The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-02-06

MES own parallel and competing lines Of
railway within the state, [ requested
Attorney General Douglas to bring. suit
IN the name me of the state to prevent such
e; consonda ton. That. such consolidation
IS against the law is clearly shown by
reference to our statutes. quote from
sections ZIG and 2717 of our General
Statutes:
Section 2716. No railroad CORPORATION
shaH consolidate with, lease or purchase
or IN any way become owner of or con,
a slU1 s any other railroad corporation, or
thereof, which owns or controls narai-
lei or competing line -
section 2717 No railroad cornoration
o of tne lessees,, purchasers or managers
SQlldate the stock, property or franchises
oL such corporation, with, or lease ar,
purchase 1 the works Of franchises Of Or
az any way control any other railroad
corporation owning or having 1ndar re
con1r0I a parallel or competino line.
nor snal any officer of such Tailroad
reii polation act as an officer of any other
~ IN o 1a corporation owning or having
line "liel OF competing
:, I ne laws have not only been beId
20 De constitutional by the siIpremn cn'7nt
OF the United States but aISp - 1J cOurt
wise public policy. ~ oeclare
WHAT THE SECURITIES
COMPANY CAN Do
That the Northern Securities co,,,no,,--
LII ana II not prevented bv the courtSs
WI, widi, merge or consolidate the limos and
K 11'dnn OF the two railway companies
0ituoI olle mana cement is evidenced nv
IoIefence TO sections and 4 of fba or+io'
les OF incorporation of the Northern So
c co!.,Id company, which authorizes this
SOL t@oIoH 10 purchase, hold, sell. as
sigh transfer, mortgage, pledge or otbeTA
wise dispose of shares of the STOCK ~
any other corporation or c0rnora tiorc
oS Ss0WG d or associations of the State
ritory or country, and while owner 20
such STOCK to exercise all the RIGHTS
powers and privileges of ownership in
SG - me right to vote thereon. 10 aid
~ any manner any corporation or asso-
cIatIon or Which any bonds or other Sc
CuTIueS or evidences of Indebtedness
OF STOCK are held by the corpora
ton; and 20 do any acts or thinoe do
signed to protect preserve imnr6We or
enhance the value of any such honde or
other securities or evidences of indebt-
eoneSS, or stock
Ihese powers are as broad as language
can make them, and authorize HE
Northern Securities company not onIv
10 vote the stock of the Great Northern
all9 N0rthern Pacific Railway companies
aI,o mus exercise all the powers and
privileges of ownership and control hut
speclhcaliy empower the corporation tn
40 any, acts or things designed to en-
malice the value of the stock of the com
penIes mentioned which, of course, in
Guides the right to increase freight rates
directly, or to change the classification
OF freight so as to increase the rates.
RESUME OF CONFERENCE
OF GOVERNORS
knowing that several other states in
addition to Minnesota would be affected
oy TINS consolidation, and that the de-
cared public policy of such states
through constitutional or legislative pro,
VISIONS, was similar to that of our state
/ deemed 1T wise to call conference of
oH,d
o: the states through which these lines
OF railway pass, in order that such meth
Oh OF procedure might be adopted as
would be uniform. This conference was
held at Helena, Montana. There were
present the governors and attorneys gem
eral not only Of our state but of Mon
tara, South Dakota and Idaho, and the
attorney general of Washington The
governor of the last named state died
Just prior to the conference, and owing
to this fact his successor, Gov Mcbride
was unable to attend. Governor Nc
Erlde, however, has since, in published
interview, called the attention of the
people Of his state to the dangers threat
ehed by the consolidation of these two
companies. The conference was harmoni-
Gus throughout, and that the official rep
rese natives of the various states were
wholly in sympathy with the action of
this state and it's determination to op-
pose this consolidation, is shown by the
following resolution which was unani-
noUSly adopted:
In our opinion the consolidation OF
threatened consolidation OF the Great
Northern, Northern Pacific and BurIing-
ton railway systems in the several states
through which they run as parallel and
competing lines is contrary to sound pol
icy, and also, with the exception of Idaho
is In violation of the constitution or laws
of said states, and mindful of the obliga-
ton which the law imposes in such cases
upon the officials of the several states
here represented, we hereby give our I'M
quanted approval and Endorsement to
any proper and suitable proceeding which
may be instituted in any court having
jurisdiction by the sovereign state of
thereby designated, designed and intend-
ed to speedily and finally test and deter
mine, the validity of such consolidation
or threatened consolidation. And fur
Their, we unanimously protest against any
consolidation. And further, we unani-
mously protest against any combination