The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-02-27
WHICH WILL WIN"
The Railroad or Avariciousness- Bitter
Fight in spokane.

EiSht III Sp"h'ht'
The people of Spokane are very much
worked up over the delay in granting a
right.of-way into the city to the Great
Northern. Certain property holders
want large damages and in fact are said
to have raised the price Of their real es.
tate situated on the proposed right OF
way 30 per cent. This action attributed
to Northern Pacific influences has raised
a storm Of Indignation. Under the
headlines of delays are Dangerous"
the Review of Feb. IL has this TO say:
1t is evident that the right-of-way
committee is meeting with discouraging
obstacles in the work f bringing the
Great Northern into this city. After the
enthusiastic meeting at the Auditorium
it was ,lought that the right of way
could be- secured with a rush. and Mr..
Hill WAS persuaded to remain in the city
for a day or two in order that he might
be able to give the order that would
start the earth to flying and the rails to
clanking. Day after day passed by and
the right of way apparently is little near
er than it Mas the second day after the
arrival Of Mr.. Hill. At this rate the time
given the committee in which to do the
work will soon have passed, Mr.. Hill
will return for his answer and the route
through the city will still be blocked.
The people of Spokane want to under
stand that wishing for a thing and get
ting it are two very different things. 1t
must be understood right here that un-
less the right of way is secured for Mr..
Hill the Great Northern will leave this
city to one side, and the people want to
understand further that they will not be
given all summer to do the work. The
next week is pretty certain to settle this
matter. Mr.. Hill will not wait long for
his answer. The spring is here and the
work Of construction is to be pushed
along the entire line without delay.
1t is high time they were awaking
from their dream of fancicd security. IT
must be understood that the Great
Northern is either a powerful friend or a
dangerous foe: that Il great crisis is upon
this city, and that We are laughing over
triilcs at Il time when millions are in the
balance.
If the public we're fully awake to the
true character of the danger that men
aces them not Il property holder IN this
city would sleep until the danger were
removed and the last foot Of the right OF
way secured beyond all doubt or ques
ton. The time and the situation cal
for action such action and such effort
as men put into their work when they
feel that they are in dire peril: for Just az
certain as life and death Spokane viii
lose the Great Northern railroad unless
the right Of way il secured without de.
lay.
Will Spokane FALL" is the title Of al
editorial in the Spokesman of February
II which sums up the situation as fol
lows:
1t seems incredible, hut it is true that
the right-of- way cummittc is being de
laycd in lis work and hampcrcd in its Of
forts To secure the Great Northern rail
road for this city, by the of /
few men who seem utterly lacking il
public spirit. If Spokane fails to secure
this great trans-contincntal road: if i
fails to avail itself Of the greatest oppor
tunity that has ever been presented toit
it will W the failure to a half dozen or
dozen individuals who. three weeks ago
would have been glad to sell their prop
r erty for a song but who now consider
it as valuable as the lot N which thu
, AstOr house stands in New York. The,
+ seem to think that a great railroad cal
be stayed in its progress, IA whole ON
. munity brought to its knees and th'
r general welfare endangered, because, b.
hook or crook, they have secured a fev
, feet of Spokane earth or rock.
II may as well be understood that MI
Hill does not have to comc through thi
; city. He can very easily run directl.
: west from Chattaroy at a very mucl
= less cost add a saving in time over til
> dctour he is making through SPOKANE
1t is Il question for this city and not fo
l Mr.. Hill. of u main line or a branch roao
! Mr.. Hill will have the main line anyway
In such an emergency Spokane Ger
! tainly cannot appeal in vain for gcncl
osity and public spirit IN the part Of a
; of her citizens. The spirit of gcncrosit
has not departed from this town yet: tn
spirit Of business enterprise and sagacit
+ is still here and it is To he hoped that
/, vii make itself fully felt and apparcr
+ today.