St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-03-18
The Benton Senator's Strong
Argument for the Duluth
& Winnipeg.
He Specifically Details the
the Roads Value to ALI
Northern Minnesota.
An Act Of Simple Justice to
Extend the Time of Build
ing the Road.
Secret Of the Opposition That
Is Springing Up In Sew
eral Quarters.

About as strong an argument as has
vet been adduced in favor of extending
the time of building the Duluth q
Winnipeg road to enable it to obtain
the land grant, emanates from Senator
c. B. Buchanan. His knowledge of and
devotion to the northern part of the
state give additional Importance to his
views. He said:
my position in this matter is very
easily stated, and is not at all hard to
understand. 1t is simply this: l want
road through the northern part of
this state. l would naturally have pre-
ferred it to be the proposed Brainerd d
Northwestern, for that would have run
through my district. 1 would be glad
to do anything in reason for the people
of Brainerd, but for reasons which l
will state later, it has become impos-
Sible to get this road. | therefore turn
to the Duluth IL WinniDeg.
-Four years ago the Duluth & Winni-
peg was apparently dead, and what
there was of it was controlled by BoS-
ton men. A company was organized at
Brainerd by c. f. Kindred to build
road from Brainerd northwest to or to-
ward Winnipeg. Mr.. Kindred repre-
Solteu llldt nc COulO easily pidCc llS
bonds in the East. and he got up con-
siderable enthusiasm. He came down
here and asked me if | would help him
in the matter, and l willingly ae-
Quiesced. We went to work and we got
the legislature to pass a bill transfer
ring the land grant of the Duluth 81
Winnipeg, in case of forfeiture, to the
Brainerd 81 Northwestern. will not
attempt to go INTO the details of how the
Duluth d Winnipeg had secured this
grant. The details of the passage of
the bills giving 1t to them are well
known and have been sufficiently dis
erd road was to have it, in case it was
forfeited. Mr.. Kindred kept the Or
ganizatiOn alive and represented that
he could place its bonds at the proper
time.
''At the time the bill was passed there
was great opposition to it, which came
from the Manitoba road alone, which
would be paralleled. 1t fought the bill
tooth and nail. but it was passed in
spite of it. The attitude of the Mani
toba was not at all changed. The Or
ganiZation having been formed, the
next thing to do was to get control of it.
Now, it is matter of fact that within
year Mr.. Kindred, alone and uD-
authorized, sold to the Manitoba road
every book and record of the Brainerd
Il Northwestern, which gave it the con-
troll of the road This was not only not
authorized by the officers, but they
were in total ignorance of it, believe,
up to within thirty days. | began to
suspect it six months ago, but they are
just beginning to get their eyes open.
This, of course, gave us nothing further
TO expect from the Brainerd d North
Inf tho Ifi blno6
had been infused into the Duluth &
Winnipeg. The Foley Brothers, of st.
Cloud; Donald Grant, of Faribault. and
others took hold of it and its prospects
began to look up. They built twenty
miles of road through terrible coun-
try. Last fall they asked that the lands
for this road be allotted to them. This
met with opposition, not from the peo-
pie, but from the Brainerd & North
western, controlled. as it is, by the Man
itoba, and. as result, these lands have
not yet been allotted to them. My posi-
ton to-day is just what it was four
years ago, in favor of road through
the northern part of the state.
The legislature is not asked to do
anything in regard to these lands. 1t
cannot do anything that will change
the state of affairs. The forfeiture bill,
which was killed in the house, was a
. Manitoba measure. The secret of their
opposition is not hard to discern. The
construction of the road would mean
competition to them aud consequent
of it. The legislature is simply asked
to increase the time of the grant,
which would clear the matter up and
take it out of the courts. 1t is a mis-
take, however. to suppose that if this
bill is killed the lands revert to the
state. They do not. The forfeiture
bin provided for that, and the lower
house killed it. If the senate kills this
other bill, the lands remain just as they
are. One of the absurd fallacies of the
position of the opposition to this bill is
that they claim that the Duluth & Win
nipeg has no rights in the matter. If it
has not, why was Unnecessary to intro
duce this forfeiture bill?
This extension of grant is thing
that has never been denied any road by
the legislature of the state nor by the
general government to any road in this
state nor any in the Northwest. The
very men who oppose it have grown
rich by this extension of grants. Other
roads have extension after extension.
Why should it be denied now? The
only reason is that the Manitoba does
not want the road built. The opposi-
ton does not come from the people.
That at Brainerd is controlled by Mr..
Kindred, who, in turn, is controlled by
the Manitoba.
The situation is simple. There is
plenty Of money behind this Duluth
road. 1t has built twenty miles of the
road, and it pledges itself to build 100
miles this year and each year till the
road is done. 1t is tangible PROPOSE
ton. Its outfits are ready to go to work
h. ~. -, L.
legislature IS not asked to put dollar
OF the states money into it. 1t is SIM
ply asked to take an action which will
take this matter out of the courts,
where the opposition can worry it for
years. But the state cannot get the
lands back, for a forfeiture cannot be
made without an act of forfeiture, and
the house has refused to pass it.
LAS to the benefits arising from the
building of the road, volume might
be written. Look at the Duluth & Iron
ninety miles long, which has brought
into the state treasury in one year $780,
600. 1t was built into territory which
before did not bring into the state one
mill. Besides the building of the road,
the company has put 100000 worth of
improvements along its line, and three
fiounshing cities have sprung up. A
territory rich in minerals and timber
has been opened up. That road never
would have been built without the land
grant. The country would never have
otherwise been touched. If there was
anything there, it was impossible to get
it out Every mile of the Duluth &
Winnipeg will be just as valuable to
the state proportionally. One-third of
the area of the state is north of the
Northern Pacific road. 1t is barren