St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-10-22

Occupied the char. reau The IeSo4utioAo atlu
called on any one who had anything 10 oIer
on the question.
Mr.. Fairchild said he saw that vast inter-.
ests were involved in the action OF the coun-
ell relative 10 Third street. He knew noun
ING of these contracts until lately, ana olu
not know for a certainty that they eAiStea,
or what their terms were II they ala exist
IT WAS a general impression that the coun-
oil had made contracts with the Omaha,
Northern Pacific, Manitoba, Duluth and
other roads relative to bridging Third street
as we'll as other streets. In the Third street
matter a cost of $40. 900 was involved, with
\ damage of $500. 600 to property. The
obligation of railroads was perpetual to
erect bridges and approaches and maintain
them. and in the Third street bridge was
involved no less than 100000, as there
We're at least
ONE HUNDRED OTHER STREETS
that wonId have to be bridged. 1t was
mart of the common law that railroads
should pay for these bridges. Mr.. Fair
child said he had understood the bridge was
to be thirty feet wide, when P. II. Kelly
INTERRUPTED him, telling him to state the
truth aud not lie. Mr.. Fairchild was in
dignant at the interruption, and when
Mr.. Kelly called him liar
he retorted in similar language
The speaker said this assault was part
of the game; that he and MI. McClung had
been insulted year ago when he intro
duced a question regarding the Northwest
western road, and continued to speak
emphatically concerning the duties OF the
railroads and the council, notwithstanding
he was several times interrupted by Mr.
Kelly, until that gentleman was called to
order bv the chair. Mr.. Fairchild said that
this sort of tactics would not win with him.
He said he was accusing nobody, but
simply wanted information on this question,
and that there was nothing in the question
at which any gentleman would take otfense.
He spoke Of the decision of the supreme
court in the case itEMnneapolis against the
Manitoba road, where this very question
was decided against the road. In this city
it was simply an error of judgment, aud the
order of the council should be recalled IN
til the matter was tested.
Mr.. Kelly said that for twenty-one years
he had taken his life in his hand for Day
toms bluff, and had paid more taxes in one
year than that gentleman (Mr. Fairchild)
had in all the time. He said Mr.. Fairchild
had stated deliberately the bridge was thirty
feet wide, but Mr.. FaiTchild Interrupted
him.
Mr. Kelly-Mr. Chairman. if you can't keep
this shyster still 1 can't talk.
Mr.. Kelly said he was no real estate spec
ulator; that it was not necessary to look up
his record (Mr. Fairchild's). The thirty
foot bridge was compromise after trying
to obtain bridge for years.
w. P. Murray said if he had not known
Mr.. Fairchild for thirty years he should
have taken him for newcomer who had
simply come here on the boom. 1t was
well known that there was time when the
city government and the chamber of COM
merce were figuring with Henry Willard and
the Omaha road to fix their headquarters
here that the business union was organized
and that in order to get their headquarters
here property worth millions of dollars had
been given to these roads. Contracts had
also been entered into with them and enc of
the conditions of these contracts was that
if the roads would build these bridges the
city would build the approaches. This con-
tract was made with
FOUR DIFFERENT ROADS.
the Northern Pacific, the Omaha, the
Manitoba and the Duluth. At that time
everybody wanted the contracts made. Mr..
Farchild was party to it, and had he
dared to oppose 1t then-when houses were
empty and it was question whether prop
erty would go up or dewn-he would have
been sent out with coat of tar and
feathers. Mr.. Murray reiterated his aston
isnment at the action OF Mr.. Fairchild. He
also explained that those contracts were not
made until it had been ascertalned that
Chicago, St. LOnis, Cincinnati and other
cities built approaches to all their bridges.
Mr. Murray got well warmed up in speak
ing, the same as the gentlemen who had
preceded him.
During the colloquy Mr.. Fairchild as
serted that he owned more valuable prop
erty on Dayton's bluff than Mr.. Kelly did.
The latter expressed his contempt for men
who designated the board or public works
and aldermen as scoundrels and thieves, and
MI. Fairchild insisted On having the floor long
enough to make personal explanation and
deny that he had applied any such terms to
the aldermen, members of the board of public
works or anybody else. The back talk be-
tween these gentlemen was shut off by the
chair, who besought them to think what
they were doing. and Mr.. FairchIld begged
pardon for following bad precedent
F. r. DelanO made long statement,
giving the history of the bridge and all the
different plants ever made, etc. W. E..
Bramhall said that the chamber of COM
merce should not allow Mr.. Murray or tie
representative of any railroad to come in
here and shut off any action it wished to
take. The only points now before the
meeting was whether the chamber
should call on the city attorney for these
contracts and this question of assessment
He, however, proceeded TO explain these
contracts, in which he was apparently well
posted. He enumerated five different
roads. adding the Milwaukee to the above
list. and said that none of these roads eX-
cept the Northern Pacific, now made this
city more of headquarters than they did
then. He explained that the roads had ell
croached on the street and that the council
had never granted the right to roads to
build but two tracks across Third street.
He referred to the Minneapolis decision.
and said that every lawyer of any
standing always knew that the
railroads had to build these bridges, when
tracks made the streets practically useless
He said he had taken pains to investigate
this matter and the city had already paid
out between $500. 600 and $500, 600 on this
very principle. largely for changing grades
20 conform to railroads, which the roads
were legally bound to pay, but which was
paid out by reason of
MIR. MURRAY's ADVICE
to the council as city attorney He did not
believe that the reasons alleged by Mr..
Murray for entering into those contracts ever
existed i'll fact. There had already been claims