New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-08-05
OPPOSING CONSOLIDATION.
NORTHWESTERN PEOPLE UP IN ARMS
AGAINST J. j. HILLS RAIL-
WAY PROJECT.


.ury OBJECT TO TRANSACTION WHICH WILL.
PIT THEM AT THE MERCY OF A POWER.
ruL coRPoRATIoN-LEoAL AS
PEcrs OF THE CASE
~. Editor of The Tribune.
S,,. In the West railway competition is regarded
ESSENTIAL 10 the prosperity OF business interests
% :, the general welfare OF the people No on
~ -,snr Western town rests content with one line
', "a lvav To secure rival line bonuses of
" and land and valuable rights OF way and de-
". nrv,leges are frequently offered Some towns
-. themselves heavily for this purpose The peo-
". ~ the Northwestern States have been particu-
III careful guard the privileges OF railway COM
,,.,on they have already obtained by prohibiting
y ,hslr laws the consolidation OF parallel or com
Ing lines Such laws will he found upon the
s..,u.e books Of Wisconsin. Minnesota North Da-
-, South Dakota. Montana and Washington
VII, the Northwestern people learned few
,.ts ago that plan was on foot to consolidate
,s.r TWO chief systems of railways. the Northern
ooisc and the Great Northern. and place them
sn under the sole control of one man, they rested
lure for a time in the belief that there no
,s.l method of accomplishing this object They
- now astonshed and indignant over the recently
s.,,osed fact that a powerful combination of
licking interests in Europe. in Canada and in
N,r.York City is engaged upon scheme to evade
IA defy their laws and to accomplish by indirec-
Inn what these laws expressly prohioit 10 De done
~ direct methods.
The nucleus Of this combination is the powerful
r.usche Bank of Berlin. which is said to have
Nw correspondents in all parts of the world, and
.,ourd this nucleus have rallied humber of strong
y.ryork institutions. well as all the banking
,,,ss that have hitherto supported the Great
xx,hern road. The object is TO throw the bank
into han NJ
,,n president of the Great Northern. and thus
-..tcally do away with all competition in railway
,usness in 1900 miles OF country lying between
,,t. Superior and the twin cities of Minnesota
=. ne east and the Pacific coast on the west. The
r,,ye is not denied or in any way obscured. II is
"a make an enormous profit for the banking con-
..,ss engaged as compensation for underwriting
a, scheme and for handling the proposed new
,,,ds | hear in Wall Street that II the plan can
n. successfully carried through, there VIII be
~. nrodt Of at least 100000 divide among the
banking houses engaged in ii. hear also tnat
these houses have agreed to put into pool at once
A. least S0OOOooo to carry out the project. in case
"a. LAWYERS assure them that there is any safe way
a, defying the statutes OF the Northwestern States
laws GOVERNING RAILWAY COMPETITION
Il, rs see now how carefully the people of these
safes have endeavored to protect themselves in
,hs endowment OF the advantages of railway COM
o,,on The Wisconsin and Minnesota laws on
-. srhiect are Identical in terms. They provide
,ha: mo railroad corporation shall consolidate
With lease or purchase. or in any way become the
oxner Of or control any other railroad corporation
~ snv stock franchises. rights or property thereof
which owns or controls a competing line
The statutes Of North Dakota and Washington are
x,plicit but are not quite so strongly worded In
North Dakota the statute permits the consolidation
Of any railroad corporation with any other railroad
CORPORATION. when their respective railroads can
be lawfully connected and operated together 10
constitute one continuous main line The Wash
,ng,on statute permits the consolidation OF any rail-
-oad CORPORATION with any other railroad corpora
ton within or without the State when such other
railroad corporation does not own any competing
line o: railway.
The people OF Montana, in entering upon state
hood were not willing to intrust what they re-
rarded as the vital matter OF railway competition
to the action of their Legislature. which they
feared might be influenced by the selfish designs OF
corporations They placed in their Constitution the
following ironcad provision: mo railroad cor
noration express or other TRANSFORMATION company
or the lessees or managers .eof shall consoli-
its stock property franchises with any other
railroad corporation. express or other transporta-
ton company owning having under It's controi
parallel or competing line; neither sha! 1t in any
manner unite its business or earnings WIN the
business or earnings OF any other railroad corpora
ton nor shall any officer Of such railroad express
or transportation company act as an oieoi VI any
other railroad express or transportation company
owning having control OF parahei co"'Pe'ihs
line"
Now have not the people Of the Northwestern
States the right TO feel indignant over the news
that a powerful combination of capital Is at WORK
IN Wall Street on a scheme to defy these statutory
and constitutional safeguards which they have de-
v.ed 10 assure 10 themselves and their descendants
for all time the great business advantages ana con-
veniences Of competitive transportation!
TWO COMPETING SYSTEMS.
The Great Northern and Northern Pacific sys-
tms for business at all the principal franc
producing points in Northern Minnesota. North Ia
kota Montana. Northern Idaho and washington
They also compete in the Province OF Man''ooa
where the Northern Pacific owns 800 miles OF ROAD
and where the Great Northern obtains business
through it's friendly relations with the Canadian
Pacific The Legislature of Manitoba, in charter
ing the Northern Pacific lines. went so far as 70 re-
ouire that there should be printed upon the STOCKS
and bonds a provision that no consohoauon Shou'N
he made with either the Great Northern or Ca
madam Pacific companies In nearly all OF North
ern Minnesota and in nearly all OF the terii'o''
Of the states further West there are no railway
lines other than those belonging either to the
Northern Pacific or the Great Northern. Ihe prh
cipsl towns and cities where these TWO srea' ss
TENS compete for business as follows: In WIS
consin Superior al the head of the lake. III MN
nesota ST. Paul Minneapolis. Duluth, d. CIouu
Fargos Falls Moorehead and Crookston' III WI"
Dakota Fargo Wahpeton. Castleton Grahd roi No
and Grafton. I'm Montana Helena. Butte Anacohoa
and a number OF important mining points; In Nortn-
Idaho the Occur d'Alene mining to"iis' "-
the Great Northern reaches by traffic arrange
men, with the oregon Railway ana Na'iea o 49,.
pany. and to which the Northern PACING runs ,'S
otn l,as. q, washinq,on Spokane, Seattle, Ia