, 1888-05-24
THE RAILROAD CONTROVERSY.

thereto. The former il the president
OF the Spokane & Northern railway
company, and the latter is the presi-
dent of the Seattle, Lake Shore n
Eastern company. This morning we
publish MK. NEwBERY' answer to the
reply. The future will determine the
extent to which this correspondence
may 60. II it keeps on, in its present
tone, "pistols and coffee " are newt
able.
There is more to this correspondence
than the REVIEW knows of; and
hence we may not discuss IL with per-
feet intelligence to those who really do
understand the spirit which has ami
mated the published correspondence.
Let us review the situation. First
Some twelve months or more ago, GER
tain gentlemen residing in Spokane
organized the Spokane & Northern
Railway company. Since that time
they have been quietly surveying the
different routes with o view of obtain
ing the cheapest and most practical
line to the Colville country. These
gentlemen all reside in Spokane, and
their interest in the welfare of the
place cannot be questioned.
Second: While this work was
going quietly along, some gentlemen
came over from Seattle and submitted
to this city the following propositions
II the people of Spokane will take one
hundred and seventy-fve thousand
dollars worth of stock in our company,
we will do two things First, we will
run our line into Spokane, and second:
we will commence at Spokane and
build west to meet the line building
east, and we will commence at once.
The numerous advantages presented
we're duly considered by the city,
through its board of trade. the money
was raised and the proposition accept
ed. 1t will be generally conceded, we
think, that the REVIEW did its share
in working up this enterprise, and in
pushing it to a successful issue. This
paper would pursue the same course
tomorrow.
| Third The next step in the devel-
opment of this controversy is pre-
sented in the letter written by Mr..
NEwBERY to Mr.. MCDONALD, and the
latter's reply. The personal feeling
entering into the matter does not
concern us. The most serious obstacle
connected with the situation is that
no person seems to know who is
"back of any of these propositions.
When the Seattle, Lake Shore & East
ern proposition was before us, the all
absorbing question was: What does it
mean9 Some said " the Manitoba is
back of this scheme;" others, this is
a Canadian Pacific affair" Our peo-
pie did not know then, and they do
not know now. Nor do they care.
Competition was what they desired
then and is what they desire now, and
they did not and do not care who fur
nishes the competition from any
| direction.
Many have asked: Who is back of
the Spokane Il Northern scheme. Mr..
McDoSALD states that it is Northern
Pacific enterprise. Mr.. NEwBERY de-
1 al -, hiu 1ntfar ,,,hlighAl tb;,
morning that it is in no manner oOn-
nected with the Northern Pacific, and
| in turn asks Mr.. MCDONALD who is
furnishing the money for the Seattle
d Eastern, and what interest the COM
pany really represents. Mr.. McDoN-
AID intimates that SPOKANE is without
the capital TO build the S. +. & N, and
NEwBERy replies that Seattle is with
out the means to construct the s., l..
S. & L. Both gentlemen are right.
Mr.. NEwBERY, however, declares
that the s. F. & N. enterprise is indie.
pendendent OF all outside influences,
and that the object Of the company is
to give to this city an independent line
of railway, and eventually transcon-
tinental competition. So much has
been developed on Mr.. NEwBERY' g
side of the controversy; now let Mr..
MCDONALD tell us as much and two
points will be disposed of. Neither
president, it will be observed, has as
yet been confidential enough to tell
where the money comes from for their
respective lines.