St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-10-02
The Strong Points of Judge Wilson
Multiply as His Record Is More
Clearly Understood.
His Consistent Opposition to Land Grants,
Bonuses, Subsidies, Special Priv
ileges and Mon opOly.
He Has Recovered from the Railroad
Companies More Than Any
Other Attorney.
His Fights Against Patent-Right
Sharks, Grain Warehouse
men and Tax Titles.
Judge WiIson,s Record.


record of Judge Thomas Wilson. of Wi
mona. the Democratic candidate for congress
in the First district. The facts brought out
have attracted much interest and attention,
aud undoubtedly made many votes for him.
There has been misrepresentation in the
minds of a good many people as to the posi-
ton OF Judge Wilson on some important
public questions, and these articles have
served to place him in his true and proper
light. His opponents have attempted to make
it appear that he has been the attorney of
railroads and corporations and that his
legal efforts have generally been in opposi-
ton TO the interests of the state and the
people. His record amply demonstrates
/ the reverse to have been true, and the
voters Will be sure 10 demonstrate their in
| dOrSement Of his course on election day.
! Another chapter of Judge Wilson's record
| is presented to-day, showing how he has
persistently fought railroad land grants,
! bonuses, subsidies, special privileges, con-
centrated capital, patent right sharks, tax
title holders. grain wareh0usemen. oleo-
margarine. and other Ubiquitous measures.
4 The facts were given to the GLOBE repre-
sentative in an interview with Judge VII
son, as follows:
While member of the legislature. l uni
! formly opposed all land grants, bonuses,
/ subsidies other special privileges to rail-
road companies or other corporations aud
sought to make such compulsory bonuses or
subsidies impossible. At the session in 1888
/ proposed 8 constitutional amendment pro-
viding that mo county, city. town. township
or other subdivision of tho state shall ever
subscribe to the capital stock Of any railroad
| company or of any private corporation, or
| make any donation or loan Of its credit ia
favor of any such corporation" This | sue
| ceeded. at that session, in getting through
the senate, with a slight amendment, but 1t
WAS beaten In the house. l again introduced
! it at the last session, and it passed the senate
without amendment, but was sgain killed in
| the house-largely through the influence OF
bonus and subsidy brokers, who wished to
make gain at the expense of the people
and state. Nor is this the length and
breadth OF my offending against such
J corporations. What they seek above al
things is to be freed from the jurisdiction of
our state courts and juries, and to get their
| litigation into the federal courts. That their
| pecuniary interest would be- advanced By this
| may be admitted; that it is inconsistent with
| the interest of the people is too clear to ad-
| nit of question. The expense of litigation in
/ the latter court and the delay-especially
when the amount is so great as to give the
| United States-are great that the removal
| amounts practically, in many cases. to de-
| NAL of justice, and places poor litigants at
| the mercy of the rich, and especially at the
| mercy of foreign corporations. Fully i'm
pressed with this view, publicly called at
| tention to the great wrong in paper which I
read before the bar association, some years
since, which WAS very widely circulated. And
! have at all times in the legislature voted
aud acted in such manner as to. so far as
we could. remedy the evil. The full and per-
feet remedy in such cases can only be
reached by the action of congress.
SOME EXAMPLES CITED.
Alexander Mitchell, Russell Sage, Selah
| Chamberlain. John NJ. Burk, NJ. L. Dykes and
number of Eastern capitalists, associated
with q number of the most wealthy men of
| our own state constituted the Minnesota
| Railroad Construction company. They were
| the wealthy and controlling men of the Mil
| waukee & ST. Paul and Chicago and Northwest
| ern Railroad companies. That company OBJ
tanned possession, illegally, of LOCO bonds OF
! the city of WinOna, of the par value of
! 100000 and accrued interest. l was con-
| suited by the city and gave my opinion that
we had right of action against it. l was,
| therefore, ordered to proceed against the
! company in such manner as to me seemed
| proper. ! conducted the litigation to a sue
! ceSsful conclusion. the suits growing out of
| it having in one form or another been
| carried through the state courts. district and
| supreme, and United States circuit court and
! supreme court, and l ObtEined and collected
! from the company for our city over one
hundred and eighty thousand dollars for
| damages, costs and accrued interest. And
the same company, having obtained the bonds
Of the city of Lake City to the amount of
! S75, 600, brought suit against that city TO re-
| cover, and was employed to defend, and did
| so uceessfully-recovering q judgment for
| the city. The sum which they could have re-
| ~, ct1it ho han I
| had they recovered at all. 1 have also re-
| covered verdiets against the Northern Pacific
| Railroad company for personal injuries, one
| for the sum of $25, 900 ana one for $40, 000
| The first was cut down by the court to $4,000
| and, after being carried through the circuit
| court and supreme court of Dakota and the
| United States supreme court, was affirmed
for the above sum and interest and COSTS
| amounting to between $4,000 and S14, 000
| The other, for $4,000, was affirmed by the
| supreme court of the territory for the full
| amount, and is now pending in the supreme
| court of the United States, by which have
not the least doubt it will be affirmed have
| also recovered many verdicts and judgments
against other companies of $4,000, $4,000 and
| under. / believe that | can truthfully assert,
and prove by the record, that l have col
| lected very much more from the railroad
| companies of the state than any other attor-
ney in the state. And the record shows, too
| that in the most important matters my acts
have been unselish and without fee or re-
ward, except such reward as L got as a mem
| Der of the community and by feeling that /
have done my duty fearlessly.
RAILROADS HAVE RIGHTS, TOO.
do not refer to the several verdicts and
| judgments to show, nor do ! claim that the
| railroad companies are always wrong, but
! merely TO show the reason for their opposi-
| ton While believe | was right in each
| case also believe that the counsel opposed
ina al WIG and
| scientious. Such corporations have an equal
| right to justice with any and every other per-
son: and he is an unmitigated and shameless
| demagogue who would assert that it is al
ways wrong to defend such companies or
| bring suits for them. When the railroad
company is right it ought to defended; when
| wrong it ought to be compelled to respond in
| damages. The only test in all such cases
| should be-and with honest, honorable and
| intelligent men always will be, did the attor-
ney deport himself honestly and honorab ably.
| ANY man who will ask support because he
| has successfully sued railroad corporation,
or one who will try to prejudice al adversary
simply because he has counseled or de-
Tended railroad company, insults the people
by assuming that they are benightedly ignOr-
ant and prejudiced. Railroad companies are
a neeessar, part o. modern civilization. 1t is
not wrong to either build or operate them.
But. iuasmuch as concentrated capital has &
power that if i'm properly used would be most
dangerous to the state and TO the individual
members of society. it is proper that that
power shoeld be most carefully and vigilanty
guarded. lin all countries and under all
forms of government the most important
duty of the government is 10 protect and de-
fend the rights of the masses against the ag-
eressous of the wealthy and powerful, and
especially Of corporations and monopoiies
generally; and perhaps this duty has never
been so imperative as now. Not only does my
record show that / have sympathized with the
people as against the improper influence and
exertio1s OF corporate power and centralized
capital. but may be permitted to say that it
clearly shows that | have. according to my
best Judgment and ability, diligently and
always stood up for the rights of the people
against all forms OF attack by sharpers and
those who wish to make money by their acts
at the expense of the people in disregard of
justice
BLACK EYE FOR PATENT RIGHTS.
A few years ago we were Overrun by q