The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-22
QUESTIONS AsKEI

state or person having suf1clent interest
to investigate the facts which are all mat
tiers of record.
QUESTIONS ASKED.
NOW. as to the effect of what has been
done on the public interests, let me ask
a few questions which L want every candid
and honest man to answer for himself:
Did the Union Pacific people, with their
railway lines extending from Omaha and
New Orleans to California and Oregon,
through the several States in the Middle
West and South, purchase a majority of
the stock of the Northern Pacific Com
pany for the purpose of aiding that COM
pany and increasing the growth and pros
perlty OF the northern country, or was
1t for the purpose of restricting such
growth and aiding the development of
their enormous interests hundreds of miles
to the south?
Did they purchase the Northern Pacific
and its interest in the Burlington for the
purpose of building up the Asiatic trade
between the northern zone lying from St.
Paul and Minneapolis to the Pacific coast,
or in order to control the Oriental trade for
their own southern railway lines through
their own seaportS over their own ships.
I'm defeating their control of the North
ern Pacific, and retaining ii in the hands
OF those VINO had built it up and with it
the entire Northwest, did we injure or ben
EFT the people of the Northwest?
Did L by inducing my friends to hold
their Northern Pacific common stock and
act Jointly with Messrs. Morgan & Co.
VIII III SUN was SGlllllS dl FDtl,NiV d
share, thus preventing the Union Pacific
from controlling the Northwest injure or
benefit every interest-agriculture. business
and otherwise-of the entire country be-
tween Lake Superior and the Pacific coast?
Had we sold our $20,OOO,OO of Northern
Pacific, even at $500 a share, amounting
TO $50, 0OO, 000, or nearly $4,000, 900 more than
It's present value, and transferred the
Union Pacific control of the entire country
between Canada and Mexico, what law of
Minnesota would We have violated?
'IOul6 we not locally IoH-a p,ouaxr ;o
our pockets and let the country learn what
it was to be dominated by a parallel and
competing railroad?
why did Governor Van SAINT sit still
from May TO November when a mapjority
of the stock of the Northern Pacific Com
pany was controlled by a parallel and COM
petlng company in clear opposition to law.
and wait until myself and friends have
by our efforts and with our own money
relievedsthe Northwest not as a rival par
allel or competing railway. but doing what
we clearly have the right to do as individ-
tails, or working together for greater per-
manency and security as a financial cor
poration.
Has there ever been a case i'm the his
tory of this country when men have drop
ped their money profit and stood as firmly
by the interests of the communities which
had grown up with their own and largely
by their own efforts and capital?
The public is interested in having a
good railroad at fair and reasonable rates.
The past is gone and speaks for itself:
l can speak for the future. and have no
hesitation whatever in saying that the in
creased volume of traffic both through and
local will enable the companies to reduce
their rates in proportion 10 the volume of
such traffic, and in the near future the
public Will have a chance to see for
itself this feature of what l have said. The
development of the country will increase
with greater increase in population be-
tween Minnesota and the Pacific. No mer-
ger or consolidation of the Northern Pa
Cific and the Great Northern is contem-
plated. Each company will be operated
separately in the future as it has been in
the past.
Il greatly dislike to discuss my matters
in the newspapers. but during my absence
an attack had been made upon myself and
friends which has been persistently sup
ported by both political and rival inter
ests. All | ask is fair play, and let time
determine whether the public will be bene-
flied or injured by what we have done and
will continue to do.
JAMES j.