Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-01-11
HILL At FARGO
Great Northern President Addresses
the Grain Growers Convention
on Transportation.
Discusses Railroad Merger and Says
Men Now in Control of Com
pany are Friends of West.
Will Do All in their Power to Advance
I the Welfare of the People along
their Line.

Fargo, N. D., Jan. 11.-President
James J. Hill Of the Great Northern
railway addressed the tri-state con-
vention of grain and cattle growers,
which has been in session here this
week. The crowd was very large and
included farmers and business men
from all parts of Minnesota and both
Dakotas, special delegations having
come from Duluth and the Twin Cities
to hear Mr.. Hill. q.... et &
Mr.. Hill opened with few words of
praise for the farmers, saying that
"the nation at large has more to ex-
pect from those who cultivate the soil
than from all others combined" He
thought the best use for the good
lands as yet unsettled a serious ques-
ton for the consideration of states
men. He believed that "the future
welfare of the country depends more
on the wise disposition of the public
domain so as TO secure homes for the
people than upon any single condition
in the nation He discussed the need
of action of other nations in that re-
spect. After speaking of the develop
ment of the Northwest he said he
thought that the one kind of "com-
munity of interest" which really exist
ed was that between the producer of
tonnage and the carrier; the land and
its products and the railroads will Ell
ther prosper together or be poor to-
gether. Much is being said about
combinations between railroads and
competition. The law of the survival
of the fittest must inevitably end such
competition as exists by the destruc-
tion of the weaker by, the stronger.
This has already been done in the
East. He said:
TWENTY-FIVE years ago it was sup
posed that competition was necessary
to reduce rates. think that we have
shown in the Northwest that without
competition rates have been reduced
faster than anywhere else in the coun-
try" -
After speaking of other sections
where rates are higher, showing the
rate reductions in the Northwest, he
said:
"This, more than anything else, has
doubled the price of your lands in q
comparatively few years"
Discusses the Merger.
After briefly discussing land values
Mr.. Hill continued:
There has recently been an attempt
to show that we have no interest in
building up the prosperity of the peo-
| pie of your state and of the Northwest.
If we did not do everything in our pow
er to build you up we would be false to
our best interests, Our object in ac-
quiring the Burlington jointly with the
Northern Pacific railway was to ensure
an outlet to the best markets for the
grain, livestock and lumber of the
Northern lines and to increase the vol.
ume of our traffic to the end that we
might be able to establish the lowest
rates and most favorable conditions
under which the traffic must be car.
ried. The Burlington. with it's own
rails. reaches Chicago, Peoria, Rock
Island. Davenport, Quincy. Alton, Han
nibal, st. Louis, st. Joseph, Kansas
City, Des Moines, Omaha and Denver,
and then connects with the main ar
teries of traffic of the whole country.
Assuming that the line of the Bur.
lington had not been constructed and
that the Great Northern and Northern
Pacific jointly had raised the money
and were engaged in the construction
of it would there be anything to meet
the disapproval of the states traversed
by the line of the Great Northern and
Northern Pacific? On the contrary
would not such course have been
hailed with approval as means of
opening up markets for Northwestern
produce and of reaching markets in
the South and Southwest and Of secur.
ing business, increasing the volume OF
the traffic of the Great Northern and
the Northern Pacific, thus making re
duction of rates and adding to the gen.
4 eral prosperity of the Northwest ? In.
stead Of building the Burlington sys
tem or line of railway alongside OF
jit. the Great Northern and Northern
1 Pacific purchased the capital stock OF
1 a line already constructed: instead OF
! issuing stocks or bonds for the pur
pose of raising money for building a
4 line reaching the same country. bonds
! We're issued to purchase the stock of a
constructed line. VI s9ss
Subject to Public Supervision.
. 'The capital stock of railway com
panies as of other corporations will
be held by somebody and somewhere
Railway companies as carriers are sub
ject to supervision and control by the
4 public for. the purpose of insuring the
i performance of their obligations to the
1 public The capital employed in rail
4 way construction Is made public. Rail
roads make public through published
4 rates the price charged for transporta
i tion. the onlyIthing they have to sell
and must report the amount they re
ceive for what they sell and what ha:
4 been done with it, Courts are open fol