St. Paul daily globe., 1893-06-10
GIVEN ROYAL GREETING.
The Guest Of the Evening Betrays
Deep Feeling.

GIVEN ROYAL GREETING.
The Guest Of the Evening Betrays
Deep Feeling.
When Mr.. Hill arose to speak he was
greeted with prolonged cheers and
clapping of hands, and the entire COM
pany arose to propose bumper to his
health and long life. During his
deliberate address he was greeted
| with enthusiastic cheers and applause
that amounted to almost confusion. he
began by saying that a week ago he
thought it not possible to add anything
to the bond that bound him to his
friends and neighbors. He declared that
he thought and felt that all the response
bility that attached to good neighbor-
hood had been attached to himself, but
what had occurred in the past three
davs had opened a new volume in his
life.
Continuing, the guest of the evening
said in substance: l did not think that,
walking in the path OF duty, il was
possible to earn the good will shown me
+! in the past three days. Every man has
| seemed to make it his part TO do his
level best to see that nothing be over
| looked 1t seems that in connecting my
name with the work you have
overshot the mark. Cries of No!
nop were heard from all parts
| of the room | fear that |
may fall down ana disappoint you.
Again cries of "No''and cheers greeted
the speaker l hope the future may
show progress as in the past. l know
that the prosperity that made the city
grow from trading post to the present
| prosperous city is due to the combined
| efforts of the people of the city. No men
have taken greater interest in the pros
perity of the whole country than have
the
Business Men of st. Paul.
Personal pride in looking back over
the past thirty-seven years makes me
say that | have not seen a time when
our business men have not looked to the
prosperity of the city only, but of the
whole country. | know shat the build
ing of the railroad of which have had
charge has helped not only this city but
the other cities which it reaches. ln-
cluding those at the head OF the lake.
In so far as we fail, and we may fail i'll
some respects, it is not because OF a
lack of good will. [Cries of You will
get there."]
1t is pleasure to have sitting at my
right referring to Sir Donald Smith)a
gentleman who, although his home
is across the border, yet has done much
to make it possible to reorganiZe the old
st. Paul q Pacific railroad and
raise it from its wreck. This
was done twenty-five years ago.
Then the people of Europe were on a
gold basis. We were on the best money
basis we could afford, but not on a gold
basis. The last month in 1868 Sir Donald
Smith cheers were here given in honor
of the distinguished Canadian1 took
charge of the old st. Paul & Pacifc;s
affairs. His interest was active and his
faith in the Northwest was abiding.
After some months Sir Donald Smith
told me to go back home and see what
the Dutch bondholders would sell the
bonds of the road for. The purchase
thereof was made. The first thing to
do was to build up the good name of
the company, and to assure the old
company that we would take the same
care of it that we would of our own
company. The work of building up the
road was undertaken with the idea
Of protecting the property and saving
the credit of the old company. 1t is
with the greatest pride that we say
that we have not knowingly taken
wrongtullY dollar belonging to any
other man. Nothing served us so we'll
i'll the history OF our work as the credit
of the company. Without it we could
not have built the road across the coun-
try, and that, too, without. the aid of
the government or municipality. Here
| may be pardoned for alluding to some
of the
Changes in Conditions
made IN the face Of the country by the
building of the lines of the road. In
1879. when we took charge of the COM
pany and began in Ramsey and Henne-
pin counties to build the road, the as
sessed valuation of the property was
S62O. 100000. In June, 1879, a week
after taking charge of the , road.
the shipments of wheat were 2,1S3 900
the road carried 100000 bushels of
wheat. That was one-third OF the
spring wheat of the country, and one
tenth of ali the wheat raised in the
United States. While our Chicago
friends have carried some of this wheat,
we have helped to carry it also. We
now carry to Duluth as much wheat as
all the roads of Chicago carry.
Mr.. Hill alluded to his first meeting
with Sir Donald Smith on the prairie in
Canada twenty-three years ago. and
spoke of the conditions of the North
west at that time. He said that at that
time it was not practicable to drive a
team through the Red river valley, and
now that valley is uneXcelled in pro-
ductiveness. The road had carried to
| men along its line last year S79, 900, 900,
and has reduced the possible revenues
i OF the company S59,00O,0OO.
Views on Finance.
The speaker then took a turn at the
| financial condition of the country. He
said, 1.-The last month or six weeks
has been stormy. The commercial
road has been rocky. The country
i at large is prosperous. and the condi-
tions Of the Northwest are as promis-
ing as at any time in the past
ten years. If anything has made the
road stony and tried the axletrees of
commerce it is because of .the efforts of
the legislative power to tamper with
| matters that cannot be controlled by
| legislation. Commercial laws carry
with them the means to execute them
selves, and they carry their own penal
ties. II we could remove the So called
Sherman act we would have what the
country cannot do without--confidence
1.-THE conditions in the United States
are such that it will pay better returns
than almost any other country in the
world. If we could remove that which
men iii the legislative bodies are respon-
sible for, we would have the greatest
prosperity of the world. Commercial
matters can no more be run by the legis-
lature than can other physical matters.
No more can you mend commercial diff
ficulties by legislation than you can
mend broken limb by legislation. 1t
is Wises to let these matters be gov
erned by commercial lawS.'
In concluding Mr.. Hill asked pardon
for a depression that led HIM into the
! border of politics and remarked that he
| could not refrain from mentioning the
| matter when he saw the men surround
| ing him. He thanked every friend, old
| or new, for their expressions of good
| will and for the many kindnesses shown
him in all the years he has lived in the
city. He expressed hope that nothing