The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-09-20
TO MIR. JAMES J. HILL.

Northwest Magazine.
You have long been regarded as the
foremost railroad man in the Northwest
Beginning with the control of two little
bankrupt roads that ran out upon the
pralries and stopped because they could
go no farther, you have developed an
Immense system aggregatlng nearly 5000
miles of track and reaching almost every
important traffic point between the twin
cities Of Minnesota and the shores OF
Puget sound. BY the building of your
roads you have attracted population into
vast districts Of country that we're form
eriy wilderness. You have created
towns and cities and have drawn a
great agricultural population to regions
which, but a few years ago, were oc-
cupied only by the Indian and the buffalo,
You are the foremost citizen of our city
and state and your fellow citizens look
upon your career as remarkable ex-
ample of the success that rewards great
ability great energy and great coLcen-
tration of purpose. A little while ago
you were a most active and Intelligent
champion Of competition in railway ser.
vice. You built road to the head OF
Lake Superior to compete with two ex-
listing lines. You gridironed the Red
River Valley with your roads. When you
built your Montana Central line you
talked to the people Of Helena about
the great blessings they would derive
from a road competing with the North
ern Pacific. When you pushed your Pa
Gle extension over the Rocky Mountains
you made the people of Spokane believe
that the greatest possible benefit to their
city would come from the entrance OF
your line. You frightened them with
the suggestion that you might leave spo-
kane at one side They raised about a
quarter of a million dollars, In money
and lots, to procure and present to you
the rights of way and terminal facilities
you required. You talked to the people
of Seattle in the came manner to per-
suade them to give you the needed en-
trance to their city anI the wharf and
depot facilities you desired. You were
not decelving these people at the time.
You knew perfectly well and they knew
perfectly wei that a competing line OF
tlans-cOntlnental railway would be a
very great advantage 20 their business
interests.
Has anything occurred to change the
situationY Is not railway competition
just rs good thing now us it was three
years ago when we celebrated here In st.
Paul the completion of your Great North
erh roau 10 the racine coaStT Have
you ioFgotten the great honors paid you
on that occasion Ihose honors were
Wen earheu' win eNtriorulnary courage
ana energy ana win remarkaD,e ability
IN organizing nhahcial resources, you had
Dult the Paclhc road The merchants OF
81 Paul ana Minneapolis and OF the
cities at the mead OF Lake Superior anc
OF the young cities or the state OF Wash
lngton' telt that you were public bene-
FACTOR with hearty accord they swe,led
the cnorus OF your praise
In January ast' as II now appears,
you made an entire change In your atti-
tude towards the railway business of
the Northwest. You then set TO work
to destroy the competition In transporta-
ton service which you yourself lad, to
a large extent, created, and for W ich you
were ned III high honor and esteem by
your fellow citizens. Through your bank
ers In New York you began the nego-
tiatlons with the Deutche hank In Ber-
I'm which resulted In the monstruos
scheme for consolidating the Northern
Paciflc system with your own system ana
thus creating ~ gigantic railway monop-
oily In five states to be operated under
your sole management and control II
you were u public benefactor three years
ago when you opened new route from
St. Paul to the Pacific coast to com,
pete with the Old Northern Paclhc. In
w1llt hight must your fellow citizens now
regard you? You know what hieh
value the Northwestern people set upor
competition In railroad TRANSPORTATION.
You know how carefully they have tried
to guard agalnst the consolidation OF