St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-04-10
The RAILROAD INFLUENCE
In the Future of the Great Minnesota
Twin Cities.
A VIEW FIFTY YEARS HENCE,
When the New States Are ThickIy
Populated and We Are Their Sun.
ply Depot.

In looking out of the back window of
| my office few days since, upon the
rOadbeds of the Omaha and Milwaukee
railways, observed two cars, which at
tracted my attention. One belonged to
the Canadian Pacific, the other to the
Southern Pacific. AS l looked up and
down the tracks, observed cars be-
longing to almost every important road
in the country. These cars brought the
| products of the North, East. West and
| South, and dumped them into our store
houses. The cars of the Canadian and
| Southern Pacific were refrigerators.
| Think of the contents of these cars as
| they came laundering into the union
depot. The Southern Pacific brought
the fruits of the Southern states and
| California to our merchants as fresh as
| they were when taken from the tree,
while the fish brought in by the Cam
adam and Northern Pacific were as
fresh as they were when taken from
the ocean and from the lakes.
MonteZuma was fond of fish, and had
line of couriers along the route from
Vera Cruz to the City of Mexico. A
courier would leave Vera Cruz with a
basket of fish and travel on a run for
| ten miles, deliver his precious load to
| fresh courier, who would carry it
| about that distance and deliver
to another, and so on I'M
til it reached Mexico. At best
the fish was not very fresh.
But now we can go into fish market
and select from the fish of the Atlantic,
Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, Hudson's Bay,
i'll fact from all waters of the country,
and get them as fresh and sweet as
when taken out of the water. This is
due to the grand railway development
throughout the country. Unfriendly leg
islation has stopped the rapid expansion
of our railroad systems, but the
time will come when the people at large
will recognize the fact that the great
progress which our country has made
in the last thirty years has been. to
| great extent, due to the facilities af-
fOrded by the railroads of getting our
productions rapidly to market.
Before we had any roads in this state
land could be bought for So an
acre, and So cents a bushel was
regarded as good price for wheat. If
the management of railroads is to be
subject to legislation and the state as
SumeS to regulate the traffic, then capt.
talists will find other ways of investing
their capital and railroad construction
will be materially retarded. st. Paul is
to- day one of the great railroad centers
III VIC CouuIly. IuclC dlcs OeJitFes
six or seven trunk lines to Chicago,
while the $500" furnishes us with a
route to New York lie miles nearer
than by way of Chicago. The Rock
Island, the Iowa and Minnesota diviS-
ions of the Milwaukee & st. Paul, the
Omaha and Kansas City penetrate the
fertile regions in the South and South
west. while over the track of the latter
that grand and wealthy corporation, the
Illinois Central. has access to the
city. Railroad and river complete our
transportation with the South. To the
north and west, the st. Paul, Minne-
apolis & Manitoba and the Northern
Pacific. with their branch lines and con-
nections, afford the means of transpOr.
tatiOn to and from the far North and
West. For all the vast empire west Of
us st. Paul and Minneapolis will re.
main the chief depot for distribution
and supply.
Look at railroad map and you wiE
be surprised to see the number of roads
cOnverging to and radiating from the
Twin Cities. With these wonderful adj
vantageS the marvellous growth of st.
Paul and Minneapolis can be compre-
hended. An evidence of the wonderful
growth of this city is found in the fact
that last year more than S10,000,000 was
expended in buildings, while the
wholesale trade was not far from $780,
100000. This latter sum is small to
what it will be when the rich prairies
ana valleys of the new states of North
and South Dakota. Montana and WASH
ingtOn and the territories Of Wyoming
and Idaho are densely settled by an in
dustrious, thrifty population. New York
is without doubt the chief commercial
city of America, but gradually Chicago
has been making inrOadS upon her
trade, and in these latter days st. Paul
and Minneapolis drew heavily upon
Chicago. The merchants of the latter
recognize this fact, and are striving by
every means in their power to prevent
it. But, with an open lake to Duluth,
margins as Chicago, and country
merchants will save in the item
of transportation by patronizing
the merchants of the Twin Cities.
Freights by water to Duluth are no
higher than they are to Chicago, and the
difference by rail is about $50 miles IN
favor of the Twin Cities. In few years
merchants west of these cities will not
think of going east of them for the pur-
groceries. Already we are taking high
rank as direct importer of foreign
commodities. st. Paul enterprise
brings the choice teas of the Orient
direct from the vessels that brought
them to our shores. and unlOadS them
in our stores and shops.
Here within radius of ten miles are
laid the foundations for the grandest
metropolis in America. In few years
the busy fail Of activity and enterprise
will be heard throughout the vast en-
pire to our West, and their surplus pro-
auctions will come to our storehouse5
in exchange for everything we can man.
ufacture in excess of the necessities of
our people. Within the lifetime OF
the school boys of to-day, the cities Of
st. Paul and Minneapolis, will be united
and contain population of 1000, of
people. This statement is by no means
visionary. When l see what has been
done in the last forty years l am pre-
pared to believe almost any statement
that can be made in regard to the growth
of this city, now containing more than
two hundred thousand, with a male
population distinguished for energy,
activity and enterprise.
r. w. JOHNSON.
Some Early Ones.
Detroit Free Press.
She was young thing, and she