Omaha daily bee., 1889-04-28
The COMMITTEE AT NEW YORK
Continuation Of DR.. Miller's Remin-
iscences of the Union Pacific.
THE SIGNING OF THE CONTRACT.
Result OF Conference Between
Committee from Omaha and
the Company's Directors
at New York.
The Terminus Question.

Slttlng all that occurred leading UP to
the memorandum of agreement between
the directors OF the Union Pacific and
Omaha that was signed on behalf OF
this city by Mr.. Kountze and myself,
and indicated that the executive COM
mittee OF the Union Pacific called q
meeting on December IS, 1871, in New
| York city, whore the agreement was
formally ratified. Thomas l.. Scott and
| not Mr.. Ames was president of the COM
| pany.
1 now hand you n copy of the pro-
ceedings of the executive committee in
| New York, where Omaha and Douglas
county were represented by the gentle
men heretofore named, as follows:
1.-The following gentlemen as commit
| tee on behalf of the city of Omaha and
county of Douglas appeared before the
committee: Alvin Saunders, chairman;
DR.. George l.. Miller, A. Kountze,
Joseph H. Nillard, Francis Smith.
after considerable discussion the
| parties agreed upon the following
action by this company as u full COM
| promise and adjustment of the differ
| ences existing between them:
| Resolved, That the president or vice
| president of the Union Pacific Railroad COM
/ pany is hereby authorized on the receipt of
the $780, 600 1.-TWO hundred and fifty thousand
| dollars) of Douglas county bonds and the
| deed in fee for the new depot property In
Omaha as agreed with said city, to agree IN
| writing on behalf of this company that il
will make up its regular freight and passen-
! ger trains west bound at Omaha, and that it
will eXpend in improvements, depots, gen
| eral Offices and on said property sum that
| shall not be less than one hundred thousand
| dollars (Sl0O,O ,OO0) and that the principal shops
| of the company shall be maintained in
| Omaha, and that all freight and passenger
cars for the Iowa roads which they deliver
| to forward shall be taken over said bridge on
| the same terms as those of the Union Pa
| cific Railroad company, and be returned
| without discrimination, preference or delay.
| ''To the foregoing the committee for
Omaha and Douglas county pledged
| themselves to have carried out in good
faith by the first of January. with the
understanding thatif any legal difficulty
| existed against the delivery of the last
| fifty thousand dollars 1850, ,000) bonds by
| reason of non-compietion Of the bridge
| at that date that then. and in that
| event the fifty thousand $3.50, ,000) dollars
bonds should be placed with John Duff
| as trustee for delivery to Union Pacific
| Railroad company on competition of the
| bridge for passage of trains"
81 certify that the above is a correct
! copy. JOHN DUFF, Sec. Pro Tenn"
| This completes the whole record IN
! respect to the final settlement between
| the people of this city and the Union
Pacific railway company on questions
that have been discussed. Then came
the still more troublesome question of
| the terminus of the railway. AS have
| heretofore said good deal about that
! in the course OF this history, l shall not
attempt to burden the columns of THE
| BEE with any considerable statement,
| except that it involved long cOnten-
| tiOn in which bad blood was created on
| ali sides.
| Matters drifted on until, finally, no
| decision having been reached, the
| Union Pacific company being all inde-
| cision. Mir. Jay Gould came into control
| of the property of the company, and
with sole authority, in association with
troll. to regulate all these matters.
| 1t was finally agreed that an
| appeal should he taken to the courts to
| determine iudicialiy whether the ter
minus should be on the Omaha side or
on the Council Bluffs side of the river,
and led to litigation which was carried
TO the supreme court of the United
States. in which the decision was
| against Omaha as the legal terminus
| Lincoln.
Omaha was very badly injured by this
controversy. The same uncertainty that
had long held us back to degree
| brooded over our interests, but under
the contract with the company origin
ally it decided to comply strictly with
| the legal mandates OF the supreme court
| of the United States and at the same
time hold the interests in Omaha to
which it was pledged, viz, headquarters,
shops and the practical terminus, which
| cover the whole case.
| | think | can safely say that the
prosperity Of Omaha. began with the
contract that was finally entered into
| under the Boston memorandum, which
was drawn by Byron Reed, of this city,
under the direction of General Mander-
| son, as the attorney of the people, and
is now of record, believe, in our court.
After many delays the Union Pacific
railway company complied with it's con-
depot we now have. But the one thing
that was and is SO much desired by our
people has been denied us from that day
to this, and that is the crossing OF the
! Iowa trains over the bridge into
Omaha. This is partially done now by
the starting Of the Iowa sleepers from
this side. and the Chicago & North
| western railway train, under the in
huence of the Burlington terminus in
this city. But still we are waiting for
the, greater result, and L am going to
stop OFF short to-day by saying that the
official announcement in THE BEE Of
Thursday evening, from Mr.. Cameron,
that the Burlington and Union Pacific
companies had entered into u contract
to build a million-dollar depot in
Omaha, gives assurance that at last the
cOnsummation SO long devoutly wished
| is to be reached.
/ have no doubt that Omaha will do
her entire duty, under the circum-
stances, and make good what her COM
mittees and press have been saying for
years, that she was ready to do her
whole part in securing what is now
promised to us, and which believe we
shall realize if we wisely use the oppor-
tunity that is given.
l may say in this connection that
have known for year that Mr.. Charles
Francis Adams, president OF the Union
Pacific railway company, has been in
earnest in his desire to build this depot,
and to provide in the structure for the
accommodation of all eastern trans
arriving at the terminus. Difficulties
OF no small magnitude have been en-
countered, among other things want OF