The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-01-24

ney both by personal solicitation
and by committee. The last COM
mittee sent to Mr.. Stickney was a
double-header-a joint committee
from the Board of Trade and the
City Council. This committee was
instructed to offer Mr.. Sticknev 500
600 from the City of Rochester. with
PROBABLY $4,000 more which would
be got on the line of road in cash and
right OF way. Mr.. Stickney refused
the offer.
! Out of this offer of bonds grew a
proposition from few St. Paul gem
tlemen to build branch road from
Rochester to a point on the Kansas
City road, giving. us through road
from Rochester to St. Paul. For this
road company was formed. This
is now the K. 4 st. P. R. R. Co. For
the purpose of building this road
Rochester voted it's bonds for $40
900. The vote was more than two
to one in favor of the bonds. Five
OF the Council were opposed to the
bonds. They voted against them,
and refused to sign them. After the
60 days had expired the Rochester &
St. Paul Company demanded the
bonds from the Mayor. He issued
them, duly signed and attested by
the City Recorder, and sealed.
The five obstructing councilmen
overruled the Mayor, and instructed
the City Attorney to enter suit for
the bonds.
Who is this City Attorney
He is the local attorney or the
Northwestern Railroad Company.
He has always been the attorney of
Van Dusen's wheat ring. This man
advises the Council. The leader in the
Councils W. Knapp, the new Steward
OF the Insane Hospital, a young
man terribly troubled with the big
head. VIM. Churchill is the fourth
clerk in the First National Bank.
Said bank is opposed to the road, as
all the banks and money-lenders in
the city are. Mr. Hymes is the agent
OF the McCormicks, of Chicago. Said
McCormicks are holding large blocks
OF the Northwestern stock. George
Parmeley is the son-in-law of a man
who for many years spent his winters
IN the lobbies of the legislature of St.
Paul, doing the fine work for the N.
w. Railroad Milo Jacks, last and
least, the present Mayor of the Coun-
Gil, has spent his life with the North
western Railroad Company, the last
office which he held being road mas
ter. Now you see how we are folded
up.
| The fight is between the council and
the citizens of Rochester. The
Rochester Railroad Company refuse
to become part of this cat-fight,
and refuse the bonds of the city. The
Company cannot afford to take
bonds with faint upon them. What
will be the outcome we cannot tell.
But the people of Rochester must
have the road. Some time may tell
you more. REPORTER.
| Ia letter making further explana-
nations has been received too late for
this week.
The above letter opens up phase
of railroad history where the extreme
demand upon ore hand seems to
make bond-issuing justifable. If the
citizens of Rochester want road of
only so or Is miles in length why
don't they build it. They can con-
struct such a road as they would get
for $25O,00O and equip for $25, 900
more. They would need to use but
F.. ten or fifteen thousand dollars in
cash-all the rest could be raised on
bonds. But we understand that
100000 could be raised in bonds
along the line. Then they could sell
R. R. bonds for 4 or $4,000 mile
besides, and own their road. It is.
unwise to monkey with any Of the
other railroad Companies to get
them to build, take your bonds, and
then run up debt for the traffic to
pay of 80 to $4,000 to the mile!
Our opinion is that you could just as
well crush out that Northwestern
Octopus by doing your own civil
engineering. Our correspondent did
not tell us about the endorsement on
the bonds. which was to keep them
from passing into the hands of other
roads! Write us again, please.
Evidently the labor situation in
Europe is reaching crisis. There
has been a great miners strike there
for several weeks. While ten thous-
and miners were starving princely
festivities were going on in palace
and villa, and the opera houses were
giving fetes to wealth and beauty.
Stock speculations were more extern
sive than usual.
On the 7th day of January both
the great theatre at Brussels and