Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-01-11
HAVE CONFIDENCE IN HILL
Resolutions Passed by the Grain Gro
wers at Fargo on the Railroad
Merger Question.
Sense of the Meeting that President
Hill Has Done the Northwest a
Great S.rvice.

At the meeting of grain growers at
Fargo the following resolutions were
passed affecting the merger:
The natural and logical line of
transportation for the products of the
Northwest American states is from the
nearest point on the Pacific coast to
the next nearest point on the Great
Lakes through and traversing the
great basin of the Upper Mississippi,
the valley of the Red River of the
North, the head waters of the Missouri,
and the fertile lands lying between the
Canadian border and the Columbia
river. on to the Pacific coast. The
trade of the Orient entering the United
States and destined for the north, mid
die. and eastern states, can best reach
it's destination by this route, and to
divert it to the south or encourage it's
transportation through the provinces
of Canada, would not only add to the
cost of the delivered goods, but would
deprive the states from which it would
be DETECTED of their share of the tax
upon the gross earnings Of the roads
carrying it, and thereby deplete the
revenue of the states through which
it would be carried, were the ordinary
rules of commerce followed.
ut is the sense of this meeting
therefore, that in resisting the attempts
of the Union Pacific road and it's allies
on the one hand. and the Canadian Pa
cifc railroad and its feeders on the
ether, to secure control of the Northern
Pacific railroad, James J. Hill has per-
formed a notable public service, and
once more displayed the far-sighted
and business policy that has charac-
terized his long career as the great de-
veloper of northwestern resources, and
the most watchful guardian of north
western interests.
Mr.. Hill built a great transcontin-
entail railroad through a wilderness,
that has grown through his efforts, in
to the richest empire on earth, and
never asked a bonus or a subsidy.
He has connected that railroad at one
end with a feet of vessels that carry
American products to the Orient and
bring back the Oriental trade to the
northwest, and to the whole nation.
and at the other end with shipping IA
cilities by water for the Atlantic sea-
board-all this, too, without a dollar
OF bonus Or the semblance of a sub
sidy. Trusting to the of the
country for the traffic to Justify extern.
sion, he has entered every section thai
needed transportation facilities and
constructed, often at a loss to himself
lines into sparsely settled and unpro-
ductive communities. During all the
years of railroad building, there has
been a regularly marked reduction Of
freight tariffs, according as the volume
OF traffic increased and warranted it
and a uniform disposition to make tenn.
porary sacrifice for the permanent i'm.
provement of the country.
"In view of this record, and in recog
milton of the honorable and uprighr
course of James j. Hill in his dealing.
with the farmers of the northwest, W.
congratulate the country upon his sue
cess in preventing the absorption O
the Northern Pacific by Union Pacif,
interests on the one hand, and tn.
Canadian Pacific manipulators on tn,
other, and express our confidence il
the purpose and ability of Mr.. Hill tx
give to the states of Minnesota ant
North and South Dakota, the best ant