The Lewiston teller. (Lewiston, Idaho) 1900-1905, 1902-08-07
FARMERS MEET PRESIDENTS
CONFERENCE AT DAVENPORT.
Three PresIdents of Tramsc0n tinen-
tai Railways Make Addresses to
Large Ausitence-Central WASH
imgton Railway to BE Extended to
Meet q. N.-save Long Haul.

| Davenport, Aug. 5.-A new railroad, .
miles in length, and costing $35O,OOO, is
! to be built IN the Big Bend country.
! Thi, is the direct result Of tn. confer
ence arranged between the farmers Of the
Big Bend and three railway presidents
Mellen, Hill and Mohler.
The announcement OF the new railway
was made by President Mellen of the
/ Northern Pacific, after conference with
President Hill OF the Great Northern. The
line will run from Coulee City to Adrian.
Coulee City Is the present terminal Of the
Central Washington branch OF the North
ern Pacific. Adrian is on the Great
Northern line.
| The building OF this line will save the
Northern Pacific the long back haul CT
$50 miles in carrying the freight of the
| Big Bend country to the coast. 1t is ex-
| pected that the new line viii be finished
| by November, 1902 1t is stated that the
surveying party will be in the field next
week. President Aellen said of the new
railway: g.,
This will save the back haul. and will
give you the bsneft. The result will be
S350,OO spent in your midst, increasing
the taxable property, without any chance
| for revenue. The country is barren. This
improvement is gift to you.
Il would like to go into detail as to the
cost. The whole rate fabric is like card
house. We can do nothing here without
doing something ut other points. We are
bound to gain something by the spirit in
| which this conference has been called, com
| ing to US not by intermediates, politicians
who work you and then try to work US.
But you are working with us as allies
and thus you freeze out the middle men,
4 stronR Delegation.
| The special train from Spokane to Dav-
export, carrying the people to the big con
ference held between the farmers Of the
Big Kind and the railway officials, LETT
Spokane before 9 o'clock Monday morning,
arriving at Davenport about $3.50 a. m.
The train was made up Of the special cars
Of James J. Hill, president Of the Great
Northern; J. r. OBrien, general superin-
tendent OF the Great Northern; Thomas
Cooper, general manager of the Northerl
Pacific, and President Mohler Of the q.
r. 4 N.
| There were ebtween 80 and 40 passen-
gers on board. These included +. W. Gil
bert, superintendent Of the Northern Pa.
.cifc, and 1rainmaster j. l.. De Force, be-
sides Messrs Miller, Cooper and OBriesi,
prominent railway officials. the Spokane
chamber Of commerce committee was com
posed Of J. Grier Long and n. w. Dur.
ham. Others in the party were r. A.
Hutchinson Of Spokane, Don Ryrie Of Spo-
kane. +. j. Lake Of Elk, George w. Sea,
Of Addy, Julius Siemens OF Ritzville. Rev.
w. r. Cunningham of Ritzville, Stan
| ley Hallettt Of Medical Lake. d. w.
Metcalf Of Wilbur, C. g. Garettson Of
Harrington, H. G. Farrell, +. II. McKy
and NJ. Moriarty Of Spokane A delegation
from Reardan included the following:
John Raymer. Peter pramm, Claus Cars
tens, c. Shannon, John Wickham and w.
b. Warren.
Rev. W. r. Cunningham Of Ritzviilc
| was sent to the conference by the commits.
sioners Of Adams county, claiming to rep.
resent country that produces 5,OOO,OOO
bushels Of wheat yearly.
Chairman udgcrs .. the committee told
President Hill that there would be no
hanquets or champagne. but that he would
have some chicken to eat. Hill replied:
THAT is all right. just put me in with
the farmers. always get along all right
| with them.
| One Of the crowd called out:
"How about getting out the wheats"
| Hill replied: Don't you worry abou.
getting the wheat out. Wen attend 10
that; and we'll get it out all right
| nm Talks.
! AT 10 o'clock the Auditorium at Dav-
export was crowded to the limit by the
farmers aud business men, too, who want.
ed to hear what the railroad men would
say.
| James Odgers, editor of the Davenport.
Tribune, presided over the meeting. Seat.
I'd on the platform were President Hill Of
the Great Northern. President Mellen
the Northern Pacific and President Mob.
Ter Of the Oregon Railway 1 Navigation
company.
President Hill was introduced by Chair
man odgers. He said, in part:
Il ana always glad TO meet the people
who are working for the development and
npbailding Of the country served by our
lines, When l first saw the country from
Spokane to the Columbia river / did not
think much OF 1t as commercial asset
warranting the building Of q railroad
Here the president paid fine tribute 10
the farmers in making the Big Bend pro-
ductive country. Twenty-Five years ago
! began trying to build up the west. IN