The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1902-01-09
FILES COMPL PL.AINT
3siiNE Sofas ATTORNEY GENERAL
BEFORE THE FEDERAL su.
PREME COURT.
CBl. : CTS TO RAIL WAY MERG GER

81 setision Is a Document Of Ten Thou
Sand Words and Details at Length
H the History OF the. Proposed Consol-
idation-Nunser Of Reasons Given,
n Support Of the Allegation That the
Combine Is illegal.
Washington, Jan. 8.--.Attorney Cen
S3sral Wallace B. DougiaS OF Minnesota
has fled in the United States supreme
court the bill of complaint in the case
Of the State of Minnesota, complain.
ant, against the Northern Securities
company, defendant. It is a long doc
ument about 10000 words. covering So
pages Of printed matter. The bill first
points out the direct interest the state
has In the proposed consolidation. It
still owns more than 5000 ,000 acres OF
public lands valued at more than $751;
Oo0, 900 anu trayersed in part by the
lines of the Great Northern and North
ern Pacific. If the merger is effected,
these roads will cease to build spurs
Into these lands or compete for their
business. The value Of the lands will
4 not increase as it has under the spur
Of competition and the state will lose
In tho taxable value OF its property.
The lands will not be opened for years,
and development will be arrested. It.
is next set up that the state expends
more than $7ee,o00 annually in the
operation and saGiatenance Of its edu-i
cational, charitable and other public
institutions, tAAt this is mostly raised
s hv direct taxation. that the amount
which can be raised and the successful
maintenance OF these institutions for
the benefit Of its citizens depend large
& " upon the value of the real and per-
asonal property within the state. which
In turn depends largely upon free rail-
road competitions. It has been the set
tied policy of the state to encourage
railroad building by grant of lands and
. In tEis way over 10,500, 900 acres have
beer granted. nearly all Of which has
'fses IN. the Great Northern
and Northern Pacific and their sub,
8 / o1a ,anies. The complainant
asfkges that the rates on the immense
shirments of wheat and other mer-
ckartlise over the lines of the two
ccmranies have been lower than they
win he under any arrangement which
contemplates unity of control. The
bill then recites the charters and in
n inh
Northern operates $500 miles of road
and cites the clause>in its charter pro-
viiing that its affairs are to be con-
Jucted by a board of directors which
is to do all things necessary "and not
Inconsistent with the constitution and
laws Of the United States or the laws
of this territory or this act. 1t is
further alleged that James j. Hill
Holds Controlling Interest
III the S125, 100000 Of capital stock.
The history and charters of the North
ern Pacific are similarly related. spe-
cial attention being paid to the roads
BY filing its articles Of incorporation
in Wisconsin with the Minnesota au-
thorities the Northern Pacific became
subject to all the laws, regulations and
provisions Of Minnesota. The facts as
to the present personnelsof the direc-
tory. the insolvency of the old com
pany and its reorganization in 1898
and the purchase Of the st. Paul and
Duluth road in 1899 are recited at
3 length. It is set up that the lines OF
these two systems are not only com
petitiyei between points within Min
lsesota but that they furnish the only
competitive lines between Minnesota
and Puget Sound and have SO furnish
ed for Ill years. They are also with
one exception the only lines traversing
Northern Minnesota IA paragraph is
devoted to the burlington and the
facts as to the terms on which It's con-
troll was obtained by the two systems
Jointly, Charles e. Perkins, its former
president and present director, being
! director in the Northern Securities
company. The certificate Of incorpor-
alton Of the latter, hled in New Jersey,
+ Nov. Is, 1901, is quoted In. full.
Taking up the Northern Securities
4 company 1t is set forth that it was or
I ganized by James Il. Hill, Nv. r..
ClOugh, j. Pierpont Morgan and 10Th
ser associates to the oratrix unknown
\ who at the time were continually in
conference over means aby which the
4 laws Of Minnesota might be success
fully eYaded or avoided, and that 1t
\ was so organized solely for the purs
4 pose OF enecting a c0nsolid idation Of the
Great Northern and Northern Pacific.
n The owners Of 3. large majority of the
stock 0f the two systems had agreed
4 NhnfnrfhAn u 4 tos fTanSfars III he new com.