The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-03-01
THINKS II WIS ILLEGAL
JACOBSON WANTS ST. PAUL s. d.
LUTH CONSOLIDATION
INVESTIGATED
ASKS FOR A JOINT COMMITTEE
Absorption by Northern Pacific of
the Only independent Route
From Duluth DispIeaSes
Lac-Qui ParIe Man.

A concurrent resolution was intro
duced in the house yesterday by Repre-
sentative Jacobson, calling for the APP
pointnent of a joint senate and house
| committee consisting Of one from the
upper and two from the lower branch, to
examine into the consolidation of the
st. Paul & Duluth and the Northern
Pacific railroads last June
The document recites in detail, the de-
ciSon of the former state railroad ana
warehouse commission, in which the sale
of the Duluth road to the Northern Pa
cite was held to DE illegal, because of
the fact that the two lines were parallel
and competing.
Continuing, the resolution says:
And, Whereas, The board of railroad
and warehouse commits -nerS of the state
of Minnesota thereupen commenced an
action in the courts of this state to set
aside the said sale and transfer, and to
prevent such consolidation and alleged
among other things that said sale was il
legal and contrary to the statutes in
such case made and provided and was
detrimental to the best interests of the
state. and thei efore wholly void and With
out effect: and.
Whereas, The board of railroad and
warehouse commissioners dld, on the
18th day of September 1902. without going
to trial, consent to a dismissal of SAID
action. the alleged consideration for such
dismissal being a memorandum signed by
the president of the Northern Pacific
Railroad company; and,
Whereas, Gov. Lind in his biennial
message to this legislature after recftlng
some of the facts in the case advised
that We take formal action in the prem
ises.''
The object of the resolution then fol-
lows and includes proviso that the COM
mittee thus appointed be authorized to
send for persons and papers and to ad-
minister oaths in the prosecution of their
work.
Mr.. jacobson appends a memorandum
to his resolution. in which he says:
eff it shall be found that the conSoll-
dation is Illegal and the old corporation
of the st. Paul & Duluth Railroad COM
pany is either unable owing to the dis
solution, or unwilling, if alive, to operate
its road in accordance with Its charter,
the statute provides a remedy. The at
torney general can commence an act1on
to take possession of the road IN the
name of the state, and the state can
either operate 1t or dispose of it, to be
run as an independent line, with the
usual restrictions governing other roads
but the question which mostly inter-
ests the people of the state is the effect
the consolidation, if allowed to stand
will have on the freight rates for the fu-
ture. The old ST. Paul & Duluth railroad
has fer years been regarded by the peo-
pie of the state as the most direct and
independent outlet for the surplus farm
produce between the Twin Cities and Du-
luth, the only lake port IhlS HluePenu-
ent outlet has now been absorbed by
one of it's old competitors, the Northern
Pacific, ana when the friendly relations
that are now known to exist between the
Northern Pacific and the Great Northern,
which owns one Of the other outlets be-
tween the Twin Cities and Duluth, are
considered. it is apparent that there is
only one outlet as far as competition is
concerned, where there formerly were
three. The question then becomes OF
such a serious nature. and the possible
consequences are fraught w tn such grave
import that if there is still a remedy in
existence it should be utilized and ap-
Piled in the most effective manner"