St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-10-29
Col. Clough Says the Manitoba
Is Only Maintaining It's
Rights
In the Railroad Crossing
Trouble at CPOOkstOn and
Will Not Give In.
Faithopne Calls an Important
Meeting Of the Western
Freight Association.
Which Will Consider the Cues
ton of an Advance in
Freight Rates.

Col. W. P. ClOugh, vice president and
general counsel of the Manitoba road,
was asked yesterday what the position
of the Manitoba was in reference to the
Crookston crossing fight. He replied
that they were simply maintaining their
rights and upholding the law. The
Duluth, CrookSton & Northern wants
to cross the Manitoba tracks and the
Manitoba has got an injunction from
the court restraining them from cross
ing until they obtain that right by the
usual process. that of condemnation.
The local officers of the law being
either unable or unwilling to enforce
the mandates of the court. the Mani
toba officials felt themselves bound to
do so. Hence the trouble. Col.
ClOugh added that If the Duluth, Crook
ston 81 Northern people had acted in
more accommodating spirit they would
not have met with the opposition. The
objection of the Manitoba is not
only based upon the legal as
pect of the case, that the new road
has not the right to cross the tracks in
face of the injunction of the court, but
there are engineering reasons also. The
point at which the crossing is sought is
on slightly slopirg plain and on very
low ground. When the Manitoba first
built in there they had seriOns difficult
les with flooding. The grading of their
line caused floods over several miles of
the surrounding country, and they had
to pay heavy damages to many farmers
and others. Since then they have spent
large sums of money on drainage
bitches, which draw off the surplus
water. This new line comes in diago-
nally, and, according to Col. Ciough's
cto INF UnrfhlRSS
the ManitOba's bitches. While there is
no liability of a flood this fall, next
spring would be certainly uShered i'll by
overfloWing bitches and consequent
damage to surrounding property.
with a likelihood of the Mantoba's
tracks being washed away. II the Du-
luth, CroOkStOn 81 Northern would
agree to build the necessary bitches to
obyiate this difficulty, the Manitoba
would not have any objection to allow
ing the crossing. But under the pres
ent circumstances, and not recognizing
the owners OF the new road as respOn-
sible parties. they feel compelled to see
that the law is carried out at all haz-
ards, and while they can, Will 90 so.
Col. Clough was asked whether the new
road was owned by any other. tie re-
piled that there were only two other
COt POkdbiOuo III ObNe VI SHN
Countrywide Manitoba and Northern
Pacific railroads. at is very certain"
added he, that the Manitoba does not
own 1t, and the Northern Pacific are
equally emphatic in denying that they
own 1t. Had the road been owned by
the Northern Pacific we would have had
no difficulty, as they would have gone
about the crossing business in legal
way. All we are doing is trying to pre-
vent irresponsible parties from trespass-
ing upon our ground. While public
sentiment in the town of Crookston APP
pears to be against the Manitoba to-day.
it will not be so tomorrow, as I've
heard a number of the most prominent
citizens there say that our position was
the only one tenabe."
Information has been received which
goes to show that the injunction re-
ferred to by Col. ClOugh has not been
served on the contractor who is build
ing the Duluth, CroOkstOn & Northern;
the reason for this failure to serve being
that they could not find him.