The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-07-19
JAMES ]. HILL AGAIN.
Judge Macdonald Makes an ElO-
quent Defense of his Fellow
TOWnSman.

He Affirms that the Acquisition of
the Road by President Hill
was Honorable.
EDITOR REPRESENTATIVE:
Nothing has done more to preju-
dice, what may be termed, the re-
form movement, than the reckless
ness of statement which has charac-
terized the utteranceS of many who
claim to advocate it's cause; and
many of the reform papers have Oft
en- contributed to the creation of
this prejudice by being too willing to
publish matter that had much better
been omitted. There is no need,
in the discussion of the important
questions of finance and tranSpOrta-
ton, to draw upon the imagination,
for reasons to sustain the demand
for reform; and as the success of any
such movement depends upon the
ability of it's champions to sustain
their assertions, and show they are
not prompted by malice, it behooves
the friends of reform to be careful
not to place themselves in a position,
where they can be shown to be trif-
ling with the truth. Especially is
this so where personal references are
made, and private character is as
sailed, or reflections cast upon it, by
innunendO or inSinuatiOn. / am led
to thus moralize, because of some of
the comments which have been made
upon the recent Hill celebra ton, and
especially the communication of Mr..
John Fl. Burke, upon that subject, in
your last issue. / am not numbered
among Mr.. Hills intimate friends;
but believe in the divine commando:
"Thou shalt not bear false Witness"
and also that he who hears such un-
true testimony, knowing it to be
such, and does not contradict it, is
little better than the false witness;
and, so believing, 1 wish to remove
false impression that has been Great
ed in the minds of many, in the man.
ner have Indicated.
1t is impossible to discover what
good purpose is to be accomplished
by the publication of such COM
munication and the writer can have
no other object than to cast a cloud
upon the integrity and honesty of
the manner by which Mr.. Hill and
his associates acquired the St. Paul
& Pacific railroad and it's lines and
property; and, ip any event, he has
not been as careful, as to the facts in
this case, as such aSSailantS should
always be. But before showing that,
in publishing that opinion of the
court, upon the demurrer to Mr..
Farley's complaint, he does Mr.. Hill
great injustice. will state some
facts, relating to this transaction,
which are personally known to my
self, promising with the statement,
that if the Holland holders did not
get all they might otherwise have re-
ceived, they owe it to their own
blind stubbornness.
AS l was a member of our State
Senate when the legislation hereaft-
er referred to was enacted, l know
whereof affirm, in relation thereto.
The general facts, relating to that
purchase, are as follows: Being in
default, the St. Paul & Pacific Co.,
came before the legislature of 1873
for an extension of time to complete
the road, and it was granted until
January, 1st, 1874, to do so. Failing
to do anything that year it applied,
at the session of 1874, for an extern
sion. In the meantime, citizens of
Minnesota, notably the then rail
road building firm of Degraff, Crooks
& Co., came before the legislature,
and complained that they had not
been paid for most of the construc-
tion of the lines from Watab to
Brainerd and from St. Cloud to St.
Vincent, and asked that they be pro-
tected, by giving them lien on the
granted lands, or otherwise. This
the legislature of 1874 did, and grant
ed the extension upon condition of
the payment of those debts. The
Holland bondholders and stockhOld-
ers (who in fact constituted nearly
the whole company foolishly refused
to accept this legislation, or con-
tinue the construction of the rail.
road upon these terms) and they
again in 1875, came before the legiS.
lature asking for an extension but
without conditions. This extension
was also granted; but with the condi
tion that four hundred thousand
acres of the land granted to it be SET
apart and reserved to the state, te
pay those debts due our citizens
This extension the HOllanders also
again stubbornly and foolishly re-
fused to accept, and the road went
into the hands of a receiver (Mr
Farley and soon after was sold under