that is, to finish the transconti-
mental man line find that If was main
question whether the financial resources at
the disposal of the company were sufficient
| to ensure the completion Of the msin line.
Under the act OF Congress chartering the
| Northern Pacific the company is authorized
to make a first and only mortgage at so
much mile. When l assumed the direc-
ton of Northern Pacific affairs, l found that
of the entire issue of bonds that should have
been made under the authorization Of law,
only about So0,( 10000 had been scld, lesv-
ing so, 0O0, 900 more to be sold.
Shortly after my return from .he Pacific
coast in 1851, as You all know, attacks Were
commenced in Washington upon our right
to the land grant. These alta ks, while
they have had no practical effect as far as
our claim to the land grant was concerned,
vet teuded to and did affect the credit OF
the company in the money market. More
over. one of the conditions OF the charter Is
that We could only issue bonds against the
road in twenty five mile sections inspected,
and accepted by the President of the United
States. Now the President took the ground
when these attacks were commenced that it
would not do for the executive branch of
government TO commit itself to any line OF
poIicy that might be negativ,d by the legis-
lative branch of the government. The re-
suit was tiat during the entire long session
of last Congress, which was a WY long one
as YOU NAV remember. lastIps from Decem-
Der to August, We were not able to procure
any means at all, owing TO the nOn-inspec-
ton and non acceptance OF roads, not allow
ing the delivery OF bonds to the syndicate
that had purchased them. All this IS past
and can now say that We Were very much
embarrassed, and more than once there was
danger that owing to the discredit into
which our securities had been brought by
the attacks upon the land grant, and to the
inability TO get money by the delivery of
bonds to the syndicate in consequence OF the
refusal Of the President 10 have the road SC
cep,e5, there was mortal danger OF another
failure, of another collapse, and absolute
suspension OF the work Of construction on
the main hne. II would have kept YOU
back here from ive TO ten years. Had there
been another breakdown IN the consruc-
ton of the Northern Pacific, there is no tell
/. ing when this great resuli which you have
!, all been looking for w,uld have been con-
>ummated Now if We had done work not
absolutely necessary at the time, such as be-
ginning the construction Of the Cascade d.
vision. it would only have added to our
financial embarrassment. And II was in
view of these complications tha. had arisen
in Washington. that caused TIE difficulty
experienced IN raising money TO carry on the
YORK OF construction You may understanl
! what the difficulties were when l tel ycu
/ that mad 10 provide month after month
from two p three million dollars
Of money, in order TO prevent 8 suspension
of the work that hesirated to increase our
embarrassment by undertaking any work
involving pecaniary outlay, creating new
obligations and embarrassmeuts. But am
nov happy to say these obligations are all
2 az